Bob Dylan: (Bathed In A Stream Of) Pure Heat

Japan, February 1997

Viola Lee Blues

various locations, U.S.A., April 1997

Roving Gambler

Desolation Row

Stone Wall And Steel Bars

Love Minus Zero/No Limit

Wicked Messenger

Shooting Star

Long Black Veil

Born In Time

You're A Big Girl Now

This Wheel's On Fire

A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall

My Back Pages

Crazy Joe rates the overall quality A (on a scale from F to A), meaning astounding, and the recording quality 7 (on a scale from 0 to 9), meaning excellent. Here is his review:

I'm tend to be a bit suspicious of compilation albums, particularly live audience recordings with their abrupt cuts and varying recording quality / characteristics. This one rewrites the rule books. The track list really can't be faulted, recording quality is both excellent and consistent, and the tracks have been expertly blended together giving an almost seamless run between tracks that leaves the impression of a single continuous concert of stunning one-off performances. Or rather, two concerts since each disc opens with the distinctive Columbia recording artist spiel that marks the point at which, if you'd better get a shift on.
To try to single out highlights from an album that contains nothing but highlights is an impossible task. Born In Time sticks in the memory, as does Long Black Veil and Pretty Peggy-O, but on further listenings I'm sure to be pulling out different tracks each time. In fact my overriding impression is not so much that the album stands as a series of individual highlights but that it works as a single cohesive whole. A total work in it's own right.
It's a superb document and a fitting tribute to Dylan's exploration of his art as a live performer. It works so well because the mastering has been given such meticulous attention. It's a pleasure to behold.
Oh babe It Ain't No Lie.

>From: alan.fraser@mcmail.com (Alan Fraser)
>Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
>Subject: Unofficial CD News
>Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 11:39:03 GMT
>Message-ID: <34e2d5af.6510534@news.is.chbs>

>Bathed In A Stream Of Pure Heat: this compilation of tracks from April
>97 was first reported last September, but has only just appeared. By
>all accounts it was worth waiting for, and is an excellent and
>consistent piece of work, with the tracks segued together to form a
>continuous whole. Reportedly "a superb document and a tribute to
>Dylan's exploration of his art as a live performer" - just the sort of
>album Columbia should be putting out, in fact! (I've tried myself to
>make compilation CD-Rs, so far without artistic success, so I know how
>difficult it is to make tracks from different sources and performances
>sound consistent. Obviously you need much better sound editing tools
>than I've got on my PC - plus more time and skill than I've got, of
>course!)



>Subject: Where beauty goes unrecognized #14
>From: E.W.Schoneveld@caiw.nl (Eric Schoneveld)
>Date: Sun, 15 Feb 1998 15:42:26 GMT

>Bathed In A Stream Of Pure Heat 551
>QRecords	2cd
>EUR

>I am not much a fan of compilation discs, but this might be an exception.
>Tracks are well picked (mainly from April '97, except Viola Lee, which is
>from Japan Feb '97) and very well edited together. If only Sony would ever
>release an official cd like this...
>Rating ****/*****



> From: Dino 
> Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
> Subject: Re: Moe on Pure Heat
> Date: Sat, 21 Nov 1998 18:14:51 GMT

> if you can find Pure Heat, buy it.  It's great stuff in super quality;
> mastering and cover art are excellent, too.  You haven't lived until
> you've heard Friend Of The Devil with Larry's fiddle. :-)  my only
> complaint is that the compiler didn't include Bob's comments about
> Ginsberg that went with Desolation Row from Moncton.

> From: gser@earth.execpc.com (Dan Krass)
> Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
> Subject: Re: Moe on Pure Heat
> Date: 21 Nov 1998 21:34:46 GMT

> I agree. Bathed.. is still one of my favorite 90s bootlegs. And yes
> the Friend of the Devil is a must-hear.



> From: cserra@etsin.upm.es (Carlos Serra Guevara)
> Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
> Subject: Bathed, Globe arena, Wolftrap and Moe
> Date: 29 Nov 1998 07:25:43 -0800

>  "Bathed in a stream of pure heat" Is FANTASTIC! Compulsory purchase, I
> believe. Several unique moments, and the sound is excellent. WOnderfully
> sequenced so that each CD is somehow like a separate and complete show.
> It contains awesome versions of "My back pages"(With violin/harp duet at
> the end!) The best version ever (to me) of "My back pages" with harp! A
> great Desolation row" an overwhelmingly good "Pretty peggy-O" a bluesy
> and raggedly great "Pledging my time" Also, "Long Black Veil" "Shooting
> star" "You're a big girl now" "Friend of the devil" etc... All great, no
> clunkers.



> From: chriselliott@ibm.net
> Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
> Subject: Re: Field Recordings
> Date: Mon, 08 Feb 1999 07:27:22 GMT

> >"Bathed In A Stream Of Pure Heat" (compilation)
> Sound quality ranges from very good to outstanding. Can't compete with
> Globe sound quality-wise.  

"Globe" refers to "At The Globe Arena"