
CAT POWER
Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert (Domino)
Few could pull off a recreation of one of Bob Dylan’s most (in)famous gigs: Manchester Free Trade Hall in 1966, bootlegged with an incorrect title and known ever since as the ‘Royal Albert Hall’ concert. It saw Dylan hailed as “Judas” by a punter when he put down his acoustic, before being joined on stage by Robbie Robertson and the rest of the Band. Chan Marshall, aka Cat Power, pulls a masterstroke in staging her own faithful version at London’s RAH itself – and has the timing of delivery, and nuance in phrasing, to pull off such a set.
Full of classic live performances of It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue, Mr. Tambourine Man and Like A Rolling Stone, Marshall is masterful in capturing the tone of the songs and the mystery of Dylan. A beguiling performance, though naturally one that can never quite meet the incendiary heights of the original.
words JOHN-PAUL DAVIES