Bob Dylan — Goodbye Jimmy Reed

19 Live Versions. 2022-2023 (From my recordings of the shows)

This selection of recordings includes the first show that I taped, Berlin, 7th October 2022, and the last, Evansville, Indiana (the last show of the 2023 tour). The Berlin show was kind of a 'practice' recording — apologies for the rustling of the microphones. All recorded with Tascam DR-07X. I think it is interesting to hear how this song changes over this fourteen months, and from night to night.

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As a side note, I have recently been listening to Definitely Dylan's episodes on Rough and Rowdy Ways (I am a bit late in listening to these — this first part is from a few years ago, but if you haven't listened to her podcasts, and are interested in Bob Dylan and his music, I definitely recommend them). I find it really impressive how she puts these episodes together, weaves and connects the different aspects to make her story. Interesting and presented in a natural way.

Below is a link to the first chapter in her series on Rough and Rowdy Ways — “Sing In Me, Oh Muse": Rough And Rowdy Ways, the Nobel Prize & the Shaping of Bob Dylan's Legacy

“In the first chapter of this Definitely Dylan mini-series, Laura begins her exploration of the new album by going back to Dylan’s 2016 Nobel win. What’s the difference between songs and literature? Who’s the secret hero of Rough And Rowdy Ways? And what does Homer have to do with all this?”

… She speaks about the song Goodbye Jimmy Reed in this episode.

"What I think stands at the heart of Rough and Rowdy Ways is a celebration of the power of song" … I liked this. I agree.

I have embedded the link to the Definitely Dylan Spotify page there, but you can also visit her website to listen, https://www.definitelydylan.com/podcasts/2020/10/11/chapter-1-sing-in-me-oh-muse-rough-and-rowdy-ways-the-nobel-prize-amp-the-shaping-of-bob-dylans-legacy

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I live on a street named after a Saint

Women in the churches wear powder and paint

Where the Jews and the Catholics and the Muslims all pray

I can tell a Proddy from a mile away

Goodbye Jimmy Reed - Jimmy Reed indeed

Give me that old time religion, it’s just what I need

For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory

Go tell it on the Mountain, go tell the real story

Tell it in that straight forward puritanical tone

In the mystic hours when a person’s alone

Goodbye Jimmy Reed - Godspeed

Thump on the bible - proclaim the creed

You won’t amount to much the people all said

‘Cause I didn’t play guitar behind my head

Never pandered never acted proud

Never took off my shoes and threw them into the crowd

Goodbye Jimmy Reed - goodbye and goodnight

I’ll put a jewel in your crown - I’ll put out the light

They threw everything at me, everything in the book

Had nothing to fight with but a butcher’s hook

They have no pity - they don’t lend a hand

And I can’t sing a song that I don’t understand

Goodbye Jimmy Reed - goodbye and good luck

Can’t play the record ‘cause my needle got stuck

Transparent woman in a transparent dress

It suits you well - I must confess

I’ll break open your grapes I’ll suck out the juice

I need you like my head needs a noose

Goodbye Jimmy Reed, goodbye and so long

I thought I could resist her but I was so wrong

G-d be with you, brother dear

If you don’t mind me asking, what brings you here?

Oh, nothing much, I’m just looking for the man

I came to see where he’s lying in this lost land

Goodbye Jimmy Reed and with everything within ya

Can’t you hear me calling from down in Virginia

https://www.bobdylan.com/songs/goodbye-jimmy-reed/

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A few notes on these recordings — Listening back to these I noticed how the Lucca version seems to have some kind of different groove than any other of the recordings. The song was a bit longer than most other versions too. During the intro Bob plays a run on the piano.. that seems to change the song. I think it’s Donnie Herron then follows Bob, playing pedal steel, is it?… He plays the pedal steel in the same way, at the same time that Bob is playing the piano. I have noticed how he does this here and there, and it makes Bob’s piano sound unusual, in a good way. .Later on Bob is playing the piano in a different way, but Donnie is keeping up his playing the way that Bob played the piano in the beginning. That’s how I hear it, I’m not sure how much sense that makes.. Either way, I think it sounds really good — It seemed to change something within the depths of the song. The earlier versions, 2022, Berlin.. I hear Tony Garnier on bass seeming to move the song along. The version after Lucca.. (quite a while after), Boston.. I notice more Jerry Pentecoste’s drumming, along with Bob’s piano ..his voice.. How he is singing, and playing the piano.. somehow weaving the song together in some kind of magical way. In the last month or two of the tour, it seemed to me there was something different happening with Bob’s piano playing.. connected to how Jerry Pentecoste was playing the drums. I noticed that Bob would often turn around, walk towards, or point at Jerry as the song was ending.. It seemed to me in an appreciative way, as though he was enjoying his drumming. The first time I noticed this was during the three Boston shows.

Either way, I was going to attempt to listen to each of these recordings again, and type a few notes here, before I send this post out. I will most likely just post it in this form though, for anyone who hasn’t heard this collection of recordings, and would like to listen/ maybe dance.. to two hours of live versions of Goodbye Jimmy Reed.

I will add more to this page over the next few days. I think this collection of Good Bye Jimmy Reed’s shows how Bob’s piano playing changed over this time ..(as well as varying from night to night).. That’s one aspect of the Boston shows… For all three of the shows I was in three different boxes at the side of the stage. The third night I had a clear view of half of the piano keys on Bob’s piano. This seemed to change something … how I heard the music. These shows I had more of a sense of how completely inspired Bob was playing the piano. I had this image from the song Mr Tambourine man, the ‘magic swirling ship’ .. ‘take me on a trip’ .. and had a vision of Bob’s piano being this magic swirling ship ~ or the sound from this piano, leading the band along, weaving the music together somehow from the front. Something related to his voice, his breathing, how he sings, the rhythm, how he moves, the beat of the piano, (linking back to the drumming/ the connection). I’m not sure how much sense this makes, but if you listen to the Boston show and then maybe Port Chester, Newark… you can maybe hear something related to what I am attempting to describe here.

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Berlin, Germany. 7th October, 2022 ~ This is from the show that I first attempted to record. It was kind of a ‘practice’ recording. Hence the rustling sounds from the microphones. The sound in this venue was really good, and it turned out that I was in a good spot for the sound. I notice the bass line moving the song along in this groove, guitar sounds here and there, and drums out there in the back .. The piano .. Bob’s voice, how he is singing… all quite different to how the the song was by the end of 2023

Krefeld, Germany. 9th October, 2022 ~ This is from an arena type venue. I noticed that Bob seemed to be singing more forcefully into the microphone, compared to the previous shows in the smaller theatre like venues.. listening back to this, his singing seems similar to how he began to sing the song by 2023. Still that guitar sound, the movement

London, England. 20th October, 2022

Nottingham, England. 28th October, 2022

Glasgow, Scotland. 30th October, 2022

Manchester, England. 2nd November, 2022

Granada, Spain. 13th June, 2023

Alicante, Spain. 15th June, 2023

Lyon, France. 29th June, 2023

Lyon, France. 30th June, 2023

Lucca, Italy. 6th July, 2023

Boston, Massachusetts. 4th November, 2023

Port Chester, New York. 7th November, 2023

Port Chester, New York. 8th November, 2023

New York City, New York. 16th November, 2023

Newark, New York. 20th November, 2023

Newark, New York. 21st November, 2023

Baltimore, Maryland. 24th November, 2023

Evansville, Indiana. 3rd December, 2023

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Going back to the Definitely Dylan episode that I linked above — she mentions a few different lines of this song, different aspects… worth a listen I think. The second Rough and Rowdy Ways episode is really good too. “Chapter 2: The Other Side Of The Coin - The Myth and Mystery of Creation on Rough And Rowdy Ways” ..Discussing “My Own Version Of You” and “Mother Of Muses” ..which is also on the website.

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I will update this page with more notes on the shows, and the recordings.

Best wishes,

nightly moth.