Bob Dylan - SLANE CASTLE (2CD) Compact Disc Double

Late on the evening of July 8, 1984, Bob Dylan turned to Bono with an expectant look in his eyes. Before a crowd of 40,000, and in the shadow of Slane Castle, two of the world’s biggest rock stars of their respective generations were duetting on a cover of Dylan’s 'Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat'. The problem was that, while Bono was of course familiar with the song, he didn’t know all the words. So, when Dylan threw the number over to him the U2 singer had to improvise, and ended up making up a new verse on the spot. The crowd, including Dylan fans who’d waited to see him since his last Irish show in 1966, were thrilled at this historic coming together. 
The early Eighties had been a testing time for the songwriter, whose music had taken a turn for the cheesy when he became a born-again Christian in the late 1970s. Eventually, even Dylan realised he was drifting. He staged a stomping comeback in 1983 with Infidels - from which he played three songs at Slane. Perhaps with an eye on changing trends in rock, he’d drafted in Mark Knopfler to produce. Meanwhile, the live band he brought to Slane had included former Rolling Stone Mick Taylor, whose muscular playing brought a zing to many a Dylan classic. But if the performance at Slane was heralded as a knock-out, around the show swirled an abundance of chaos. Slane village remained a war zone. “Dylan was brilliant,” said Joe Dermody, a fan who was just 17 at the time. “He still had a voice back then. He was touring a great album. He was very much on a greatest hits tour. He hadn’t become too arty of self-indulgent - choosing a setlist only to please himself. He wasn’t there yet. It was a great gig.”