Who's who on the front cover of The Basement Tapes?

What the "beep"!

Oh, wait....#11 is Todd....NOT!

 

That was my reaction. Cool thread...I guess there's time in life for everything.

 

That's not Todd Rundgren. I'm also not convinced that it's Neil Young. Doesn't look like his beard at all--especially the moustache part.

I was lucky enough to be in the basement of Big Pink once and I can tell you that it would have been too small to fit all those people in and still have room to take a photo. The ceiling is a lot lower, too.

 

The picture was actually taken at a YMCA. I'm not sure if it was in the basement, though.

 

You'd be in the minority about the mono thing. Most fans would like to hear the tapes in stereo, despite the fact vocals typically exist in one channel only.

I believe the Neil Young Archives has a full set of tapes. I'm pretty sure Garth Hudson does too. I'm not sure why Neil's archives had to be tapped for the soundtrack. But at any rate, lack of availability is definitely NOT the reason no definitive set has been released. Lack of willingness by Bob is the only reason.

 

John, I was always curious: is the Big Pink basement actually a basement, or is it really a garage? When that garage door we've seen in all those photos opens, are you in the space where they recorded?

 

Are there any actual pictures of the real basement out there? And does the house still exist?

 

you might be right about that being a minority wanting mono...still, doesnt really smack me like any sort of final mix, just the way the got it on tape...which 99% of all things gotten on tape then get "mixed"....still, i'll buy it if its in stereo...sheez...what is the delay on this one...seemingly the bulk of this is circulating....why not make a few bucks on it Bob?

it is also a fantastic album cover, sorry for the tread crap earlier, i was just so excited to see this album being discussed in any way as its on my mind these days...

 

The basement is a basement, not a garage. It has a concrete floor, cinderblock walls and an oil burner in the middle of the room. There's a regular sized door that leads into the basement from the side of the house. The ground is lower on the side of the house than in the front, so the door is at ground level. If you look at the Big Pink picture, the door that leads into the basement is on the far left on the side of the house and the garage door is at the far right.

The house still exists.

 

love the trivia! now the question is, why are those 'extras' part of the pic? i.e. todd, ny, etc...

 

One of the people in the shot is Ringo Starr (no glasses on but i believe it's number 5).

 

For those of you who are interested in The Basement Tapes, I just finished a fantastic book called "Million Dollar Bash: Bob Dylan, The Band and THe Basement Tapes" by Sid Griffin. This is the most comprehensive overview of the infamous recording sessions that came to be known as The Basement Tapes....despite the fact that many of the tracks were NOT recorded in the basement of the Big Pink.

Griffin does an excellent job of analyzing the tracks and identifying nuances that may be missed on initial listenings.

The author identifies which songs were recorded at each location and the musicians who played on them. Some of the info is derived from interviews with Robbie Robertson, John Simon, Rob Fraboni & Barry Feinstein and others. As Robertson is the only Band member who Griffin interviewed, much of the "who played on what" information is speculative, as Robertson himself admits to a somewhat faulty memory.

Many tracks were recorded at the Woodstock homes of Bob Dylan or Danko & Helm. Three of The Band tracks were in fact recorded in 1975. What is also little known is that many of the tracks were overdubbed in 1975 and that the original Garth Hudson recordings of these sessions were in much wider stereo. The CBS engineers chose to collapse the soundstage for the official release.

It's a fascinating read!

Paul

 

Thanks John!

So even though they are on the same level, the garage and the basement room are separate areas? I'm looking at the photo at this link (http://www.landyvision.com/Slideshow/source/232.htm) for reference and trying to get a sense.

 

My pleasure! And yes, the basement and the garage are separate areas. In the photo you're looking at, the door to the basement is obscured by Rick Danko. It's just to the right of the electric meter. And that horizontal window is a basement window.

 

Number 5 is Richard Manuel, not Ringo! Ringo is not in the photo. He was off at a ballet class with Todd Rundgren that day.

 

(Finds glasses) Isn't Ringo the guy in the pilot's uniform? I have another shot here from the sessions and it's the spit of him. Seem to remember reading that he was in it but could of course be having a senior moment......

 

Yeah, but does he say who is on the cover?

 

Great. Thank you for answering my geeky Dylanologist questions.

I'm a fan of the 'Q, the Shaggs, etc. I've seen your byline more than a few times.

 

The guy in the pilot uniform is Richard Manuel.

 

I remember hearing that Elliott Roberts (Young's manager) was given a copy of some of the recordings (not all, I don't think) in 1968, and that was the source of the version on I'm Not There.

 

I'm pretty sure that either Levon Helm's book or the Barney Hoskyns book features one or two photos of the guys playing in the actual basement.

 

They are limited in what they can do as far as mixing. All the Basement tapes are two-track recordings with vocals panned to one side. So the choices are just present it as is, narrow the stereo image, or collapse to mono. I'd prefer if they just present it as is... the fidelity is best that way. The boots sound so much better than the official album. With the exception of "I'm Not There" and "Odds and Ends" on the Band box, every official release has been collapsed to mono.

 

No. 6 looks a bit like Ringo to me!

 

I think #10 is Ringo. I mean look at that nose. And the midget is Paul McCartney.

 

I always thought most of the people were a painting... even Mrs. Henry looks like a painting. Well all the flap side feels like a painting hmm...