I also think 1964 Live is the best of the official Bootleg releases. The 1966 acoustic set is probably superior in recording quality, but the 1964 performance is unmatched, anywhere. This is a snapshot of Dylan as he was at that moment, as everyone wanted him to be and stay, but that could never happen to this always-evolving artist.

In my opinion, the 2004 release of this almost 40-year-old concert is the best thing that could have happened. Had it been released in early 1965, Columbia would certainly have trimmed some songs for time, and maybe even edited out the John Birch song (the booklet explains that CBS wouldn't let Dylan sing it on Ed Sullivan that year). It also might have added fuel to the "Judas" fire because fans of that album might have expected Dylan to stay exactly the same. We now get to enjoy the full impact of the concert 40 years later, knowing what amazing changes happened along the way. No one who has been to a Dylan concert in the last 35 years could imagine him actually joking with the audience! When I saw him in Oct 2002, he didn't say a single word to the audience, not even a "Good Evening," or "Thank You." In the Don't Look Back video, just a year after the 1964 show, you can see how much he's changed. He sings the same songs but without any of the enthusiasm he had at Halloween 1964. It seems evident that by 1965 he's already grown weary of pure acoustic and in many cases is just going through the motions. Of course, Dylan just going through the motions is better than most artists at their peak, but my point is that once you've heard the 1964 concert, you'll know it is the standard for comparison.

Many, many thanks to Columbia for finally releasing this. The quality is so much better than I had expected, because I'd gotten used to the unofficial bootleg version, and was under the impression that no better version existed. I never thought I'd ever hear the complete "Silver Dagger," as all bootlegs had cut that off around the two-minute mark. I'll be listening to this for another 40 years, and it will be enjoyed by future generations long after we're all gone.

Don Trapani
Sacramento