What does it sound like?:
It’s taken some time but the requisite number of six listens has finally been achieved. 139 recordings, 117 songs, 67 originals, three of which had appeared on previous albums. All presented in chronological order without any overdubs over six CDs, packaged in a robust box with lavish notes.
The first couple of discs were recorded in the ‘Red Room’ in Dylan’s house, situated in the woods of Woodstock on the outskirts of New York. The Hawks, Dylan’s backing band, (minus drummer) had gathered close by some months after his famous accident. On 29th July 1966, Dylan fell off his motorcycle, fractured vertebrae and was concussed. These recordings were started in May 1967. At first, they sound like a man recovering from major trauma, learning to walk and talk again, supported, cajoled and encouraged by a small group of therapists. Dylan relearns his musical vocabulary, gradually constructing a performance, a way of delivering a song and finding his voice again by using songs buried deep in his memory. The ‘Red Room’ recordings are nearly all simple covers of old songs, any songs; folk songs, traditional songs, country songs, some old rock & roll and some blues. They are delicate and heartbreaking, mere sketches and fragments, nervous and fragile to begin with, but increasing in strength and confidence as time goes by. They meander quietly with no clear sense of direction or purpose, just enjoying the journey. Dylan brings few originals to the ‘Red Room’ and those he does are simple germs of ideas. He later claimed that he always had songs in his head but there isn’t much evidence of that here.
There is a significant turning point about twenty songs in. They cover Tupelo and Dylan attempts a pretty good impersonation of John Lee Hooker, and the band follow suit in terms of musical style. The earnest mood up to that point is broken. They start to enjoy themselves and begin messing around. Dylan tries to take control but The Hawks wilfully ignore his instructions on harmonies and chord changes. It is now that the first real song and performance appear, the scatalogical comedy of Tiny Montgomery, a gentle strum, pushed into a groove, its daft lyrics enhanced by a deadpan delivery. They had struck on a seam they would revisit frequently throughout the whole of The Basement Tapes, a sense of fun and frivolity.
Almost immediately, they find another avenue to explore when they cover Four Strong Winds. Dylan’s voice is a hushed whisper, lifted by Garth Hudson’s organ into something spiritual, imbued with the sense of a life force that cannot be resisted. The performance sounds brave and resolute, strong yet weak in the presence of a greater power. The practicalities of the recordings, in a single room with bare walls, brought the five of them close together. None of them could ‘play loud’. They had to listen and respond to each other carefully. There were times when the intimacy resulted in a performance as moving as this. Five men helping each other grow and heal. Any errors or glitches in the playing purely added to the humanity of it all. This is where the beauty of The Basement Tapes is to be found.
They then decamp to The Big Pink, the house The Hawks rented nearby. Domestic issues in Dylan’s household forced the move as his daughter, Anna, was born in the July. The intimate atmosphere and the sense of fun in the recordings remain but there is a step change in the quality of the material and there is much more purpose. Dylan seems to have found his songwriting muse again. Million Dollar Bash, Yea! Heavy And A Bottle Of Bread, I’m Not There, Please Mrs Henry, Crash On The Levee, Lo And Behold, You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere, I Shall Be Released, This Wheel’s On Fire, Too Much Of Nothing, Tears Of Rage, Quinn The Eskimo, Open The Door Homer, Nothing Was Delivered, Sign On The Cross, Odds And Ends, Get Your Rocks Off, Clothes Line Saga, Apple Suckling Tree, Don’t Ya Tell Henry and Bourbon Street all follow in quick succession and they go to the trouble of recording most of them more than once. Here, spread across discs three and four are the bulk of the songs that make up The Basement Tapes legend. There is a swagger in their delivery, no sign of the frailty of the ‘Red Room’, and rightly so. These are wonderful songs, funny, witty, wise, uplifting. This sequence gives credence to Dylan’s assertion that he was being pushed into coming up with new songs by his management and that the reasoning behind The Basement Tapes was to record demos for publishing purposes. He spent the latter half of 1966 reading and one of the materials he read was his 1962 contract. Dylan wasn’t best pleased. It appeared he owed his management fourteen songs. Even so, if this was an effort to come up with the required demos, there is no hint of a perfunctory completion of a contract requirement in their performance. Both Dylan and the band are clearly committed and having a great time.
Most of these songs, with an application of ‘wild mercury’, could easily sit on Blonde On Blonde. However, any hint of the Dylan sneer has been replaced with warmth. The trauma of a long tour, constant press attention and disapprobation are long gone. Both Dylan and The Hawks are really very relaxed. Here is the pure, dishevelled beating heart of The Basement Tapes.
It doesn’t end there. There are still two more discs to go, including the famous lost reel. The focus now turns to refining the sound and, in the process, creating The Band as a separate entity, as opposed to The Hawks as a backing band. There is the problem of fitting drums into the intimate space without disturbing the balance of homespun guitar, bass, organ, piano and tight harmony vocals. There are fewer laughs. Dylan still brings more original compositions but their quality is less consistent. They revert to covers again and revisit Dylan’s back catalogue. Still, One Kind Favor hits the sweet spot, with delicate drumming, gorgeous vocals and a heartening organ. The balance is perfect. The final reel, disc six, wasn’t available to Robbie Robertson when he put together the 1975 and some of these performances could have slotted in easily, especially, the poignant love song, All You Have To Do Is Dream. Thereafter, the ‘shitty’ tape machine starts to sound worse, the songs fragment, too many beers or other substances are consumed and they become stir crazy.
Finally, Dylan suddenly disappeared to Nashville with a bagful of new songs to record John Wesley Harding. He left The Band behind, ready to take the plunge and make their debut album, which featured three of The Basement Tapes songs. Meanwhile, the distributed demos bore fruit, yielding a number of chart hits, provoking the setting up of the bootleg industry and inspiring many other groups to adopt its rustic, back-to-basics style.
The Band rejoined Dylan in 1974 for Planet Waves and a tour, captured on Before The Flood. In 1975, in act of generosity, Dylan allowed Robertson to put together a double album based on The Basement Tapes. The Band needed finance for a move to California. Robertson added overdubs and selected eight Band numbers in a 24 track set. It was released between Blood On The Tracks and Desire.
What does it all *mean*?
Listening to The Basement Tapes feels like eavesdropping on a private conversation. These scratchy, rudimentary recordings are touching, disturbing and joyful. Across the six CDs, there is a great story, a search for identity, with a beginning, a middle and an end. All of the participants emerge better than they were at the start and the listener is rewarded with renewed faith in the redemptive power of music.
Goes well with…
Some imagination. There is a superb 24-30 track album in these six discs. The 2CD Highlights collection isn’t it and buying that causes you to miss out on the fun of putting your own together.
Release Date:
Might suit people who like…
Listening marathons, poor sound and multiple fluffs and technical errors.
Nice one, tigger, that was a very interesting read. A certain Afterworder furnished me with a download of the complete set last year, but I’ve so far only listened to about an hour, just once. I need to set aside a good chunk of time to absorb this properly, and your great review has spurred me on. A bit.
Nothing can compare to your inspiring BobBoxBlog. You should do the whole Bootleg series. Have you got 1-3?
Talking of which the box is currently ÂŁ70 direct from Sony but you can’t see to buy it. the teasing bastards
http://store.wearesonylegacy.com/home/bob-dylan-the-complete-albums-collection-vol-one.html
I do, tigs, it was the first one I got.
I think you should write about them all here – you’ve got the most difficult one out of the way already! Looking forward to your review of 1-3. 🙂
1-3 is fookin boss!
There’s my review.
What a superbly nuanced critique, Mousse! One regrets that you don’t write more!
4 rooolz!
There’s another one.
Thanks Tiggs
Is the sound the same as on the full set on the “Tree” boot
Who did the production work ?
John Haust produced and Peter Moore engineered. They restored the tapes and have improved the sound quality somewhat. They were nominated for a Grammy for their trouble. However, there is no disguising the fact that these recordings were made on a ‘shitty’ machine outside of a studio setting.
*Jan* not John. Cuh! Autocorrect, I hate you!
Great review however, with the exception of disc 6, I’d say that the sound is actually pretty good.
Just about my favourite Bob era, at the moment. He certainly never had that charm and humour again.
sigh …reaches for credit card
Indeed, the vocals are very distorted on disc 6. It’s a pity because songs like That’s The Breaks sound as though they could be really good. That reel must have been missing in a really bad place for tape.
also on Amazon – vinyl boot
I prefer the Japanese version with their crazy liquid consonants
http://i.imgur.com/0WZKemG.jpg
*spikes half-a-dozen racist jokes*
I was so excited when this was first released but for me it’s just a long sprawling mess. I’m sure we have all thought “wouldn’t it be great to be there in the studio” and this proves just how wrong we all were.
Another Self Portrait – that’s the Bootleg Series to get. A total revelation, an epic masterpiece (goes on for 45 pages)….
Focus your attention on discs three & four and most of disc five. Less of a sprawling mess & brilliant songs.
Have to agree with you about Self Potrait. That is easily the best of all the Bootleg Series.
Better than Live 1966? You jest.
Not at all. 1966 crackles with tension and venom but it’s not much fun. Another Self Portrait is wonderful, Dylan at his happiest and most relaxed, indulging himself and his enormous talent in simply enjoying himself. It’s quite something to behold and is a real pleasure to revisit. Far better than the confused mess of the official Self Portrait.
Well, I was going to write a 45 page review lauding Another Self Portrait but you have summed it up perfectly using rather less words…
You don’t get out of it that easily!
Right then, so far we’ve got pet hen volunteering to review ASP (a few short paras will do hen, no need for 45 pages), and Moose to expand* on his micro-review above, so that’s 1-3 covered.
Who wants dibs on Telltale Signs?
*fnarf
Tell tale signs is a corker. It’s not an expanded version of an album but rare and unreleased stuff from 1989 to 2006 , just like it says on the tin.
Outtakes, live stuff, tracks that didn’t make the cut.
I’ve been concerned that Bob and Sony Columbia don’t have enough money so I’ve always opted for the deluxe most overpriced option but the double cd pack is often going cheap and worth the price of admission just for the outtake from Time Out Of mind,Red River Shore outtake for fuck’s sake.
I’ve got all four of the Dylan expanded box sets, but I’m ashamed to say I’ve never played the 6 disc Basement Tapes and probably never will. The original 1975 two disc version is possibly my least favourite Dylan album.
OK, then Johnny. Do yourself a favour & play discs three and four. You might be surprised.
I’ll do that tomorrow afternoon Tiggs and get back to you.
Getting back to TTS for a moment. It was the first of the super deluxe editions and was outrageously overpriced. It only contained three discs and sold for approx $150, or around $120 more than the regular 2CD version. So you paid $120 for one extra CD and a couple of books/packaging.
Mind you, the extra disc was excellent.
EXPENSIVE really , I never noticed, not. Mind you the box is far far sturdier than the vinyl box/case for the cutting edge issue.
Excellent. We’ll put you down for a full Nights In on TTS then Junior. Looking forward to it very much.
that’s what you get for putting your hand up in class – a whole pile of homework from Mrs B.
And if you don’t do it you get punished.
Ohhh yes.
Seriously though Moose, I’d love to read your thoughts on Vol. 1-3, in the form of a Nights In.
If you like, I’ll discipline you anyway.
Well @moose-the-mooche and @junior-wells , how are your reviews coming along? 🙂
The last time I listened to Bootleg 1-3 in 1999 it sounded splendid. But in those days I didn’t have a girlfriend and had pretty low expectations of life.
Once I have staggered back from a few days on the Costa Brava I’ll whittle down my 45 pages review…
I’d lost track of the bootleg series. Here is the full list. Quite a remarkable catalogue.
1991 The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961–1991
Released: March 26, 1991
1998 The Bootleg Series Vol. 4: Bob Dylan Live 1966, The “Royal Albert Hall” Concert
Released: October 13, 1998
2002 The Bootleg Series Vol. 5: Bob Dylan Live 1975, The Rolling Thunder Revue
Released: November 26, 2002
2004 The Bootleg Series Vol. 6: Bob Dylan Live 1964, Concert at Philharmonic Hall
Released: March 30, 2004
2005 The Bootleg Series Vol. 7: No Direction Home: The Soundtrack
Released: August 30, 2005
2008 The Bootleg Series Vol. 8: Tell Tale Signs: Rare and Unreleased 1989–2006 (two-disc version)
Released: October 6, 2008
The Bootleg Series Vol. 8: Tell Tale Signs: Rare and Unreleased 1989–2006 (deluxe version)
Released: October 7, 2008
2010 The Bootleg Series Vol. 9: The Witmark Demos: 1962–1964
Released: October 19, 2010
2013 The Bootleg Series Vol. 10: Another Self Portrait (1969–1971)
Released: August 27, 2013
2014 The Bootleg Series Vol. 11: The Basement Tapes Complete (six-disc version)
Released: November 4, 2014
The Bootleg Series Vol. 11: The Basement Tapes Raw (two-disc/three-LP version)
Released: November 4, 2014
2015 The Bootleg Series Vol. 12: The Cutting Edge 1965-1966
Released: November 6, 2015
You missed out the deluxe 4 disc edition of Another Self Portrait
And the 6 CD version of The Cutting Edge
Well wikipedia did -I cut and pasted.
And the 18 CD version with 14 live concerts to also download! So about 32 CDs worth!
Something that has always mystified me is how Vol 5 – Rolling Thunder Revue – turned out to be such an excellent package, while the Hard Rain set released back in 1976 was such a lacklustre affair.
BTW, excellent review Tigger. I’m almost tempted to buy the whole BIG package.
Can we put you down for a Nights In on Vol. 5, Carl?
Go on, Carl. I think it is the best live set Dylan has released, better than the 1966 concert.
OK, I’ll rise to the challenge.
It will probably require a few weeks to do anything to match Tigger’s sterling work.
But hard rain is EXCELLENT
Agreed – but the Bootleg Series Vol 5 is even better. Up there with Vols 1-3 and Self Portrait as the best of the lot ( he said noting that they were all covered for reviews already and thus getting out of any homework).
On the other hand I’ve never found Vol 4 quite so incandescent as it’s always made out to be – perhaps expectations were too high.
Oh dear, I was worried I might be putting off potential commenters to tig’s lovely thread. I’ll disappear now.
You can still write a review even if you don’t rate the music. 1966 isn’t taken. Miss. Miss! Give 1966 to Blue Boy. Go on, Miss.
Agreed, I love it. Especially the video. Maggie’s Farm doesn’t quite work for me though.
agreed on both counts.
Shelter and Isis, didn’t Mrs Bob turn up unannounced and, I gather, unwelcome at the time (see groupies, drugs et al) causing Mr Bob to inject and fair bit of intensity to the performance?
Agree with Junior on Hard Rain’s excellence. It has the best version of You’re A Big Girl Now EVER. I may have mentioned this before.
One thing is for sure. Dylan looked deranged on The Rolling Thunder Revue.
Tangled Up In Blue
I’d be deranged if I’d dipped my entire face in cocaine like that.
Shelter and Isis highlights –
I had a dream last night that I’d bought a Dylan magazine that came with a CD compilation of the Best of the Bootleg Series, only to then discover Bob had also used it to sneakily launch BS Vol. 13, which fell out of the mag as I opened it. Breathlessly I turned it over to scan the track list, hoping for BOTT era stuff, or perhaps Desire outtakes, and guess what?
I can’t remember.
According to The Interpretation Of Dreams, I think this means you are doomed to a lifetime of disappointment.
My 28 track double album version, if you are interested:
Odds And Ends (Take 2)
My Woman She’s A-Leavin’
Million Dollar Bash (Take 2)
Mary Lou, I Love You Too
Goin’ To Acapulco
All You Have To Do Is Dream (Take 2)
Lo And Behold (Take 2)
Quinn The Eskimo (Take 2)
Clothes Line Saga
2 Dollars And 99 Cents
Apple Suckling Tree (Take 2)
Please, Mrs Henry
What’s It Gonna Be When It Comes Up
Tears Of Rage (Take 3)
Yea! Heavy And A Bottle Of Bread (Take 2)
Ain’t No More Caine (Take 1)
Crash On The Levee (Take 2)
I Shall Be Released (Take 2)
Santa Fe
Tiny Montgomery
You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere (Take 2)
Wild Wolf
Silent Weekend
Nothing Was Delivered (Take 1)
Dress It Up, Better Have It All
Open The Door Homer (Take 1)
This Wheel’s On Fire (Take 2)
I’m Not There
I think you just made my point.
Sorry. What was your point again?
12 days later I reply – it’s a sprawling mess and even your 28 track edit is 14 tracks too long…
How about….?
1. Odds And Ends
2. Million Dollar Bash
3. Lo And Behold
4. Quinn The Eskimo
5. Tears Of Rage
6. Yea! Heavy And A Bottle Of Bread
7. Ain’t No More Caine
8. Crash On The Levee
9. I Shall Be Released
10.Tiny Montgomery
11.Nothing Was Delivered
12.Open The Door, Homer
13.This Wheel’s On Fire
14.I’m Not There
That’s it! Junk everything else and you have got yourself a damn fine album…
How are those Nights In reviews coming along, guys?
Mine is 50% written only interrupted by a visit to the UK and much drinking & eating & some more drinking….
Nice album here:
http://albumsthatneverwere.blogspot.com/2012/06/bob-dylan-big-pink-soniclovenoize.html
What fun! I seemed to have accidentally downloaded the file – muchas gracias….