The Bootleg Series Vol. 11: The Basement Tapes Complete is a compilation album of unreleased home recordings from 1967 by Bob Dylan and the group of musicians that would become The Band, released on November 3, 2014. It is the latest addition in the series of official "bootleg" recordings issued by Columbia Records. The liner notes for The Bootleg Series Vol. 11 are by Sid Griffin, American musician and author of Million Dollar Bash: Bob Dylan, The Band, and The Basement Tapes.[1]
History of recordings
The basement recordings were made during 1967, after Dylan had withdrawn to his Woodstock home in the aftermath of a motorcycle accident on July 29, 1966.[2][3] Recording sessions began in a den known as "The Red Room" in Dylan's home, before moving to an improvised recording studio in the basement of a house known as Big Pink, where Rick Danko, Richard Manuel and Garth Hudson lived. The sessions lasted roughly from May to October 1967.[4] In October 1967, a fourteen-song demo tape was copyrighted and the compositions were registered with Dwarf Music, a publishing company jointly owned by Dylan and his manager Albert Grossman.[5] Acetates and tapes of the songs then circulated among interested recording artists.[6][a 1] Dylan has referred to commercial pressures behind the basement recordings in a 1969 interview with Rolling Stone: "They weren't demos for myself, they were demos of the songs. I was being PUSHED again into coming up with some songs. You know how those things go."[7]
Peter, Paul and Mary had the first hit with a basement composition when their cover of "Too Much of Nothing" reached number 35 on the Billboard chart in late 1967.[8] Ian & Sylvia, also managed by Grossman, recorded "Tears of Rage", "Quinn the Eskimo" and "This Wheel's on Fire".[9] In January 1968, Manfred Mann reached number one on the UK pop chart with their recording of "The Mighty Quinn".[10] In April, "This Wheel's on Fire", recorded by Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger and the Trinity, hit number five on the UK chart.[11] That same month, a version of "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" by the Byrds was issued as a single. Along with "Nothing Was Delivered",[12] it appeared on their country-rock album Sweetheart of the Rodeo, released in August.[13] The Hawks, officially renamed the Band,[a 2] recorded "This Wheel's on Fire", "I Shall Be Released" and "Tears of Rage" for their debut album, Music from Big Pink, released in July 1968. Fairport Convention covered "Million Dollar Bash" on their 1969 album Unhalfbricking.[14]
In July 1969, the first rock bootleg appeared in California, entitled Great White Wonder. The double album consisted of seven songs from the Woodstock basement sessions, plus some early recordings Dylan had made in Minneapolis in December 1961 and one track recorded from The Johnny Cash Show. One of those responsible for the bootleg, identified only as Patrick, talked to Rolling Stone: "Dylan is a heavy talent and he's got all those songs nobody's ever heard. We thought we'd take it upon ourselves to make this music available."[15] The process of bootlegging Dylan's work would eventually see the illegal release of hundreds of live and studio recordings, and lead the Recording Industry Association of America to describe Dylan as the most bootlegged artist in the history of the music industry.[16]
The basement recordings became the basis for Dylan's 1975 official release The Basement Tapes. This album was criticised by Dylan critic Michael Gray because it contained recordings by the Band on their own, and because important Dylan songs were omitted from the selection.[17] Subsequent to the official 1975 release, more than 100 recordings from the Basement Tapes began to circulate in bootleg form, catalogued by Greil Marcus in his book Invisible Republic: Bob Dylan's Basement Tapes (1997),[18] and by Sid Griffin in Million Dollar Bash: Bob Dylan, the Band, and the Basement Tapes (2007).[19]
The Bootleg Series Vol. 11: The Basement Tapes Complete presents the original recordings, and places them in roughly chronological order.[1]
Reception
The critical aggregator website Metacritic awarded The Basement Tapes Complete a Metascore of 99, based on reviews by fifteen critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[20] Writing for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave it five out of five stars, writing, "This is the wondrous thing about The Basement Tapes: this is music made with no expectation that anybody outside of a small circle would ever hear it."[21] Paste magazine rated the album ten out of ten, and called it "some of the most daring, creative and truly beautiful music ever recorded".[22] In his review for American Songwriter, Jim Beviglia gave it five out of five stars and wrote, "Music fans having access to the complete archives of The Basement Tapes is somewhat akin to historians being presented with the tapes of the meetings of the Continental Congress or art buffs who receive a videotape of Da Vinci's entire process of painting The Last Supper."[23] In his review for The New Yorker magazine, Sasha Frere-Jones wrote, "Historically, these sessions have been treated with awe, as if something essential about both Dylan and popular song can be found on the tapes. That's at best half true. The performances weren't approached with any kind of gravity, and are best listened to with no reverence at all. For every moment of revelation and synthesis, there are five throwaways."[24] Discussing the song "I'm Not There", Jesse Jarnow said that "Here and everywhere, underscored by the newest remix, The Basement Tapes are almost purely beautiful — a characteristic not often associated with Dylan’s music."[25]
Track listing
All songs written by Bob Dylan except where noted; traditional songs arranged by Dylan.
|
|
1. |
"Young But Daily Growing" | Traditional |
5:40 |
2. |
"Bonnie Ship the Diamond" | Traditional |
3:21 |
3. |
"The Hills of Mexico" | Traditional |
3:05 |
4. |
"Down on Me" | Traditional |
0:43 |
5. |
"One for the Road" | |
4:50 |
6. |
"I'm Alright" | |
1:46 |
7. |
"Million Dollar Bash" (Take 1) | |
2:52 |
8. |
"Million Dollar Bash" (Take 2 - Originally released in 1975 on The Basement Tapes) | |
2:35 |
9. |
"Yea! Heavy and a Bottle of Bread" (Take 1) | |
1:50 |
10. |
"Yea! Heavy and a Bottle of Bread" (Take 2 - Originally released in 1975 on The Basement Tapes) | |
2:16 |
11. |
"I'm Not There" (Originally released in 2007 on I'm Not There) | |
5:13 |
12. |
"Please Mrs. Henry" (Originally released in 1975 on The Basement Tapes) | |
2:34 |
13. |
"Crash on the Levee (Down in the Flood)" (Take 1) | |
2:11 |
14. |
"Crash on the Levee" (Take 2 - Originally released in 1975 on The Basement Tapes) | |
2:06 |
15. |
"Lo and Behold!" (Take 1) | |
2:54 |
16. |
"Lo and Behold!" (Take 2 - Originally released in 1975 on The Basement Tapes) | |
2:50 |
17. |
"You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" (Take 1) | |
2:48 |
18. |
"You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" (Take 2 - Originally released with overdubs in 1975 on The Basement Tapes) | |
2:46 |
19. |
"I Shall Be Released" (Take 1) | |
4:04 |
20. |
"I Shall Be Released" (Take 2 - Originally released in 1991 on The Bootleg Series Vol. 1-3) | |
3:58 |
21. |
"This Wheel's on Fire" (Originally released with overdubs in 1975 on The Basement Tapes) | Dylan, Rick Danko |
3:54 |
22. |
"Too Much of Nothing" (Take 1 - Originally released in 1975 on The Basement Tapes) | |
3:03 |
23. |
"Too Much of Nothing" (Take 2) | |
2:51 |
|
|
1. |
"Tears of Rage" (Take 1) | Dylan, Richard Manuel |
4:04 |
2. |
"Tears of Rage" (Take 2) | Dylan, Manuel |
2:31 |
3. |
"Tears of Rage" (Take 3 - Originally released with overdubs in 1975 on The Basement Tapes) | Dylan, Manuel |
4:15 |
4. |
"Quinn the Eskimo" (Take 1) | |
2:03 |
5. |
"Quinn the Eskimo" (Take 2 - Originally released in 1985 on Biograph) | |
2:16 |
6. |
"Open the Door Homer" (Take 1 - Originally released in 1975 on The Basement Tapes) | |
2:53 |
7. |
"Open the Door Homer" (Take 2) | |
0:58 |
8. |
"Open the Door Homer" (Take 3) | |
3:14 |
9. |
"Nothing Was Delivered" (Take 1 - Originally released in 1975 on The Basement Tapes) | |
4:26 |
10. |
"Nothing Was Delivered" (Take 2) | |
3:44 |
11. |
"Nothing Was Delivered" (Take 3) | |
0:33 |
12. |
"All American Boy" | Bobby Bare |
3:59 |
13. |
"Sign on the Cross" | |
7:21 |
14. |
"Odds and Ends" (Take 1) | |
1:48 |
15. |
"Odds and Ends" (Take 2 - Originally released in 1975 on The Basement Tapes) | |
1:49 |
16. |
"Get Your Rocks Off" | |
3:46 |
17. |
"Clothes Line Saga (Answer to Ode)" (Originally released in 1975 on The Basement Tapes) | |
2:59 |
18. |
"Apple Suckling Tree" (Take 1) | |
2:41 |
19. |
"Apple Suckling Tree" (Take 2 - Originally released in 1975 on The Basement Tapes) | |
2:50 |
20. |
"Don't Ya Tell Henry" | |
2:31 |
21. |
"Bourbon Street" | |
5:05 |
|
|
1. |
"2 Dollars and 99 Cents" | |
2:35 |
2. |
"Jelly Bean" | |
2:58 |
3. |
"Any Time" | |
3:17 |
4. |
"Down by the Station" | |
1:29 |
5. |
"Hallelujah, I've Just Been Moved" | Traditional |
3:04 |
6. |
"That's the Breaks" | |
4:18 |
7. |
"Pretty Mary" | |
3:12 |
8. |
"Will the Circle Be Unbroken?" | Carter |
2:09 |
9. |
"King of France" | |
3:53 |
10. |
"She's on My Mind Again" | |
4:18 |
11. |
"Goin' Down the Road Feeling Bad" | Traditional |
3:21 |
12. |
"On a Rainy Afternoon" | |
2:53 |
13. |
"I Can't Come in with a Broken Heart" | |
2:42 |
14. |
"Next Time on the Highway" | |
2:20 |
15. |
"Northern Claim" | |
2:05 |
16. |
"Love is Only Mine" | |
1:50 |
17. |
"Silhouettes" | Bob Crewe, Frank Slay Jr. |
1:52 |
18. |
"Bring it on Home" | |
3:07 |
19. |
"Come All Ye Fair and Tender Ladies" | Traditional |
2:09 |
20. |
"The Spanish Song" (Take 1) | |
2:47 |
21. |
"The Spanish Song" (Take 2) | |
2:16 |
22. |
"900 Miles from My Home / Confidential" (hidden track) | Traditional / Dorina Morgan |
2:27 |
The Basement Tapes Raw
Released alongside the "Complete" set is a two-disc collection of highlights.
Track listing
All songs written by Bob Dylan except where noted; traditional songs arranged by Dylan.
Personnel
- Bob Dylan – acoustic guitar, harmonica, piano, vocals
- Rick Danko – bass guitar, vocals
- Garth Hudson – organ
- Richard Manuel – piano, drums, vocals
- Robbie Robertson – electric guitar, drums, vocals
- Levon Helm – drums, vocals (select tracks, unknown)
Notes
- ↑ The songs on the demo were: "Million Dollar Bash", "Yea! Heavy and a Bottle of Bread", "Please Mrs. Henry", "Down in the Flood", "Lo and Behold", "Tiny Montgomery", "This Wheel's on Fire", "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere", "I Shall Be Released", "Tears of Rage", "Too Much of Nothing", "The Mighty Quinn", "Open the Door, Homer" and "Nothing Was Delivered" (Griffin 2007, pp. 229–230).
- ↑ When Albert Grossman was shopping around for a recording contract for the Hawks in late 1967, the group instructed him to sign them under the name the Crackers—a derogatory term for poor white Southerners. The band also mischievously dubbed themselves the Honkies. It was only when Helm joined them in Woodstock that they settled on calling themselves the Band (Hoskyns 1993, pp. 143–144).
- ↑ The attribution of "Be Careful of Stones That You Throw" to Benjamin Lee Blankenship has been questioned. (Fraser, Alan. ""Searching For A Gem": The Bootleg Series Vol. 11 - The Basement Tapes Raw/Complete". ) Both Sid Griffin's Million Dollar Bash: Bob Dylan, The Band, and the Basement Tapes (Griffin 2007, p. 130) and Derek Barker's The Songs He Didn't Write: Bob Dylan Under The Influence (Barker 2008, p. 33) write the song was written by Bonnie Dodd; it was first released by Little Jimmy Dickens in 1949, and was a hit for Hank Williams, performing as Luke The Drifter, in 1952.
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Greene, Andy (August 26, 2014). "Bob Dylan's Complete, Legendary 'Basement Tapes' Will Be Released". Rollingstone.com. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
- ↑ Scherman 2006
- ↑ Griffin 2007, pp. 46, 52–53
- ↑ Rollins, Ben (November 1, 2014). "The Basement Tapes Track-by-Track". bobdylan.com. Retrieved November 24, 2014.
- ↑ Sounes 2001, pp. 209–210
- ↑ Griffin 2007, pp. 229–230
- ↑ Griffin 2007, p. 228. Capitals as printed in original interview.
- ↑ Whitburn 2004, p. 488
- ↑ Griffin 2007, p. 230
- ↑ Roberts 1999, p. 278
- ↑ Roberts 1999, p. 176
- ↑ Gilliland 1969, show 54, track 3.
- ↑ Griffin 2007, p. 270
- ↑ Griffin 2007, p. 280
- ↑ Sounes 2001, p. 240
- ↑ Sounes 2001, p. 478
- ↑ Gray 2000, p. 9
- ↑ Marcus 1997, pp. 235-265
- ↑ Griffin, Sid (2007). Million Dollar Bash: Bob Dylan, the Band, and the Basement Tapes. Jawbone. ISBN 1-906002-05-3.
- ↑ "The Basement Tapes Complete: The Bootleg Series Vol. 11". metacritic.com. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
- ↑ Erlewine, Stephen (November 3, 2014). "The Basement Tapes Complete: The Bootleg Series Vol. 11". allmusic.com. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
- ↑ Douglas Heselgrave, Bob Dylan and The Band: The Basement Tapes Complete Review November 11, 2014
- ↑ Jim Beviglia, Bob Dylan & The Band: The Basement Tapes Complete October 31st, 2014
- ↑ Sasha-Frere Jones, "After the Fall" The New Yorker
- ↑ Jesse Jarnow "Secrets For Sale: Bob Dylan’s ‘Basement Tapes’ Maintain Their Mystery Despite Complete Release"
References
- Barker, Derek (2008). Bob Dylan: The Songs He Didn't Write: Bob Dylan Under the Influence. Chrome Dreams. ISBN 978-1-84240-424-9.
- Gilliland, John (1969). "Hail, Hail, Rock 'n' Roll: Getting back to rock's funky, essential essence." (AUDIO). Pop Chronicles. Digital.library.unt.edu.
- Gray, Michael (2000). Song & Dance Man III. Continuum. ISBN 0-8264-5150-0.
- Griffin, Sid (2007). Million Dollar Bash: Bob Dylan, the Band, and the Basement Tapes. Jawbone. ISBN 1-906002-05-3.
- Hoskyns, Barney (1993). Across The Great Divide: The Band and America. Viking. ISBN 0-670-84144-7.
- Marcus, Greil (1997). Invisible Republic: Bob Dylan's Basement Tapes. Picador. ISBN 0-330-33624-X.
- Scherman, Tony (July 29, 2006). "The Bob Dylan Motorcycle-Crash Mystery". American Heritage. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
- Roberts, David (1999). Guinness British Hit Singles. Guinness Publishing. ISBN 0-85112-092-X.
- Sounes, Howard (2001). Down the Highway: The Life of Bob Dylan. Grove Press. ISBN 0-8021-1686-8.
- Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits (8th ed.). Billboard Books. ISBN 0-8230-7499-4.
See also
External links
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