Videos by American Songwriter
Bob Dylan Bootleg Series albums are always cause for celebration, and the release of Vol. 9 should be no different.
According to Rolling Stone, who quote the Dylan fansite Isis, The Bootleg Series Vol. 9 is due out in October, and will contain the 1962-1964 recordings known collectively as the Witmark and Leeds Demos. Dylan released his first album in 1961, and continued to record demos in New York’s Witmark and Leeds studios of material he and other artists could sing.
The demos provide an alternate history of Dylan’s songwriting output during his formative years (he only included a handful of them on his studio albums).Highlights include the witty, wordy whirlwind “All Over You,” and the hilarious “Talking Bear Mountain Picnic Blues,” which also appears (as many of these songs do) on The Bootleg Series Vol. 1-3.
In addition, Isis reports that Dylan will also be releasing an 8-disc box set of early Dylan albums, presented in the record-collector-pleasing mono format. Which should help out John Wesley Harding, which features hard stereo panning.
Here’s a potential track list for Vol. 9, according to Rolling Stone:
Leeds Music Demos
New York City, New York
February 1962
1. Hard Times In New York Town
2. Poor Boy Blues
3. Ballad For A Friend
4. Rambling, Gambling Willie
5. Man On The Street
6. Talking Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues
7. Standing On The Highway
Witmark & Sons Demos
New York City, New York
December 1962
1. A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall
2. Tomorrow Is A Long Time
3.The Death Of Emmett Till
4.Let Me Die In My Footsteps
5. Ballad Of Hollis Brown
6.Quit Your Low Down Ways
7.Baby, I’m In The Mood For You
Witmark Studio
New York City, New York
Winter 1963
1. Bound To Lose, Bound To Win
2. All Over You
3. I’d Hate To Be You On That Dreadful Day
4. Talking John Birch Paranoid Blues
Witmark Studio
New York City, New York
March 1963
1. Long Time Gone
2. Masters Of War
3. Farewell
4. Oxford Town
5. Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right
6. Walkin’ Down The Line
Witmark Studio
New York City, New York
April 1963
1. I Shall Be Free
2.Bob Dylan’s Blues
3.Bob Dylan’s Dream
4. Boots Of Spanish Leather
Witmark Studio
New York City, New York
May 1963
1. Girl From The North Country
2.Seven Curses
3.Hero Blues
Witmark Studio
New York City, New York
August 1963
1. Whatcha Gonna Do
2. Gypsy Lou
3. Ain’t Gonna Grieve
4.John Brown
5.Only A Hobo
6.When The Ship Comes In
Witmark Studio
New York City, New York
October 1963
1. The Times They Are A-Changin’
Witmark Studio
New York City, New York
December 1963
1. Paths Of Victory
Witmark Studio,
New York City, New York
January 1964
1. Guess I’m Doing Fine
2.Baby Let Me Follow You Down (Eric von Schmidt)
Unidentified Recording Studio
New York City, New York
Mid to late June 1964
1. Mr. Tambourine Man
2.Mama, You Been On My Mind
3. I’ll Keep It With Mine
You must know that not all the Dylan songs listed as Witmark Demos were recorded at the Witmark offices. Dylan sent to Witmark usually outtakes from the Columbia Studio sessions, and all these takes must be registered as “outtakes from Columbia” and not as “Witmark Demos”. In fact, the supposed Witmark demo of “Hard Rain” is just a copy of the Freewheelin’ released take, because Bob recorded “Hard Rain” in one go.
If the Witmark version and the Freewheelin’ version of ‘Hard Rain’ are the same, then why does he sing “Oh, WHO did you meet my blue-eyed son” on the demo and “Oh, WHAT did you meet my blue-eyed son” on the released take?