What is folk-rock anyway? It was started
up by people who used to play folk music but wanted to be the Beatles.
They created rock music with intelligent lyrics which evolved into art-rock.
It all originated in the artistic capital of the world, New York City, that
friendly old town, where they kick you when you're up and knock you when you're
down.
Bob Dylan Live 1966 - The "Royal Albert Hall" Concert Simon & Garfunkle Live From New York City, 1967 The Byrds - Live at the Fillmore, February 1969 The Velvet Underground Live at Max's Kansas City
Dylan started it all, the real rolling stone. His self absorbtion was definitely a hallmark of the sixties, for better or for worse. This 2 CD set is called the Royal Albert Hall concert but was actually recorded in Manchester, England, his stop just before the Royal Albert on this tour. These tapes were used because they came out better. This is Dylan's transition period from folk to rock. The world wanted him to be the next Woody Guthrie/Mahatma Ghandhi, he wanted to be Elvis. He gets hushed respect in the acoustic set and booing in the electric set, in which he's backed up by Robbie Robertson and the Band. Both sets deliver remarkable music. This is the quintessential Dylan. Two months later Dylan would crash his motorcycle and this phase would become back pages. Recorded January 22, 1967 at Philharmonic Hall in Lincoln Center. Simon and Garfunkle were still in the first flush of their success, before the massive exposure derived from Mrs. Robinson and before Sgt. Pepper psychedelicized the 60's. By the end of the year people probably already thought of this as a simpler time. Things happened fast in the 60's. It's got all their big hits on it, Homeward Bound, 59th Street Bridge Song, Sounds of Silence & I Am a Rock. They've got that folk troubador sound here with a heavy dose of progressive politics that they did better than anyone.
Paul Simon and Art Garfunkle both grew up in Queens and knew each other since elementary school. They started out as an Everly Bros style act in Junior High, calling themselves Tom & Jerry and in the early 60's began playing around the Greenwich Village scene. Their 1st album, Wednesday Morning, 3 AM, was released in 1964. When electric guitars & drums were dubbed onto I Am a Rock it became a #1 hit and they were on their way.
One of the most influential bands of the 60's, the Byrds electrified Dylan's Mr. Tambourine Man in 1965 and were named by the Beatles as their favorite American band. Even though they came out of LA and this was recorded at the Fillmore West in San Francisco, the New York folk scene is what they grew out of musically. This band is the second incarnation of the Byrds, the first bunch broke up in 67. Here they're into a kind of country-rock style with Clarence White on guitar instead of David Crosby, but they play a bunch of their earlier hits. This is a very good band that was on tour constantly during this time playing clubs and universities and this record puts you right there. The Velvet Underground didn't last long, they started in 67 and broke up in 70, the year this recording was made. They made rock music an avant-garde art form. What have they got to do with folk music? Well, like Dylan and Simon, they created songs that dealt with serious ideas using poetic lyris. The singer Nico had left the band at this point so Lou Reed is doing all the lead vocals. Kansas City was a hip restaurant/nightclub in New York City where the band had been playing an extended engagement in the summer of 1970. The tape of the set was made by a friend of the band who had brought along a cassette recorder. You can hear her friends talking at the table. The sound is excellent, the songs are some of their best.
Bob Dylan Live 1966 - The "Royal Albert Hall" Concert
Dylan started it all, the real rolling stone. His self absorbtion was definitely a hallmark of the sixties, for better or for worse. This 2 CD set is called the Royal Albert Hall concert but was actually recorded in Manchester, England, his stop just before the Royal Albert on this tour. These tapes were used because they came out better. This is Dylan's transition period from folk to rock. The world wanted him to be the next Woody Guthrie/Mahatma Ghandhi, he wanted to be Elvis. He gets hushed respect in the acoustic set and booing in the electric set, in which he's backed up by Robbie Robertson and the Band. Both sets deliver remarkable music. This is the quintessential Dylan. Two months later Dylan would crash his motorcycle and this phase would become back pages.
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