Bob Dylan & The Band: The Poet & The Players

Format: 2CD
Townsend number: T-483

Most Likely You Go Your Way And I'll Go Mine
Lay Lady Lay
Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
Rainy Day Women # 12 & 35
It Ain't Me Babe
Ballad Of A Thin Man
Stagefright [x]
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down [x]
King Harvest [x]
When You Awake [x]
Up On Cripple Creek [x]
All Along The Watchtower [incomplete]
Ballad Of Hollis Brown
Knockin' On Heaven's Door
The Times They Are A-Changin'
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
Gates Of Eden
Just Like A Woman
It's Alright, Ma
Rag Mama Rag [x]
This Wheel's On Fire [x]
The Shape I'm In [x] [incomplete]
The Weight [x]
Forever Young
Highway 61 Revisited
Like A Rolling Stone
Maggie's Farm
Blowin' In The Wind

Tracks up to and including "The Weight": Bob Dylan & The Band,
  live, 31 January 1974 (evening show), Madison Square Garden,
  New York, New York, U.S.A. Soundboard recording. Tracks
  marked with [x] performed by The Band without Bob Dylan.
Tracks after "The Weight": Bob Dylan & The Band, live, 11
  February 1974 (evening show), Coliseum, Oakland, California,
  U.S.A. Soundboard recording. Track marked with [x] performed
  by The Band without Bob Dylan.



>Subject:      Poet & Players cds / new '74 board
>From:         elcabong@panix.com (Geoffrey Meyer)
>Date:         1996/02/22
>Newsgroups:   rec.music.dylan

>The Poet & The Players cds (2) allege that they are a complete 
>soundboard of the 1/30/74 NYC afternoon show, which is a soundboard 
>which has never yet circulated.
>
>These cds are actually the incomplete soundboard of the 1/30/74 
>NYC evening show with the incomplete soundboard of the Feb. 11, 
>'74 Oakland evening soundboard tacked onto the end.  (Both of these 
>
>board tapes have circulated for several years already.)  Between 
>the two of them, they do ape the set of the 1/30/74 afternoon show, 
>but there are some clear "markers" to indicate that they are just 
>the old tapes.  (To name two: at the end of You Go Your Way, Bob 
>makes the unusual if not unique remark, "It's a rare privilege to
>be here" [he said that at the evening show & not at the afternoon 
>show], and the first half line of Forever Young [the first Dylan 
>song of the old Oakland board] is sung off-mike.)

>Subject:      Poet & Players CDs
>From:         Bob Stacy 
>Date:         1996/02/24
>Newsgroups:   rec.music.dylan

>Thanks for the news.  But don’t you mean that the "alleging" or "aping" 
>that’s being done is for the 1/31/74 afternoon show?  Most records show 
>that there was only one show on 1/30/74 (probably an evening show) and then 
>afternoon and evening performances on 1/31/74.  Indeed, a copy of the 
>subject discs in the hands of this listener so states:
>
>"Madison Square Gardens, New York City 31.1.74 Early Show"
>
>"Maggie’s Farm" is the #18 Dylan-performed song on the CD and was also the 
>#18 song on the Dylan setlist for 1/31/74 (aft.).  That was the only time 
>"Maggie’s" was performed at the NYC shows.
>
>No problems with the presumption that this 2CD soundboard set is the likely 
>combination of two existing soundboards from other shows (your marker 
>points are good ones).  In fact, our good buddies Krogsgaard & Dundas 
>co-verify that the last part of the Oakland 2/11/74 (eve.) "tacked" onto 
>the first part of either one of the NYC (eve.) shows could equal a complete 
>NYC 1/31/74 (aft.).  That’s all well and good, but even then, there’s still 
>some minor disagreement between those two venerable references.  Krogsgaard 
>(1991) notes the existence of 14 stereo PA songs from 1/30/74 but does not 
>acknowledge the availability of any PA songs from either of the two Oakland 
>shows.  (Circulation of the Oakland partial soundboard has likely occurred 
>since 1991 so that’s OK).  Dundas (1994) does cite the existence of an 
>incomplete Oakland soundboard tape, but then possibly drops the ball when 
>he credits the circulating partial NYC soundboard tape to the evening of 
>1/31/74.  Did I say mixed up confusion?
>
>Oh my gosh!  What if Dundas is correct about NYC and Krogsgaard turns out 
>not to be?  Then it all may as well be thrown out in the wash.  So, I’m 
>going back, put the CD on, and forget about where any of it at all comes 
>from ‘cause it’s still a damn good dose - most anyway you portion it out.
>
>Moe (DBTW #19) hit it square on the nose when he tabbed this outing one 
>worth locating.  Perfection it ain’t - with a number of rough edges - but 
>the clarity of the instrumentation and the up-front vocals make it fly as a 
>much truer-to-being there experience than what was all too slickly 
>presented by Asylum Records.  Mucho energy and excitement in the playing 
>and in Bob’s singing - about as good as it was going to get in the 1974 
>Tour de Force.  Particularly on songs such as "AATW" and "Hollis Brown" you 
>can once again feel those old Robbie Robertson/Garth Hudson motive forces 
>kick in to transform the songs into a whole other level of frenzied 
>overdrive.  One that was born under fire, crafted out, and then became 
>second nature during their shows eight years earlier.  This was proof that 
>they still had it and could still do it!



>Subject:      Re: Poet & Players CDs
>From:         elcabong@panix.com (Geoffrey Meyer)
>Date:         1996/02/24
>Newsgroups:   rec.music.dylan

>I'm sorry -- of course you are right, and thanks for publicly clarifying
>that.  All mentions of 1/30/74 in my post about '74 soundboards should
>have read "1/31/74."  The soundboard which circulates and the one which
>the Poet & The Players cd innacurately alleges itself to be are both
>1/31/74.  Just pure carelessness on my part to have misstated the 1/30/74
>date -- there was only one show that day, and there's no circulating board 
>tape, alleged or veritable.  (I should never post without Krogsgaard
>*and* Dundas open on my lap!)



>Subject:      New York City 1974 soundboard confusion
>From:         John Howells 
>Date:         1996/04/17
>Newsgroups:   rec.music.dylan

>Okay, does anybody know the real and final definitive story on the
>recently released CD "The Poet and the Players" which claims to be
>a complete 1974 show, specifically the 1/31/74 afternoon show? I
>just got a tape of this and it's exactly the same as the old circulating
>1974 tape that claimed at one time to be 1/30/74 and then corrected to
>1/31/74 evening. This tape is the first 90 minutes only and cuts off
>before "The Shape I'm In" is finished. It also has the beginning of
>"All Along the Watchtower" cut off.
>
>Sometime after this tape was in circulation it appeared on a 2-CD set
>called "Before and After the Flood" and claimed to be the entire show
>because it included songs right up through "Like a Rolling Stone", but
>these were soon said to be from a different show. This particular set
>excluded both "Watchtower" and "Shape I'm In" because they weren't
>complete.
>
>Now we have this latest set which claims to be a *different* show but
>it sure as hell isn't. Oddly enough, this version (in somewhat muddier
>sound than my old tape) has the partial "Watchtower" and "Shape I'm In"
>restored to their rightful place and continues on after the latter with
>what is supposed to be a partial soundboard recording from one of the
>Oakland shows.
>
>So my questions are these:
>
>1) Which show is the bulk of this set really from? Can anyone confirm or
>deny that it's really the 1/31/74 evening show? I don't have audience
>tapes from any of these shows to compare with.
>
>2) Which Oakland show is the remainder from and does the entire show
>exist in the same quality? If not, why not?

>Subject:      Re: New York City 1974 soundboard confusion
>From:         Bob Stacy 
>Date:         1996/04/17
>Newsgroups:   rec.music.dylan

>Even as we speak - the first question is being worked.  I could've and
>should've started on this problem sooner, but John didn't officially post
>the assignment until earlier today! ;-)
>
>Evidence is a bit preliminary, but there's enough to start hauling it out in
>front of the class for further comment.
>
>Through some A-B listening comparisons of audience tapes from all three NYC
>shows to each other and to the "The Poet and the Players" CD, I've been able
>to conclude that the bulk source of the CD is the 1/31/74 evening show.
>Note this conclusion is still _preliminary_.  Although a number of
>distinctly different and/or similar identity points have been determined, a
>greater number are desirable.  Such work is in progress.  But here's what
>I've gathered so far:
>
>Most Likely You Go Your Way - (in the final verse):
>1/30/74: Yes, I believe you do.
>1/31/74 (aft.): Yes, I believe you do.
>1/31/74 (eve.): Yes, I *guess* you do.
>CD:  Yes, I *guess* you do.
>
>Dylan [speaks] between MLYGYW and Lay Lady Lay:
>1/30/74:  [???] [It's good to be back ???] [It's an honor to be here.]
>1/31/74 (aft.):  [Thank you] [It's an honor to be here.]
>1/31/74 (eve.):  No comparison possible.  Tape gets interrupted between
>songs. I hate it when they do that!
>CD:  [Thank you] [It's great to be back in New York.] [It's a rare privilege
>to be here.]
>
>Knockin' On Heaven's Door - (2nd verse):
>1/30/74:  [I'm sick and tired of the war.]
>From "Before the Flood" (1/30/74):  [I'm sick and tired of the war.]
>1/31/74 (aft.):  [I'm *so* sick of this war.] -- note: he does not say *tired*.
>1/31/74 (eve.):   [I'm sick and tired of *this* war.]
>CD:  [I'm sick and tired of *this* war.]
>
>Well, that's all the time this evening I've had to pull clues out of my
>detective bag.  We're goin' back to New York City;  don't believe we've had
>quite enough of this to tell the full story.  Just thought you might be
>interested in what's come out of it so far [i.e., some verification points
>between the CD and the 1/31/74 (eve.) show and some difference points
>between the other two shows and the CD].  More work's yet to be done on this.
>
>Oh - also in just giving the 1/31/74 (eve.) tape a general listen - and it's
>not a very good sound quality recording at all - some of the songs "feel"
>and "sound" the same as those on the CD and different than songs from the
>other shows.  Hard to explain this; maybe you know what I mean?  But still
>more true identity points are needed - unless somebody will supply us with
>other kinds of hard evidence like yes _for absolutely sure_ the CD is from
>such & such show(s).  Just sometimes there's not always a whole lot of
>_absolutely sures_ in the wacky world of Bob Dylan!
>
>BTW - I don't have recordings of either of the two 1974 Oakland shows so
>comparisons of them to the latter portion of this CD (from Forever Young to
>the end of the set) will have to go to somebody else.  Wasn't the old LP "We
>Never Really Got It On Until Oakland" supposed to be from the Oakland
>evening show?  Was that ever confirmed?

>Subject:      NYC 1974 soundboard confusion
>From:         Ray Schweighardt 
>Date:         1996/04/17
>Newsgroups:   rec.music.dylan

>>1) Which show is the bulk of this set really from? Can anyone confirm or
>>deny that it's really the 1/31/74 evening show? I don't have audience
>>tapes from any of these shows to compare with.
>
>Let me say that I haven't heard the new CD you speak of, BUT, if it's the
>same show as "Before And After The
>Flood", and the same as the tape that's been around since the late 80's,
>it's definitely New York 1-31-74
>Afternoon Show (I have compared it to the audience tape).  One song, and one
>song only, from the 1-31-74
>afternoon show can be heard from soundboard on the "Before The Flood" rough
>mix tape ("Ballad of Hollis
>Brown")as well as on the "Phantoms of My Youth" 3 CD set.
>
>>2) Which Oakland show is the remainder from and does the entire show
>>exist in the same quality? If not, why not?
>
>The Oakland soundboard tape is 2-11-74 Afternoon show.  It has "The Weight"
>through the end of the show
>(I've compared this to the audience tape as well).  Why don't we have the
>rest?  Well, it seems pretty obvious
>that the '74 soundboards were taped on 90 minute tapes.  So we have tape 1
>of 2 for Boston and New York,
>and tape 2 of 2 from Oakland.  Since these 3 shows apparently weren't taped
>on multi-track, I would guess
>they simply used cassettes.

>rainman

>Subject:      Re: NYC 1974 soundboard confusion
>From:         l.kokay@csc.canterbury.ac.nz (Les Kokay)
>Date:         1996/04/21
>Newsgroups:   rec.music.dylan

>>same show as "Before And After The Flood", and the same as the tape that's 
>been around since the late 80's, it's definitely New York 1-31-74
>>Afternoon Show (I have compared it to the audience tape). 
>
>I too compared it to the audience tapes and it corrosponds to my NY 1-31-74 
>EVENING Show. Strange I thought, so I did a little digging.
>
>Dundas says it is the 31 Jan 74 Evening. (TUIT 1994)
>Krogsgaard says it is  30 Jan 74 (PBD 1991)
>The Telegraph: 30 Jan 74 (RTS 23) corrected to 31 Jan 74 (Eve) T38 (CH)
>
>CD NY City 74 - lists it as 31 Jan 74 (Eve)
>CD Before & After the Flood lists it as 30 Jan 74
>
>Phill T in S & P lists it as 31 Jan 74 (Aft)
>
>The general experts opinion now agree with 31 Jan 74 AFT and EVE.
>Confused? Well I hadn't noticed before but the Afternoon and Evening shows are 
>transposed between Dundas & Krogsgaard (for 31 Jan 74), so depending on whose 
>listings to believe to be correct it is either 31 Jan 74 (Aft) - K or 31 Jan 74 
>(Eve) - D. 
>
>For the record, my audience tapes, which I've had since the late 70's co-incide 
>with Dundas, so I think it is 31 Jan 74 (Eve).
>
>As for the rest of rainman's comments, I fully support these. I could add that 
>the cut 'The Shape I'm in" that emerged as the first track on the part 2 SB 
>tape (31 Jan 74) cannot be from this show, but that is only an aside for tape 
>collectors.



>Subject:      Before the Flood
>From:         lspenceley@cix.compulink.co.uk ("Lorna Spenceley")
>Date:         1997/08/16
>Newsgroups:   rec.music.dylan

>I just got The poet and the players and was surprised at how different 
>this is from BTF, recorded just 2 weeks later.  Did Robbie Robertson do 
>the same overdub "improvements" he did on Last waltz and The Basement 
>tapes?  His solos in particular seem edgier, more ragged and less 
>grandiloquent on Poet and the Players (Better IMO).  
>
>Nick