As we get closer to the November 4 release of The Basement Tapes Complete: The Bootleg Series Vol. 11, a previously unheard recording, “Dress It Up, Better Have It All,” has been released and you can check it out below.
The song is rockabilly raveup with Dylan sounding very loose. “One time for Bozo,” Dylan says at one point in the song as Robbie Robertson fires off a short hot solo.
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[I just published my rock ‘n’ roll novel, True Love Scars.” Rolling Stone has a great review of my book in a recent issue. Read it here. There’s info about True Love Scars here.]
Bob Dylan’s notebook page where he wrote the lyrics to “Spanish Mary.”
During the summer of 1967, up in Woodstock, New York, Bob Dylan wrote a batch of song lyrics that he didn’t set music to and didn’t record.
Lost On The River: The New Basement Tapes is an album of those songs produced by T Bone Burnett due out November 10, 2014. Elvis Costello, Rhiannon Giddens (Carolina Chocolate Drops), Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes), Jim James (My Morning Jacket) and Marcus Mumford are the artists that came together to record the songs.
Today, one of those songs, “Spanish Mary,” was released and I was able to get a copy of Bob Dylan’s notebook page, on which he wrote the lyrics to the song.
For this one, Rhiannon Giddens wrote the music and her performance on the recording is very powerful.
She stays true to the lyrics as Dylan wrote them.
In examining Dylan’s notebook page, there are a couple of lines he crossed out.
In the second verse, the second line, “Upon their ship quite scary” was crossed out and replaced by “no longer could they tarry.”
Dylan crossed out the beginning of the third line, “it was to see them,” leaving only the end of that line, “Swoon and Swerve.”
Off to the side Dylan tried out some alternatives, writing “Some sing like,” and then right under it, “Song sing like a canary.”
In the third verse, “In Kingsport town was changed to “In Kingston Town,” and minor changes in the line that follows were made.
Minor – one or two word – changes were made in the third, fourth and fifth verses.
Check out the video:
In a press release, Giddens, who wrote the music for the song and sings the lead vocal, says of the track:
“Out of all the lyrics I looked through for the New Basement Tapes project, the one for ‘Spanish Mary’ attracted me first – here was a ballad, and I know ballads! It’s also set in the Caribbean, so I felt the deep African sound of the minstrel style banjo (circa 1856) was appropriate. It was an absolute thrill to get to set music to Dylan’s lyrics, what an opportunity! This project is marked with utter generosity from everyone involved.”
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[I just published my rock ‘n’ roll novel, True Love Scars.” Rolling Stone has a great review of my book in a recent issue. Read it here. There’s info about True Love Scars here.]
Here’s the remastered version of George Harrison’s version of Bob Dylan’s ‘If Not For You’
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[I just published my rock ‘n’ roll novel, True Love Scars.” Rolling Stone has a great review of my book in the new issue. Read it here. There’s info about True Love Scars here.]
For Neil Young’s upcoming album, Storytone, there will be two versions of the ten-song set: the two album deluxe package will include one album in which Young performs the songs himself, and another in which he is accompanied by an orchestra.
The orchestral version was cut live with no overdubs. Young sang in the same room as the musicians. The album will be released on November 4, 2014.
“It’s the most different thing that I’ve ever attempted,” Young told Rolling Stone.
Back in early September I reported that the album would be called Storytone.
According to a Warner Bros. press release: Standout tracks from the album include the bittersweet album opener “Plastic Flowers,” the bluesy swing of “I Want To Drive My Car,” the aching “Tumbleweed,” or the heartfelt “When I Watch You Sleeping.” Each song evokes an entirely different feel within the context of its presentation.
More from the Rolling Stone story:
The orchestral Storytone is the first Young album where he plays no guitar or piano – he let other musicians take on instrumental duties so he could focus on his vocals. Two music-industry vets, Michael Bearden and Chris Walden, conducted, arranged and co-produced the album. He took himself out of his comfort zone,” says Bearden, who worked with Michael Jackson and is currently Lady Gaga’s musical director. Young gave the arrangers considerable freedom: “He basically told us to do what we felt,” says Bearden. Young had originally planned to take the concept even further, recording the orchestral versions with a single microphone, but he relented on that point.
More from the press release: All of the Storytone music was produced by The Volume Dealers (Neil Young and Niko Bolas), recorded and mixed by Al Schmitt with additional co-production, arrangements, orchestration, and conducted by Michael Bearden and Chris Walden.
The songs:
1. Plastic Flowers
2. Who’s Gonna Stand Up?
3. I Want To Drive My Car
4. Glimmer
5. Say Hello To Chicago
6. Tumbleweed
7. Like You Used To Do
8. I’m Glad I Found You
9. When I Watch You Sleeping
10. All Those Dreams
Three versions of “Who’s Gonna Stand UP?”
Orchestral:
Acoustic:
Live with Crazy Horse:
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[I just published my rock ‘n’ roll novel, True Love Scars.” Rolling Stone has a great review of my book in a recent issue. Read it here. There’s info about True Love Scars here.]
These photos of Woody Guthrie are part of a new three CD set, My Name Is New York; Ramblin’ Around Woody Guthrie’s Town.
Both Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen are just two of the many, many musicians influenced by Woody Guthrie.
The press materials for the set describe it like this:
‘My Name Is New York; Ramblin’ Around Woody Guthrie’s Town’ is a three-disc collection that offers an intimate portrait of Woody’s NYC life through storytelling and music. Produced by Steve Rosenthal, Michael Kleff and Woody’s daughter Nora Guthrie, ‘My Name is New York’ presents two discs of an audio tour and stories that contextualize Woody’s New York with new interviews, song snippets and a history narrated by Nora, plus a third disc of music, including some never before heard demos and previously unpublished songs from the Archives. THere is also a book which can be purchased with the CDs or separately.
These photos of Woody are obviously very cool. Below them is a new video made by the New York Times about Woody’s years in New York. It includes Woody singing songs he wrote while in New York.
Photo by Alfred Puhn.
Woody Guthrie, “New York Town”:
Photo by Eric Schaal.
Woody Guthrie, “Tom Joad”:
Photo by Eric Schaal.
Billy Bragg and Wilco, “Go Down To The Water”:
Photo courtesy of the Seeger family.
“Vigilante Man”:
Photo courtesy of Norah Guthrie.
Ry Cooder, “Vigilante Man”:
Photo by Eric Schaal.
“My Name Is New York” promo:
Photo by Marjorie Guthrie.
Woody Guthrie, “Jesus Christ”:
Bob Dylan and The Band, “I Ain’t Got No Home,” Carnegie Hall, 1968:
Bob Dylan and The Band, “Grand Coulee Dam,” Carnegie Hall, 1968:
New York Times video about Woody Guthrie in New York:
Here’s info on the CD set and book from the Woody Guthrie website:
The CD set:
3-CD guide to 19 locations in New York City where Woody Guthrie lived and wrote.
It’s the story of Woody’s 27 years living here in the city, and we visit 19 historic locations – in this 3-CD set – where Woody lived and worked. Now, for the first time, you’ll actually be able to hear these stories told by those who knew him best, in many different ways and through various encounters and circumstances; music partners Pete Seeger, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Sonny Terry, and Bess Lomax Hawes, Woody’s first wife Mary Guthrie, Woody’s merchant marine buddy Jimmy Longhi, Bob Dylan, Woody’s second wife Marjorie Guthrie, Arlo Guthrie, Nora Guthrie and many others share their memories with you first-hand.
3-CD Track Listing:
Disc 1: February 16, 1940 — November 1942
1. 59th Street at 5th Avenue, Manhattan
2. 101 West 43rd Street, Manhattan
3. 57 East 4th Street, Manhattan
4. 31 East 21st Street, Manhattan
5. 5 West 101st Street, Manhattan
6. 70 East 12th Street, Manhattan
7. 130 West 10th Street, Manhattan
8. 430 6th Avenue, Manhattan
9. 148 West 14th Street, Manhattan
10. 647 Hudson Street, Manhattan
Disc 2: December, 1942 — October 3, 1967
1. 74 Charles Street, Manhattan
2. 3815 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn
3. 3520 Mermaid Avenue, Brooklyn
4. 49 Murdock Court, Brooklyn
5. 517 East 5th Street, Manhattan
6. Brooklyn State Hospital, 681 Clarkson Avenue, Brooklyn
7. 159-13 85th Street, Queens
8. Creedmore State Hospital, Queens
9. Final Resting Place: Atlantic Ocean, Brooklyn
Music Bonus CD Tracklist
1. “New York Town” (Woody Guthrie/Cisco Houston/Sonny Terry)
2. “New York Trains” (Del McCoury)
3. “Union Maid” (Almanac Singers)
4. “My New York City” (Mike + Ruthy)
5. “Tom Joad” (Woody Guthrie)
6. “Man’s A Fool” (Woody Guthrie/Sonny Terry) home tape
7. “Vigilante Man” (Woody Guthrie)
8. “Union Air in Union Square” (Lowry Hamner)
9. “Round and Round Hitler’s Grave” (Almanac Singers)
10. “Jesus Christ” (Woody Guthrie)
11. “Beatitudes” (Reverend Billy & the Stop Shopping Choir)
12. “This Land Is Your Land” (Woody Guthrie)
13. “Go Coney Island, Roll On The Sand” (Demolition String Band with Stephan Said)
14. “Howdi Do” (Ramblin’ Jack Elliott)
15. “My Name Is New York” (Woody Guthrie) home demo tape
16. “Go Down to the Water” (Billy Bragg & Wilco)
Total time: 167:34
The book:
A pocket-sized guide to 19 locations in New York City where Woody Guthrie lived and wrote.
Includes:
– Historic text and photographs from each location
– Chronological listing of songs written in NYC
– Original song lyrics and never before published documents from the Woody Guthrie Archives
– Excerpts from Woody Guthrie’s NYC address book
Dust bowl troubadour Woody Guthrie first arrived in New York City on February 16, 1940. Although he continued to ramble, for 27 years— from 1940 until his death in 1967—New York was the city he called home and always returned to.
For the first time, this wonderful New York story comes to life with historical photos, documents, and previously unpublished lyrics from the Woody Guthrie Archives. Highlighting 19 significant locations, this little guide provides an expansive yet intimate portrait of Woody Guthrie’s NYC life. We invite you to walk the streets, ride the buses and subways, or sit down and relax on some of the stoops, park benches, or beaches where Woody Guthrie did—always strumming away on his guitar, always working on a new song.
Many of Woody’s most popular songs were written in apartments, lofts, and other locations around “New York Town.” That song, along with “Jesus Christ,” “Vigilante Man,” “Hard Travelin’,” “Tom Joad,” “Reuben James,” “All You Fascists Bound to Lose,” and “1913 Massacre,” are among the more than 600 he composed in The Big Apple. Most surprisingly, his iconic “This Land Is Your Land,” was written at a small rooming house on 43rd Street and Sixth Avenue, on February 23, 1940 within a few days of his arrival. With new friends Pete Seeger, Lead Belly, Sonny Terry, and Brownie McGhee and the Almanac Singers he was at the center of a new movement—introducing and popularizing rural, roots, topical, and protest music to modern, urban audiences.
[I just published my rock ‘n’ roll novel, True Love Scars.” Rolling Stone has a great review of my book in the new issue. Read it here. There’s info about True Love Scars here.]
In 2012, in order to protect the copyrights on a bunch of Bob Dylan recordings that have not been officially released, Sony released a very limited edition of a multi-disk set called The 50th Anniversary Collection: The Copyright Extension Collection, Volume 1.
Among the gems on the album are many outtakes and alternate takes of songs recorded for The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan.
I previously posted clips from the set here and here and here.
Today I’ve got still more.
Enjoy while you can.
Bob Dylan – Corrina, Corrina (Freewheelin’ Alternate Take 1962 – Take 3):
Bob Dylan – That’s Alright Mama (Freewheelin’ Outtake 1962 – Take 3):
Bob Dylan – That’s Alright Mama (Freewheelin’ Outtake 1962 – Take 5):
Bob Dylan – Milk Cow’s Calf’s Blues (Freewheelin’ Outtake 1962 – Take 1):
Bob Dylan – Milk Cow’s Calf’s Blues (Freewheelin’ Outtake 1962 – Take 3):
Bob Dylan – Sally Gal (Freewheelin’ Outtake 1962 – Take 2):
Bob Dylan – Sally Gal (Freewheelin’ Outtake 1962 – Take 3):
Bob Dylan – Sally Gal (Freewheelin’ Outtake 1962 – Take 4):
Bob Dylan – Hero Blues (Freewheelin’ Outtake 1962 – Take 1):
Bob Dylan – Hero Blues (Freewheelin’ Outtake 1962 – Take 2):
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[I just published my rock ‘n’ roll novel, True Love Scars.” Rolling Stone has a great review of my book in the new issue. Read it here. There’s info about True Love Scars here.]
In 2012, in order to protect the copyrights on a bunch of Bob Dylan recordings that have not been officially released, Sony released a very limited edition of a multi-disk set called The 50th Anniversary Collection: The Copyright Extension Collection, Volume 1.
Among the gems on the album are many outtakes and alternate takes of songs recorded for The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan.
I previously posted clips from the set here and here.
Today I’ve got more.
Enjoy while you can.
Bob Dylan – Goin’ Down To New Orleans (Freewheelin’ Outtake 1962 – Take 2):
Bob Dylan – Corrina, Corrina (Freewheelin’ Outtake 1962 – Acoustic Take 1):
Bob Dylan – Babe, I’m In The Mood For You (Freewheelin’ Outtake 1962 – Take 2):
Bob Dylan – Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Willie (Freewheelin’ Outtake 1962 – Take 3):
Bob Dylan – Blowin’ In The Wind (Freewheelin’ Alternate Take 1962 – Take 2):
Bob Dylan – Wichita (Freewheelin’ Outtake 1962 – Take 1):
Bob Dylan – Rocks And Gravel (Freewheelin’ Outtake 1962 – Take 2):
Bob Dylan – I Shall Be Free (Freewheelin’ Alternate Take 1962 – Take 3):
Bob Dylan – Corrina, Corrina (Freewheelin’ Alternate Take 1962 – Take 2):
Bob Dylan – Whatcha Gonna Do (Freewheelin’ Outtake 1962 – Take 1):
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[I just published my rock ‘n’ roll novel, True Love Scars.” Rolling Stone has a great review of my book in the new issue. Read it here. There’s info about True Love Scars here.]
[I just published my rock ‘n’ roll novel, True Love Scars.” Rolling Stone has a great review of my book in the new issue. Read it here. There’s info about True Love Scars here.]
The great Lucinda Williams was on “Fallon” last night and performed a seriously great track off her new two-CD album, “Down Where The Spirit Meets The Bone.”
The album was released today and it’s a winner. If you dig Lucinda, you need it.
Check out this killer live version of “Protection”:
[I just published my rock ‘n’ roll novel, True Love Scars.” Rolling Stone has a great review of my book in a recent issue. Read it here. There’s info about True Love Scars here.]
[I just published my rock ‘n’ roll novel, True Love Scars.” Rolling Stone ran a great review of my book in a recent issue. Read it here. There’s info about True Love Scars here.]
