Bob Dylan – Bootleg Series Vol. 14: More Blood, More Tracks (2 Nov 2018)*

Wow, Bob was writing really, really tiny there, must have had an ExtraFinePoint pen. Thanks for posting that.

 

Indeed, it almost looks like a form of spy craft...(Or maybe it was so personal he needed to hide it from prying eyes)

 

Almost to the point that it’s invisible, with no more secrets to reveal.

 

Digging all the artwork and graphics in this thread.

Thought this might be fun to read. Paul Cable's book about Dylan's booted material was sort of a bible among collectors in the pre-internet/pre-file-sharing era. His take on much of the material, including the BOTT sessions, was hampered by a lack of accurate information, so it's full of guesswork and supposition (some of which has proven to be incorrect) but the style and attitude of his writing was always very enjoyable, and he was certainly passionate about his subject. Don't know where you are, or what you're up to now, Mr. Cable, but Thanks.

To illustrate how 'in the dark' we all were about Dylan's sessions pre-Krogsaard, Paul C. credited the backing efforts of Paul Griffin and Buddy Cage on the NY versions of "Idiot Wind" and "You're A Big Girl Now" to Eric Weissberg & Deliverance. For many years, one of the most common circulating versions of the overdubbed "Idiot Wind" from the NY acetate had an aggravating skip in it towards the end of the track, which Cable mildly ranted about; that was the version I had (from the Passed Over & Rolling Thunder 2-LP set) and I didn't get the un-skippy version until Bootleg Series 1-3 in '91, but that version was missing the infamous "spooky organ" (which was apparently overdubbed by Paul Griffin) -- at least I finally did get to hear that "struck me funny" line all the way through.

 

I'm hoping that they use some of Paul's artwork for Bootleg Series 14, maybe one of his variants of the photo used on the original sleeve.

 

My favourite ever live version of Tangled. Remember him crouching during the solo and I started laughing cause he had found whatever it was he was searching for and the solo just took off and finished the song beautifully. He truly was magnificent in 2000.

 

It took me years, really YEARS to finally UNhear that skip in my mind!

— David

 

More Notebook:

 

This is all that is out there:

 

Three Shades of BOTT -- from red to burgundy to crimson? (Edge of my 1st copy on the left, and two copies given to me later on.)


And here's a quick, crude mock-up, if the rumors are true...??

 

Wow! That’s a particularly fascinating peek into Dylan’s writing process for “Tangled Up In Blue.” He was considering rhyming... “helicopter” and “oxen?” “Volvo” with “Richard’s oar?”

 

Is it Tangled Up In Blue though? Apart from the reference to Delacroix, I don't see any other connection.

It seems like very random scribblings. I can make out some of it, anyone want to try transcribing it?

And the dates - October 27 & 28 - if that's 1974 then it's after the NY sessions for BOTT.

 

Until the recent discussion in this thread I always sssumed Bob was wearing sunglasses on the album cover. Little did I know it was a concert photo that had been touched up and hand painted. Great stuff.

 

Pretty sure. Early on there’s the “and everything they - p0stponed.” It’s followed up with recognizable enough versions of “he thought-she thought, “I never was impressed,” and “when it all came crashing down.” Much of the rest goes off in unfamiliar directions, but it seems like an embryonic “Tangled” to me.

 

The only good thing about waiting for an official announcement is that I was forced to dig out The Cutting Edge yesterday and console myself by listening to already-released Dylan outtakes.

 

Right. But then it can't be October 1974... can it?

 

He is wearing sunglasses.

 

Interesting point about the dates. I think he was previously believed to have started writing it in the spring of 74, but then again, he did introduce the song from the stage in 1978 as “a song it took me ten years to live and two years to write.” We know he continued to revamp the lyrics afterwards, but maybe he actually began writing it in the fall of 73?

 

That's what I was thinking. Though the Delacroix reference (included in the subsequent December '74 recording but not in the September version) makes it more confusing. I dunno...

 

It's a head scratcher. I don't think the lyrics that are recognizable would be in such a fragmentary state if this was a post NYC sessions revamp, but the Delacroix reference (along with the fact it would fall perfectly between the NYC and MN sessions, if indeed the year is 74) seems to leave the door open to that possibility.

The October 28th lyrics are even more confusing. I don't recognize any of the lines offhand, and it seems to be an entirely unrealized/unrecorded song. Then again, I'm still working on deciphering much of the handwriting. Why does he drag the poor dogs into his domestic dispute?

It was very considerate for Dylan to date these writings. I just wish he went the extra mile to give us the year too. Surely he realized people would be obsessing on this decades later?

 

Maybe the ideas that were coming in the days following the sessions made him realise he could do more/something else with the songs, rather than just the 'too personal' reason that's usually been offered? These things couldn't be worked into their own cohesive song, so just as with Tell Tale Signs having a few examples of the same thing, lines and phrases are borrowed and inserted for atmosphere.

There is definitely:

'Hook phone back up
remember helicopter/and oxen
Albert's birthday present -
2 bottles of white wine, one red/ Skating lessons for the children
hot dogs
[?????] about Vernon [?]
Naomi about Bob
Go see [????] with the photograph
[?????] about the [?????] - footpath to the barn'

I don't want to rock the boat really, but this just seems like a 'to do' list for the latter part of Oct 28th entry. The earlier part is more lyrical though.

 

Sod it, I can probably ignore work for a few minutes and do the lot...

'
Oct 27th

bottle with cork / Volvo
Richard's car / 2 miles off Delacroix [yes, I think it's 'car, not oar - zoom in to see the ends of the 'O' not join up]
--
He was always - she was always
And [?????] [?????] - postponed
He thought - she thought
With [???three words I can't make out]
And when it all came crashing
The only thing I
Gotta reach the end
-- somehow
----
Some of that [?silver?] [?welcome?], written
on your face,-

--------------

Oct 28
[?wether? - we/her??] ... unless he makes, he no get it
you talk of yourself as a pathfinder
Life in the raw, he gobbled up information
---
She gave (to) me the evil eye....

Hook phone back up
remember helicopter/and oxen
Albert's birthday present -
2 bottles of white wine, one red/ Skating lessons for the children
hot dogs
[?????] about Vernon [?]
Naomi about Bob
Go see [????] with the photograph
[?????] about the [?????] - footpath to the barn
[?????] power. Glady's [???????]'

Best I can offer and would love to hear what others have to add/change!

 

I suspect you're onto something.

 

With objects - I never impressed.

 

A first time for everything.