@jafant: I find the post-’66 period very interesting myself. While in 1967 the Rock world was turning to psychedelia, long instrumental jams, and non-U.S.A. instruments and music forms (I consider the introduction of the sitar into Rock ’n’ Roll a miserable idea. Does anyone actually like "Within You Without You"? Oy!), Dylan spent the whole year in the basement of Big Pink, schooling The Hawks in all things American), recording the musical collaboration that became known as The Basement Tapes. That year has already been covered in the great Bootleg Series Vol. 11 that Columbia finally put out in 2014.
Then on December 27th of 1967, out of nowhere Dylan reappears with the very low key John Wesley Harding album, which could not have been more different from what everyone else was doing (and what Dylan had himself doing on his last album, Blonde On Blonde) if Dylan had tried. Actually, that is perhaps exactly what he was doing with that album. I remember hearing it and being completely mystified. I was in the throes of my Cream/Hendrix/etc.phase, which I didn’t snap out of until the Summer of ’69.
I heard Music From Big Pink when it was released in June of ’68, but found it incomprehensible. It wasn’t until that Summer of ’69 that I had my musical epiphany, so when The Band’s "brown" album came out that year I was ready for it. I also found a copy of the 2-LP bootleg of The basement tapes, and set about studying them. Every other musician I knew (well, the good ones at least) was doing the same.
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bdp24
Agreed- the Book "Double Life" is excellent. I am ready for the next period 1966- onward. I want to read more about Dylan's motorcycle crash and beyond.
Go see "A Complete Unknown". Thank me later.
Happy Listening!
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And hopefully a Happy 2025 to you @jafant
I just finished reading The Double Life Of Bob Dylan---A Restless, Hungry Feeling (1941-1966) by Clinton Heylin. Highly recommended! Now I gotta get my ass to the theater to see the new movie on his 1961-65 period.
I still want to hear any unreleased material from the Planet Waves sessions, though there is fact may be none. I love that album, as well as the live album from the related 1974 Dylan/Band tour. I sent for tickets to the show at The Oakland Coliseum, but like 9 out of 10 people who did the same wasn't among the luckier people who got tickets.
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bdp24
Happy New Year!
what will be released in the Bootleg Series Vol.19 in 2025?
Happy Listening!
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bdp24
Excellent. Let me know how much you like the 3-LP set.
Happy Listening!
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I signed up for the 3-LP Third Man Records pressing of the '74 tour recordings, don't know if I'm gonna spring for the 27 CD boxset.
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bdp24
Answer:
Bob Dylan & The Band - 1974 Live Recordings (27 Disc Set) September
Happy Listening!
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bdp24
Any early predictions for Bootleg Series Vol. 18 ?
Happy Listening!
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bdp24
Right On! Happy Listening!
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I've been obsessing on the Oh Mercy album for the past week, and loving it.
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bdp24
Bob Dylan- The Complete Budokan 1978 (4-CD or 8 LP) November.
Celebrates 45th Anniversary.
Happy Listening!
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bdp24
Planet Waves era or Street Legal is still being requested on the various Dylan forums. As well as early 60's material.
Happy Listening!
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bdp24
I will keep you posted as developments occur. Happy Listening!
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Haven't a clue @jafant. But I would love any Planet Waves unreleased tracks or alternative versions. And an expanded Before The Flood---from the 1974 tour with The Band, if any unreleased tracks exist.
Bill Graham sold tickets for the San Francisco Dylan/Band show in a mail-order raffle manner, and received requests for ten times the number of tickets available. I was one of the 90% who was disappointed. 😭
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bdp24
Any predictions for Vol.18 this year? Excitement mounts.
Happy Listening!
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@jafant: I bought all the deluxe CD boxset versions of previous Bootleg series releases (I really wanted ALL the Basement Tape recordings, for instance), but for this one I chose the 4-LP set. The extra material in the 5-CD box didn't particularly interest me.
But I love you don't let hardcore audiophile peer pressure intimidate you into not buying CD's ;-) . Some of my favorite music has been released on CD only, and if it's truly "about the music".....
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bdp24
Nice choice! I own the 5-CD set. May the "Bootleg" train keep a Rollin'
Happy Listening!
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@jafant: I finally made up my mind on Bootleg Volume 17, and went with the 4 LP iteration. The 5 CD set includes a lot more material, but mostly live shows, with which I’m not particularly interested.
Some of the live recordings are from Dylan’s appearance in L.A. in 2001, a show I may have been in attendance at. He played The Pantages Theater on Hollywood Blvd. (a beautiful Art Deco building) five nights in a row. He and his band were absolutely fantastic the night I saw & heard them! I played a show on that stage once, and it’s a "difficult" room (the back wall reflections arrive back at the stage rather quickly---it’s not a deep room, making it hard to hear the sound coming from the stage monitors). So hats off to Bob and his fantastic band. Opening for Dylan that night (he had a different opening act every night) was an unaccompanied Beck, who was underwhelming.
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Nope! I'd love to hear out-takes from the Planet Waves recordings, though.
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bdp24
Now that Bootleg Series Vol.17 has dropped, any early predictions on Vol. 18 ?
Happy Listening!
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bdp24
Thank You for the Clinton Heylin post.
Happy Listening!
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I just stumbled upon a one hour-45 minute interview with Clinton Heylin (author of The Double Life of Bob Dylan) on YouTube,. and it's fantastic. Do a search for CoolCleveland, and you will find this year old video.
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bdp24
Thank You for the follow up. I will add the new Dylan book to my collection.
Happy Listening!
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@jafant: BS17 is going to be great! I love the Time Out Of Mind album, and am anxious to hear it remixed with some of Daniel Lanois’ production "haze" removed (like the Spector-free Let It Be Naked).
In addition to the regular CD and LP versions, a 10 LP box is available on the Dylan website (only). 230 bucks though, a lotta dough. I haven’t yet decided which version to get, but there’s no hurry (except for the 10 LP box, which is a limited edition).
For future Bootleg releases, I'd love ones devoted to the Planet Waves and Love And Theft albums.
Let me repeat that a new Dylan book is out (The Philosophy Of Modern Song), and it’s essential reading.
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bdp24
Now that BS 17 has been announced and confirmed, do you have a prediction for
Bootleg Series #18? Do you have a favorite era from Dylan?
Happy Listening!
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rpeluso
Me as well- 5 CD set.
Happy Listening!
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I just pre-ordered it, the 5CD set, not the LPs.
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bdp24
It is official. Bootleg Series 17 "Fragments: Time out of Mind Sessions"
5-CD or 4-LP (January 2023).
Happy listening!
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bdp24
The next Bob Dylan Bootleg Series release will take place on Nov 17th.
Happy Listening!
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bdp24
It appears that the annual Bob Dylan Bootleg Series #17 is pushed back into January 2023. More to follow.
Happy Listening!
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bdp24
Last night 2600 people enjoyed The Prophet, Bob Dylan, in Atlanta GA.
He put on a fine show at 2 hours. His newest band is really tight. I wished that Charlie Sexton was still on-board. Souls from all walks of life paid tribute to our Hero.
Happy Listening!
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bdp24
Outstanding! All of the reviews here (Deep South) have been quite good with Mr. Zimmerman in fine spirit. At his age and stage in life, BD, can take any Solo wished.
Happy Listening!
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The last time I saw Bob live was in the early-2000's, at The Pantages Theater (a great Deco-style building) on Hollywood Blvd. That night he was fantastic, and looking like he was actually enjoying himself. He was even taking guitar solos, Larry Campbell looking on somewhat bemused. ;-)
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A current projection for this year's Bootleg Series 18 is from Bob's 1990's catalog.
Stay tuned...
Happy Listening!
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bdp24
3 more nights and I have a ticket to see his Bob-ness. He is currently sweeping the Deep and Mid-Southern states. Agreed, we all have that 1 album that is a Lifer.
You have certainly witnessed some great, historic, shows. It is good to see a return to form "live" music!
Happy Listening!
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Damn @jafant, 60 years! I was a little too young to like (or even know about) Dylan in '62, not learning of him 'til on the radio hearing "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35", and then not being able to relate to it at all. That song was of course on the Blonde On Blonde album, after which he had his motorcycle accident and didn't release another album until John Wesley Harding. By the time of the arrival of that album I was ready for him, though only barely.
That same year ('68) Music From Big Pink was released, and I was not ready for it.
By the time of Blonde On Blonde's follow up Nashville Skyline I was pumped and primed, and loved it. I even loved his next album, the generally-misunderstood and appreciated Self Portrait.
In '69 the Band's incredible second album was released, and it immediately became (and remains) the most important album of my life. By then I was making music with a coupla guys who had seen Dylan with The Hawks live in '65 (at The San Jose Civic Auditorium, where the previous year I had attended my first live show: The Beach Boys), which I would do just about anything to be able to say. |
bdp24
2022, marks the 60th Anniversary of Bob Dylan's 1st LP.
Happy Listening!
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It doesn’t change anything that Willentz may have written about Dylan, but readers of this thread probably should be aware that Willentz is a very politically active figure who has been a bit of a lightning rod. He actively defended the Clintons , intitially during the impeachment of Bill and later during Hiliary’s campaign against Obama, with such fervor that even the New York Times censured him in an editorial. He called both W. and Trump the “worst Presidents in History “. He also vigorously has defended Thomas Jefferson’s policies of land grab from Native Americans in his professional writings. He can reliably found on CNN commenting.
I am not commenting on him either way, but it may help prospective readers know what his Political Orientation is, as his writings about music go beyond discussing individual artists to encompass the milieu that they inhabited
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bdp24
Vol 17 in Bootleg Series
Happy Listening!
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bdp24
which era of Dylan will we see in 2022 Bootleg Series?
Happy Listening!
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Have finally read the book recommended at the start of the thread and… well it’s okay. There were a few fascinating insights but not that many if you have followed Dylan at all in the last few decades and it’s poorly written overall; repetitive in places and nowhere near the top of the list. Found myself agreeing with a lot of the Amazon reviews. It’s okay but has massive blind spots. One of those books you’ll like if you already approach Dylan from that perspective. Far less persuasive if you take a wider view.
Similarly I think it’s true to say that the most revelatory Bootleg Series releases have been those covering his weakest periods. Found myself listening to the new one on Qobuz having steered clear of all the so called religious period Dylan albums and… well it’s inarguably once again something of a revelation. Strongly recommended. |
bdp24
Thank You for the follow up on Dylan.
I miss live Music.
Happy Listening! |
No @jafant, and most likely never will. His worst period! I loved the three Christian albums which immediately preceded it, however.
I saw him live in the very-early 90’s, and he was just awful, as was his 3-piece band. Ten years later he was great live, one of the best I’ve ever witnessed. I just saw Mary Gauthier live in a small (maybe 150 seats), great sounding club (the Doug Fir Lounge in Portland, Oregon), and she was playing a harmonica mounted on a neck-brace (ala Dylan). She also displayed great ability as an acoustic rhythm guitarist, very dynamic. |
bdp24
did you purchase Bootleg Vol. 16- Springtime In New York ?
Do you like Bob's early 80's releases?
Happy Listening! |
The fundamental issue with the Wilentz book is that it’s a decade old. Things have changed, to say the least. |
bdp24
as Vol. 16 explores Dylan in the early 80's. Vol. 17 is already being discussed as a collection of early 90's material.
Happy Listening! |
sadly, i would settle for saving the neighborhood….
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bdp24
Bootleg Series Vol.16 in September.
Happy Listening! |
bdp24
Right On! with The Band/The Dead common thread.
Today, Dylan is 80 years old (or young). Celebrate.
Happy Listening! |
