Friday, October 24, 2008

Adjective Noun: High Water


































Recorded live in Niagara Falls on August 23, 2003, this one´s from Tell Tale Signs, the brand new installment in the Bootleg Series. Bob really is on fire here, and so is his touring band. Definitely an improvement on the studio version from "Love And Theft", which wasn´t too shabby to begin with. 

´A prime example of how honing a song on the road can completely transform it,´ says Larry ´Ratso´ Sloman in the liner notes, and he´s spot on. "I get up in the morning, I believe I'll dust my broom, keepin' away from the women, I'm giving them lots of room... Thunder rolling over Clarksdale, everything a-looking blue, I just can't be happy, love, unless you're happy too... It's bad out there, highwater everywhere."

Clearly a case of love, not theft. High Water is subtitled For Charley Patton, in honour of the legendary Delta bluesman who recorded his own High Water in two parts. "Well, backwater done rose all around Sumner now, drove me down the line, backwater done rose at Sumner, drove poor Charley down the line... Lord, I'll tell the world the water, done crept through this town." Here they are.


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