NOTE: This compilation has a running time of 55m26s (Disc 1) and 63m41s (Disc 2) thus
both are compatible with the CD-Audio standard of 79m59s.

This compilation was first uploaded to ExpectingRain.com by Nightingale's Code on
December 21, 2020.

Strapped To The Mast
1996 Europe Summer Tour

Bob Dylan
Bucky Baxter
John Jackson
Tony Garnier
Winston Watson

Disc 1
----------
1. Ballad Of Hollis Brown
2. One Too Many Mornings
3. Mama, You Been On My Mind
4. Friend Of The Devil
5. Masters Of War
6. The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll
7. John Brown
8. Knockin' On Heaven's Door

Disc 2
----------
1. Maggie's Farm
2. Shake Sugaree
3. Like A Rolling Stone
4. Drifter's Escape
5. Under The Red Sky
6. Ring Them Bells
7. Seeing The Real You At Last
8. This Wheel's On Fire
9. In The Garden
10. Everything Is Broken

Disc 1
----------
Track 01: 1996-07-18, Oslo, Norway, Track from LB-6273
Track 02: 1996-07-03, Konstanz, Germany, Track from LB-12590
Track 03: 1996-07-05, Ferrara, Italy, Track from LB-6339
Track 04: 1996-06-17, Berlin, Germany, Track from LB-4534
Track 05: 1996-06-26, Liverpool, England, Track from LB-3002
Track 06: 1996-07-09, Salzburg, Austria, Track from LB-10659
Track 07: 1996-06-20, Utrecht, Holland, Track from LB-3142
Track 08: 1996-07-05, Ferrara, Italy, Track from LB-6339

Disc 2
----------
Track 01: 1996-07-07, Pistoia, Italy, Track from LB-2082
Track 02: 1996-06-17, Berlin, Germany, Track from LB-4534
Track 03: 1996-07-08, Passariano, Italy, Track from LB-4415
Track 04: 1996-07-01, Münster, Germany, Track from LB-6248
Track 05: 1996-06-19, Frankfurt, Germany, Track from LB-1919
Track 06: 1996-06-24, Differdange, Luxembourg, Track from LB-12549
Track 07: 1996-07-02, Mannheim, Germany, Track from LB-6249
Track 08: 1996-07-09, Salzburg, Austria, Track from LB-10659
Track 09: 1996-07-10, Tambach, Germany, Track from LB-6286
Track 10: 1996-07-23, Copenhagen, Denmark, Track from LB-5955

Hi everyone! Back again with another set focusing on 1996, the year that was. Whereas
the spring tour never seems to get much attention, this summer tour is certainly the star
of the year. Some of the shows in this tour are among the more popular ones from this
period, and for good reason. The 1996 Europe Summer Tour started on June 15 in Aarhus,
Denmark and ended 28 concerts later on July 27 in Stockholm, Sweden. Also notable is
that, after more than 350 concerts together, this tour would see the last iteration of this
band, with Winston Watson being replaced by David Kemper in the off-season before
the autumn tour.

From the onset, it seemed clear to me that this would have to be a 2-disc collection, as
the acoustic portions of each show sounded stronger to me than they had in years. One
of the real highlights throughout this tour was Ballad Of Hollis Brown, the first time since
'92 that it was in the steady rotation, and it sounds better than ever here. JJ Jackson's
banjo work took it to new heights, and this version from Oslo is a stunner. John Brown
also has a driving banjo at its core, sculpting the song to sound even more like a Civil
War-era ballad. In the same vein is Masters Of War, a song that Bob seems to have
reconnected with in this time, playing it at numerous concerts and acing it each time.
Mama, You Been On My Mind has a pep to its step, and this version from Ferrara would
be the last one for nearly two years.

This performance of One Too Many Mornings from Konstanz is one of the hallmark NET
performances in my opinion, an absolutely sublime rendition with some of Bob's most
beautiful singing from this time, and capped off with a lovely harmonica solo. Similarly
intense is Bob's cover of Friend Of The Devil from Berlin, which has great harmonies and
crystal clear singing. The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll from Salzburg oscillates
between soft/tender and brash/powerful, nailing both perfectly. Finally, Knockin' On
Heaven's Door is a powerhouse, with Bob really going for it on the choruses. Also, since
the song starts acoustic and then transitions into electric, it felt like the natural way to
bridge the two sets.

The electric portion kicks off with a badass performance of Maggie's Farm full of fire and
brimstone. I think the arrangement used here is the best that this song has produced in
the NET, with a toe-tappin' riff and great harmonies to close each verse. Similarly, Drifter's
Escape just kept getting punchier this tour, and this performance from Münster is
rollicking. This tour would see the Drifter's final outings for roughly 4 years, but it goes
out on a high note this summer. Seeing The Real You At Last has a rockin' new
arrangement, which is bright and energetic, with Bob really leaning into it and having
fun. Another showcase for the band is Under The Red Sky, a song which I don't think
ever had a bad performance during this era. The sweeping gentleness of the melody is
beautiful, anchored by Bucky's gorgeous slide work and a great vocal from Bob.

This tour also had its fair share of rarities on the electric side, including maybe the most
popular part of this tour, the short-lived run of Shake Sugaree. Does anything need to be
said? It's Shake Sugaree from Berlin, I think we're all familiar! Another surprise this tour is
this wonderfully atmospheric performance of In The Garden from Tambach, the only time
this song was played between '95 and '01. Ring Them Bells also got a rare outing in
Differdange, the first performance in nearly a year and the last one until late '99. As a
result of not being played often, Bob stumbles during some of the lyrics early on, but the
intention is clear and once he course corrects it's a glorious performance, with beautiful
pedal steel flourishes from Bucky. Another song that was put back on the shelf for a
while is This Wheel's On Fire, which had its live debut in the previous tour, but really hit
its stride here. This intensely moody performance in Salzburg is the only one from this
tour (and the last one in '96), but it really shines with the help of some nice harmonies on
the chorus, and some soaring, forceful harmonica by Bob.

One of the surprising gems of the tour is this unique, one of a kind performance of Like A
Rolling Stone from Passariano. A bizarre, dirge-like arrangement, it's the only one of its
kind as far as I can tell. It was played three times on this tour, but the other two are just
your standard LARS arrangement. Who knows why Passariano was treated to this slow,
meditative version, but it's one of the highlights of the tour for me. A rare time in the NET
where Bob is truly focused and engaged during a performance of Rolling Stone, and not
just going through the standard encore motions. Finally, this collection ends with
Everything Is Broken, a natural sendoff for Winston Watson as this is one of the more
raucous tunes they've played. Though this is before the song became synonymous with
extended jamming (only a year later, Everything Is Broken would routinely be 9+ minutes,
but here, it's under 6), it's a fun romp that lets the band, and Watson in particular, shine
brightly.

Hope everyone who is interested enjoys this! I plan on finishing out the cycle with a Fall
1996 collection at some point in the near future, so if you enjoyed this or the previous
one then keep an eye out for that. Thanks for listening, and Merry Christmas!

Compiled by Nightingale's Code

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