Bob Dylan - After The Empire & 1985 Rehearsals

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by soniclovenoize, Jun 19, 2016.

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  1. John Rhett Thomas

    John Rhett Thomas Forum Resident

    Location:
    Macon, GA, USA
    How about that "Baby Stop Crying" from the Petty rehearsal tapes? The first fragment version sounds like an At Budokan arrangement to my ears. Good things come to those who wait! :laugh:

    I thought 1978 was the last time he touched that Street Legal song, but apparently not...
     
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  2. DeeThomaz

    DeeThomaz Senior Member

    Location:
    In The Felony Room
    Sadly, there's no "Where Are You Tonight?" on this set.
     
  3. DeeThomaz

    DeeThomaz Senior Member

    Location:
    In The Felony Room
    Really loving "26 Storeys High."
     
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  4. RayS

    RayS A Little Bit Older and a Little Bit Slower

    Location:
    Out of My Element
    It's somewhat amazing to me that not only were these songs ideas permanently scrapped, but Dylan's people didn't even bother with copyrighting anything. To my knowledge, these songs are completely undocumented until now (they certainly escaped Heylin's research).
     
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  5. DeeThomaz

    DeeThomaz Senior Member

    Location:
    In The Felony Room
    And Krogsgaard's. The existence of the Cherokee Session/s was documented (without track details) on Olaf's site. Not sure of the source that gave him that information, but my hat is off for our Swedish friend.
     
    Last edited: Jun 20, 2016
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  6. DeeThomaz

    DeeThomaz Senior Member

    Location:
    In The Felony Room
    I'm sorta thinking one of the Queens of Rhythm leaked these sets. Only because they cast them in such a great light. Dylan's back up singers don't always fare that well. If so, hard to blame the person involved.
     
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  7. DeeThomaz

    DeeThomaz Senior Member

    Location:
    In The Felony Room
    On my first listen, it sounds like "My Sweet Baby (Round & Around) uses the phrase "Under Your Spell." That's interesting, to me at least.
     
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  8. DmitriKaramazov

    DmitriKaramazov Senior Member

    Yep, it's outstanding!

    But still, another great number!

    Total "Bob-nut" that I am, I'd go out on a limb and call this the "great lost album"! Yeah!

    Start up the advertising machine!! :D

    ( @HominyRhodes ) You catching these?
     
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  9. quicksrt

    quicksrt Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    I thought Heylin did document this period of sessions. It's the Graffiti Band backing Bob at Cherokee studios. Well known sessions, even if unheard by most of us. No mystery here, surprised the experts are stumped.

    I was following what Bob was up to back then, waiting for confirmation that he would have TP & Heartbreakers backing him on the road, as I had the unpopular opinion that this would be the best rock & roll backing Bob had had since the Band in 1966.
     
  10. DeeThomaz

    DeeThomaz Senior Member

    Location:
    In The Felony Room
    The full set may not have a full album's worth of potentially top-grade material. But it's pretty close. I'm not clear how this stuff went completely ignored (let alone documented).
     
  11. mickdoby

    mickdoby Forum Resident

    wonder if this entry from Krogsgaard's documentation fits:

    Cherokee Studios
    Hollywood, California
    October 31, 1985


    Demos

    Musicians: Raymond Lee Pounds (drums), Vito San Filippo (bass), Bob Dylan, Carolyn Dennis, Madelyn Quebec, and Elisecia Wright (backing vocals).
     
  12. DeeThomaz

    DeeThomaz Senior Member

    Location:
    In The Felony Room
    That would seem to fit. Not sure why I didn't see it when I last checked his work. Cheers to you.
     
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  13. DeeThomaz

    DeeThomaz Senior Member

    Location:
    In The Felony Room
    They are an awesome listen. I'm getting weepy for the days when these sort of tape leaks were often and widespread.
     
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  14. keef285

    keef285 Forum Resident

    Location:
    U.K.
    I don't think they are from those sessions..........who's playing piano and organ ?
     
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  15. Fred1970

    Fred1970 Forum Phantom

    Location:
    Stockholm
    Thank you for a great thread!

    I am very curious about the involved musicians. In an interesting article in the Pitchfork, about Dylan Holy Grails, some lost sessions from the 1980s are mentioned (see below). Could they be the ones that we now hear on the After The Empire disc, I wonder? Al Kooper and T-Bone?

    Beyond the Bootlegs: Bob Dylan's Unreleased Holy Grails | Pitchfork »

    The Lost Eighties Sessions with Al Kooper, T-Bone Burnett, and Cesar Rosas

    The mid-1980s were a low point for Dylan as a record-maker, with two half-hearted LPs, Down in the Groove and Knocked Out Loaded, suffering from the most scathing (or just plain indifferent) reviews of Dylan’s career. But Rolling Stone's Mikal Gilmore was present for studio sessions showing that Dylan could still find inspiration if the circumstances were right. With a motley crew of session musicians including Al Kooper, T-Bone Burnett, Los Lobos guitarist Cesar Rosas, R&B saxophonist Steve Douglas, and bassist James Jamerson Jr., Gilmore writes that Dylan cut well over 20 songs ranging “gritty R&B, Chicago-steeped blues, rambunctious gospel, and raw-toned hillbilly forms.” And not a single one has seen the light of day, on bootleg or otherwise.
     
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  16. babyblue

    babyblue Patches Pal!

    Location:
    Pacific NW
    Wow, this is amazing stuff!
     
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  17. mickdoby

    mickdoby Forum Resident

    not having given it too much thought, but this report seems to match the May 1986 sessions better, as listed by Krogsgaard, what do you think?
     
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  18. Fred1970

    Fred1970 Forum Phantom

    Location:
    Stockholm
    It seems like many of the tracks in May 1986 ended up on the Knocked Out Loaded album, whereas those mentioned in the Pichfork article never appeared (if the info is correct), but I don't know.
     
  19. RayS

    RayS A Little Bit Older and a Little Bit Slower

    Location:
    Out of My Element
    The songs, which appear to be primarily Dylan originals, do not appear in Heylin's book and were not submitted for copyright. So I'd say they were a "mystery" until now.
     
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  20. Afaninfull

    Afaninfull Forum Resident

    I've only had a chance to listen to the first few songs but I was really intrigued by the first song "Baby Coming Back From The Dead" and it's connection to the woman as ghost theme. This was later revisited much more dramatically in the Time Out Of Mind outtake "Girl From The Red River Shore." I also think of the line "feel like a ghost in love" from the other Time Out Of Mind outtake "Dreamin of You."

    The next song, I heard a very slight resemblance to "Tryin To Get To Heaven" with all the door/more type rhyme scheme and train motif.

    Also loved the Buddy Holly inspired "I'm Ready For Love". Kept hearing Dylan's acceptance speech at the Grammy's about how Holly was with them in spirit as they recorded TOOM. I'm Ready.../I Can't Wait...

    I know Dylan told Edna Gunderson he had the TOOM songs for a long time. Could some of those songs be found this far back in their infancy?

    Hope to listen to more tracks tonight.
     
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  21. Jbeck57143

    Jbeck57143 Forum Resident

    Location:
    IL, USA
    I think Clinton Heylin wrote that Dylan has the only copy of the tapes; the studio didn't retain (or make) any copies.
     
  22. Fred1970

    Fred1970 Forum Phantom

    Location:
    Stockholm
    Aha, OK, thanks!
     
  23. revolution_vanderbilt

    revolution_vanderbilt Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York
    Won't get to listen to these for a little while, but I'm just excited at the thought of it all! This must be the first time something major has come into (unofficial) circulation since I've been following Dylan.
     
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  24. quicksrt

    quicksrt Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Really? For many of us this was a twice a year event at least - if you count a soundboard live recording as well as rehearsals.

    These happen to be nicer cassettes of lower generation and not maxed out blown levels like we sometimes get.

    Rough Cuts was to me the ultimate "Making of an Album" reels to surface from 80s sessions.
     
  25. RayS

    RayS A Little Bit Older and a Little Bit Slower

    Location:
    Out of My Element
    Lasted about 24 hours. Poof.
     
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