The Heartbreakers* – Band Of The Hand

John Harvey and myself were the house recording engineers on this session at festival records _ Rick O'Neil

This is actually one of my favorite post-60s Dylan songs. Made for the soundtrack of the cool but cheesy "Band of the Hand" movie (See it if you haven't). This song matches themes with the movie, like the attitude of Robert DeNiro in "Taxi Driver." With Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers--one of Dylan's best live backup bands (see "Hard to Handle" video if you haven't). The song is pretty hard-rocking, too, with a catchy main riff. Lyrics include 'They kill people here who stand up for their rights / The system's just too damn corrupt" and "scum exploiting the dumb / Turning children into punks and slaves / Whose heroes and healers are rich dope dealers / Who should be put in their graves / Tell the truth now." Awesome stuff, as hardcore a protest song as "Masters of War." I have not found it in any of his collections to date, which is a serious void in his digital discography.