Viernes 23 Ene 2009, 13:43
Bob Dylan not only released some of the critically most acclaimed albums in the history of music. He left plenty of great songs of those albums as well! The 8 volumes of his Bootleg Series are the perfect example of the great songs he had hidden in his vaults for a long time. But there are more tracks, which weren't released on an album or as a single. Think of the Genuine Basement Tapes. The 10 next songs are 10 other great rarities which hopefully will see an official release in the future. There was only one criteria I used for selecting the songs: the recordings should be in high quality.
1) The Death of Emmett Till(The Freewheelin’ Outtakes, 1962)
This great protest song was originally recorded during the The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan sessions in 1962. The topic of this song shows a lot of similarities to The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll. A black boy gets killed by two racist brothers ‘’ just for the fun of killin' him and to watch him slowly die’’. The vocals of Dylan are inspired and show a lot of anger, quite similar to Masters of War in my opinion. Everyone who likes his early work will also love this song. Youtube link: http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=YBsGQ_c6x7w
2) Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues (The Freewheelin’ Outtakes, 1962)
Two different versions of this song have been released on different volumes of the Bootleg Series. These two performances are good as well, but the outtake from the same sessions as the Death of Emmett Till is the definitive version for me. The vocals or guitar are quite similar to the live versions (and to all the talkin’ blues songs for that matter) but the lyrics of the studio version are way funnier in my opinion. It’s a shame he didn’t perform the next verse on stage, although I can imagine why he decided not to perform it.
Now we all agree with Hitlers' views,
Although he killed six million Jews.
It don't matter too much that he was a Fascist,
At least you can't say he was a Communist!
That's to say like if you got a cold you take a shot of malaria.
Anyone who likes the style of the Talkin’ blues songs, like Talkin' World War III Blues, will like this one as well. For me, this is the best talkin’ song Dylan did.
3) All I Have To Do Is Dream(Session with George Harrison, 1970)
The sessions from Bob Dylan together with George Harrison show a very relaxed atmosphere and under these circumstances some great music was played in my opinion. The best known song which spawned from this session isIf Not For You. The cover of the The Everly Brothers shows some good vocals by Bob Dylan very similar to his ‘’John Wesley Harding style’’ singing. Around the same time of this session Bob also released the disaster called Self Portrait, which included a lot of covers. This cover of All I Have To Do Is Dream is way better than any cover on that album.
http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=fFS_Id7V-Ss
4) Yesterday (Session with George Harrison, 1970)
From the same session is this cover of the Beatles’ Yesterday. Maybe unexpectedly Dylan takes the lead vocals and Harrison is only heard doing backing vocals. Bob’s singing is once again very inspired. The bass playing by Charlie Daniels also stands out on this track. Wikipedia says this is the most covered song ever and I think this cover by Dylan must be one of the best out of all those.
http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=LpP6Exn8oss
5) Spanish Is The Loving Tongue(Watching The River Flow B-Side, 1971)
This solo piano version of Bob Dylan was released in 1971, one of Bob’s most unproductive years as an artist. He only released some new recorded songs for his Greatest Hits Album, including Watching The River Flow. Spanish Is The Loving Tongue was released as a B-side to this song. A lot of different versions of this song can be found in Dylan’s catalog, but this is absolutely my favorite version. Bob isn’t a great piano player, but that doesn’t take anything away from the beauty of this version. Everyone who likes the laid back feeling of New Morning will like this song as well.
http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=G5t62TR0dss
6) Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts (Blood on the Tapes, 1974)
This song is relatively well known as it was released in 1975 on Blood on the Tracks. The version on that album is heavily dominated by a thriving bass throughout the whole song. 16 verses of each 5 lines make this song almost 9 minutes long. This is the Minneapolis version of the song which ended up on the album. Earlier, on September 16th 1974, Dylan recorded another version of this song in New York and this song was supposed to be on the album, until Dylan decided to rerecord 5 of the 10 songs on the album at the very last minute. This song was one of them. Although the released version is arguably better, this New York version stands on its own with a far more acoustic feel. The song isn’t as interesting as the final version, but it’s definitely worth a listen to hear the developing process of the song.
http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=wNIKepfdes0
7) Rita May (Desire Sessions, 1975)
One reason why I love Desire is the very distinct sound and feel it has. The violin by Scarlet Rivera made a huge contribution to this sound. And exactly this violin playing is very dominant in the track Rita May. As a result of this, this song would’ve fit perfectly on Desire. The lyrics of this song aren’t anything special, Dylan sings about an apparently arrogant girl he can’t get out of his mind. I definitely think this song is better than some songs which did make it on Desire (like Mozambique), but other outtakes for Desire, like Golden Loom and Abandoned Love, are in my opinion superior. A fun listen for anyone who likes Desire though.
http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=cgFWBdmzPMU
8) Trouble In Mind (Gotta Serve Somebody B-Side, 1979)
A lot of people criticized Dylan’s Christian period, and I agree both Shot of Love and Saved aren’t really good albums. 1979’s Slow Train Coming is in my opinion a great album though. Trouble In Mind is a good B-Side which should really have made the final album. Mark Knopfler’s guitar playing stands out on this track, but the drums and the bass are very good as well. The lyrics can be a little too preachy for some I think. Dylan sings about temptations given by Satan and turns to the Lord for help:
Satan will give you a little taste, then he'll move in with rapid speed,
Lord keep my blind side covered and see that I don't bleed.
People who like Slow Train Coming will immediately like this track as well. The preachy lyrics don’t take anything away from the great music, so people who don’t like his Christian period should listen anyway.
http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=VpnNrMhO9cc
9) Band of the Hand (Band of the Hand soundtrack, 1986)
Dylan’s music in the 80s is characterized by the fact his best tracks aren’t found on the albums from that period. Think of songs like Angelina, Blind Willie McTell, Foot of Pride and Dignity. Band of the Hand is another example. The track shows Dylan, backed by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, at his rocking best. The song is build around the often repeated lines ‘’It's hell time man’’ sung by backing vocalists. Dylan sounds angry and his lyrics are even angrier. The leaders of the United States are accused of being fools, killers and witchcraft scum. The next verse sums it up really:
We're gonna blow up your home of Voodoo
And watch it burn without any regret
We got the power we're the new government,
You just don't know it yet.
A great song, so much better than anything he released on Empire Burlesque, Knocked Out Loaded and Down In The Groove, which were released in the same period. A must listen for every Dylan fan!
http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=dk3vQ__QWuI
10) I Want You (Completely Unplugged, 1994)
Dylan’s MTV Unplugged from 1994 is well known. I’m personally a big fan of the performances of Dignity, All Along The Watchtower and Desolation Row from the released album. But, for some unexplainable reason the best performance was left off the album: I Want You. Other than the lyrics, this version shows not a single similarity to the original from Blonde On Blonde (1966). The upbeat, desperate original, which clocks at just over 3 minutes, has been overhauled in a long, 6 minute version, which is a lot slower than the original and has a very melancholy feel all over it. Dylan’s rough, worn out vocals suit this new approach perfectly. It is hard to imagine the fantastic original could ever be matched, but in my opinion, this live version 28 years later is just as good.
http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=8-vA5gaf6iE
There you have it. 10 great songs. Some are covers, others are different versions of classics and others are unknown originals. I can honestly say that some of these recordings are among my favorite Dylan tracks.