''Real Live'' is a

live album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th centur ...

by American singer-songwriter

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

, released on November 29, 1984, by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

. Recorded during the artist's 1984 European Tour, most of the album was recorded at

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...

on 7 July, but "License to Kill" and " Tombstone Blues" come from St James' Park, Newcastle on 5 July, and " I and I" and " Girl from the North Country" were recorded at Slane Castle,

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

on 8 July.

Background

Produced by Glyn Johns, it features Mick Taylor (formerly of the

Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

) on lead guitar, Ian McLagan (formerly of the Faces) on keyboards, and a guest appearance from

Carlos Santana Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the Rock music, rock band Santana (band), Santana. Born and raised in Mexico where he developed his musical background, he r ...

. The performances on ''Real Live'' were recorded in support of his successful '' Infidels'' album.

Reception

While ''Infidels'' was hailed as a "return to musical form" (as described by Kurt Loder in ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' magazine), critical reception for ''Real Live'' was generally mixed. Released in December to capitalize on the Christmas shopping season, ''Real Live'' still sold in disappointing numbers, reaching a then-career low of in the U.S. and in the UK. In his review for ''

'', Kurt Loder, rating the album 3/5, wrote, "Although cynics may find that Dylan's trademark wheeze is verging on self-parody by this point, his singing is truly spirited throughout. The band he assembled for the tour generally serves him well, if without inspiration...some fans may get a giggle out of the rhythm riff – lifted from Ray Charles' 'I Believe to My Soul' – that graces ' Ballad of a Thin Man'. But ' Highway 61 Revisited' is well done as a rocker and ' Tombstone Blues' with Carlos Santana rolls along with great energy." In ''Bob Dylan: The Complete Album Guide'', ''Rolling Stone'' panned ''Real Live'' but recognized the album's heavily revised version of " Tangled Up in Blue" as a "forgotten classic". The feature quoted Dylan as stating: "On ''Real Live'', Tangled Up in Blue's more like it should have been. The imagery is better". NJ Arts's Jay Lustig cited " I and I" as the standout track from the album and praised Mick Taylor's "stellar guitar work" on it.

Track listing

Personnel

– guitar, harmonica, keyboards, vocals

Additional musicians

* Colin Allen – drums * Ian McLagan – keyboards *

– guitar on "Tombstone Blues" * Gregg Sutton – bass guitar * Mick Taylor – guitar

Production

* Glyn Johns – producer *Guido Harari – cover photograph

Charts

References

{{Authority control 1984 live albums Albums produced by Glyn Johns Bob Dylan live albums Columbia Records live albums Live albums recorded at Wembley Stadium Live hard rock albums