The Other Side Of The Mirror: Live At The Newport Folk Festival 1963-1965 <\/i>is a fascinating historical document of Bob Dylan\u2019s transformation from an aspiring artist to an established star on the way to becoming an American musical icon.<\/p>\n
1963 finds a very raw Bob Dylan performing with just his guitar and harmonica. It also finds an uncompromising Dylan who sings songs of protest and quickly finds a home with an audience ready to embrace this ideology. \u201cTalking World War III Blues,\u201d \u201cWho Killed Davey Moore\u201d and \u201cOnly A Pawn In The Game\u201d may seem antiquated today, but they were at the heart of the folk protest movement of the early 1960s. <\/p>\n
Dylan\u2019s first appearance at the Newport Folk Festival occurred at an afternoon workshop on July 26. His song \u201cNorth Country Blues,\u201d about the abuse of minors, finds a nervous Dylan belting out his sophisticated lyrics before a tiny audience who may or may not have realized they was witnessing musical history. At the same workshop, Joan Baez joins Dylan for a duet of \u201cWith God On Our Side.\u201d Baez changes her vocal tone so as to harmonize with Dylan\u2019s vocals — which was not an easy task at the time. <\/p>\n
The eternal \u201cBlowin\u2019 In The Wind\u201d closed the night performance on the 26th<\/sup> but Dylan was not important or well known enough to close the show alone, so is joined on stage by Baez, The Freedom Singers and Peter, Paul and Mary. Despite some of the more well-known folk artists of the day being on hand, however, Dylan rises to the occasion and dominates the performance. <\/p>\n Newport 1964 finds a very different Dylan. Gone are the strictly anti-establishment songs of 1963 and in their place is an artist beginning to find his musical vision, one that would come to fruition over the next year.<\/p>\n Dylan brings his \u201cMr. Tambourine Man\u201d to the afternoon workshop. The artistry of the songs shows his tremendous advancement as a lyricist in just 12 months. The night performance would include two duets with Joan Baez, \u201cIt Ain\u2019t Me Babe and \u201cWith God On Our Side,\u201d but the concluding song, \u201cChimes Of Freedom,\u201d find a powerful Dylan back in the comfort zone of the audience and folk movement of the day.<\/p>\n 1965 finds Bob Dylan a star. His records are selling in the millions and he is receiving public acclaim as one of the important songwriters of his generation. In two short years Dylan has evolved into a confidant performer who can take charge and dominate the stage, as this DVD bears out.<\/p>\n Dylan at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival starts innocently enough. Again performing at the afternoon workshop he debuts \u201cIf You Gotta Go, Go Now\u201d and \u201cLove Minus Zero\/No Limit\u201d to an appreciative and adoring audience. <\/p>\n Everything changed the night of Dylan would have mercy upon the audience that night. Many people forget that Dylan would return to the stage and mollify the people with acoustic versions of \u201cMr. Tambourine Man\u201d and fittingly \u201cIt\u2019s All Over Now, Baby Blue,\u201d solely because him going electric was seen as either sacrilege or daring. \u00a0<\/p>\n The Other Side Of The Mirror: Live At The <\/i>