Quicksand Soup - I Shall Be Released ~ Moab, Utah ~ 2024

recorded: April 24th, 2024 ~
This haunting ballad was written by Bob Dylan for The Band. Dylan put out a folkier studio version in 1971. But it was near impossible for any singer to put a definitive stamp on the song once Richard Manuel recorded his vocals on it. Manuel scrapes the ether for some of the high notes that he hits in the take that are angelic in nature. Add the slow march played by drummer Levon Helm, and Rick Danko adding his signature bass to it, The Band’s version captures Dylan’s lyrics about an imprisoned man’s restless yearning to finally be free.