Highly Anticipated Release Of Bob Dylan's Tempest Album To Be Celebrated By Numerous Fan Events Around The World

NEW YORK, Aug. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading up to the highly anticipated worldwide release of Bob Dylan's 35th studio album, Tempest, Columbia Records is announcing an international lineup of events that will enable fans to experience the album in advance of its September 11 release date and celebrate with their fellow Bob Dylan enthusiasts around the globe.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120827/NY62972 )

On Monday, August 27, the opening track from Tempest, "Duquesne Whistle" will have its world premiere on NPR Online (NPR.org/music).  The song was recently described by the Los Angeles Times as, "the folky sound of old-time country blues guitar licks quietly unfurling before the full band explodes into a driving big-beat rhythm as rollicking as the train ride the song explores."

Two days later, at 9 a.m. GMT (4 a.m. EDT), the brand new video for "Duquesne Whistle," featuring Bob Dylan, will have its world premiere on the website of The Guardian (guardiannews.com).  The video was directed by Nash Edgerton, who also directed the clip for "Beyond Here Lies Nothing" from Dylan's 2009 release, Together Through Life.

On Friday, August 31, fans who visit listentobobdylan.com will find a map of locations in the U.S. and nine other countries where selected songs from Tempest will be streamed to mobile devices. The tracks will be randomly streamed only when users are within the Tempest-tagged geographic areas, utilizing the free web-based Sound Graffiti app (which can be accessed directly through listentobobdylan.com). In addition to the U.S., other countries in which Sound Graffiti locations will be found include Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Fans who stream the song will also be given an opportunity to pre-order Tempest from iTunes while they listen.

On Monday, September 10, dedicated Bob Dylan Tempest "pop-up" stores will open for a seven day period in New York City, Los Angeles and London.  At these stores, fans can purchase the new album, as well as other Bob Dylan releases and exclusive merchandise commemorating these week-long events, including a limited quantity of CDs hand-signed by Bob Dylan.

Bob Dylan Tempest stores will be open from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday, September 10 so that fans can buy Tempest a full day in advance of its official release, and will remain open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. through Sunday, September 16.  Stores will be located at the following U.S. locations:

• 819 Washington Street, New York, NY  10014
• 7763 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90046

A Bob Dylan Tempest store will also open in London on Monday, September 10 and remain open through Monday, September 17 at the following location:

• 47 Beak Street, London, W1F 9SE

Additionally, the well-known Dussmann store in Berlin will be dedicated to Tempest and feature special promotions and other activities beginning September 7.  Its hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to midnight and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.:

• Dussmann das KulturKaufhaus GmbH,  Friedrichstrasse 90, 10117 Berlin

While detailed reviews of Tempest will not be published by media outlets until next week, early notices have hailed Bob Dylan's 35th studio album as one of his finest works.  Neil McCormick of The Telegraph wrote, "It is fantastic to be able to report that popular music's greatest troubadour is still as brilliant and bewildering as ever…. This is an album I can't wait to hear again, the sound of a great artist approaching the twilight of his career with fearless creativity."   Author and pop music critic Robert Hilburn wrote, "Dylan set the bar high for himself with the series of rich, engaging albums that began with Time Out of Mind, and he clears the hurdle again gloriously with Tempest.  A stunning work."  Michael Simmons of Mojo Online wrote, "Tempest is astonishing."

Earlier this year, Bob Dylan was the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country's highest civilian honor.  He was awarded a special Pulitzer Prize in 2008 for "his profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power."  He was also the recipient of the French Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres in 1990, Sweden's Polar Music Award in 2000 and numerous other honors.

SOURCE Columbia Records