Bob Dylan's Self Portrait: In-depth track by track discussion

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Jack o' the Shadows, May 23, 2014.

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  1. RayS

    RayS A Little Bit Older and a Little Bit Slower

    Location:
    Out of My Element
    "Only a Hobo", which Bob was disappointed with, turns out to be great. "Tomorrow is a Long Time" is pretty wonderful as well. And throw "Song To Woody" on to that list to boot. I can understand the recording of the first two (both unreleased by the man himself up to that point), but an artist re-recording his own songs is usually a bad sign - an indication of a creative trough.
     
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  2. HominyRhodes

    HominyRhodes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago
    I'm busted...You're right, I always confuse When's Your Swamp Gonna Catch Fire? (which I've still never heard) with Alligator Man, which was slated for Dylan (1973) but never released or put into circulation.

    Since Self-Portrait has now been keel-hauled and dissected eight ways to Sunday here, I think we should start a new thread for the New Morning sessions, possibly including Dylan's other recordings going into 1971, such as Only A Hobo, Tomorrow Is a Long Time, Watching The River Flow, etc.

    EDIT: Starting with the Dylan/Harrison sessions in May 1970...
     
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  3. HominyRhodes

    HominyRhodes Forum Resident

    Location:
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  4. HominyRhodes

    HominyRhodes Forum Resident

    Location:
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  5. HominyRhodes

    HominyRhodes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago
    A slight backtracking here: Has anyone else watched this video from Pete Seeger's Rainbow Quest TV show from the '60s, with Johnny and June as his guests? Man, JC looks emaciated (similar to how he looked in Dylan's Eat the Document) and nervous, like he could fall off his chair any second. I was mesmerized. The difference between this appearance and the way he presented himself as he hosted and performed on his own TV show a few years later is stark.

     
  6. RayS

    RayS A Little Bit Older and a Little Bit Slower

    Location:
    Out of My Element
    I've been traveling the last few days - did this thread get off the ground?
     
  7. HominyRhodes

    HominyRhodes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago
    Not yet...I've been reviewing the sessions and various releases so that I'll be "prepared."

    I was also thinking of a final summary post on this thread, to spell out some of the insights we've gained about Self-Portrait from the various contributors. (It appears that some people don't like scrolling through 20+ page threads to find out what they want to know.)
     
  8. DeeThomaz

    DeeThomaz Senior Member

    Location:
    In The Felony Room
    Thinking we should do an ANOTHER SELF PORTRAIT thread to continue it's proud legacy. But we haven't wrapped up here yet.
     
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  9. hollowhorn

    hollowhorn In Memoriam In Memoriam

    Location:
    Isle of Asda
    Looks as if these tracks may well be genuine:


    Meet Me In The Morning is indeed from the NY. Sessions.
     
  10. revolution_vanderbilt

    revolution_vanderbilt Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York
    Sorry, but these are definitely fan made mixes made from the available multi-tracks, put together in as many combinations as possible.
     
  11. HominyRhodes

    HominyRhodes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago
    I can wait for Bootleg Series 11 (or is it 12?) -- the Blood On The Tracks "complete" box set -- which will hopefully include all of the outtakes/mixes. Till then, I'm still rehashing Another Self-Portrait!
     
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  12. HominyRhodes

    HominyRhodes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago
    Here's a quick summary:

    BOB DYLAN
    SELF-PORTRAIT
    2-LP

    side 1. recorded
    All The Tired Horses 3:11 NYC, MARCH 1970
    Alberta #1 2:57 NYC, MARCH 1970
    I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know 2:23 NASHVILLE, 1969
    The Days Of '49 5:26 NYC, MARCH 1970
    Early Morning Rain 3:33 NYC, MARCH 1970
    In Search Of Little Sadie 2:28 NYC, MARCH 1970

    side 2.
    Let It Be Me 3:00 NASHVILLE, 1969
    Little Sadie 1:59 NYC, MARCH 1970
    Woogie Boogie 2:07 NYC, MARCH 1970
    Belle Isle 2:29 NYC, MARCH 1970
    Living The Blues 2:43 NASHVILLE, 1969
    Like A Rolling Stone 5:18 LIVE, ISLE OF WIGHT 1969

    side 3.
    Copper Kettle (The Pale Moonlight) 3:34 NYC, MARCH 1970
    Gotta Travel On 3:08 NYC, MARCH 1970
    Blue Moon 2:29 NASHVILLE, 1969
    The Boxer 2:48 NYC, MARCH 1970
    The Mighty Quinn (Quinn The Eskimo) 2:48 LIVE, ISLE OF WIGHT, 1969
    Take Me As I Am (Or Let Me Go) 3:03 NASHVILLE, 1969

    side 4.
    Take A Message To Mary 2:46 NASHVILLE, 1969
    It Hurts Me Too 3:15 NYC, MARCH 1970
    Minstrel Boy 3:33 LIVE, ISLE OF WIGHT, 1969
    She Belongs To Me 2:43 LIVE, ISLE OF WIGHT, 1969
    Wigwam 3:09 NYC, MARCH 1970
    Alberta #2 3:14 NYC, MARCH 1970

    Nashville recordings, April-May 1969
    - Living The Blues -- Dylan original, debuted on the Johnny Cash TV show, possibly intended as single
    - I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know -- possibly inspired by Slim Whitman or Johnny Cash versions
    - Take Me As I Am (Or Let Me Go) -- possibly inspired by Dottie West version from 1965
    - Take A Message To Mary -- possibly inspired by Everly Bros. original or 1968 version by Don Cherry
    - Let It Be Me -- possibly inspired by Everly Bros. original, or one of the many other 1960s versions
    - Blue Moon -- Rodgers & Hart 1930s standard, Dylan's inspiration unclear

    Dylan originals, live with The Band 1969
    - She Belongs To Me
    - Like A Rolling Stone
    - The Mighty Quinn
    - Minstrel Boy

    Dylan originals
    - Woogie Boogie (instrumental)
    - Wigwam (wordless Dylan vocalizing)
    - All the Tired Horses (backing singers only)

    Dylan covers of traditional songs and the works of other composers:
    - Alberta (#1 & 2) -- two versions, one fast, one slow; Dylan's inspiration for this song is unclear
    - Little Sadie /In Search Of... -- Clarence Ashley original purveyor of this piece; one version done here fast, the other a complex jam
    - The Days Of '49 -- true "folk song" dating from the California Gold Rush
    - Belle Isle -- "The Bloomin' Bright Star of Belle Isle" was an Irish/Canadian folk song
    - Copper Kettle -- folksinger standard from early '60s
    - It Hurts Me Too -- inspired by Elmore James, and possibly Tampa Red's original
    - Gotta Travel On -- 1959 hit song, co-written by Dylan's friend, Paul Clayton
    - Early Morning Rain -- Gordon Lightfoot classic
    - The Boxer -- Paul Simon original, a huge hit for him and Art Garfunkel in 1969
     
    Last edited: Jun 23, 2014
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  13. HominyRhodes

    HominyRhodes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago
    No, we haven't.
     
  14. HominyRhodes

    HominyRhodes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago
    SELF-PORTRAIT NOTES
    - The following Self-Portrait recording info was transcribed from the liner notes and book illustrations included with the Deluxe 4-CD box set of the Bootleg Series Vol. 10: Another Self-Portrait. Additional information was gathered from the phenomenal archival research done by Michael Krogsaard, which is posted at bjorner.com.

    - Recording sessions for the album were held in New York on March 3rd, 4th and 5th, 1970, with Bob Dylan (vocal, harmonica, guitar, piano), David Bromberg (acoustic & electric guitar, bass, dobro) and Al Kooper (organ, piano); the final session included Hilda Harris, Albertine Robinson and Maeretha Stewart (background vocals). Bob Johnston was listed as producer.

    - Bass, drums and other instruments were apparently overdubbed onto some of the tracks during those three days of sessions in New York, and Dylan may have added his 2nd vocal to The Boxer at this time, as well; additional musicians included: Emanuel Green (violin), Stu Woods (bass), Alvin Rogers (drums).

    - The original 8 track sessions tapes were NOT mixed down to 2-track in NYC as previously assumed, but were immediately flown to Nashville in the possession of guitarist Charlie Daniels on March 5th, possibly a few hours after the sessions concluded. (The handwritten notes documenting this activity are included in the ASP book -- see transcript below.)

    - 2-track stereo mixes of the songs were made in Nashville the very next day, March 6th, and transfered onto three reels of tape at 15 i.p.s. (Illustrations of the tape box labels can be found in the ASP book -- see transcripts below.)

    - The recording "chain" appears to have been:
    8 track tapes>> 2 track mix>> 16 track tape>> overdubs added>> final stereo mix

    - Overdubbing by session musicians and vocalists commenced at Columbia Recording Studios in Nashville on March 11th. A total of fourteen (14) of the songs recorded in New York were ultimately overdubbed in Nashville in March and April, with additional instrumentation being added to some of the tracks in Los Angeles. The ASP notes and tape labels indicate that "32 stereo mixes" were completed, a number which included both the tracks releasd on the original album, and the outtakes finally released on ASP in 2013. (A complete list of the musicians involved with the overdubs is impossible to compile, but most of them are credited on the liner notes to the album itself, or are listed in Krogsgaard's session details.)

    - Self-Portrait may have originally been conceived as a single LP, with ten or twelve cuts, but six more tracks recorded by Bob Dylan in Nashville in April and May of 1969 were added to the album, along with four of his live recordings from the Isle of Wight Festival, with The Band, on August 31, 1969.

    - In its final incarnation, Self-Portrait became a double-album, containing 24 tracks, and was released on June 8, 1970. The reviews were mixed.

    - One stereo single was issued: Wigwam b/w Copper Kettle (all previous Dylan singles were released in mono only.) The single got some airplay, but was never considered to be a hit.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    TRANSCRIPTION #1

    caption, photo of tape box spines on a shelf, from the ASP book:

    "The original sessions for the SELF PORTRAIT LP started in NYC - recorded on three one-inch 8 track tapes on March 3 & 4, 1970. Bob Dylan, David Bromberg and Al Kooper appear on these recordings (Boxes JOB 62656 tapes 1E, 2E & 3E seen on page 31)...


    ... Those three tapes were flown to Nashville personally by Charlie Daniels and hand delivered to the CBS studio where they were mixed on March 6, 1970...


    ...The resulting 32 stereo mixes (three 1/4" stereo two-track mixes marked with the number 62657) are pictured on page 32...


    ...Following that, the original 8 track tapes, and possibly the two-track mixes, were dubbed onto two-inch 16 track tape, and all of the overdubs were recorded onto that tape, directly over the original recordings...


    ...All of those multitracks exist on a single two-inch tape (Box mark J155649) as seen on page 33. It is mixes from this tape that comprise the original SELF-PORTRAIT release."


    NOTES OF CLARIFICATION:
    - Original sessions held in NYC on March 3rd, 4th and 5th, 1970
    - The Nashville overdubs were probably added on separate tracks of the 16 track tape, not "over" the original recordings.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
     
  15. HominyRhodes

    HominyRhodes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago
    TRANSCRIPTION #2
    [typewritten]
    BO: db
    co: S. Spidell


    [handwritten]
    Bob - 12 - 1" 8 track tapes
    1A (illegible) 6A -- 1B (illegible) 6B
    Jet Air no. - 699851


    [handwritten]
    3/5/70 To Nashville by Bob Johnston Co. [c/o?]
    by Charlie Daniels - "Bob Dylan" -
    5 - 2" reels Job # 62656 - 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G
    5 - 1" reels Job # 62656 - 1E, 2E, 3E, 4E, 5E
    The above were packaged in two(?) separate
    boxes, and taken by hand by Charlie Daniels
    to Nashville Tennessee at (illegible) request of
    Bob Johnston -- __(initials?) 3-5-70
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
     
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  16. HominyRhodes

    HominyRhodes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago
    TRANSCRIPTIONS #3
    [handwritten on the outside of the tape boxes]
    JOB 62656 - 1E
    BOB DYLAN 3-3-70


    Sara (
    added: Pretty Saro)
    Ball & Stripes Rag (
    added:Little Sadie)
    Dock of the Bay
    Went to See the Gypsy
    Ball & Stripes Rag
    Belle Isle
    Universal Soldier
    Copper Kettle (
    added:not here)

    JOB 62656 - 2E
    DYLAN 3-3-70


    Copper Kettle (
    added: inc. missing start)
    When A Fellow's Out of A Job
    These Hands
    It Hurts Me Too, Blues
    The Boxer
    Spanish is the Loving Tongue
    Boogie
    Went to See the Gypsy

    JOB 62656 - 3E
    [NOT SHOWN - DUPLICATE PHOTO OF BOX "1E" INSTEAD]

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    TRANSCRIPTIONS #4

    16-track "Master" [#1]

    [preprinted label on tape box]
    COLUMBIA RECORDING STUDIOS
    804 16th AVE. SO.
    NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

    [written entries on tape labels - track lengths/times not noted]
    BOB DYLAN
    COLUMBIA
    studio: A
    mixer: RNW
    recorder: Fig
    C.O. no.: E -
    16 TRK. MASTERS
    STEREO "NAB"

    Pretty Saro
    These Hands
    Annie's Gonna Sing Her Song
    Gypsy Went to See the Gypsy
    Piano Boogie (Piano & Guitar)
    Railroad Bill
    Early Morning Rain
    Thirsty Boots
    Thirsty Boots
    Thirsty Boots
    Sing Tattle O'Day
    House Carpenter
    Tell Old Bill

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    16-track "Master" [#2]
    [preprinted label on tape box]
    COLUMBIA RECORDING STUDIOS
    804 16th AVE. SO.
    NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

    [written entries on tape labels - track lengths/times not noted]
    (scrawled in large letters: "MASTER")
    BOB DYLAN
    COLUMBIA
    studio: A
    mixer: RNW
    recorder: FIG
    C.O. no.: E -
    16 TRK. MASTERS
    STEREO "NAB"

    Woogie Boogie
    In the Early Morning Rain
    Ball & Stripes Little Sadie
    Alberta #1 (FAST)
    All the Tired Horses
    Wigwam
    It Hurts Me Too
    Little Sadie
    Belle Isle
    Copper Kettle
    (diff. handwriting)
    THE BOXER
    DAYS OF 49'
    ALBERTA FAST
    ALBERTA SLOW

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
     
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  17. hollowhorn

    hollowhorn In Memoriam In Memoriam

    Location:
    Isle of Asda
    You guys were right on this, another trusted source has confirmed it:

     
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  18. HominyRhodes

    HominyRhodes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago
    Sorry to continue slicing and dicing the Self Portrait session tapes, but I noticed that this 16-track "master" reel had two "fast" versions of Alberta listed...I think that one of these is probably Gotta Travel On, which is not listed, but was definitely one of the 14 tracks overdubbed in Nashville.

    EDIT: This particular reel appears to contain all 14 of those tracks, if Gotta Travel On is included.
     
    Last edited: Jun 25, 2014
  19. HominyRhodes

    HominyRhodes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago
    (RE-DO)
    TRANSCRIPTIONS

    [handwritten label on the tape boxes]
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Bob Dylan - Columbia Records
    (8-track recording session reels, March 3rd, 4th & 5th, 1970, NYC)

    JOB 62656 - 1E (label shown in Another Self Portrait liner notes)
    Sara (added: Pretty Saro)
    Ball & Stripes Rag (added: Little Sadie)
    Dock of the Bay
    Went to See the Gypsy
    Ball & Stripes Rag [In Search of Little Sadie]
    Belle Isle
    Universal Soldier
    Copper Kettle (added: not here)

    JOB 62656 - 2E (label shown in Another Self Portrait liner notes)
    Copper Kettle (added: inc. missing start)
    When A Fellow's Out of A Job
    These Hands
    It Hurts Me Too, Blues
    The Boxer
    Spanish is the Loving Tongue
    Boogie [Woogie Boogie]
    Went to See the Gypsy

    JOB 62656 - 3E (label shown in Sony promotional video for Another Self Portrait )
    Thirsty Boots
    Sing Tattle O'Day
    Railroad Bill
    All For The Sake of Thee [House Carpenter]
    This Evening So Soon
    In The Days of '49 (Tom Moore...)
    Take Back Again [Annie's Gonna Sing Her Song]
    In The Early Morning Rain

    (Reels 4E and 5E are not shown in liner notes or promotional video)

    MISSING 8-TRACK MASTERS? (reels 4E and 5E?) (per Michael Krogsaard session details)

    WIGWAM
    TIME PASSES SLOWLY (incomplete)
    ALBERTA (incomplete)
    ALBERTA (#2)
    LITTLE MOSES (incomplete)
    ALBERTA (#3)
    ALBERTA (#1)
    COME A LITTLE BIT CLOSER (incomplete)
    COME ALL YOU FAIR AND TENDER LADIES
    MY PREVIOUS LIFE [three takes, two incomplete]
    GOTTA TRAVEL ON
    WENT TO SEE THE GYPSY (incomplete)
    TIME PASSES SLOWLY [three takes, two incomplete]
    COME A LITTLE BIT CLOSER (incomplete)
    COME A LITTLE BIT CLOSER
    ALL THE TIRED HORSES
     
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  20. HominyRhodes

    HominyRhodes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago
    Columbia Recording Studios, Nashville, Tennessee, March 6, 1970
    JOB #62657: (32) Bob Dylan recordings transferred from 8-track session reels, creating 2-track stereo mixes on three 1/4" reels at 15 i.p.s.

    Some of the track times are difficult to read, and may be subject to revision.

    01. PRETTY SARO...........................................................................2:20
    02. BALL & STRIPES RAG [Little Sadie].........................................2:00
    03. DOCK OF THE BAY....................................................................0:50
    04. [Went to See] THE GYPSY..........................................................5:16
    05. BALL & STRIPES RAG [In Search of Little Sadie].....................2:32
    06. BRIGHT STAR OF BELLE ISLE.................................................2:46
    07. UNIVERSAL SOLDIER ..............................................................0:57
    08. COPPER KETTLE.......................................................................3:37
    09. WHEN A FELLOWS OUT OF A JOB.........................................0:20
    10. THESE HANDS...........................................................................3:43
    11. IT HURTS ME TOO BLUES........................................................3:21
    12. THE BOXER................................................................................2:50


    13. SPANISH IS THE LOVIN' TONGUE...........................................5:00
    14. PIANO BOOGIE [Woogie Boogie]..............................................2:06
    15. (WENT TO SEE THE) GYPSY..........."NO"..................................----
    16. THIRSTY BOOTS.......................................................................4:08
    17. SING TATTLE-O-DAY................................................................4:10
    18. RAILROAD BILL........................................................................2:46
    19. HOUSE CARPENTER.................................................................6:16
    20. THIS EVENING SO SOON........................................................4:49
    21. THE DAYS OF FORTY-NINE.....................................................5:12
    22. ANNIE'S GOING TO SING HER SONG....................................2:30


    23. IN THE EARLY MORNIN' RAIN...............................................3:30
    24. New Song #1 - WIGWAM...........................................................3:09
    25. New Song #2 - TIME PASSES SLOWLY....................................1:04
    26. ALBERTA (FAST) [Alberta #2]..................................................3:18
    27. LITTLE MOSES..........................................................................1:10
    28. ALBERTA (FAST) [Alberta #3]..................................................3:37
    29. ALBERTA (SLOW) [Alberta #1].................................................3:05
    30. FAIR AND TENDER LADIES.....................................................5:14
    31. LAID AROUND AND STAYED AROUND [Gotta Travel On]....3:47
    32. ALL THE TIRED HORSES.....1...................................................3:27


    NOT TRANSFERRED TO 2-TRACK REELS: additional takes of PRETTY SARO, THIRSTY BOOTS, TIME PASSES SLOWLY and WENT TO SEE THE GYPSY, plus all takes of MY PREVIOUS LIFE and COME A LITTLE BIT CLOSER.

    7 of these 32 tracks remain unreleased, some of them in the form of short, incomplete takes.

    7 of these 32 tracks have been released in overdubbed versions only, on the Self Portrait album.

    7 of these 32 tracks have been released in both undubbed and overdubbed versions.

    11 previously unreleased tracks on these reels have now been issued on Another Self Portrait (ASP).

    Several takes of "My Previous Life" (possibly an unknown Dylan original) were recorded at the March 5th sessions in NYC, but were not transferred to any of the three extant 1/4" reels in Nashville. No other Dylan versions of this song are known to have come into circulation.
     
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  21. slane

    slane Forum Resident

    Location:
    Merrie England
    So, at 3:27, All The Tired Horses must have been looped by this time (?)
     
  22. HominyRhodes

    HominyRhodes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago
    If the repeated sections hadn't been looped by this point, there must have been a lot more to the original recording than what's been released on Another Self Portrait, possibly with some vocals by Dylan. The ASP liner notes, unfortunately, don't indicate what may have been added, or altered, in NYC before the tapes were sent to Nashville.

    EDIT: The 8-track reel "5E" which probably contained All The Tired Horses, may now be lost, since it's not shown in the ASP liner notes.
     
    Last edited: Jun 26, 2014
  23. RayS

    RayS A Little Bit Older and a Little Bit Slower

    Location:
    Out of My Element
    I am of this opinion. If the original recording contained more than the "ASP" version, it seems unlikely that the longer looped version would only draw from that limited portion of the performance.
     
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  24. HominyRhodes

    HominyRhodes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago
    I'm still trying to get handle on the recording technology being used in 1970. Are the following definitions correct?

    - 2" tape = 16-track
    - 1" tape = 8-track
    - 1/2" tape = 4-track
    - 1/4" tape = 2-track

    In the "Charlie Daniels receipt" (post 690 above) Bob Johnston lists five 1" reels ("E") and five 2" reels ("G") ...Does this mean that simultaneous recordings were made on 8-track and 16-track tapes in NY, and all of them were sent to Nashville? If so, it seems that only three of the 1" 8-track reels have been found. (The elusive My Previous Life may have existed only on one of the two "lost" reels, which may be why we've never heard it.)
     
  25. HominyRhodes

    HominyRhodes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago
    Unless there were break-downs or flubbed notes or chords in other parts of the 3:27 "original recording."
     
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