1991 ACCEPTING CHAOS

 

 

1      A SHORT SUBJECTIVE RETROSPECTIVE

2      The Year at a glance

3      CALENDAR

4      RECORDINGS

5      NEW TAPES

5.1       Cynthia Gooding 62/Gerde's Folk City 1961

5.2       Oh Mercy Outtakes

5.3       Traveling Wilburys Volume 4

5.4       Mansfield 3 July 1988 PA

5.5       Hearts Of Fire outtakes

5.6       1978 Interview

5.7       Burbank February 1973

6      THE BOOTLEG SERIES

 

 

Next

Contents

 

1       A SHORT SUBJECTIVE RETROSPECTIVE

 

Dylan turns fifty and now has thirty years behind him as a recording artist. He accepts the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammy Awards Ceremony in February. There is no new record this year, but in March the first three volumes of The Bootleg Series are released. The fourth year of the Never-Ending tour consists of often chaotic concerts with an almost new band in US, Europe and South America.

 

2       The Year at a glance

 

 

 

 

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3       CALENDAR

 

Early January

 

Dylan records This Old Man at his home studio for yet another benefit album: For Our Children. Hope for children with AIDS.

 

Early January

Rehearsals with a new band starts in Montana Studios, New York City. The two remaining members are Tony Garnier on bass and César Diaz on guitar. Ian Wallace has replaced Chris Parker on drums. Ian played 115 shows with Dylan during the 1978 World Tour. On guitar we also have one John Jackson who had been playing with Jo-El Sonnier earlier.

 

January 19

The promotional Wilbury Twist video is filmed at a mansion in Los Angeles.

 

January

The original track of Series of Dreams is overdubbed at the Messina Sound Studios in New York. Dylan also provides new vocals for the second and 4th bridge.

 

January 28

Dylan kicks off the first tour of the new year with a most unusual version of Most Likely You Go Your Way. Every line is sung at double speed and the rest of the time he plays harmonica. Must have been a real shock for the new and still under rehearsed band. The show features two "new" songs, Bob Dylan's Dream, not performed live since 1963 and, for the first time, God Knows from Under The Red Sky.

 

February 8-17

The European part of the second Fastbreak Tour ends with an eighth show residency at the Hammersmith Odeon in London. The shows are generally much less varied than a year ago and the performances not nearly as inspired. The shows are heavily criticized by fans and in the press.

 

February 20

Bob Dylan is given the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammy Awards Ceremony at Radio City Music Hall in New York. Jack Nicholson presents the award. After a short introductory speech by Nicholson a film of video clips is shown, featuring an unseen sequence from Eat The Document (Ballad Of A Thin Man) and a few sequences from the promotional video of the forthcoming single Series Of Dreams, an Oh Mercy outtake. Dylan and the band then enter the stage and perform a really rough version of Masters Of Wars sung with closed eyes in his most toneless voice. After this performance Dylan is given the award and delivers this short acceptance speech:

 

 

Thank You ... well ... alright ... yeah, well, my daddy he didn't leave me too much ... you know he was a very simple man and he didn't leave me a lot but what he told me was this ... what he did say was ... son ... he said uh .... (long pause) ... he said so many things ya know ..... he said you know it's possible to become so defiled in this world that your own mother and father will abandon you, and if that happen God will always believe in your own ability to mend your ways. Thank you.

 

 

After which Dylan leaves the stage to a standing ovation. At Sony's after-the-show party Dylan turned up with his date for the evening: his mother!

 

Late February

Bob Dylan is interviewed about The Bootleg Series in Los Angeles by his publisher Elliot Mintz. The interview is included in the syndicated Westwood One radio show, broadcast in the US during May.

 

Feb 25 27

March 1, 2

The first of the 1991 tours ends with four shows in Mexico, two in Guadalajara and two in Mexico City. These are Dylan's first concerts in Mexico. At the concerts in Mexico City he played to a one-third full Sports palace, but outside 30,000 people gathered and listened to the concerts through special speakers located outside the hall. In a telephone interview in the Guadalajara Reporter, No 8, 1991 (Feb 23-Mar 1) Dylan gets the question "What's the band you're touring with like?" and answers Real good, real simple. Tony (Garnier from Asleep At The Wheel) plays stand-up bass. We may use John Staheley (Robert Palmer band) on guitar. Was Staheley to replace John Jackson or César Diaz?

 

March 16

On St Patrick's Day BBC broadcasts the Van Morrison program One Irish Rover in which the Dylan-Morrison duets from Athens in June 1989 are included.

 

March 26

Release of single Series Of Dreams/Seven Curses

Release of the 3CD (in Europe also 5LP) set The Bootleg Series.

 

March 28

Joe Queenan interviews Dylan. The interview is originally intended as a birthday article in New York Times. The interview apparently did not go well and in the end New York Times rejected it and it turned up in the August issue of SPY magazine titled "The Free-fallin' Bob Dylan. Exclusive polysyllabic Dylan interview". Dylan does not reveal anything and the frustrated interviewer starts the article with the following insult: "Forever young? Sorry, no. Bob Dylan - suddenly 50 years old - has declined into a loopy, very occasionally inspired parody of his once-great self".

 

April 14

Paul Zollo interviews Dylan in a Beverly Hills Hotel for SongTalk magazine (published by the National Academy of Songwriters, which Dylan joined a year earlier). The interview is one of the best from recent years and is later published in the Winter 1991 issue.

 

April 19

This year's second tour starts in New Orleans. César Diaz has now left the band. The first show starts with a live premiere, New Morning. This is to be the opening song for almost all shows during the spring and summer tours.

 

Early May

The planned nine show tour of South America is cancelled when the local promoters fail to come up with the required advances on time. The following shows were scheduled:

 

 

May 22-25

Buenos Aires, Argentina

 

May 27

Montevideo, Uruguay

 

May 30, June 1

Sao Paolo, Brazil

 

June 2

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

May 12

The spring tour ends after 15 shows in Amherst, Mass. This is the first time in Amherst since he played The Cage on 26 April 1964.

 

May 14-15

Two shows at Port Chester are cancelled.

 

May 24

Dylan turns 50.

 

May 28

Release of For Our Children charity album.

 

June 6

For the third summer in a row Dylan tours Europe. The first show in Rome opens appropriately with When I Paint My Masterpiece, the first rendition of this song during the Never-Ending tour. The show also features two never before played covers, an acoustic version of Paul Simon's Homeward Bound and John Prine's People Putting People Down.

 

June 8

In Italy Van Morrison shares the bill with Dylan and in Milan Dylan makes a guest appearance at Van's opening concert, playing harmonica in Whenever God Shines His Light and Enlightenment.

 

June 28, 29

The European summer tour ends with two rock festival shows, in Norway and Denmark. Then back to the States for the

 

July 4 - 27

US Summer tour which starts in Tanglewood, Lenox, Massachusetts and ends in Corfu, New York. One more East Coast tour.

 

Early August

Dylan attends a Les Paul concert at Fat Tuesday's in New York. Les Paul is celebrating his 76th birthday.

 

August 8 - 21

At last, South America! Dylan has wanted to tour this part of the world since 1984 at least. 9 shows in Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. Audiences vary from 30,000 to 1,500! Some unusual songs are played like Ring Them Bells and It's Too Late (She’s Gone).

 

Early September

Dylan and the band are rehearsing in Los Angeles. There are lots of rumors of the band breaking up, Ian Wallace leaving the band, talks of Dylan again touring with The Band. In the end the band stays the same. Dylan tries again to book Beacon Theatre in New York in October but he is too late.

 

September 15

Once again Dylan appears at the Chabad Telethon. He speaks to the audience, asking people to contribute and then thanks the present rabbis. Later he and Kinky Friedman perform Sold American, Kinky singing and playing acoustic guitar and Dylan playing electric guitar.

 

October 17

Dylan attends the Guitar Greats Festival (Legends de la Guitars) in Seville, Spain. This is a five-night extravaganza with each night devoted to a certain decade and having a musical director. The performances are organized in a relay fashion. Dylan performs his first song with Jack Bruce and his band, then three acoustic songs with Richard Thompson on guitar, and then introduces Keith Richards and they play Shake Rattle & Roll together. The musical director this night is Phil Manzanera. There are at least one hour from each night broadcast on TV and radio in various countries all over Europe.

 

October 24

Last tour this year starts with four shows in Texas and ends in late November in Charlottesville, Virginia.

 

November 20

Thirty years ago today Dylan began to record is first album in Columbia Studio A in New York with John Hammond as producer. Now he:

J has sold more 30 million albums worldwide

J has received 21 certified gold albums

J has had over 2000 cover versions of his songs recorded

J is a member of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame

J has received the ASCAP Founder's Award

J has received the NARAS Lifetime Achievement Award

J has been awarded "les insignes de commandeur des Arts et des Lettres by the French

J is still on the road, heading for another joint.

 

December 17

At the Sotheby's auction of Rock 'n' Roll Memorabilia a number of handwritten manuscripts from the collection of Eve and Peter McKenzie are offered. These are the earliest known writings of Dylan and includes Talking New York, Talking Bear Mountain Blues and a number of up till now unknown original songs: California Brown-Eyed Baby, Over The Road, Dope Fiend Robber, Don't, Crying Holy To The Frost, V.D. Seaman's Last Letter. These are all from 1961. There are also a number of traditional songs like I'll Be A Batchelor Till I Die and Satisfied Mind (first song on Saved). The minimum bids for these manuscripts total $26,000.

 

 

 

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4       RECORDINGS

Here’s a list of recordings from 1991 other than concerts. For details please refer to the corresponding session pages in Still On The Road.

 

Early January

Recording of This Old Man

20 February

Grammy Award Ceremony

Late February

The Elliot Mintz Interview

8 June

Guest appearance at Van Morrison's opening concert in Milan, Italy

15 September

Chabad Telethon with Kinky Friedman

17 October

Leyendas de la Guitarra (Guitar Greats Festival)

 

5       NEW TAPES

5.1      Cynthia Gooding 62/Gerde's Folk City 1961

This tape consists of the five songs recorded in Cynthia Gooding's apartment recorded in February or March 1962:

Ballad Of Donald White

Wichita

Acne

Rocks And Gravel

A long Time Man

and then three tracks from Gerde's Folk City, late September 1961:

Ranger's Command

San Francisco Bay Blues

The Great Divide.

The last two tracks are new and all three tracks are in very good mono PA quality.

 

5.2      Oh Mercy Outtakes

This tape has the following tracks:

Series Of Dreams

as on The Bootleg Series without overdubbing

What Was It You Wanted

alternate take

Series Of Dreams

alternate take, different lyrics

God Knows

early version

What Good Am I?

alternate take

Most Of The Time

alternate take

Everything Is Broken

alternate take, different lyrics

Political World

alternate take, four extra verses

Born In Time

early version, different lyrics

Dignity

completely new song

Shooting Star

alternate take, different lyrics

Disease Of Conceit

alternate take

In an interview in The Telegraph, Daniel Lanois mentions six outtakes from Oh Mercy. We now know four, Series Of Dreams (mentioned by name by Lanois), Born In Time, God Knows and Dignity. Is Unbelievable one of the remaining two? There have been rumours of more outtake material from Oh Mercy for a long time.

 

5.3      Traveling Wilburys Volume 4

This tape contains:

New tracks

Maxine

lead vocal by George Harrison

 

Like A Ship

lead vocal by Bob Dylan

Different takes/mixes

Inside Out

different lead & backing vocals

 

Where Were You Last Night?

new lead vocal

 

You Took My Breath Away

different lead vocals and lyrics

 

Poor House

different lead guitar, some backing vocals missing

 

She's My Baby

all-Dylan vocals, lots of lead guitar and backing vocals missing

 

The Devil's Been Busy

all non-Petty vocals differ, some different backing vocals

 

The Wilbury Twist

different lead guitar & backing vocals

 

7 Deadly Sins

most backing vocals missing

Similar to released

Cool Dry Place

 

version but lacking

Runaway

 

some overdubs

If You Belonged To Me

 

 

New Blue Moon

 

 

 

5.4      Mansfield 3 July 1988 PA

This is the third PA-tape from the first Never-Ending tour. This one is not complete and has serious sound problems in the beginning and end. Omitted is I Shall Be Released.

 

5.5      Hearts Of Fire outtakes

This tape contains studio takes from the Hearts Of Fire sessions at the Townhouse Studio in London, England, August 27 & 18, 1986. Dylan is backed by Eric Clapton on guitar, Ron Wood & Kip Winger on bass, Beau Hill on keyboards and Henry Spinetti on drums. Tracks:

The Usual (3 takes)

Some Kind Of Way

Had A Dream About You, Baby (5 takes)

Old Five And Dimer (3 takes)

Had A Dream About You, Baby (2 more takes)

To Fall In Love With You

Night After Night

All in all 60 minutes. The takes of Had A Dream About You Baby are all more   enjoyable than those selected for the soundtrack and for Down In The Groove.

 

5.6      1978 Interview

Backstage, before the show in Nashville December 2, a reporter from Jacksonville in Florida interviews Dylan. Through out the interview Dylan is strumming his guitar, which makes some of his answers and many of the questions impossible to hear. 21 minutes.

 

5.7      Burbank February 1973

One more studio tape from the sessions for Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid:

Billy (3 takes)

Knockin' On Heaven's Door

Sweet Amarillo (trad)

Knockin' On Heaven's Door

Final Theme

Rock Me, Mama (2 takes) (Arthur Cruddup)

Billy (2 takes)

Unknown Instrumental

Unknown Instrumental

Ride, Billy, Ride

 

 

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6       THE BOOTLEG SERIES

First it was to be a 10 CD-set, one disc released each month in 1991 starting in March. Then it became a 4CD box. Finally Sony decided to trim it down to a 3CD box. Still, this is one of the more stunning retrospective releases that has ever hit the market:

58 songs total, NONE released before!

23 songs new to collectors! (marked + or * below)

8 songs never before heard with Dylan! (marked * below).

The box comes with an excellent booklet with stunning photos and great liner notes written by John Bauldie.

One might say that this release marks the recognition of the importance and resources of the widespread Dylan "fan community". Not only the name of the set, but also the facts that several well known collectors were consulted during the preparations and that the editor of The Telegraph, and chairman of the Bob Dylan Information Office, Wanted Man was commissioned to write the booklet's liner notes. Without the collectors, performances like Hard Times In New York Town and No More Auction Block might be very well lost long ago

A short summary of the tracks:

1961:

 

 

Hard Times In New York Town

 

from Minnesota Hotel Tape

He Was A Friend Of Mine

 

Bob Dylan outtake

Man On The Street

+

Bob Dylan outtake

House Carpenter

+

Bob Dylan outtake

1962:

 

 

No More Auction Block

 

live from Gaslight Café

Talking Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues

 

Freewheelin' outtake

Let Me Die In My Footsteps

 

Freewheelin' outtake

Rambling, Gambling Willie

 

Freewheelin' outtake

Talkin' Hava Negiliah

 

Freewheelin' outtake

Quit Your Low Down Ways

 

Freewheelin' outtake

Worried Blues

 

Freewheelin' outtake

Kingsport Town

 

Freewheelin' outtake

1963:

 

 

Walkin' Down The Line

 

Witmark demo

Walls Of Red Wing

 

The Times outtake

Paths Of Victory

 

The Times outtake

Talking John Birch Paranoid Blues

+

live from Carnegie Hall

Who Killed Davey Moore?

 

live from Carnegie Hall

Only A Hobo

 

The Times outtake

Moonshiner

 

The Times outtake

When The Ship Comes In

 

Witmark demo

The Times They Are A-Changin'

 

Witmark demo

Last Thoughts On Woody Guthrie

 

live from New York Town Hall

Seven Curses

+

The Times outtake

Eternal Circle

 

The Times outtake

Suze (The Cough Song)

 

The Times outtake

1964:

 

 

Mama, You Been On My Mind

 

Another Side outtake

1965:

 

 

Farewell Angelina

*

Bringing It All Back Home outtake

Subterranean Homesick Blues

+

Bringing It All Back Home outtake

If You Gotta Go, Go Now                 

 

Bringing It All Back Home outtake

Sitting On A Barbed-Wire Fence          

 

Highway 61 Revisited outtake

Like A Rolling Stone

+

Highway 61 Revisited outtake

It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry            

 

Highway 61 Revisited outtake

1966:

 

 

I'll Keep It With Mine

+

Blonde On Blonde outtake

She's Your Lover Now                    

 

Blonde On Blonde outtake

1967:

 

 

I Shall Be Released                     

 

Basement Tape outtake

Santa

*

Basement Tape outtake

1970:

 

 

If Not For You

+

from the Dylan/Harrison sessions

1971:

 

 

Wallflower

 

 

1973:

 

 

Nobody 'Cept You

+

Planet Wave outtake

1974:

 

 

Tangled Up In Blue

+

Blood on The Tracks outtake

Call Letter Blues

*

Blood on The Tracks outtake

Idiot Wind

+

Blood on The Tracks outtake

If You See Her, Say Hello

+

Blood on The Tracks outtake

1975:

 

 

Golden Loom

*

Desire outtake

Catfish

*

Desire outtake

1976:

 

 

Seven Days                              

 

live from Tampa 21 April

1979:

 

 

Ye Shall Be Changed                     

*

Slow Train Coming outtake

1980:

 

 

Every Grain Of Sand                     

+

demo version w/ Jennifer Warnes

1981:

 

 

You Changed My Life

*

Shot Of Love outtake

Need A Woman

 

Shot Of Love outtake

Angelina

 

Shot Of Love outtake

1983:

 

 

Someone's Got A Hold Of My Heart

+

Infidels outtake

Tell Me

+

Infidels outtake

Lord Protect My Child       

 

Infidels outtake

Foot Of Pride       

 

Infidels outtake

Blind Willie McTell     

 

Infidels outtake

1985:

 

 

When The Night Comes Falling From The Sky  

 

Empire Burlesque outtake

1989/1991:

 

 

Series Of Dreams

*

Oh Mercy outtake

 

One remarkable thing is that there is not one single song that was unknown before the release of the box. Of the songs never before heard

-   House Carpenter is mentioned by Shelton in his book No Direction Home,

-   Farewell Angelina is probably the biggest surprise of all, even though Stephen Pickering has claimed to possess this outtake, it is of course well-known through Joan Baez,

-   Santa , Call Letter Blues, Ye Shall Be Changed and You Changed My Life have all been known to exist and copyrighted lyrics have been in circulation,

-   Golden Loom and Catfish have been recorded by other artists and the lyrics are included in Lyrics 1962-1985 and

-   Series Of Dreams is mentioned as one of six Oh Mercy outtakes by Daniel Lanois in an interview in The Telegraph.

Songs that were considered but never made it:

Dink's Song

Minnesota Hotel tape

Poor Lazarus              

Minnesota Hotel tape

Handsome Molly            

First Gaslight Cafe

Rocks And Gravel

Freewheelin' outtake

Sally Gal

Freewheelin' outtake

Bob Dylan's New Orleans Rag

Freewheelin' outtake

I Heard That Lonesome Whistle Blow

outtake w/ bass

Hero Blues                        

The Times outtake

Long Ago, Far Away

Witmark demo

Long Time Gone

Witmark demo

All Over You

Banjo Tape

Guess I'm Doin' Fine

Witmark demo

Farewell

Witmark demo

Dusty Old Fairgrounds

New York Town Hall

It's All Over Now, Baby Blue

outtake

Positively 4th Street

Highway 61 Revisited outtake

She's Your Lover Now

solo version

Midnight Train

Blonde On Blonde outtake

Get Your Rocks Off

Basement Tapes outtake

Silent Weekend

Basement Tapes outtake

Sign On The Cross

Basement Tapes outtake

You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome...  

Blood On The Tracks outtake

It Ain't Me, Babe

live - Renaldo & Clara

Yonder Comes Sin                  

Shot Of love outtake

No Man Righteous, No Not One

Slow Train Coming outtake

Ain't Gonna Go To Hell For Anybody

live - early 80

John Brown                        

live 1988

Don't Ever Take Yourself Away

1982 outtake

 

Since the full name of the box is "the bootleg series volumes 1-3 [rare & unreleased] 1961-1991" one may assume that more volumes are to follow. As a matter of fact this is mentioned in the liner notes, indicating that future volumes will feature unreleased live performances such as Royal Albert Hall 1966. To meet this end material was compiled and put to Dylan for release at the end of 1991, but sadly and for unknown reasons, it wasn't approved.

 

 

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