This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2009)

Before the Flood
Live album by Bob Dylan and The Band
Released	June 20, 1974
Recorded	January-February 1974
Genre	Rock
Length	92:38
Label	Asylum Island (UK only) Columbia (1981 reissue)
Producer	Bob Dylan & The Band
Professional reviews
Allmusic link Robert Christgau (A) link Rolling Stone (Positive) link
Bob Dylan chronology
Planet Waves (1974) Before the Flood (1974) Blood on the Tracks (1975)
The Band chronology
Planet Waves (1974) Before the Flood (1974) The Basement Tapes (1975)

Before the Flood is a live album by Bob Dylan and The Band, released in June of 1974 on Asylum Records, documenting the Bob Dylan and The Band 1974 Tour. It peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200, and reached #8 in the United Kingdom.

Contents 1 History 2 Personnel 3 Track listing 3.1 Side one 3.2 Side two 3.3 Side three 3.4 Side four 4 Charts

[edit] History

Before the tour even began, a live album release was already planned; a substantial number of the performances were professionally recorded. When it came time to compile the album, most of these recordings were taken from the final three shows at the Los Angeles Forum in Inglewood, California. After the tour ended, Rob Fraboni and Phil Ramone were both recruited to edit and mix the multitrack recordings so gained, drawing also on shows from New York City, Seattle, and Oakland.

The title of the album is thought to be taken from the novel Farn Mabul by Yiddish writer Sholem Asch; Dylan had a personal relationship with Moses Asch, son of Sholem and founder of Folkways Records, a record label hugely influential in Dylan's early life, as documented in his autobiography, Chronicles. Another theory in regards to the album's title is that the live album was released before the inevitable flood of bootlegs could surface, and saturate the underground market.

A double album released on Dylan's then-label, Asylum Records, it was a source of contention for The Band, who at the time were struggling to gather enough material to fulfill their contract with Capitol Records. Reviews for Before the Flood were generally positive as critical consensus was strong enough to place it at #6 in The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop Critics Poll for 1974.

[edit] Personnel

• Bob Dylan: guitars, harmonica, piano, vocal
• Garth Hudson: Lowrey organ, clavinet, piano, synthesizer, saxophone
• Richard Manuel: piano, electric piano, organ, drums, vocal
• Robbie Robertson: electric guitar, vocal
• Rick Danko: bass, fiddle, vocal
• Levon Helm: drums, mandolin, vocal
• Bob Dylan and The Band: producers
• Phil Ramone: recording engineer
• Rob Fraboni: recording & mixing engineer
• Nat Jeffrey: mixing engineer
• Location recording by Wally Heider Recording, Ed Barton, Jack Crymes, Deane Jensen, Bill Broms and Biff Dawes

[edit] Track listing

All songs written by Bob Dylan, except where noted. Sides one and four are performances by Bob Dylan and The Band; side two and tracks four through six on side three by The Band; tracks one through three on side three by Bob Dylan alone.

[edit] Side one

1. "Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)" – 4:15
2. "Lay Lady Lay" – 3:14
3. "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" – 3:27
4. "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" – 3:51
5. "It Ain't Me, Babe" – 3:40
6. "Ballad of a Thin Man" – 3:41

[edit] Side two

1. "Up on Cripple Creek" (Robbie Robertson) – 5:25
2. "I Shall Be Released" – 3:50
3. "Endless Highway" (Robertson) – 5:10
4. "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" (Robertson) – 4:24
5. "Stage Fright" (Robertson) – 4:45

[edit] Side three

1. "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" – 4:36
2. "Just Like a Woman" – 5:06
3. "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" – 5:48
4. "The Shape I'm In" (Robertson) – 4:01
5. "When You Awake" (Richard Manuel/Robertson) – 3:13
6. "The Weight" (Robertson) – 4:47

[edit] Side four

1. "All Along the Watchtower" – 3:07
2. "Highway 61 Revisited" – 4:27
3. "Like a Rolling Stone" – 7:09
4. "Blowin' in the Wind" – 4:30

[edit] Charts

Album - Billboard

Year	Chart	Position
1974	Pop Albums	3
1974	Pop Albums	3

Single - Billboard

Song	Year	Chart	Position
Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)	1974	Pop Singles	66

v • d • e Bob Dylan Studio albums Bob Dylan · The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan · The Times They Are a-Changin' · Another Side of Bob Dylan · Bringing It All Back Home · Highway 61 Revisited · Blonde on Blonde · John Wesley Harding · Nashville Skyline · Self Portrait · New Morning · Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid · Dylan · Planet Waves · Blood on the Tracks · The Basement Tapes · Desire · Street-Legal · Slow Train Coming · Saved · Shot of Love · Infidels · Empire Burlesque · Knocked Out Loaded · Down in the Groove · Oh Mercy · Under the Red Sky · Good as I Been to You · World Gone Wrong · Time Out of Mind · Love and Theft · Modern Times · Together Through Life · Christmas in the Heart Live albums Before the Flood · Hard Rain · Bob Dylan at Budokan · Real Live · Dylan & the Dead · The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration · MTV Unplugged · Live 1961–2000: Thirty-Nine Years of Great Concert Performances · Live at the Gaslight 1962 · Live at Carnegie Hall 1963 Compilations Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits · Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II · Masterpieces · Biograph · Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Volume 3 · The Essential Bob Dylan · Bob Dylan: The Collection · The Best of Bob Dylan · Blues · Dylan The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961–1991 · Vol. 4: Bob Dylan Live 1966, The "Royal Albert Hall" Concert · Vol. 5: Bob Dylan Live 1975, The Rolling Thunder Revue · Vol. 6: Bob Dylan Live 1964, Concert at Philharmonic Hall · Vol. 7: No Direction Home: The Soundtrack · Vol. 8: Tell Tale Signs Concerts & Tours Going Electric at Newport (1965) · UK Tour 1965 · 1966 World Tour · The Concert for Bangladesh (1971) · Tour with The Band (1974) · Rolling Thunder Revue (1975) · Never Ending Tour (1988–present) Films Dont Look Back · Eat the Document · Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid · Renaldo and Clara · Hearts of Fire · Masked and Anonymous · No Direction Home · I'm Not There · 65 Revisited · The Other Side of the Mirror: Bob Dylan Live at the Newport Folk Festival 1963–1965 Writings Tarantula · Writings and Drawings · Lyrics: 1962–1985 · Drawn Blank · Chronicles: Volume One  · Lyrics: 1962–2001 · The Definitive Bob Dylan Songbook Related articles Albums · American folk music revival · Awards · Bob Dylan Encyclopedia · Discography · Electric Dylan controversy · Invisible Republic · List of artists who have covered Bob Dylan songs  · Related topics · Songs recorded by Bob Dylan · Songs written by Bob Dylan · Traveling Wilburys · Theme Time Radio Hour WikiProject Bob Dylan

v • d • e The Band Rick Danko • Levon Helm • Garth Hudson • Richard Manuel • Robbie Robertson Ronnie Hawkins • Bob Dylan • John Simon • Allen Toussaint • Jim Weider • Randy Ciarlante • Richard Bell • Stan Szelest Studio albums Music from Big Pink • The Band • Stage Fright • Cahoots • Moondog Matinee • Planet Waves • The Basement Tapes • Northern Lights - Southern Cross • Islands • Jericho • High On The Hog • Jubilation Live albums Rock of Ages • Before the Flood • The Last Waltz (album) • Live at Watkins Glen • The Last Waltz (box) Compilations The Best of The Band • Anthology • To Kingdom Come • Across The Great Divide • The Best of The Band, Vol. II • Greatest Hits • A Musical History • From Bacon Fat to Judgement Day Songs "The Weight" • "This Wheel's on Fire" • "I Shall Be Released" • "Up on Cripple Creek" • "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" • "King Harvest (Has Surely Come)" • "Stage Fright" • "Life Is a Carnival" • "Don't Do It" • "Acadian Driftwood" • "Tears of Rage" Related topics Discography • Bob Dylan and The Band 1974 Tour • The Last Waltz • Festival Express • This Wheel's on Fire • Summer Jam at Watkins Glen • Endless Highway: The Music of The Band