Bob Dylan - After The Empire & 1985 Rehearsals

Not a dumb question, but I think you're confusing the two recently leaked sets. Jason was referring to After The Empire, which is all previously unknown originals (aside from the last track). There is also a set of rehearsals with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, which match what you describe.

 

I didn't get a chance to fully listen to the studio demos before they were evaporated. Bummer.

 

No DAT in studio in 1985. You can listen to the analog hiss tape.

 

DAT did not exist then, but these types of recordings have circulated before with Infidels and Shot of Love. Basically, it's Dylan laying down the basic track with unfinished or dummy lyrics and he would go back and sing over it at a later session. Perhaps, these tapes were made for him to work from before he scrapped it? I also remember reading that there were two track recordings being made of the entirety of the Infidels session, for what reason I don't know. Posterity or to capture some unguarded magic? Nevertheless, these were skeletons for Dylan songs that he never finished. He had done it before and ultimately, he must have done it again. I would hope we'd hear all of those tapes someday. They're fascinating as they show the artist at work.

 

They will be widely available in the next few weeks, I think.

 

The 85 rehearsal...Bob does the Beatles!

Come Together, no less! Too much fun!

 

I figure. I was hoping to listen to them on a road trip tomorrow, though. Ah well.

 

He's covered the Beatles elsewhere, too.

 

Go on...

 

Offhand, he's performed "Yesterday" (on the 1970 George Harrison tape), "Nowhere Man" (live in 1990), "Something" (live in 2002). He also recorded "Things We Said Today" for the McCartney tribute album. Am I missing anything?

There's also "Roll On John," which extensively quoted various Beatles songs.

 

They are already widely available.

 

I haven't had any luck tracing them down just yet, sadly missed the YouTube window. Imagine they'll be easier to hear in the coming weeks.

 

I wonder if Dylan even remembers some of these songs.....it must be odd for him to listen back to these

 

Brief cover of Here Comes The Sun in 1981, and he would be onstage when Jo Ann Harris sang The Long And Winding Road in 1978.

You listed all the good ones though!

 

Love the "arthur itus" about 1:00 into the first come together, and his nonsense lyrics in other places, too.

 

Shades of Fred G. Sanford

 

These are "jam tracks" which are very easy to dismiss. But yeah, they're kinda great, too.

 

Oooooohhhhhhhh ok, thanks for clearing that up!

 

I found them without much effort at all, and I'm not an expert collector by any means.

 

Does anybody know if Dylan b/w T.P & Heartbreakers ever performed "Band of the Hand" live?

 

Yes, quite often during the 1986 tour. I saw it in Costa Mesa CA.

 

OMG! That would be a nightmare! That said, a well chosen 2 cd set of highlights of the 1987 Temples In Flames tour could be the greatest thing since sliced bread.

 

They could easily go 4 - 6 CDs for the Temple in Flames tour. That would make a fun "prequel" to the massive End All Be All series for the Never Ending Tour.

 

Listened to both of the sets while on a long flight and it was a very interesting listen. I felt I was in study mode but hope I will play these again soon and simply enjoy them. They seem like loose (and fun) recordings.