Tag Archives: Knocking On Heavens Door

July 16: Bob Dylan released Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid in 1973

Bob_Dylan_-_Pat_Garrett_and_Billy_the_Kid

BF: Why does your voice change so much? From the country albums to Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid to the way you sound on tour…
Bob Dylan:  That’s a good question. I don’t know. I could only guess, if it has changed. I’ve never gone for having a great voice, for cultivating one. I’m still not doing it now.
~Ben Fong-Torres interview (Jan 1974)

TC: Your music often seems to get ignored as compared with the emphasis that’s placed on the lyrics, but there have been some really nice instrumental passages like Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid, for example.
Bob Dylan: Yes, I just did a bunch of tracks with Dave Stewart that have no lyrics, and you don’t even miss the lyrics, really. They’re just different chord patterns that make up a melody. My records usually don’t have a lot of guitar solos or anything like that on them. The vocals mean a lot, and the rhythm means a lot, that’s about it.
~Toby Creswell interview (Jan 1986)

Here is the brilliant “Knocking On Heavens Door” scene from the movie:

Continue reading July 16: Bob Dylan released Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid in 1973

Feb 25: Bob Dylan – Knocking On Heavens Door, Sydney 1986

Photo by Jimmy Steinfeldt
Photo by Jimmy Steinfeldt

Mama, take this badge off of me
I can’t use it anymore
It’s gettin’ dark, too dark for me to see
I feel like I’m knockin’ on heaven’s door

Knock, knock, knockin’ on heaven’s door
Knock, knock, knockin’ on heaven’s door
Knock, knock, knockin’ on heaven’s door
Knock, knock, knockin’ on heaven’s door

Entertainment Centre
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
25 February 1986

  • Bob Dylan (vocal & guitar) with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers:
  • Tom Petty (guitar)
  • Mike Campbell (guitar)
  • Benmont Tench (keyboards)
  • Howie Epstein (bass)
  • Stan Lynch (drums)
  • Debra Byrd, Queen Esther Marrow, Madelyn Quebec, Elisecia Wright (backing vocals)

Continue reading Feb 25: Bob Dylan – Knocking On Heavens Door, Sydney 1986

Nov 18: Bob Dylan second MTV unplugged taping session, 1994 (videos)





bob dylan mtv unplugged

I wasn’t quite sure how to do it and what material to use. I would have liked to do old folk songs with acoustic instruments, but there was a lot of input from other sources as to what would be right for the MTV audience. The record company said, “You can’t do that, it’s too obscure.” At one time, I would have argued, but there’s no point. OK, so what’s not obscure? They said Knockin’ on Heaven ‘s Door.
~Bob Dylan (to Edna Gundersen May 1995)

Knocking on Heaven’s Door:

Continue reading Nov 18: Bob Dylan second MTV unplugged taping session, 1994 (videos)

May 2: Bob Dylan MTV Unplugged released in 1995

bob dylan mtv unplugged

 

May 2: Bob Dylan MTV Unplugged released in 1995

I wasn’t quite sure how to do it and what material to use. I would have liked to do old folk songs with acoustic instruments, but there was a lot of input from other sources as to what would be right for the MTV audience. The record company said, “You can’t do that, it’s too obscure.”
~Bob Dylan (to Edna Gundersen May 1995)

Knocking on Heaven’s Door:

Continue reading May 2: Bob Dylan MTV Unplugged released in 1995

March 23: Bob Dylan & Neil Young playing Kezar Stadium, San Francisco, California in 1975 (audio)

Bob Dylan_Neil_Young

Dylan is the surprise guest, billed as “the man from the Fairmont,” at a benefit concert for SNACK (Students Need Athletic
and Cultural Kicks). Along with three members of the Band, Neil Young, Tim Drummond, and Ben Keith, Dylan stays
on stage for half an hour. He contributes vocals on “Are You Ready for the Country,” “I Want You,” (the slightly rewritten) “Knockin’ on Dragon’s Door,” and “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.” Unfortunately his microphone is turned way down in the mix, and he is barely audible on tapes of the show, even though the whole concert is broadcast on a local radio station. Dylan also provides backing on piano/guitar for the five other songs: “Ain’t That a Lot of Love,” “Lookin’ for a Love,” “Loving You Is Sweeter than Ever,” “The Weight,” and “Helpless.” Sara Dylan accompanies him to the show. After the concert, Dylan (and presumably Sara) dine at the home of Francis Ford Coppola, along with Bill Graham and Marlon Brando.
~Clinton Heylin (Bob Dylan: A Life in Stolen Moments Day by Day 1941-1995)

Kezar Stadium
Golden Gate Park
San Francisco, California
23 March 1975
S.N.A.C.K. Benefit

  • Bob Dylan (piano, guitar, harmonica)
  • Neil Young (piano, guitar
  • Ben Keith (pedal steel guitar)
  • Tim Drummond (guitar),
  • Garth Hudson (keyboards)
  • Rick Danko (bass)
  • Levon Helm (drums)

Continue reading March 23: Bob Dylan & Neil Young playing Kezar Stadium, San Francisco, California in 1975 (audio)