Download Bob Dylan’s “Beyond Here Lies Nothing” Free, One Day Only (March 30, 2009)

Hurry, hurry, hurry! Step right up! For one day — yes, I said one day — for one day only you — yes, you! — can download the first single from Bob Dylan’s 46th album absolutely, completely, and totally free. Free. That’s right. I said it. Free and at no additional charge. How can you get your free download of “Beyond Here Lies Nothin?'” Why it’s simple. Go to BobDylan.com and download your track, free.

All right, all shtick aside: For today — March 30, 2009 — only, you can download the first track and first single “Beyond Here Lies Nothin'” from Bob Dylan’s new record Together Through Life. The album is set for release April 28, 2009.

While you’re downloading, let’s talk a little about this first song and what it might mean for the upcoming record. In an interview published on Dylan’s web site, he admitted the classic Chicago Chess Records sound wasn’t too far from his mind when he recorded TTL. Chess is a good point of reference for “Beyond Here Lies Nothin,'” but as with much of Dylan’s catalog you make a mistake to fixate on any one thing. “Beyond” has just a hint of Eric Clapton’s cover of Otis Rush’s classic “All Your Love (I Miss Loving)” from Clapton’s time with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers. It’s a blues joint with some mariachi trumpet, organ, and accordion.

From a production standpoint, “Beyond” is a little edgier than anything on Dylan’s previous record (Modern Times). The sound of Modern Times is wonderful and round and soft. There’s more snap and bite on “Beyond,” but it’s delivered without giving in to the static sounds of so many overly loud, distorted modern recordings.

Together Through Life is being released in two packages: a one-CD set and a two-disc CD/DVD deluxe edition. The deluxe edition includes a bonus CD of Dylan’s 60-minute Theme Time Radio Hour “Friends & Neighbors” episode. Theme Time Radio Hour is a show Dylan does for Sirius/XM satellite radio. The DVD is of “Roy Silver – The Lost Interview.”

Complete Tracklisting for Together Through Life
1. Beyond Here Lies Nothin’
2. Life Is Hard
3. My Wife’s Home Town
4. If You Ever Go To Houston
5. Forgetful Heart
6. Jolene
7. This Dream Of You
8. Shake Shake Mama
9. I Feel A Change Comin’ On
10. It’s All Good