On August 28, 1963 Bob Dylan was at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. for the “March On Washington,” performing “When The Ship Comes In” with Joan Baez and “Only A Pawn In Their Game” solo before Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his remarkable “I have a dream” speech.
The video below not only shows Dylan performing the first song with Baez and the second alone, but lets us get a sense of what the event was like.
This was “one of the largest political rallies for human rights in United States history,” according to Wikipedia.
Peter, Paul & Mary sing “Blowin’ In The Wind” at the March On Washington”:
Peter, Paul & Mary sing “If I Had a Hammer”:
This video includes some of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous speech:
If you just want to hear Dylan’s songs, here they are:
“When The Ship Comes In,” August 28, 1963 (performed with Joan Baez at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.):
“Only A Pawn In Their Game,” August 28, 1963 (performed at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.):
Thurston Moore and his new supergroup, which includes Sonic Youth’s Steve Shelly and My Bloody Valentine’s Debbie Googe, performed at Belgium’s Pukkelpop festival this past weekend.
Moore’s got a new album called The Best Day due October 21, 2014.
Here is Moore and his band performing a song off the new album, “Forevermore.”
Thirteen minutes worth!
Plus here’s an old Sonic Youth track, “Climbers & Creepers,” that you might not have heard. This was part of Peter Coffin’s”Music For Plants” series.
[I just published my rock ‘n’ roll novel, True Love Scars.” I’ve got a Goodreads. book giveaway going right now. Click here and enter.]
A year ago, on August 26 in Europe, and on August 27 in the U.S., a masterpiece comprised of recordings Bob Dylan made in 1969, 1970 and 1971 was released.
It was such a joy to hear the songs on Another Self Portrait, (1969-1971) – The Bootleg Series Vol. 10, which included an amazing version of the old folk song, “Pretty Saro,” wonderful demos of “I Went To See The Gypsy” and “When I Paint My Masterpiece,” and so many more.
While I always liked the original Self Portrait, Another Self Portrait is the better album. Of the songs that appeared on Self Portrait, for Another Self Portrait the Nashville overdubs were removed. Overall, what we get are much more intimate versions of those songs, plus many songs that Dylan chose not to release on Self Portrait. Plus a previously unreleased (officially, anyway) ‘Basement Tapes’ gem, “Minstrel Boy.”
But really, we don’t have to choose between those albums, as they both now exist.
I wrote a lengthy review of Another Self Portrait which you can read here.
For me, “Pretty Saro” remains the standout track because of both how Dylan’s voice sounds, and the way he sings the song.
“Pretty Saro”:
Below is a very cool 11 minute mini-documentary on the making of Another Self Portrait. If you haven’t yet seen it, now is the time.
Jack White with new short haircut in San Francisco.
At his show last night, Jack White covered some of Beck’s “Devil’s Haircut” during “Sixteen Saltines.”
The show took place at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, CA.
Skip to the 11 minute mark to hear “Devil’s Haircut,” or better yet, enjoy all 11-plus minutes which includes some of a”Lazaretto,” “Steady As She Goes,” and “Sixteen Saltines”/”Devil’s Haricut.”
More of the show:
“Fell In Love With A Girl”:
“Just One Drink”:
“Bead Leaves and the Dirty Ground”:
“Temporary Ground”:
“Love Interruption”:
“Hotel Yorba”:
Theremin Madness with guitar:
“Top Yourself”:
“You Know That I Know”:
More “You Know That I Know”:
“Hypocritical Kiss”:
“I’m Slowly Turning Into You”:
“Ball and Biscuit”:
“High Ball Stepper”:
“Seven Nation Army”:
[I just published my rock ‘n’ roll novel, True Love Scars.” I’ve got a Goodreads. book giveaway going right now. Click here and enter.]
OK, so I’ve posted this landmark set before, but someone just uploaded most of it again yesterday so why not give it another listen.
This never gets old for me.
This was Bob Dylan’s first public electric performance (OK, of course he played rock ‘n’ roll as a teenager, but after he started making records as a folk singer, this was the first electric show).
This took place on Sunday, July 25, 1965.
Here’s audio for the set opener, “Maggie’s Farm”:
This clip is the audio with the exception of “Maggie’s Farm.”
0:00 – Pre-show/Intro
2:20 – Maggie’s Farm (BLOCKED – Can be seen in “The Other Side of the Mirror”)
8:07 – Like a Rolling Stone
14:39 – Phantom Engineer (It Takes a lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry)
18:00 – Intermission/Intro
22:04 – It’s all Over Now, Baby Blue
29:34 – Mr. Tambourine Man
Here’s some of the video but no audio:
[I just published my rock ‘n’ roll novel, True Love Scars.” I’ve got a Goodreads. book giveaway going right now. Click here and enter.]
Copy of the handwritten lyrics to ‘Nothing To It.’
Last year a box of lyrics that Bob Dylan had written during the summer of 1967 for songs that he never wrote music for, or recorded, was given to producer T Bone Burnett.
Now, for the first time, we get to see what the original page on which Dylan wrote the lyrics to one of the songs that will appear on the Burnett-produced album Lost On The River: The New Basement Tapes, looks like.
That song, “Nothing To It,” was released as a lyric video the other day.
Examining Dylan’s page of lyrics, we can see how Jim James rearranged the order of the verses and chorus for his version of the song.
The lyrics, as written by Bob Dylan:
You don’t have to turn your pockets inside out
But I’m sure you can give me something
You don’t have to go into your bank account
but I’m sure you don’t have to give me nothing
I knew that I was young enough
And I knew there was nothing to it
for I’d already seen it done enough
And I knew there was nothing to it
There was no organization I wanted to join
So I stayed by myself and took out a coin
There I saw sat in with my eyes in my hand –
contemplating killing a man – for
Greed was one thing I just couldn’t stand
If I was you, I’d put back what I took
A guilty man has got a guilty look
Heads I will and tails I won’t
So the decision wouldn’t be my own
The lyrics as sung by Jim James:
Well I knew I was young enough
And I knew there was nothing to it
‘Cause I’d already seen it done enough
And I knew there was nothing to it
There was no organization I wanted to join
So I stayed by myself and took out a coin
There I sat with my eyes in my hand –
just contemplating killing a man – for
Greed was one thing I just couldn’t stand
If I was you, I’d put back what I took
A guilty man’s got a guilty look
Heads I will and tails I won’t
Long as the call wouldn’t be my own
Well you don’t have to turn your pockets inside out
But I’m sure you can give me something
Well you don’t have to go into your bank account
but I’m sure you can give me something
Well I knew I was young enough
And I knew there was nothing to it
‘Cause I’d already seen it done enough
And I knew there was nothing to it
Well I knew I was young enough
And I knew there was nothing to it
‘Cause I’d already seen it done enough
And I knew there was nothing to it
And I knew there was nothing to it
And I knew there was nothing to it
And I knew there was nothing to it
And I knew there was nothing to it
So the changes Jim James made amount to starting the song with the chorus, then singing what follows after the chorus, then singing what for Dylan is the first verse, and then a return to the chorus.
And there’s one other change.
As Dylan wrote it, the first verse ends with the line:
but I’m sure you don’t have to give me nothing
But James repeats the second line of the first verse instead:
but I’m sure you can give me something
Check it out:
I’m looking forward to seeing what Burnett and his crew did with the rest of the lyrics. This one is an auspicious first song.
[I just published my rock ‘n’ roll novel, True Love Scars.” I’ve got a Goodreads. book giveaway going right now. Click here and enter.]
T Bone Burnett has produced an album based on unfinished lyrics Bob Dylan write while recording the songs that became known as the ‘Basement Tapes’ in 1967.
This song is called “Nothing To It.”
Jim James sings with musical help from Elvis Costello and Marcus Mumford.
The Byrds —David Crosby, Chris Hillman and Roger McGuinn — reunited at a 1990 tribute to Roy Orbison and were joined by Bob Dylan for this performance of “Mr. Tambourine Man,” a song that was a folk-rock hit for The Byrds.
[I just published my rock ‘n’ roll novel, True Love Scars.” I’ve got a Goodreads. book giveaway going right now. Click here and enter.]
