Album #40: Shadow Kingdom

 Released June 2, 2023


It seems fitting to end my project with this album, Dylan’s last studio album to date. Recorded in early 2021 to accompany the film of the same name, it’s a collection of 13 songs from Dylan’s earlier career, plus one instrumental. 

The album received rave reviews, and it deserves them. Dylan sounds great and his reinterpretations of these familiar songs are fascinating. They are all eminently recognizable, but transformed. The accompanying musicians, as always, are excellent. Dylan used no drums. The songs flow into one another,  which I don’t think he did on any other album, at least, not for every song. 

My favorites on this album are “What Was It You Wanted” and “When I Paint My Masterpiece”. The only one I didn’t like in its new form was “Tombstone Blues”. He sings it very slowly.  I like it fast ;-) 

The film this was used for is well worth seeking out. It was filmed on a soundstage in California, but is credited as being in the “Bon Bon Club” in Marseille (which doesn’t exist). The musicians in the film are “finger synching” to the prerecorded tracks done by the actual musicians on the album. Why Bob decided to do it this way is unknown. It was COVID times, everything was strange! 

Hearing this album makes me want to go back and listen to these songs in their original forms all over again. Then I’ll have to decide what to do about all of the bootlegs and live albums I haven’t gotten to yet! 

This has been a great project! 

When I Paint My Masterpiece, Shadow Kingdom:

https://youtu.be/B2H_RlYdukQ?si=him_v1onm4ZkzM8T

Tombstone Blues, Shadow Kingdom: 

https://youtu.be/HGEbeGzjIxs?si=g61DZ264s3v_11fm

Tombstone Blues, Highway 61:

https://youtu.be/ag-Esuy44ks?si=xESv0Q3Lg1nkQ7E3

Tombstone Blues, MTV Unplugged (fantastic version with great drums):

https://youtu.be/_SyzcnGcNps?si=qGBrG2FKxjBv3SNt

Short “Shadow Kingdom” movie trailer:

https://youtu.be/JxwI_OtESIE?si=WJ0q5Ph3nTGjUhBn



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