The Party Tape has Bob performing songs in a Guthrie-esque manner. Unfortunately, there's a constant low bass-y sound which shows the low quality of the recording device (which would be somewhat expected). The sound quality isn't very good anyway (with or without the bass-y sound). Some tracks suffer from lots of dropouts or other glitches. Some problems are mentioned below. Disc 2 starts off with a bunch of very weird and very odd songs from the Party Tape.
The bass-y sound is not at all on the Hotel Tape. The Hotel Tape features Bob Dylan in a voice which is starting to resemble the voice he used on his debut album. Hard Times In New York Town (one of the only two songs in The Minnesota Tapes that was written by Bob Dylan) has been officially released in The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3. Wade In The Water has also been officially released; it was released on Bob Dylan Live 1961-2000.
"The Dylan Roots" : B+ (C+/A)
On the East Orange Tape, Bob sings with a voice that reminds me very much of Woody Guthrie. I must actually say that the only song I really enjoy listening to from the East Orange Tape is Remember Me. This bootleg is, however, interesting historically. Jesse James, Car Car, Southern Cannonball, and Bring Me Back, My Blue-Eyed Boy are all on track 6 (and track 6 is only 2:00 long! - Car Car, Southern Cannonball, and Bring Me Back, My Blue-Eyed Boy are each less than 15 sec long).
The sound quality isn't great in the Carnegie show (the sound is being adjusted throughout Pretty Peggy-O), but, man oh man!, the Carnegie show is so awesome! The Carnegie show took place 16 or so days before Bob recorded for his first album "Bob Dylan", so he uses his 'growl' voice during appropriate songs. During A Long Time A-Growin' he sounds like he's got a bit of the Nashville Skyline voice. He sings wonderfully throughout the show. Between songs, Dylan gives very interesting comments. This show is very much worth owning! It makes "The Dylan Roots" well worth owning. Another highlight is 1913 Massacre, and, if you're like me, you might need to click here to find out just what the 1913 massacre was. And, WOW, this Fixin' To Die is superb!
East Orange Tape (East Orange, NJ); February 1961:
1. San Francisco Bay Blues (solo acoustic) - written by Jesse Fuller
2. Jesus Met The Woman At The Well (solo acoustic) - written by unknown (traditional) - not a complete song
3. Gypsy Davey (solo acoustic) - written by unknown (traditional - arranged by Woody Guthrie)
4. Pastures Of Plenty (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by Woody Guthrie
5. Trail Of The Buffalo (solo acoustic) - written by unknown (traditional - arranged by Woody Guthrie)
6. Jesse James (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by unknown (traditional) - not a complete song
Car, Car (solo acoustic) - written by Woody Guthrie - not a complete song (less than 15 sec)
Southern Cannonball (solo acoustic) - written by R. Hall and Jimmie Rodgers - not a complete song (less than 15 sec)
Bring Me Back, My Blue-Eyed Boy (solo acoustic) - written by unknown (traditional) - not a complete song (less than 15 sec)
7. Remember Me (solo acoustic) - written by Scott Wiseman - a small skip at one point
Carnegie Chapter Hall (New York, NY); November 4, 1961:
8. Pretty Peggy-O (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) (live debut of this song from Bob Dylan) - written by unknown (traditional)
9. In The Pines (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by Leadbelly
10. Gospel Plow (solo acoustic) (live debut of this song from Bob Dylan) - written by unknown (traditional)
11. 1913 Massacre (solo acoustic) - written by Woody Guthrie
12. Blackwater Blues (solo acoustic) - written by Big Joe Williams
13. A Long Time A-Growin' (solo acoustic) - written by unknown (traditional)
14. Fixin' To Die (solo acoustic) (live debut of this song from Bob Dylan) - written by Bukka White
The Minnesota Tapes : B+ (B/A-)
The Minnesota Tapes are made up of two different sources: the Minnesota Party Tape from May 24, 1961 and the Minnesota Hotel Tape from December 22, 1961. Both tapes feature Bob at a relatively young age performing nothing but songs not written by him (except for two songs: Hard Times In New York Town and Sally Girl). The sound quality rating for either source has been placed beside the source name below. Historically speaking, this is a relatively important bootleg.
Disc 1:
The Minnesota Party Tape (Minneapolis, MN); May 24, 1961: ("C+")
1. Ramblin' Round (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by Woody Guthrie
2. Death Don't Have No Mercy (solo acoustic) - written by Reverend Gary Davis
3. It's Hard To Be Blind (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by unknown (traditional)
4. This Train Is Bound For Glory (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by Big Bill Broonzy, arranged by Woody Guthrie - glitch at 0:21 and 2:13
5. Harp Blues (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp)
6. Talking Fish Blues (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by Woody Guthrie
7. Pastures Of Plenty (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by Woody Guthrie
8. Railroad Bill (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by unknown (traditional) - sound worsens and the quality stays lower for the next songs
9. Will The Circle Be Unbroken (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by A.P. Carter
10. Man Of Constant Sorrow (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by unknown (traditional)
11. Pretty Polly (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by unknown (traditional)
12. Railroad Boy (solo acoustic) - written by unknown (traditional)
13. James Alley Blues (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by Richard Brown
14. Why'd You Cut My Hair? (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by unknown (traditional) - sound quality worsens for this track
15. This Land Is Your Land (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by Woody Guthrie - several dropouts
16. Two Trains Runnin' (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by Muddy Waters - several dropouts and the volume changes often
17. Wild Mountain Thyme (solo acoustic) - written by unknown (traditional) - several dropouts and the volume changes often
Disc 2:
1. Howdido (solo acoustic) - written by Woody Guthrie - the volume changes often
2. Car, Car (solo acoustic) - written by Woody Guthrie
3. Don't Push Me Down (solo acoustic) - written by Woody Guthrie - at 0:43 into the track there's a dropout
4. Come See (solo acoustic) - written by Woody Guthrie - lots of dropouts near the middle of the track and several at other points
5. I Want My Milk (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by Woody Guthrie - lots of dropouts throughout
6. San Francisco Bay Blues (solo acoustic) - written by Jesse Fuller
7. A Long Time A-Growin' (solo acoustic) - written by unknown (traditional)
8. Devilish Mary (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by Bess Lomax Hawes
The Minnesota Hotel Tape (Minneapolis, MN); December 22, 1961: ("A-")
9. Candy Man (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by unknown (traditional - arranged by Reverend Gary Davis)
10. Baby, Please Don't Go (solo acoustic) - written by Big Joe Williams
11. Hard Times In New York Town (solo acoustic)
12. Stealin' (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by unknown (traditional - arranged by Memphis Jug Band)
13. Poor Lazarus (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by unknown (traditional)
14. I Ain't Got No Home (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by Woody Guthrie
15. It's Hard To Be Blind (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by unknown (traditional)
16. Dink's Song (solo acoustic) - written by unknown (traditional - arranged by John Lomax and Alan Lomax)
17. Man Of Constant Sorrow (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by unknown (traditional) - dropout at 3:05
18. Story Of East Orange (story)
Disc 3:
1. Naomi Wise (solo acoustic) - written by unknown (traditional) - small dropout at 2:39
2. Wade In The Water (solo acoustic) - written by unknown (traditional)
3. I Was Young When I Left Home (solo acoustic) - written by unknown (traditional - arranged by Bob Dylan)
4. In The Evening (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by Brownie McGhee
5. Baby, Let Me Follow You Down (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by Eric von Schmidt
6. Sally Girl (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by unknown (traditional)
7. Gospel Plow (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by unknown (traditional - arranged by Bob Dylan)
8. Long John (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by unknown (traditional)
9. Cocaine Blues (solo acoustic) - written by unknown (traditional - arranged by Reverend Gary Davis) - continues to the next track
10. Cocaine Blues (solo acoustic) - written by unknown (traditional - arranged by Reverend Gary Davis)
VD Blues (solo acoustic) - written by Woody Guthrie
11. VD Waltz (solo acoustic) - written by Woody Guthrie
12. VD City (solo acoustic) - written by Woody Guthrie
13. VD Gunner's Blues (solo acoustic) - written by Woody Guthrie
14. See That My Grave Is Kept Clean (solo acoustic) - written by Blind Lemon Jefferson
15. Ramblin' Round (solo acoustic) - written by Woody Guthrie
16. Black Cross (solo acoustic) - written by Lord Buckley
03/11/62 Folksinger's Choice : A (A/A)
Every Dylan fan must hear Folksinger's Choice at least once! This is a hillarious interview-type thing in which Cynthia Gooding talks to Dylan in between Dylan playing songs. In total, he plays three original songs (The Death Of Emmett Till, Standing On The Highway, Hard Times In New York Town), and then he plays a bunch of covers. Not only do we get to hear Dylan playing some cool sounding blues guitar, we also get to hear Cynthia Gooding! She is hillarious! She starts off by calling Dylan's harmonica holder a necklace! Priceless...
Lonesome Whistle Blues, Hard Travelin', The Death Of Emmett Till, Makes A Hard Time Man Feel Bad, and Hard Times In New York Town are all highlights of this bootleg, but it's good for so many other reasons! This bootleg is one to get if you like Dylan early on. The sound does shift between speakers every so often.
1. Lonesome Whistle Blues (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by Hank Williams and Jimmie Davies
2. conversation 1
3. Fixin' To Die (solo acoustic) - written by Bukka White
4. conversation 2
5. Smokestack Lightening (solo acoustic) - written by Howlin' Wolf
6. conversation 3
7. Hard Travelin' (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by Woody Guthrie
8. conversation 4
9. The Death Of Emmett Till (solo acoustic)
10. conversation 5
11. Standing On The Highway (solo acoustic)
12. conversation 6
13. Roll On John (solo acoustic) - written by unknown (traditional)
14. conversation 7
15. Stealin' (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by unknown (traditional - arranged by Memphis Jug Band)
16. conversation 8
17. Makes A Hard Time Man Feel Bad (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by unknown (traditional)
18. conversation 9
19. Baby, Please Don't Go (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by Big Joe Williams
20. conversation 10
21. Hard Times In New York Town (solo acoustic)
07/02/62 The Finjan Club, Montreal : B+ (B+/B+)
This sounds like a small club (an indicator is the amount of applause). Every so often the tape fluctuates but not for a long time, it just sort of fluctuates for a note or a few every so often. As for the content, The Death Of Emmett Till is very well done. Bob stumbles through Stealin', Stealin'. Blowin' In The Wind is excellent, and the reason why I acquired this bootleg (I had heard it before). In Quit Your Low Down Ways, Bob sings a verse from a different song (Milk Cow Calf's Blues/Good Morning Blues)! Lots of the other songs are well done as well. This is a good bootleg to have to hear what Bob sounded like earlier on in his career.
1. The Death Of Emmett Till (solo acoustic)
2. Stealin' (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by unknown (traditional - arranged by Memphis Jug Band)
3. Hiram Hubbard (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by unknown (traditional)
4. Blowin' In The Wind (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp)
5. Rocks And Gravel (solo acoustic)
6. Quit Your Low Down Ways (solo acoustic) (live debut of this song from The Genuine Bootleg Series vol. #1-3)
7. He Was A Friend Of Mine (solo acoustic)
8. Let Me Die In My Footsteps (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) (live debut of this song)
9. Two Trains Runnin' (solo acoustic) - written by Muddy Waters
10. Ramblin' On My Mind (solo acoustic) - written by Robert Johnson - dropout in song - not a complete song (Bob ends early)
11. Blues Yodel No. 8 (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by Jimmie Rodgers and G. Vaughan - not a complete song (Bob ends early)
Gaslight Tapes : A- (B+/A-)
There is a fade-out and silence between each track (this is on the original). Although A Hard Rain's has a few problems as mentioned below, it's still very listenable (except at the point when Dylan plays the wrong notes - ugh). The last song, West Texas, is clipped after 4:34 (this is on the original). This is a historically important bootleg so I gave an A- but if it weren't, I probably would've given a B+ or a B. Black Cross (which is a story, not really a song), No More Auction Block (which has been officially released on The Bootleg Series vol. #1-3), Barbara Allen, and Moonshiner are all highlights. There are lots of blues songs on this bootleg.
1. A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall (solo acoustic) - first line has one word skipped (sourced from acetate?) - minor static glitches every so often throughout
2. Black Cross (solo acoustic) - written by Lord Buckley
3. No More Auction Block (solo acoustic) - written by unknown (traditional)
4. Rocks And Gravel (solo acoustic)
5. Don't Think Twice, It's All Right (solo acoustic) (live debut of this song from Freewheelin' Bob Dylan)
6. Barbara Allen (solo acoustic) - written by unknown (traditional)
7. Moonshiner (solo acoustic) - written by unknown (traditional)
8. Motherless Children (solo acoustic) - written by unknown (traditional)
9. Handsome Molly (solo acoustic) - written by unknown (traditional)
10. John Brown (solo acoustic)
11. Ballad Of Hollis Brown (solo acoustic)
12. Kindhearted Woman Blues (solo acoustic) - written by Robert Johnson
13. See That My Grave Is Kept Clean (solo acoustic) (live debut of this song from Bob Dylan) - written by Blind Lemon Jefferson
14. Ain't No More Cane (solo acoustic) - written by Leadbelly
15. Cocaine (solo acoustic) - written by unknown (traditional)
16. The Cuckoo Is A Pretty Bird (solo acoustic) - written by unknown (traditional)
17. West Texas (solo acoustic) - written by unknown (traditional) - clipped after 4:34 (this is on original)
The Freewheelin' Outtakes : A (A-/A)
This is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. It's really that great! It's mainly Bob sounding like he does on Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, and it's great. I love his voice, his guitar playing, his harmonica playing, and the songs he's singing! It's great. The sound is very good, but the limitations of the recording device(s) can be heard at times. The songs that say "not a complete song" next to them are here as they are on the original bootleg, I just indicated that so that one isn't disappointed that there isn't a complete song there. This bootleg is very much worth owning.
1. Baby, Please Don't Go (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by Big Joe Williams
2. Corrina, Corrina (solo acoustic) - written by unknown (traditional)
3. The Death Of Emmett Till (solo acoustic)
4. Mixed Up Confusion (Bob on harp)
5. Lonesome Whistle Blues (acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by Hank Williams and Jimmie Davies
6. Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp)
7. Milk Cow Calf's Blues/Good Morning Blues (solo acoustic) - written by unknown (traditional - adapted by Robert Johnson)
8. That's All Right Mama (Bob on harp) - written by Arthur Cruddup
9. Rocks And Gravel (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp)
10. Going Down To New Orleans (acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by unknown (traditional)
11. Let Me Die In My Footsteps (solo acoustic)
12. Ballad Of Hollis Brown (acoustic) (Bob on harp) - sourced from an acetate
13. Wichita (Going To Louisiana) (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by unknown (traditional)
14. Sally Girl (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by unknown (traditional)
15. Whatcha Gonna Do? (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - not a complete song
16. Mixed Up Confusion (Bob on harp)
17. Rocks And Gravel - start is clipped as it fades in (this is on original)
18. That's All Right Mama (Bob on harp) - written by Arthur Cruddup
19. Mixed Up Confusion (Bob on harp)
20. Corrina, Corrina (acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by unknown (traditional)
21. Milk Cow Calf's Blues/Good Morning Blues (solo acoustic) - written by unknown (traditional - adapted by Robert Johnson)
22. Wichita (Going To Louisiana) (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by unknown (traditional)
23. Whatcha Gonna Do? (solo? acoustic) (Bob on harp)
24. Baby, I'm In The Mood For You (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - sourced from an acetate
25. Sally Girl (acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by unknown (traditional)
7 Years Of Bad Luck : B (A-/B)
After track 3 (which was officially released on Freewheelin' Bob Dylan), "Don't tell me that's all..." "Yeah, that's all". Track 5 was also officially released on Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. It's interesting to hear the three versions of I Shall Be Free (each with different lyrics). The songs that say "not a complete song" next to them are here as they are on the original bootleg, I just indicated that so that one isn't disappointed that there isn't a complete song there. The sound quality rating for each individual track is in brackets and quotation marks after the song as shown in this example: ("A"). For my review on the Dylan/Harrison session (tracks 14-18), click here. Track 18 has I'm Goin' Fishin' (not a complete song) and Honey Just Allow Me One More Chance on it. Under the tracklist, it says where the songs come from. One might think that this is an odd compilation, but it actually works when you're listening to it (to some degree).
1. Hero Blues (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) ("A")
2. Whatcha Gonna Do? (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) ("A") - not a complete song
3. Oxford Town (solo acoustic) ("A")
4. preparation for a song ("A")
5. I Shall Be Free (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) ("A")
6. I Shall Be Free (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) ("A") - not a complete song
7. I Shall Be Free (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) ("A")
8. Hero Blues (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) ("A")
9. You Been Hiding Too Long (solo acoustic) ("A")
10. You Don't Have to Do That (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) ("A") - not a complete song
11. The Portrait By Van Gogh (acoustic) (Robbie Robertson on acoustic guitar) ("C+") - not a complete song (multiple attempts)
12. The Portrait By Van Gogh (acoustic) (Robbie Robertson on acoustic guitar) ("C+")
13. Just Like A Woman (acoustic) (Robbie Robertson on acoustic guitar) ("C+")
14. Gates Of Eden ("A") - small static glitch at one point
15. I Threw It All Away ("A")
16. I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Met) ("A")
17. Wondering When My Swamp's Gonna Catch On Fire ("A") - written by unknown (?) - not a complete song
18. I'm Goin' Fishing ("A") - written by unknown (?) - not a complete song
Honey Just Allow Me One More Chance ("A") - written by Henry Thomas (arranged by Bob Dylan)
- Tracks 1-8 are from The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan sessions
- Track 9 is from 04/12/63 Town Hall, New York City, New York
- Track 10 is from 01/13/65 Columbia Records Studio A, New York City, New York
- Tracks 11-13 are from 03/13/66 Denver Hotel Tape, Denver, Colorado
- Tracks 14-18 are from Dylan/Harrison Session (05/01/70 New York City, New York)