Hear This, Robert Zimmerman

The All The Same Tour rolls into town, and attention must be paid. The Raconteurs open Saturday night at the Spectrum for Mr. Robert Zimmerman and his seasoned band of brothers. We devote the whole Weekend Tunes to the return of the sage, the reluctant prophet, with the voice like sand and glue.

Philebrity's sipped the most Bob Aid on this one, devoting much promotional space to pushing the show. Haven't seen commercialism so startling since Dylan's own Victoria's Secret turn a few years back. I bet Phileb's got a cushioned seat in the press box. He's linked all sorts of YouTube moments and odd-ball cover versions of Bobby Z's canon. Philebrity's Dylanology page is an essential stop on the tour.

But there's lots of low-hanging fruit left for us to share.

Being outsiders, we can link the good stuff, like The Big O, a Singapore Mp3 magazine that's posted most of The Rolling Thunder Review's Oct. 31, 1975 show at the War Memorial Auditorium in Plymouth, Mass. (I've listened to all of the Desire-era concert. Might want to start at the start to hearing the troupe, from Joan Baez to Roger McGuinn to  T-Bone Burnett, Ronee Blakely, Mick Ronson, etc.... find its groove.)

Something to read while you're listening? Ever see the Dylan Pool's closer look at the 1965 press conference in San Francisco where the cranky one was promoting five shows? Great exchange over his affect. This page dips deep, from pictures and newspaper clippings to features on the press of the day, with their tacked ties and hair tonic. Then there's Allen Ginsburg. And a pre-"WKRP in Cincinnati" Howard 'Dr. Johnny Fever' Hesseman from the Committee.

Philadelphia blogger Pound for Pound puts up a variety of "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall" performances, as he builds his ark. We wish Jack the best.

Maybe some Dylan and Johnny Cash outtakes from a 1969 ABC special?

Speaking of rarities, Stereogum stops by Wolfgang's Vault to raid a 1975 sing-a-long featuring Dylan and Neil Young with the Band and the Stray Gators backing up, singing "Knockin' On Dragon's Door." (What do you want, it was 1975, Stereogum writes of the altered lyric. Son, I remember 1975. We were out in the streets, but to protest tuition increases. It wasn't that freaky.)

No longer a total rarity, just history on tape -- Bob Dylan and the Hawks, "Like a Rolling Stone," from the Royal Albert Hall, (The real Albert Hall show of May 26, 1966, not the Manchester show that's just called the Albert Hall show. Locust Street got it right.)

As the man says, wearily, "They're all poets, you understand?"