Banjo Tape & Town Hall 1963 : A- (B+/A-)
There are occasional acetate-related (?) glitches in the Banjo Tape (it is, after all, fairly old). 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. I believe this is the complete Banjo Tape. Town Hall is nowhere near complete: the show was approximately 24 songs long. However, 10 of the songs don't seem to be in circulation at all. That means that there are 6 circulating songs that aren't here. Tomorrow Is A Long Time is the same one that was officially released on Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits vol. II. Basically, if you have this bootleg as well as another one I have called "In Concert", you're only missing All Over You and Hiding Too Long from the circulating tracks.
02/08/63 Gerdes Folk City, New York City, New York:
1. Lonesome River Edge (solo acoustic) - written by unknown (?) - starts with some tape fluctuation - a bunch of glitches at the end - not a complete song
2. Back Door Blues (solo acoustic) - written by unknown (traditional) - not a complete song
3. Bob Dylan's Dream (solo acoustic)
4. You Can Get Her (solo acoustic) - written by unknown (?) - a bunch of glitches at the end - not a complete song
5. Farewell (acoustic) (Happy Traum on banjo) (sung with Happy Traum)
6. All Over You (acoustic) (Happy Traum on banjo) (sung with Happy Traum) - a bunch of glitches at the end
7. Masters Of War (acoustic) (Happy Traum on banjo) (sung with Happy Traum)
8. Instrumental (solo acoustic)
9. Keep Your Hands Off Her (solo acoustic) (sung with ?) - written by Leadbelly - not a complete song
10. Honey Babe (solo acoustic) - written by unknown (?) - not a complete song
11. Goin' Back To Rome (solo acoustic) - written by unknown (?) - not a complete song
12. Stealin' (acoustic) (Happy Traum on banjo) (sung with Happy Traum and Gil Turner) - written by unknown (traditional - arranged by Memphis Jug Band) - fades-out early
04/12/63 Town Hall, New York City, New York:
13. Ramblin' Down Thru The World (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp)
14. Bob Dylan's Dream (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp)
15. Tomorrow Is A Long Time (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp)
16. Bob Dylan's New Orleans Rag (solo acoustic)
17. Masters Of War (solo acoustic) (live debut of this song from Freewheelin' Bob Dylan)
18. Walls Of Red Wing (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp)
19. Hero Blues (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp)
20. Who Killed Davey Moore? (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp)
21. With God On Our Side (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp)
04/12/63 Town Hall and 10/26/63 Carnegie Hall ("In Concert") : A (A-/A)
This bootleg is in the order as it was when Columbia was considering its release in '63 (to be called "Bob Dylan In Concert" or something like that). It's from two performances by Bob: 04/12/63 Town Hall and 10/26/63 Carnegie Hall. It is sourced from acetate (this causes the rating to drop to A-). The only point in which words are skipped is in When The Ship Comes In and it's only a few words. All of these songs have been written by Bob (some have never been released) and the performance given by Bob is unbelievable. How could Columbia have not released this?
1. Last Thoughts On Woody Guthrie (poem with intro)
2. Lay Down Your Weary Tune (solo acoustic) (live debut of this song from Biograph)
3. Dusty Old Fairgrounds (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp)
4. John Brown (solo acoustic) (live debut of this song)
5. When The Ship Comes In (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) (live debut of this song from The Times They Are A-Changin') - acetate skips cut out a few words
6. Who Killed Davey Moore? (solo acoustic) (live debut of this song from The Genuine Bootleg Series vol. #1-3) - sound moves from both speakers to only one for a bit
7. Percy's Song (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) (live debut of this song from Biograph)
8. Bob Dylan's New Orleans Rag (solo acoustic)
9. Seven Curses (solo acoustic) (live debut of this song from The Genuine Bootleg Series vol. #1-3)
- Tracks 1,3,4,8 are from 04/12/63 Town Hall
- Tracks 2,5,6,7,9 are from 10/26/63 Carnegie Hall
04/25/63 The Bear and 05/06/61 Indian Neck Folk Festival : B+ (B/A-)
The first part of this recording, the show at The Bear in '63, is a great recording of an early Dylan but I'd recommend other shows I have from '63 over this one (Town Hall, for example). With God On Our Side is very well done but is unfortunately cut short at the end. The show also features the live debut of Talking World War III Blues. The second part is from the Indian Neck Folk Festival in '61. This is very early Dylan and he sings three Woody Guthrie songs. At this festival, Dylan reportedly met Bob Neuwirth for the first time. The sound for the folk festival is terrible (it's hard to hear what Bob's singing), so it's mainly for historic interests. The sound-quality rating is in brackets next to the source of the recording.
04/25/63 The Bear, Chicago, Illinois: ("A-")
1. Honey Just Allow Me One More Chance (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by Henry Thomas (arranged by Bob Dylan)
Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp)
Bob Dylan's Dream (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - fades-out at end
2. Ballad Of Hollis Brown (solo acoustic)
Talking World War III Blues (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) (live debut of this song from The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan) - fades-out at end
3. A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall (solo acoustic)
With God On Our Side (solo acoustic) - fades-out before end of song
05/06/61 Indian Neck Folk Festival, Branford, Connecticut: ("C+")
4. Talking Columbia (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by Woody Guthrie - fades-out at end followed by gap
5. Hangknot, Slipknot (solo acoustic) - written by Woody Guthrie - fades-in at start continued from fade-out on previous track - gap at end
6. Talking Fish Blues (solo acoustic) - written by Woody Guthrie - odd noise from 1:26-1:28
Paranoid Blues : A (B+/A)
There are some great songs on this bootleg. As you can see by looking below, there are tons of live debuts! There are also a few (but only a few) problems, as mentioned below. All in all, this is a bootleg that is worth having! There is slight static, so maybe it was sourced from acetate. Interestingly, in what might be the live debut of Blowin' In The Wind, the song has only two verses written!
Quest TV (Toronto, ON); February 1, 1964:
1. The Times They Are A-Changin' (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) (live debut of this song from The Times They Are A-Changin')
2. Talking World War III Blues (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp)
3. The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) (live debut of this song from The Times They Are A-Changin')
4. Girl From The North Country (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) (live debut of this song from The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan)
5. A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall (solo acoustic)
6. Restless Farewell (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) (live debut of this song from The Times They Are A-Changin') - fades out before harmonica solo is done
Skip Weshner Show (New York, NY); February 1963:
7. Tomorrow Is A Long Time (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) (live debut? of this song from Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits vol. II) - starts halfways through the second chorus (cuts out the first and second verse)
8. Masters Of War (solo acoustic) (live debut? of this song from The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan)
9. Bob Dylan's Blues (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) (live debut of this song from The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan) - only two verses of it
Gerdes Folk City (New York, NY); April 16, 1962:
10. Honey, Just Allow Me One More Chance (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) (live debut of this song from The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan) - written by Henry Thomas (arranged by Bob Dylan)
11. Talkin' New York (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) (live debut of this song from Bob Dylan)
12. Corrina Corrina (solo acoustic) (live debut of this song from The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan) - written by unknown (traditional - arranged by Bob Dylan)
13. Deep Ellem Blues (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by Joe and Bob Attlesay
14. Blowin' In The Wind (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) (live debut? of this song from The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan) - there are only two verses to the song (!)
Billy Faier Show (New York, NY); October 1962:
15. Baby, Let Me Follow You Down (solo acoustic) (live debut of this song from Bob Dylan) - written by Eric von Schmidt
16. Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp)
17. The Death Of Emmett Till (solo acoustic)
18. Make Me A Pallet On Your Floor (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by unknown (traditional)
10/31/64 Philharmonic, New York City, New York ("All Hallows' Eve & More") : A (A-/A)
Just like Now's The Time For Your Tears was an awesome show from '65, All Hallows' Eve is the awesome equivalent from '64. Dylan has a lot of passion and energy: he laughs a lot, interacts with the audience a fair bit, cracks a few jokes, and sounds as though he's having a fun time. This is the famous bootleg in which Dylan says (after forgetting to correct the dropped tuning on his guitar): "Don't let that scare you. It's just Halloween. I have my Bob Dylan mask on." Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues gets a good crowd reaction (lots of laughs), as does If You Gotta Go, Go Now. In It's Alright Ma, it seems that Bob skips over two verses. Dylan forgets the lyrics to I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Met), and has to ask the audience for them! Bob and Joan also have difficulties with the lyrics to Mama, You Been On My Mind. The only song from the concert not on this bootleg is Silver Dagger, which was sung by Joan Baez. There is a wavy effect in the clapping at times. This show was taped for a possible live album, so the sound quality is good (it's sourced from the soundboard).
Disc 1:
1. Intro
2. The Times They Are A-Changin' (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp)
3. Spanish Harlem Incident (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - a little bit of a buzzing noise at several points
4. Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp)
5. To Ramona (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - Bob starts by playing With God On Our Side but changes to To Ramona
6. Who Killed Davey Moore? (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp)
7. Gates Of Eden (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp)
8. If You Gotta Go, Go Now (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp)
9. It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp)
10. I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Met) (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp)
11. Mr. Tambourine Man (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp)
12. A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall (solo acoustic)
Disc 2:
1. Talkin' World War III Blues (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp)
2. Don't Think Twice, It's All Right (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp)
3. The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp)
4. Mama, You Been On My Mind (acoustic) (sung with Joan Baez)
5. With God On Our Side (acoustic) (Bob on harp) (sung with Joan Baez)
6. It Ain't Me, Babe (acoustic) (Bob on harp) (sung with Joan Baez)
7. All I Really Want To Do (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp)
filler:
8. Conversation
9. Ballad Of Donald White (solo acoustic)
10. Conversation
11. The Death Of Emmett Till (solo acoustic)
12. Conversation
13. Blowin' In The Wind (solo acoustic) (sung with Gil Turner, Pete Seeger, and Sis Cunningham)
- Tracks 8-13 are from 05/62 Broadside Radio Broadcast (WBAI-FM), New York City, New York