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

The audience recording of "Tangled Up In Blue" might be my most favourite Dylan performance of all time. (And I have read there is video of it at Tulsa!!)

I can get goosebumps just thinking about it (like right now).

 

I love it, but then it's probably more akin to the style of Desire so that makes sense. I do get what you mean about it being out of place, but sandwiched between two "so-so" performances, I find it very welcome!

 

There’s a largely undocumented tape of material recorded after ‘Blood On The Tracks’ but before ‘Desire’ (an initial take of ‘Money Blues’ is on it) that would be interesting.

 

The Willie Murphy and the Bees jam!

 

You don't think Desire would have improved with 'Joey' squeezed off and 'Abandoned Love' squeezed on?

 

I think 'Up To Me' is very much an outtake and inferior to most everything on BOTT. I think Bob was right in his assessment. Lyrically the song is rather trite to me, I think he dealt with this subject matter much more effectively elsewhere on the album.

 

I'm just now reacquainting myself with the Renaldo & Clara soundtrack. Its been ages since I listened to this stuff. I completely agree with you about "Kaw-Liga." I'm also freshly reminded how ridiculous it was that "When I Paint My Masterpiece" was skipped over for BS5. At least this upcoming set will give them a new opportunity to rectify that.

 

Nope!

 

Well, each to their own. Ever since I read the Lester Bangs piece about Joey Gallo I've really struggled with that song. In fact, I struggled with Bob Dylan for a while too after reading that.
I actually think Desire is a fine album, but it could have been even better.

 

I'm probably in a minority of a couple of thousand who wants "Desire", "Planet Waves", "Renaldo and Clara" and "Rolling Thunder" to be left out of BS14.

I'd like a big blood-red box of "Blood on the Tracks". I'd like every note of every take in every studio; every click and clatter of the jacket buttons, all the banter and every cough. In the order of creation.

I'd like facsimiles of each page of each notebook and all the studio logs. I'd like facsimiles of Tape Identification Data Sheets, Track Identification Charts, Musician Contracts and tape box labels. Plain to see and in a book, not jumbled up all over the shop, tinted and hidden away behind and between glued-up CD joey pouches.

I'd like a vinyl replica of the New York acetate to be included.

I'll accept the gimmicks: a "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts"- themed pack of playing cards and a pressed and preserved sprig of Queen Anne's Lace. I'll even take a spindle with a picture of a blood-stained saddle on it.

The two books, as I have implied before, should be entitled "Images" and "Distorted Facts" I'm not sure I care who writes the distorted facts, but I'd like the images to be annotated. Correctly.

For me, "Blood on the Tracks" deserves no less than it's own box, rubbing shoulders with Big Blue. No matter the various wonders of "Live '74", "Planet Waves", "Desire" "Renaldo and Clara" and "Rolling Thunder", the inclusion of those worthy eras would only serve to reduce the fare on offer from the BOTT sessions. Let the others have their own box(es), by all means, but allow BOTT to have all the attention on this one.


Big Red: make it like Big Blue. But make it better.

Fat chance, so obviously I'll take whatever I'm given. I just have this sneaky feeling that I may not be quite so grateful for what I'm given this time around.








#

 

Oh, heavens! You're making me swoon.

 

Let's get something straight.
Lester Bangs had a serious attitude problem when he wrote that article.
Bangs conducted formal research and knew more about Gallo's life and crimes than Dylan did when he wrote the song.
Bangs' objective was to make Dylan look like a jerk by association..

Bob Dylan was not responsible for Joey Gallo's life and crimes.
He was writing a song that reflected attitudes and feelings he had encountered on the street, not a dissertation about the man's life and crimes.

To hell with Lester Bangs and his stupid article.

 

Ouch! I think Bangs was a great music critic, the best actually, very funny and entertaining. And he was also a huge Dylan fan.
But I understand what you are saying, Bob was coming from a different angle, but that Bangs piece stopped me dead in my tracks.

 

Dead in your tracks?
Wake up. Start twitching.

I reiterate:

LESTER BANGS WAS WRONG.
DEAD WRONG.
THERE IS NO ASSOCIATION BETWEEN
DYLAN'S SONG AND LESTER BANG'S ACCUSATIONS.​

 

Oh, I'm easily pleased, me; I never ask for much...



Bob's handwritten chart for "Tangled Up In Blue"

 

I'm with you on this. Actually, I want this for every single studio album. And DON'T cut all the in-between takes banter like on Big Blue. They already made it 18 discs, so what if it took 20 discs just to keep the banter?

 

RTR just doesn’t interest me. I’ll pick up anything that Dylan releases, but I can’t get into Dylan live. It’s not for lack of trying though. I’d much rather have the alternate takes, false starts, banter. I want to hear the songs I’ve heard a thousand times take shape.
I was in a tough spot financially when big blue came out and I missed out. I won’t let that happen again, let alone with BotT or Desire.

 

Spot on.

 

Can you type and drool at the same time?

 

Dylan definitely had a more realistic view of his subject matter with 'Joey' than he did with his song 'Johnny The Clown', his song about John Wayne Gacy!
:--)

 

Of course we can take Joey about as seriously as we can take Hurricane right?

Also, Joan Baez did Lily real good. I also prefer the acoustic Dylan version. I hope there are some more Minneapolis takes of other songs though.

 

Do that and take off "Hurricane" and put on "Golden Loom," and you probably have room for "Catfish" as well. Much better, imo.

 

Yes.
Both songs are serious ballads that come straight from the heart.

They are NOT documentaries.

 

Easy does it.

 

I gotta disagree - I think the different approach works perfectly and helps make the album the masterpiece it is. But then I like the song itself...