Shadows
In The Night
I’m A Fool To Want You
The Night We Called It A Day
Stay With Me
Autumn Leaves
Why Try To Change Me Now
Some Enchanted Evening
Full Moon And Empty Arms
Where Are You?
What’ll I Do
That Lucky Old Sun
DATE OF RELEASE
February 3, 2015
on Columbia Records
(REFERENCE COLUMBIA 88875057962)
Shadows in the Night:
A Tribute to the Great American Songbook
Musicians
Bob Dylan: vocals
Donnie Herron: pedal steel guitar
Charlie Sexton: guitar
Stu Kimball: guitar
Tony Garnier: bass
George G. Receli: percussion
Andrew Martin: trombone
Francisco Torres: trombone
Dylan Hart: French horn
Recording Studio
Capitol Studios / Studio B, Los Angeles: 2014
Technical Team
Producer: Jack Frost (Bob Dylan)
Sound Engineer: Al Schmitt
Ever since hearing Willie Nelson’s album Stardust, released in 1978, Bob Dylan had the idea of making an album of ten romantic pop standards that had been recorded and sung by Frank Sinatra. The songs would be from the Great American Songbook, including some of the most important and popular of the twentieth century.
Thirty years passed before Dylan created the album. His thirty-sixth studio album was recorded live, accompanied by five members of his touring band, at Capitol Records’ Studio B in Los Angeles, where Sinatra had also recorded albums. Dylan recorded all ten songs in the order of the track listing, usually in three-hour sessions. These ten gems are his tribute to these sublime melodies and texts. His performance is sincere and moving, backed by five exceptional musicians. As he himself said, it is a surprising record, coming at the right time in his career. Critic Neil McCormick described it as showcasing “the best singing from Bob Dylan in twenty-five years.” John Shearer is credited with cover photography, Geoff Gans once again with album design, and D. I. Harper with the invaluable task of horn arrangement.
I’m A Fool To Want You
Frank Sinatra / Jack Wolf / Joel Herron / 4:51
Frank Sinatra first recorded “I’m a Fool to Want You” in 1951 with Ray Charles’s vocalists. The song was released as the B-side of the single “Mama Will Bark,” reaching number 14 on the Billboard Pop chart. Since Sinatra’s second version, released in 1957 by Capitol Records on the album Where Are You?, numerous performers have covered this romantic song, including Chet Baker, Billie Holiday, Art Farmer, and Elvis Costello. Bob Dylan delivers a well-crafted version with an excellent vocal performance, admirably backed by his outstanding musicians.
The Night We Called It A Day
Matt Dennis / Tom Adair / 3:24
There are many great versions of this song, including Frank Sinatra’s on the album Where Are You? and Chet Baker’s on Embraceable You, both recorded in 1957, and, more recently, Diana Krall’s version on her album The Look of Love, released in 2001. Almost half a century after Sinatra, Dylan sings this jazzy interpretation with the voice of a crooner. His performance is delicate and filled with emotion. The simplicity of the orchestration, especially the brass arrangements by D. I. Harper, contributes wonderfully to Dylan’s vocal work.
Stay With Me
Jerome Moross / Carolyn Leigh / 2:56
“Stay with Me” is a song that can be heard in the 1963 American drama The Cardinal, directed by Otto Preminger. Dylan’s recording stays close to the original. “Stay with Me” is the only title on Shadows in the Night, besides “That Lucky Old Sun,” that Dylan has performed onstage to date. He sang it at the conclusion of a concert at the Beacon Theatre in New York City on December 3, 2014.
Autumn Leaves
Joseph Kosma / Jacques Prévert / Johnny Mercer / 3:02
“Autumn Leaves,” originally a French song, “Les Feuilles Mortes (Dead Leaves)” was written by French poet Jacques Prévert with music by Hungarian-French composer Joseph Kosma. In 1949, Johnny Mercer wrote English lyrics, and “Autumn Leaves” became a pop and jazz standard. The song has been covered by many artists, including Frank Sinatra, Chet Baker, Nat King Cole, John Coltrane, Eric Clapton, and Iggy Pop. Dylan’s version features a part on pedal steel guitar by Donnie Herron and shows a new sweet and elegant side of the songwriter.
Why Try To Change Me Now
Cy Coleman / Joseph McCarthy / 3:38
This is a wonderfully sentimental song that in 1952 concluded Frank Sinatra’s work with Columbia Records. Bob Dylan recorded an emotional version of it. Somewhat surprisingly, his vocal presents a freshness he seemed to have lost years ago. Guitarist Donnie Herron provides an excellent pedal steel guitar part.
Some Enchanted Evening
Oscar Hammerstein II / Richard Rodgers / 3:28
“Some Enchanted Evening,” from the 1949 musical South Pacific, is the most popular song from a Rodgers and Hammerstein show. Again, this beautiful melody has inspired many performers, the latest being Dylan himself. Perry Como’s version in 1949 reached number 1 on the charts. There is an outtake of this song dating from the sessions for Under the Red Sky (March 1990).
Full Moon And Empty Arms
Buddy Kaye / Ted Mossman / Sergei Rachmaninov / 3:26
“Full Moon and Empty Arms” is a song by Buddy Kaye and Ted Mossman, based on Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto, no. 2. Frank Sinatra recorded the song in 1945, followed by Erroll Garner (1946), Eddie Fisher (1955), Sarah Vaughan (1963), and Bob Dylan. Dylan’s highly refined version contrasts with Sinatra’s more sober and haunting interpretation.
Where Are You?
Harold Adamson / Jimmy McHugh / 3:37
Harold Adamson had a long career as a composer in Hollywood. The song “Where Are You?” appears on the soundtrack of Top of the Town (1937), a musical directed by Ralph Murphy and Sam White. It was first performed by Gertrude Niesen and covered by many artists, including Frank Sinatra in 1957. Dylan delivers a convincing interpretation.
What I’ll Do
Irving Berlin / 3:21
“What I’ll Do” is one of the most famous love songs written by Irving Berlin for his Music Box Revue. Sung in 1923 by Grace Moore and John Steel, this romantic song was also made popular by William Atherton when it was featured in The Great Gatsby (1974), starring Robert Redford and Mia Farrow. “What I’ll Do” is a popular standard, recorded by many artists from Paul Whiteman to Chet Baker, Art Garfunkel, Harry Nilsson, Nat King Cole, and Frank Sinatra. Dylan himself delivers a powerful homage to the brilliant Irving Berlin with the emotional expression and deep feeling of the voice and instruments.
That Lucky Old Sun
Haven Gillespie / Beasley Smith / 3:39
Composed in 1949, “That Lucky Old Sun” was a tremendous success for Frankie Laine, spending twenty-two weeks on the charts and peaking at number 1. Subsequently, other adaptations brought success to Frank Sinatra and the Jerry Garcia Band. Dylan remains faithful to Sinatra’s version, with a beautiful vocal performance. He performed this song in Sydney on February 24, 1986, with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and from time to time thereafter.
Glossary
Appalachian music: see “hillbilly.”
barrelhouse: bar or saloon in rural America where blues, hillbilly, and honky-tonk music are played.
bottleneck: piece of glass (or metal) that a guitar player places on his finger and slides over the strings in order to obtain a metallic sound. The name comes from the pioneers of the blues, who used the neck of a bottle. Most often, the bottleneck is used in open tuning when the six strings of the instrument form a chord (G or D, for example).
break: an instrumental interlude during a piece.
bridge: a distinct musical passage between two parts of a song. A bridge usua
lly connects the verse to the chorus.
British blues boom: a movement that appeared in England in the mid-1960s under the aegis of The Rolling Stones and other British rock bands, who were powerfully influenced by their African-American seniors, such as Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf.
Broadside: Publication founded in 1962 by Agnes “Sis” Cunningham and her husband Gordon Friesen. It played a major role in the folk revival of the 1960s, advocating a traditional movement as opposed to the folk-rock generation.
Chicago blues: There are several forms of blues in Chicago. The Chicago electric blues, which is an “amplified” version of Delta blues, is mainly embodied by the Chess Records artists, from Willie Dixon to Howlin’ Wolf, and also including Muddy Waters and Sonny Boy Williamson II.
coda: an Italian term that refers to an added passage concluding a song. Its length varies depending on the piece.
compressor: electronic circuit used to amplify low sounds or, conversely, to reduce the volume of high sounds during a recording session.
cover: a new performance or recording of a previously released song, often with a different arrangement from the original version.
cowbell: a percussion instrument used in popular music, rhythm ’n’ blues, classical (Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss), and avant-garde (Karlheinz Stockhausen, Olivier Messiaen).
Delta blues: a blues played in the Mississippi Delta from Memphis to the Yazoo River. Also, a blues performed with a bottleneck. Charley Patton, Robert Johnson, Bukka White, Skip James, and Big Joe Williams are the best-known performers.
Dixie (or Dixieland): a nickname referring to the states of the former Confederacy, the “Old South.” Musically, Dixieland is a white variant of New Orleans jazz.
fade-in: the process of gradually increasing the sound (usually at the beginning of a song).
fade-out: the process of gradually decreasing the sound (usually at the end of a song).
finger-picking: a method of playing the guitar mainly used in folk and blues music, consisting of playing some strings of the instrument with different fingers of the right hand (for right handers) independently of each other (unlike strumming), thereby bringing out the bass line and melody of the song.
flanging: a sound effect produced by mixing two identical signals together, with one signal slightly delayed by a few milliseconds.
fretless (bass): a bass without frets, usually an electric, that feels and sounds similar to the double-bass. One of the master players of fretless bass was Rick Danko of the Band.
gimmick: a musical phrase or sound effect designed to attract the attention of the listener. Musical gimmicks can be found in all types of music.
groove: a precise definition of “groove” in music is difficult, but it is the “feel” of the rhythm or the atmosphere of a song. The term applies when the musicians work together to give the piece a unique atmosphere, often created around the rhythm and harmony.
hillbilly: a term for people who live in rural areas, primarily in the Appalachian Mountains. Musically, the term applies to white popular music of the Appalachian Mountains, based mostly on Celtic ballads.
honky tonk: a style of music often found in the South that derives from the country-and-western music tradition. The piano is the predominant instrument, inspired by boogie-woogie and ragtime.
house rent parties: informal musical events in apartments originating in Harlem during the 1920s during which tenants passed the hat to raise money to pay their rent. A number of blues musicians became known through house rent parties.
jam: an informal and impromptu gathering of several musicians simply for the pleasure of playing together.
kazoo: a musical instrument that changes the player’s voice by way of vibrating membranes. Originally from Africa, it is used in blues, folk, and rock music.
laid back: relaxed guitar playing, exemplified by J. J. Cale and later by Mark Knopfler.
lead: the primary vocal or instrumental part of a song (lead vocal and lead guitar, for example).
Leslie speaker: a cabinet with a rotary speaker inside, typically associated with Hammond organs. The speed of spinning is adjusted to create the desired effect.
low-down: authentic, devoid of any external influence; the term applies to rural blues.
murder ballad: a genre of traditional ballad where the lyrics describe a killing.
mute: turning off the sound of a channel.
Nashville sound: a style of country-and-western music that originated in the late 1950s in Nashville, Tennessee, characterized by the use of strings and chorus. It is in direct opposition to authentic hillbilly.
old-time music: see “hillbilly.”
open tuning: a way of tuning a guitar to form a chord across all six strings. A technique widely used in blues, including open tunings in E, B, G, D, and A.
overdub: a technique of recording one or more tracks while simultaneously listening to previously recorded tracks.
palm mute: a technique of playing guitar that requires muffling, more or less, the strings of the instrument with the right hand (for right handers) while playing the notes with a plectrum or pick.
pattern: a repeating sequence (it might be repeated indefinitely to create a “loop”).
pedal: a small electronic device that lets performers add an effect to the sound of an instrument. Musicians control the pedal with their foot. Several types of pedals exist, including wah-wah, distortion, chorus, delay, and flanger.
playback: pressing play on a tape recorder so that the artist may hear a previous recording. A recording may be “played back” while the performer(s) overdub(s) additional parts.
premix: an early mix of a song or a step in the recording process, created by mixing several tracks from a multitrack tape recorder to get a glimpse of the combined work. The premix is also used in the process called “reduction.”
ragtime: a musical genre characterized by syncopated rhythm and primarily played on the piano or guitar. It combines European music (march, polka) and African-American music (jazz, blues). Scott Joplin was the most famous representative.
rerecording: see “overdub.”
reverb: reverberation, or reverb, is created when a sound is produced in an enclosed space, creating echoes that lessen over time. This effect can be recorded (for example, in an echo chamber) or simulated with studio effects.
riff: a short repeated phrase, frequently played over changing chords or harmonies or used as a background to a solo improvisation.
rimshot: the sound produced by hitting the rim and the skin of a snare drum with drum sticks.
rock FM: album-oriented rock (AOR) focusing on rock music of the 1980s, characterized by the use of synthesizers and formatted for FM radio.
roots: a musical term referring to the origins of popular music, from blues to Appalachian music.
score: the written music for a song or arrangement.
shouter: literally “singing blues loudly.” The term refers to singers capable of singing over an orchestra without amplification. First used in Kansas City, Missouri.
shuffle: a style of music that originated in Jamaica in the 1950s, a type of rhythm ’n’ blues precursor to ska. It was also a slow rhythm practiced by slaves.
Sing Out!: a quarterly journal of folk music and folk songs published since May 1950.
slap-back echo (echo or slap back): a short repeat or echo used by the pioneers of rock ’n’ roll: Elvis Presley, Gene Vincent, and Buddy Holly.
songster: a practitioner of an oral tradition who collects stories and retells them as work songs, ballads, blues, and spirituals. The term mainly applies to Texan bluesmen like Henry “Ragtime Texas” Thomas and Leadbelly.
songwriter: term used in the United States to name a person who writes popular songs; also called a composer.
strumming: a method of playing a stringed instrument such as a guitar by sweeping all the strings with one’s thumb or with a plectrum or pick. This is one of the most common methods of playing the in
strument.
topical song: a song that comments on political and social events, such as Bob Dylan’s “Talkin’ John Birch Paranoid Blues.”
track list: the list of songs on an album.
walking bass: a style of bass accompaniment (or left hand at the piano) that consists of playing a new note on every beat of the music. It was a typical style of boogie-woogie pianists in the honky-tonks of the Deep South in the early years of the twentieth century.
western swing: a style of country-and-western music influenced by New Orleans jazz and swing, and by folk and European traditional dances (polka).
Bibliography
The works have served as references for the analysis of the songs.
1 Dylan, Bob. Chronicles. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2004.
2 Scaduto, Anthony. Bob Dylan. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1971. alternate: Scaduto, Anthony. Bob Dylan. London: Helter Skelter Publishing, 1996.
3 Bob Dylan Official Site, http://www.bobdylan.com.
4 Dylan, Bob. Bob Dylan: The Playboy Interviews (50 Years of the Playboy Interview). Kindle Edition/Playboy, 2012.
5 Hammond, John. On Record: An Autobiography with Irving Townshend. New York: Ridge Press, 1977.
6 No Direction Home: Bob Dylan, directed by Martin Scorsese. Cupertino, CA: Apple, 2005. DVD.
7 Shelton, Robert. No Direction Home: The Life and Music of Bob Dylan. Milwaukee: Backbeat Books, 2011. alternate: New York: Da Capo Press, 2003.
8 Simons, David. Studio Stories: How the Great New York Records Were Made. Milwaukee: Backbeat Books, 2004.
Bob Dylan All the Songs Page 93
