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Bob Dylan at Budokan
Live album by Bob Dylan
Released	21 August 1978
Recorded	28 February and 1 March 1978
Venue	Nippon Budokan Hall, Tokyo, Japan
Genre	Rock
Length	99:41
Label	CBS/Sony
Producer	Don DeVito
Bob Dylan chronology
Street-Legal (1978) Bob Dylan at Budokan (1978) Slow Train Coming (1979)

Bob Dylan at Budokan is a live album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released August 1978 on Columbia Records in Japan only, followed by a worldwide release in April 1979. It was recorded during his 1978 world tour and is composed mostly of the artist's "greatest hits". The performances in the album are radically altered from the originals, using almost all the musicians that played on Street-Legal, but relying on a much larger band and stronger use of woodwind and backing singers. In some respects the arrangements are more conventional than the original arrangements, for which the album was criticized. For a few critics, such as Janet Maslin of Rolling Stone, the differences between the older and newer arrangements had become less important.

Recording and releases

The audio recording is from shows on 28 February and 1 March 1978. Columbia Records released this double LP in Japan on 21 August 1978. Later that year, it was released in Australia and New Zealand. On 23 April 1979, spurred by extensive importing and at least one counterfeit European edition, Columbia released the album to worldwide markets. The shows were the fourth and fifth in an eight-show appearance at Nippon Budokan Hall in Tokyo, Japan.

An expanded version of the album, titled The Complete Budokan 1978, featuring all of the songs on the original release in newly remixed and remastered form, and featuring 36 previously unreleased tracks, was released on 17 November 2023 by Columbia Records. This release comprises Dylan's Budokan concerts from 28 February and 1 March 1978 in their entirety. In a press release, chief engineer Tom Suzuki said of the remix: “We mixed the record with the keyword ‘passion’ in mind . . . The result is a mix that surpasses the original 1978 release, providing a crisper and clearer sound where each instrument and Bob Dylan’s voice are distinctly audible".

Reception and legacy

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Christgau's Record Guide	C+
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music
Rolling Stone

Bob Dylan at Budokan reached No. 13 in the U.S. and went gold, while simultaneously peaking at No. 4 in the UK.

In a sarcastic review published in his "Consumer Guide" column, Robert Christgau gave the album a C+ rating, writing "I believe this double LP was made available so our hero could boast of being outclassed by Cheap Trick, who had the self-control to release but a single disc from this location". Critic Jimmy Guterman named it one of the worst albums ever released in the history of rock.

However, the album received stronger reviews in Europe, and critic Janet Maslin (then a music critic for Rolling Stone magazine) defended the album in her review. "The method here is hit-or-miss, and the results are correspondingly spotty", Maslin wrote. "The fire and brimstone are behind Dylan, this hardly means the fight has gone out of him: Bob Dylan at Budokan is a very contentious effort—and, for the most part, a victorious one".

NJArts' Jay Lustig called it the "least essential" of Dylan's three live albums of the 1970s but also noted that it allowed him to bring "some new nuances to his material" and cited "the slow, aching 'I Want You" as the standout track.

Stereogum ran an article to coincide with Dylan's 80th birthday on 24 May 2021 in which 80 musicians were asked to name their favorite Dylan songs. Steve Gunn selected the Budokan version of "Shelter from the Storm", noting that "the delivery is declarative and minimal, holding a steady line and giving the song a different life than the original. There’s a new confidence, which gives one of my all-time favorite Dylan lines new resonance: 'I came in from the wilderness, a creature void of form'. Dylan’s life is full of comeback waves, and the energy propulsing through this song is testament to his genius for looking deeper into his art".

Despite its initial lukewarm reception, the album has developed a cult following over the years, with some commentators expressing admiration for its "innovative arrangements" and referring to it as an "overlooked classic".

Track listing

All tracks are written by Bob Dylan; except where indicated

Personnel

• Bob Dylan — vocals, guitar, harmonica
• Steve Douglas — saxophone, flute, recorder
• Steven Soles — acoustic guitar, backing vocals
• David Mansfield — pedal steel guitar, violin, mandolin, dobro, guitar
• Billy Cross — lead guitar
• Alan Pasqua — keyboards
• Rob Stoner — bass, backing vocals
• Ian Wallace — drums
• Bobbye Hall — percussion
• Debi Dye, Jo Ann Harris, Helena Springs —backing vocals

Production

• Don DeVito — production
• Tim Charles — monitor mixer
• Val Lane — sound technician

Charts

Certifications

References

1. ^ Sounes, 2001, Down The Highway: The Life Of Bob Dylan, pp. 314–316.
2. Fraser, Alan. "Bob Dylan At Budokan 1978". www.searchingforagem.com. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
3. "Bob Dylan Announces New Complete Budokan 1978 Live Album". Pitchfork. 2023-09-07. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
4. Allmusic review
5. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: D". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 24, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
6. Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
7. "RollingStoneAlbumGuide's music - Rate Your Music". rateyourmusic.com. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
8. Guterman, Jimmy (1991). The worst rock-and-roll records of all time : a fan's guide to the stuff you love to hate. Owen O'Donnell. Secaucus, NJ: Carol Pub. Group. ISBN 0-8065-1231-8. OCLC 23693787.
9. "Bob Dylan: Favorite songs from each album of the '70s (WITH VIDEOS)". NJArts.net. 2021-05-08. Retrieved 2021-06-13.
10. "80 Artists Pick Their Favorite Bob Dylan Song". Stereogum. 2021-05-24. Retrieved 2021-05-25.
11. "Bob Dylan shares 'The Man in Me' live in Budokan, 1978". faroutmagazine.co.uk. 2023-09-07. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
12. Simister, Paul (2012-04-11). "Bob Dylan At Budokan 1978". The Best Live & Studio Albums. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
13. "Austriancharts.at – Bob Dylan – Bob Dylan At Budokan" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
14. "Dutchcharts.nl – Bob Dylan – Bob Dylan At Budokan" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
15. "Offiziellecharts.de – Bob Dylan – Bob Dylan At Budokan" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
16. "Charts.nz – Bob Dylan – Bob Dylan At Budokan". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
17. "Norwegiancharts.com – Bob Dylan – Bob Dylan At Budokan". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
18. "Swedishcharts.com – Bob Dylan – Bob Dylan At Budokan". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
19. "Bob Dylan | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
20. "Bob Dylan Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
21. "Offiziellecharts.de – Bob Dylan – Bob Dylan at Budokan" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
22. "Swisscharts.com – Bob Dylan – Bob Dylan at Budokan". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
23. "Jahreshitparade Alben 1979". austriancharts.at. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
24. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1979". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
25. "MILLION DOLLAR BASH" (PDF). Cash Box. May 17, 1986. p. 35. Retrieved December 9, 2021 – via World Radio History.
26. "Canadian album certifications – Bob Dylan – Live at Budokan". Music Canada. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
27. "American album certifications – Bob Dylan – Live at Budokan". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 7, 2021.

• 1979 live albums
• Albums produced by Don DeVito
• Bob Dylan live albums
• Columbia Records live albums
• Albums recorded at the Nippon Budokan