Bob Dylan: The Bootleg Series

Really enjoying the The Witmark Demos, but as I've been searching out reviews of the set I'm getting a little sick of the Dylan fanatics whining "well I've heard all these before, so this is nothing new and I can't believe they bothered to package this". Gee, thanks, but some of us like to not have to scrounge through tons of bootlegs and will happily pay for this stuff all collected and cleaned up nice.

ha, yeah, this is a great set, even though i may have been one of the fanatics complaining originally. second disc in particular is just a joy to listen to. i definitely prefer some of the versions here to the album versions.

I am listening to that second disc now!

I wanted to hear what 'I'll keep it with mine' sounded like in its very first instance.

And now I am hearing 'Boots of Spanish Leather' - my goodness. Such depth he seems to have found, to have plumbed or fallen into.

About 'keep it with mine', have I others mentioned before the basic difficulty with this song, namely that the 'everybody / will help you' line doesn't really fit vs the music, so every cover (and so many covers have occurred) has to solve this problem anew?

[= have I and / or others mentioned]

Just listening to Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues (Take 5) from Vol.7.
So great.
― Alba (Alba), Wednesday, 23 November 2005

my download code for the brandeis vinyl i bought in case anyone wants it:

http://www.myplaydirect.com/bobdylan/redeem_short_pin?cid=lg:4ve&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=retail

code: 349j3p56d57nd72

anyone know where i could find a version of "when i paint my masterpiece" from the rolling thunder revue tour?

just uh "replaced" the taped copy I had of the Bootleg Series Volume 2, as I'm sorta going through a mid-60s through the late 70s Bob-listening period at the moment and I am wondering at just how much there really is in the vaults from that '65-'67 period. Volume 2 really only includes a smattering - I have an unauthorized bootleg that I got back in the 90s called "Thin Wild Mercury Music" that has at least a dozen more tracks from the same sessions (Pilot Eyes, Just a Little Glass of Water, numerous alternate versions). Does anybody have any particular insight into this period or resources that would be worth checking out?

Also, did Dylan even tour the US with his electric band during this period? I mean I know about the inaugural folk festival shows and whatnot, but it seems like the live stories/bootlegs from this period are always from the two UK tours.

also - so glad to finally be hearing this 3/4 version of Like a Rolling Stone again

is that the one with the mickey jones replacing levon helm in the band?

I'm not sure...? it's very short, just over a minute-and-a-half. instrumentation is Bob at the piano, singing and playing harmonica too and I think there's some small electric guitar and organ bits at the end. I'll see if I can find a youtube...

wikipedia sez no

The recording sessions were produced by Tom Wilson on June 15–16, 1965, in Studio A of Columbia Records, 799 Seventh Avenue, in New York City.In addition to Bloomfield, the other musicians enlisted were Paul Griffin on piano, Joe Macho, Jr. on bass, Bobby Gregg on drums, and Bruce Langhorne on tambourine, all booked by Wilson. Gregg and Griffin had previously worked with Dylan and Wilson on Bringing It All Back Home.

On the first day, five takes of the song were recorded in a markedly different style from the eventual release—a 3/4 waltz time, with Dylan on piano. The lack of sheet music meant the song was played by ear. However the essence of the song was discovered in the course of the chaotic session. They did not reach the first chorus until the fourth take, but after the following harmonica fill Dylan interrupted, saying, "My voice is gone, man. You wanna try it again?" This take was subsequently released on The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961–1991. The session ended shortly afterwards.

Also, did Dylan even tour the US with his electric band during this period? I mean I know about the inaugural folk festival shows and whatnot, but it seems like the live stories/bootlegs from this period are always from the two UK tours.

According to this, he did do an electric tour of the US/Canada in 1966, but the personnel fluctuated. The US/Canada leg of the tour started out with Al Kooper and Levon Helm, and ended up with the rest of the Hawks and Bobby Gregg.

ah. I've seen Eat the Document, for some reason I thought all that footage was from the UK tours. Not that there's a lot of um, explication in that film.

Tyler had a boot up from one of the US dates on his blog.

There was also a mult-disc Bootleg Series release through Sony Japan only, with little publicity. Yet another reminder of just how crazy he is, to sideline something this good (like leaving the Desire sessions' "Golden Loom" in the can so long, in favor of shit like "Joey"). It ranges from the very early 60s, when he sounds like a mean ol' compelling preacher man on "Wade In The Water". to the late '90s, I think. A few prev released tracks, but nothing too obvious. He even reads 60s poetry from the stage, way better than most of the stuff on back album jackets (before John Wesley Harding, that is). Telltale Signs is mostly excellent too, although it's mostly about lost love, gotta be ready for that(the music's always good)(of course I'm just talking about the double-disc, but you could probably get everything on the third disc from the bargain bin or downloads, for much, much less than the full edition, though still wouldn't have the book, boo-hoo)

there seem to be a handful of outtakes from his 65-67 studio sessions that I can't find:

California
You Don't Have to Do That
Why Do You Have to Be So Frantic?

and then I guess various alternate versions of some things...

Also see Tyler's link to Renaldo and Clara on YouTube, speaking of Rolling Thunder. I haven't heard the Bootleg Series Rolling Thunder, don't know how it compares with thar (the old Hard Rain live LP has some good R Thunder performances). It's 3' 36", but very episodic, no prob with breaks. Don't know why it got such bad reviews: you get mostly really good, already speculative re-arrangements of songs from early 60s to recent past, and the whole thing is also a continuation of the troubled relationship dynamic on Blood On The Tracks--not a rolling cinematic break-up album, but scenes with restless,wry, sly, not-buyin'-any-alibis women, and somewhat befuddled men, the latter inching towards middle-aged crazy. (The actually middle-aged men, like Ronny Hawkins, Allen Ginsberg and Ramblin' Jack, thrive in the spotlight.) Great sound and pungent 70s dirty silver screen visuals (Dyl had already made the Scorsese connection after all, and maybe thinkin Cassavetes, Pennebacker of course, hoping for success like that of Altman's Nashville, or Led Zep's Song Remains The Same, it's kind of in between those)

another question:

what the hell was Dylan doing between New Morning and Pat Garrett? So weird that he went so long without releasing anything except a couple random largely ignored singles

I may have the chronology wrong, but I think that's around when Bob was trying to shake off any number of stalkers (Weberman and the like). Since putting out a crap record (Self Portrait) on purpose didn't throw people off his trail, he probably decided to clam up entirely.

he was raising kids and chickens and shit

"Cow Pie!" Now that nobody goes to MySpace, tons of albums there: whole series and boxes of Hank, Cash, Miles and Dylan for inst. All of BD's original 60s releases (in their 2010 mono, plus Best of the Mono Recordings). Several in the Bootleg Series, like the Whitmark Demos, Halloween Mask, Vols.1-3: Series of Dreams, Live At Brandeis (not sure if that's formally incl in Bootleg Series, but def 60s)

http://s.discogss.com/image/R-4142927-1356735357-6465.jpeg

Not a part of the bootleg series, but may as well be. Sony/Columbia quietly released 100 copies of this across a few European countries at the end of December, and it was available for download in a few countries (at an exorbitant price) but that's it. The mp3 download version apparently uses the less subtle artwork above, while the physical copies used the 50th Anniv. title. Basically all the alternate/live tracks they wanted to not let slip into the public domain? I'm not sure I understand how copyright law works that they had to do this, but I wish it was more widely available.

http://www.discogs.com/Bob-Dylan-The-50th-Anniversary-Collection-The-Copyright-Extension-Collection-Vol-I/release/4142612

out there on t0rrentz, of course

haha, saw this. so weird. some good stuff on there, nothing that hasn't been around on bootlegs, i don't think?

Isn't there something major happening with copyright law in Europe this year? I seem to recall some hand-wringing about "and now Beatles songs will be public domain!"

Yes, there's an EU directive now in force which extends copyright in sound recordings from 50 to 70 years. So the Beatles are protected. More here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/sep/15/copyright-extension-cliffs-law-beatles

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfME_KyTmc0&feature=youtu.be&t=6m48s

Thanks, that's what I was looking for!

xp

ugh y didnt my vid post it is the most necessary vid

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51pPQUh%2B7aL._SL500_.jpg
guess the floodgates are kinda opening with these euro bootleg collections. available on amzon. four discs for pretty cheap i think.

record store day release -- Bob Dylan Wigwam b/w Thirsty Boots from the forthcoming Bootleg Series Volume 10, features the demo version of Wigwam and the unreleased track from the Self Portrait sessions.
kind of cool, guess it'll be a 69-70 collection or something? Self Portrait outtakes!

oh man self-portrait outakes....do we dare hope for new morning outtakes????

yeahhhh, i assume they'll be clearing the decks of that stuff. probably some of the isle of wight concert too? hopefully there's more cool stuff that's never been bootlegged -- i don' think these two tracks have made it out.

crazy that wigwam was released as a single back in the day
http://www.importsounds.com/images/BOB-DYLAN_WIGWAM_061512.JPG
i mean, i really love that song, but... did anyone think it was going to be a hit?

what is the demo going to be like, i wonder, hmmmm.

http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/9a/01/9a01fa3d715f1211f22450db86eeeb26.jpg

These sessions are great. It's nice to see the Self-Portrait era get a reassessment. Funny to think about how much the rock-crit establishment freaked out whenever Dylan dared release anything recorded more for the sheer love of making music rather thanuttering kind of profound poetic statement. I love the way he Dylanizes songs he chooses to cover. Plus his choice of covers has turned me onto some incredible stuff.

yeah, early morning rain is one of my faves from that era. i'm sure there was a little self-sabotage going on (as dylan claimed a decade or so later), but also, i think this was just a period where he wanted to make low-key country rock records, along the lines of gordon lightfoot, john prine, kris kristofferson, etc.

i'm sure there was a little self-sabotage going on (as dylan claimed a decade or so later)

love chronicles but i trust bob about as far as i can throw him when it comes to his own motivations

so stoaked for this

i wonder if it will have stuff that was part of that weird dark musical or whatever the fuck that new morning grew out of

feel like the biggest argument for self portrait as self sabotage is the live like a rolling stone, where Dylan completely flubs most of the lines. maybe bob just thought it was funny?

if he had only called it "like a rolling pin," then we would have known for sure.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dbb-T7tIDi8

heyo

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/bob-dylan-revisits-self-portrait-on-next-edition-of-bootleg-series-20130716

...the latest volume in his ongoing Bootleg Series: a four-disc set called Another Self Portrait, drawing on never-before-heard material from Dylan's original acoustic recording sessions and outtakes from Self Portrait along with select cuts from 1968's Nashville Skyline and 1970's New Morning. A deluxe edition will feature a complete recording of Dylan and the Band's 1969 set at the Isle of Wight Festival as well as a remastered version of the original Self Portrait. Both editions hit shelves on August 27th.

Sounds awesome.

I've only heard bits and pieces of SP, none of which made me want to delve further. I didn't think it was outright awful, but can't say I'm real excited to hear the stuff that wasn't deemed good enough for it.

(Then again, it could be an Old Ways/A Treasure situation, which I would welcome)

i've twice in the last couple months been in coffee shops playing self-portrait. maybe it's getting rehabilitated.

new morning also big w the cool kids in my experience. me, for example.

So excited for another Bootleg Series release, but what really piqued my interest was this quote:

"Sets for Blood on the Tracks and Blonde on Blonde will eventually come out. When fans hear the Blonde on Blonde set, they'll realize that the real hero of the sessions was pianist Paul Griffin. . . There will also be a Basement Tapes box one day. We're trying to get the best sources on all the Basement Tapes. That'll happen one day, absolutely."

Hope I live long enough to hear those two/three releases.

I think Dylan being relatively hands-off with the bootleg serieses bodes well for future volumes appearing in our lifetimes.

I'm excited by this and any upcoming sets. We'll likely see them all before the second volume of Neil's Archives.