Anyone watched this yet? How does it compare to No Direction Home?

it’s a doc from what I hear so it just depends how much you like Dylan

Its sort of a doc, its presented like one but there's a lot of it thats fictionalized

It's not good. I loved No Direction Home but this one was just boring. Nothing really worth watching other than few clips.

What the fucking fuck is even being implied here? Is this a compliment or insult?

This. Also, no mention of Bob Neuwirth wtf.

After years of putting it off, I had planned to watch Renaldo and Clara this year. I'm a huge Dylan fan but mostly of his music. But I know Renaldo and Clara is apparently really long and difficult so should I just abandon that and watch this instead? All other Dylan documentaries seem very focused on his early 60's work and while those were good, they basically act like he died in 1966. Seeing something of him here might be really interesting although I think he was a little too bombastic for me in this period and seemed focused on drowning out his own voice.

Renaldo and Clara is absolutely unwatchable, even during my mega fan phase I only managed forty minutes.

That's what I feared, but based on the claim here it sounds like this new film is just a trimmed down version of Renaldo and Clara. Wasn't that also a fictional story mixed with live footage? I can't imagine there was tons of footage from that period lying around that didn't make it into the original 4 hour film. I will listen to the 14-disc soundtrack album that was released though. I just wish they hadn't skipped all the gems from 1967-1974. Historians seem intent on remembering Dylan only from 1962-1966 with a brief revival in 1975-1976.

Any performances as good as this?

youtube.com/watch?v=D_b9jdjmoNE

Can’t comment on the film but my favourite Dylan live footage is this.

youtu.be/12rUOLtbQDk

I don't think there was a single performance in there that was actually something you would listen to.

Oh fuck. I was looking forward to my wee Dylan party too.

Like half of Dylan's songs are better live.

I disagree unless you mean all the songs of his that aren't among his Top 100. Like I don't particularly care about what the songs off Triplicate sound live. However, I do think the best takes of songs aren't necessarily the ones that get put on albums. A lot of his live performances just remove any originality that was in the studio version of the song (or youthful vitality in the case of his 60's material).

The Times They Are A-Changin' is his worst offender. Most of the songs on there are much better live. For the rest of the albums it's usually just a couple songs.

As long as you mean his live performances from that era before he went electric than I can agree on Times They Are a-Changin' but only with some of the songs. I think I listen to the Live at Carnegie Hall 1963 EP more than the studio versions of those songs these days. But a song like Restless Farewell is arguably the best song on the album and the first live performance was 30 years later for a Frank Sinatra tribute and his voice was already unable to do those songs by that point. I could listen to all 2000+ live performances of Like a Rolling Stone and doubt I'd find one I like better than the album cut.

Opinion on Eat the Document?

I listen to the 1966 Manchester Free Trade Hall version of Like a Rolling Stone a lot but to be fair that's mostly for Bob's immensely satisfying responses to the 'Judas' heckle. "I don't believe you... You're a liar! ... Play it fucking loud."