Bob Dylan – Live at BBC, 1965 (2 LP RED VINYL) (Pre-Order)

This performance is remembered not only for the quality of the music but for what it symbolized: the end of one era and the beginning of another in both Dylan’s career and the larger world of popular music. Bob Dylan appeared at the BBC in a historical moment that captures him on the cusp of a significant artistic transformation – within a few months he would release the album “Highway 61 Revisited”, which features ‘Like a Rolling Stone’ where he fully embraced electric instrumentation. This gig was part of a European tour which included multiple performances in London and across Europe.

Dylan was immensely popular in the UK where his music had a massive cultural influence, particularly on young musicians and the folk scene. In interviews around this time, Dylan expressed frustration with being pigeon-holed as a protest singer and was already hinting at his desire to break out of that role. This desire would manifest itself more fully in the coming months, especially with his infamous “going electric” moment.

The performance took place at BBC Television Centre in London as part of the “Tonight in Person” series and featured Dylan performing solo with his acoustic guitar and harmonica. On stage Dylan was known for his enigmatic and sometimes confrontational attitude: he rarely spoke between songs and often seemed distant or aloof, further building his mystique as an artist who defied easy categorization. The BBC performance is remembered as an historical marker in Dylan career.