Forty-one years ago, Bob Dylan and The Band opened their historic 1974 tour with “Hero Blues,” an unreleased Dylan song that he recorded in 1962 during The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan sessions but left off the album.
The show took place at the Chicago Stadium in Chicago, Illinois.
Here are versions recorded during The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan sessions:
Take one:
Take two:
Tale four:
Lyrics:
Yes, the gal I got
I swear she’s the screaming end
She wants me to be a hero
So she can tell all her friends
Well, she begged, she cried
She pleaded with me all last night
Well, she begged, she cried
She pleaded with me all last night
She wants me to go out
And find somebody to fight
She reads too many books
She got new movies inside her head
She reads too many books
She got movies inside her head
She wants me to walk out running
She wants me to crawl back dead
You need a different kinda man, babe
One that can grab and hold your heart
Need a different kind of man, babe
One that can hold and grab your heart
You need a different kind of man, babe
You need Napoleon Boneeparte
Well, when I’m dead
No more good times will I crave
When I’m dead
No more good times will I crave
You can stand and shout hero
All over my lonesome grave
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):
—
[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):
—
[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 ran a great review of my book in a recent 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.
Bob Dylan – Hero Blues (Freewheelin’ Outtake 1962):
Bob Dylan – Goin’ Down To New Orleans (Freewheelin’ Outtake 1962):
Bob Dylan – Milk Cow’s Calf’s Blues (Freewheelin’ Outtake 1962):
Bob Dylan – Kingsport Town (Freewheelin’ Outtake 1962):
Bob Dylan – Bob Dylan’s Blues (Freewheelin’ Alternate Take 1962):
Bob Dylan – I Shall Be Free (Freewheelin’ Alternate Take 1962):
Bob Dylan – Lonesome Whistle Blues (Freewheelin’ Outtake 1962):
Bob Dylan – Worried Blues (Freewheelin’ Outtake 1962):
Bob Dylan – Ballad Of Hollis Brown (Freewheelin’ Outtake 1962):
Bob Dylan – Baby Please Don’t Go (Freewheelin’ Outtake 1962):
[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.]
— A Days Of The Crazy-Wild blog post –http://youtu.be/qFr6NqtymcA?list=UU_veq_53r4HVtsFdZT6aDtg
On May 12, 1963, Bob Dylan was supposed to perform on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”
He intended to perform “Talkin’ John Birch Paranoid Blues,” a song that he had recorded onApril 24, 1962 at Columbia Studio A in New York.
The suits at CBS decided they didn’t want Dylan to do that song, and he walked out. Check out the whole story, via Wikipedia, below.
“Talkin’ John Birch Paranoid Blues”:
WBAI radio performance, 1962:
Live version at Town Hall, April 1963:
A different live version, terrific!:
Here’s Wikipedia’s version of what happened:
“Talkin’ John Birch Paranoid Blues” was at the center of a controversy that brought national attention to Dylan and played a significant part in shaping his second album, Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan. On May 12, 1963, with the album about to be released, Dylan was scheduled to appear on The Ed Sullivan Show on CBS. The Sunday evening variety program, among the most popular shows on American television, had earlier introduced Elvis Presley to national audiences and in 1964 would do the same for The Beatles.
Dylan had auditioned for the show in early 1962, before the release of his first album. He played a few songs from the recording, but the network executives who sat in on the set weren’t exactly sure what to make of him. Unhappy with the experience, Dylan thought he wouldn’t hear from the network again. More than a year passed when the call came inviting him to make a guest appearance on the show.
For his one selection, Dylan chose “Talkin’ John Birch Society Blues” (as it was then titled). Sullivan and his producer heard him play it at the Saturday rehearsal on May 11 and were delighted with the song. However, when Dylan showed up for the dress rehearsal the next afternoon, the day of the show, a CBS program practices executive told him the song would have to be replaced because of possible libel against John Birch Society members. Refusing to do a different song, Dylan walked off the set.
The incident drew national attention with reports running in the New York Times, Billboard and Village Voice. Sullivan, meanwhile, backed Dylan, arguing that if network programs could poke fun at President John F. Kennedy, the John Birch Society should not be immune from similar treatment. Concerned about possible reprisals from the John Birch group, the network held to its decision. Worse, the controversy spilled over into Columbia, CBS’s records division. When the company’s lawyers learned that “Talkin’ John Birch” was slated for the album, they ordered the song removed.
Dylan was in a delicate situation. His first album had sold poorly, and he didn’t have the power at this point to fight his record company. Though upset by the order, he relented. The initial shipments of “Freewheelin”, which had already been sent out, were recalled, and the album was re-issued without “Talkin’ John Birch Society Blues”.
Dylan ultimately profited from the affair. Besides the favorable publicity from the Ed Sullivan Show walk-out, it gave him a chance to re-consider his selections for “Freewheelin”, which he felt had too many “old fashioned” selections, songs closer in style to his earlier material.[14] In addition to “Talkin’ John Birch Society”, he dropped three of his other older songs, including “Let Me Die in My Footsteps”, “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Willie” and “Rocks and Gravel”. In their place, he substituted four tunes recorded during the last of the Freewheelin’ sessions: “Masters of War”, “Girl from the North Country”, “Bob Dylan’s Dream” and “Talkin’ World War III Blues”.
[In August of this year I’ll be publishing my rock ‘n’ roll/ coming-of-age novel, “True Love Scars,” which features a narrator who is obsessed with Bob Dylan. To read the first chapter, head here.]
– A Days of the Crazy-Wild blog post: sounds, visuals and/or news –-
Outtake from the photo session for the album cover.
Fifty-two years ago, on April 24, 1962, Bob Dylan entered Columbia Studio A in New York and began recording his second album, the album that would become The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan.
That day he recorded versions of “I’m Going to New Orleans,” “Sally Gal,” “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Willie,” Corrina, Corrina,” “The Death of Emmett Till,” “Talkin’ John Birch Paranoid Blues” and “(I Heard That) Lonesome Whistle” according to Clinton Heylin’s “Bob Dylan: The Recording Sessions [1960 – 1994].”
Here are versions of the songs he cut that day. Some may have been cut at later sessions as in some cases he recorded the same song at more than one session.
“I’m Going to New Orleans”:
“Sally Gal”:
“Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Willie”:
“Corrina, Corrina”:
“The Death Of Emmett Till” (Studio Outtake):
“Talkin’ John Birch Paranoid Blues” (From withdrawn version of the LP):
“(I Heard That) Lonesome Whistle”:
-– A Days of the Crazy-Wild blog post: sounds, visuals and/or news –-
