Bob Dylan's third live album in 5 years, this one is completely inessential, & feels like a tired retread of some of his best material. Performing in the hallowed space of the Budokan Hall in Tokyo, Dylan fails to live up to the occasion with a dated, slick production. The track selection is strong, but few Dylan fans will be keen to hear many of his finest compositions murdered with a slick, Street Legal-esque treatment. Such re-workings do little for the material, rendering them obsolete as a result. Savagely attacked by the critics upon it's initial release, it's hard to see much reason for listening to this, especially when Dylan has so ...  Read the complete review

Of the three live Dylan albums from the 70s this, recorded early in 1978, was the third and probably the most radical. For the first time, at Budokan he and his band (not The Band, notice) made a deliberate effort to rework several of his old songs in a completely different style from the original studio performances, and in each case it worked brilliantly. The 22 songs on the set are a balanced selection from most stages of his career, although there's nothing from 'Nashville Skyline' here. Of the highlights 'Don't Think Twice It's Alright' became a reggae anthem (close your eyes and you can almost imagine Bob Marley stepping up ...  Read the complete review