The Complete Budokan 1978 (2023)
Disc One
1. A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall
2. Repossession Blues
3. Mr. Tambourine Man
4. I Threw it All Away
5. Shelter From the Storm
6. Love Minus Zero / No Limit
7. Girl From the North Country
8. Ballad of a Thin Man
9. Maggie’s Farm
10. To Ramona
11. Like a Rolling Stone
12. I Shall Be Released
13. Is Your Love in Vain?
14. Going, Going, Gone
Disc Two
1. One of Us Must Know
2. Blowin’ in the Wind
3. Just Like a Woman
4. Oh, Sister
5. Simple Twist of Fate
6. You’re a Big Girl Now
7. All Along the Watchtower
8. I Want You
9. All I Really Want to Do
10. Tomorrow is a Long Time
11. Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right
12. Band Introductions
13. It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)
14. Forever Young
15. The Times They Are A-Changin’
Disc Three
1. A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall
2. Love Her With a Feeling
3. Mr. Tambourine Man
4. I Threw It All Away
5. Love Minus Zero/No Limit
6. Shelter From the Storm
7. Girl From the North Country
8. Ballad of a Thin Man
9. Maggie’s Farm
10. One More Cup of Coffee
11. Like a Rolling Stone
12. I Shall Be Released
13. Is Your Love in Vain?
14. Going, Going, Gone
Disc Four
1. One of Us Must Know
2. Blowin’ in the Wind
3. Just Like a Woman
4. Oh, Sister
5. I Don’t Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Met)
6. You’re a Big Girl Now
7. All Along the Watchtower
8. I Want You
9. All I Really Want to Do
10. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
11. The Man in Me
12. Band Introductions
13. It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)
14. Forever Young
15. The Times They Are A-Changin’
In the spring of 1978, Bob Dylan brought his formidable touring ensemble to Japan, playing a string of concerts at Tokyo’s Nippon Budokan—a venue already synonymous with historic performances from Western artists. From those appearances came At Budokan, a polarizing live album released the same year, met with puzzled reviews and accusations of over-polish. Now, decades later, comes The Complete Budokan 1978, a four-disc set presenting two of those concerts in full.
Though billed as "complete," this compilation selects only two of the five shows Dylan played at the Budokan. It appears the intention was to capture every unique song performed over the run rather than repeat entire setlists. Hence, while duplication exists—several songs appear in both concerts—the curators opted not to offer a mere document of repetition, but rather a broader sonic palette of this distinctive phase in Dylan’s live career.
The performances themselves reflect a radical shift in Dylan’s onstage presentation. Gone are the spare arrangements and acoustic introspection of the early years. In their place: sleek horns, backing vocals, and a smoother, almost lounge-like reinterpretation of classic material. This was, after all, the tail end of the 1970s, and Dylan’s contemporaneous Street Legal had already demonstrated his embrace of a more orchestrated, urbane sound. Though that album receives minimal attention here, its spirit lingers in the stylized approach to familiar songs.
For the listener accustomed to the raw immediacy of Dylan’s 1966 or 1975 tours, the Budokan recordings may initially sound disconcerting. But with time, there’s a case to be made for their tightly arranged sophistication. Tracks such as Shelter from the Storm and Love Minus Zero/No Limit are given almost theatrical reimaginings—less confessional, perhaps, but no less intentional. Dylan was never one to treat his catalog as sacred text, and these renditions bear witness to that restlessness.
Sonically, the recordings carry the hallmarks of late-‘70s production: clean, precise, occasionally antiseptic. Yet beneath the polish, there is something compelling in Dylan’s engagement with his own material—less as a prophet than as a bandleader navigating a new sonic landscape.
While some may argue that the four-disc presentation is excessive—indeed, condensing unique songs into a three-disc package might have sufficed—there’s value in hearing the ebb and flow of two complete concerts. Dylan’s voice is uneven but committed, and the band’s professionalism brings a certain majesty to even the most familiar refrains.
The Complete Budokan 1978 may not win over those who dismissed the original release, but for listeners with an ear for Dylan’s transformations, it offers a richly textured snapshot of an artist in flux. Not essential, perhaps—but certainly significant.
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