FILE - Musician Bob Dylan belts out a tune as members of The Band, Robbie Robertson, partially hidden left, and Garth Hudson, background center, accompany him, during a concert at the Forum in Los Angeles, Calif., Feb. 15, 1974. Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings announced Tuesday, July 9, 2024, plans to release a 27-disc CD box set of Dylan's memorable 1974 concert tour with The Band on Sept. 20. (AP Photo/Jeff Robbins, File)
NEW YORK (AP) – Bob Dylan fans who want to relive his 1974 concert tour with The Band will soon have opportunity to do that – ample opportunity.
He is releasing a staggering 27-disc box set that includes full recordings of 27 of the 40 shows of that tour, Dylan’s theatrical return to the stage with backing of the group with whom he made some his most memorable music. Columbia Records/Legacy Recordings announced Tuesday that the set will be released on Sept. 20, and will retail for $129.98.
The box includes some 417 previously unreleased performances, the record company said. Fans who want a slightly smaller bite can buy a three-album highlights box on vinyl.
It’s definitely for completists: The set will contain 21 different versions of “Lay Lady Lay” alone. There was already a live album of songs from that tour, “Before the Flood,” that came out in the 1970s.
Dylan has never been shy about giving fans the chance to hear him. “The 1974 Live Recordings” will only be his third-largest box set – following the 47-CD complete album collection released in 2013 and the 36-CD set chronicling Dylan and the Band’s 1966 tour.
