Though Dion will always be best remembered for his work with the Belmonts and as a solo artist, there was far more to him than “Runaround Sue” and “The Wanderer.” He made a notable foray into contemplative singer-songwriter fare at the turn of the 1970s, did some faith-based albums thereafter and, more recently, very credibly focused on blues.
Recorded Live at the Bitter End, August 1971 finds him in the midst of the former exploration, as Dion DiMucci is captured alone — only guitar in hand — during a long-unreleased concert performance at Greenwich Village’s storied folkie haunt. “Sanctuary,” a searching, darkly personal ode, advances this April 7, 2015 release, which finally — finally! — is arriving via Omnivore. This show followed Dion’s move into more mature song styles with 1968’s “Abraham, Martin and John” — a Dick Holler composition written in tribute to a trio of American martyrs — but “Sanctuary” is different. The title track from a then-new blues-inflected folk album, this is smaller scale, more personal, and more powerful, in its way.
Elsewhere on Recorded Live at the Bitter End, August 1971, as expected, you’ll find stripped-down takes on Dion’s most treasured hits, along with updates of the Beatles’ “Blackbird” and Leonard Cohen’s “Sisters of Mercy.” But much of that brings with it baggage from another era, contextual weight that makes it difficult to digest as a stand-alone item. Even in ’71, there was a lot of water under Dion’s bridge, and we’ve come another four-and-a-half decades since.
“Sanctuary” arrives unburdened by such history, largely unheard in the years since — and thus filled with more thrumming, unexpected energy. This is Dion pushing forward into a new musical frontier, when others might have been content to settle into the oldies circuit, even as he completes the musical DNA of future stars like Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen.
- Nick DeRiso’s Best of 2015 (Rock + Pop): Death Cab for Cutie, Joe Jackson, Toto + Others - January 18, 2016
- Nick DeRiso’s Best of 2015 (Blues, Jazz + R&B): Boz Scaggs, Gavin Harrison, Alabama Shakes - January 10, 2016
- Nick DeRiso’s Best of 2015 (Reissues + Live): John Oates, Led Zeppelin, Yes, Faces + others - January 7, 2016
