Live At Carnegie Hall 1963

As any serious Bob Dylan fan can attest, his concerts were always at high levels in his early days. He was a charismatic solo performer who could hold an audience with just his acoustic guitar and harmonica. Dylan\'s record label, Columbia, recorded several early concerts in hopes of issuing a live album, and it even pressed up cardboard sleeves for *In Concert*, an album that was to feature this Carnegie Hall performance from Oct. 26, 1963, as its centerpiece. That album never saw official release, but over the years songs from the show have appeared on editions of *The Bootleg Series*. This set features six songs that had never previously been officially released. Dylan is clearly on. \"Boots of Spanish Leather\" expresses raw longing. Chords ring out emphatically for \"Lay Down Your Weary Tune,\" as Dylan enunciates the words with fresh enthusiasm. His renditions of some then-current tunes—\"North Country Blues,\" \"Ballad of Hollis Brown,\" and \"With God on Our Side\"—illustrate the humanity of his best writing.