DYLAN AS PRODUCER: BARRY GOLDBERG

One of the many fascinating interviews in Ray Padgett’s book Pledging My Time: Conversations with Bob Dylan Band Members is with keyboardist and songwriter Barry Goldberg. His long, varied musical career encompasses his first recording session, which was for Mitch Ryder‘s “Devil with the Blue Dress,” forming the Goldberg-Miller Blues Band with Steve Miller, and backing Bob Dylan at his infamous 1965 Newport Folk Festival gig. Not only did Goldberg produce Dylan’s session for his 1989 cover of “People Get Ready,” Dylan produced Barry’s 1974 self-titled album, the only outside production credit on Dylan’s resume.

For 25 years, Goldberg himself was not fond of the album. After it had been recorded and mixed, Jerry Wexler, who was overseeing the project, insisted the vocals be redone and the record remixed. According to Barry, this revision sucked the life out of the recording. Fortunately, the original mix was restored on its 2009 reissue and now can be heard as intended. Barry Goldberg is a charming, understated folk-blues collection, somewhat reminiscent of the easygoing vibe of the Bobby Charles LP. Besides production duties, Bob Dylan also contributes backing vocals and percussion.

Goldberg isn’t a spectacular singer, but has enough relaxed, homespun character to carry a tune with feeling. Sometimes playfully melodic, other times a lush, elegant backdrop, his soulful organ also adds a distinctive color to these original songs. The lazy funk of the opening “Minstrel Show” and the gospel soul love song “It’s Not the Spotlight” could be early tracks by the Band. Goldberg’s vocal phasing sometimes resembles John Prine on the folky, slide guitar rag “Dusty Country.” “You Were Such a Lady” (which is completed in the chorus by the lyric “. . . but I was such a bum”) is a reflective orchestrated ballad highlighted with some fine country piano licks. The brooding, mysterious “I Got to Use My Imagination” is best known as a hit for Gladys Knight, but rollicking piano and organ work helps Goldberg reclaim his composition. A breezy fiddle and banjo fuel the sprightly “Orange County Bus,” while high stepping New Orleans rhythms and brass infuse a visit to the “Shady Hotel.”

The reissued edition of Barry Goldberg includes two previously unreleased tracks, which may be the most intriguing songs here. “Life’s Fantasy” is a slow, surreal waltz that features atmospheric production and a chorus of backing vocals (including you know who. . .). Even more striking is the spooky “Soothe Me.” It’s echoed vocals, bluesy electric piano and swampy guitar actually make it sound like an Oh Mercy! outtake. These two bonuses are just icing on the cake for an already eclectic, engaging album that is far more than just a footnote in Bob Dylan’s history.

JANUARY 12, 2024