I've completed the first run through of the Blonde on Blonde book by Daryl Sanders. It is a terrific read. If you have any interest in "The Cutting Edge" and Blonde on Blonde in particular, you need this book, believe me. To paraphrase Roger Ford from elsewhere:- "[The] research, particularly all [the] interviews with those involved 54 years ago, is of immense value. [He's] put it all together beautifully. I’m currently working my way through the Kindle edition, making notes as I go." I'm reading it for a second time now, making notes in the margins, impressed at how much information Daryl has packed into a relatively short book; it really is superbly written and highly recommended by this satisfied punter! Daryl has included a section on other printed sources which has sent me back to my archives (a posh name for a stack of boxes in my loft) for further reading. I unearthed my "On The Tracks" issue #20 from 2001 to read again the exclusive interview with Bob Johnston which Daryl cites as a source in Chapter One of his book. Contained within that interview of BJ by Richard Younger is this gem:- Bob Johnston: I was marvelling at everything that was happening: I was on the cutting edge, and no matter where I'd go in the world people would know my name. #
I was the one who nailed the location for Bob Egan and PopSpots. I work in lower Manhattan, and my interest in local history got me fascinated with that shot you posted, also covered on PopSpots. That b&w one was shot on Jacob Street near the Brooklyn Bridge - Fulton Fish Market area. The Street no longer exists, replaced by an apartment complex. The Blonde On Blonde Cover was shot on West Street between Morton and Barrow, at the western edge of Greenwich Village. There is a video of Bob Egan taking Jerry Schatzberg to the Meatpacking District, where Schatzberg guessed it was by the High Line, probably using the shadow of the elevated rail line as a clue. The shadow turned out to be the now removed elevated West Side Highway. I found the building by viewing aerial shots, searching for a structure with those three staggered grated windows.
Great sleuthing, Bill! Did you get the @Daryl Sanders book yet? It features his interviews with Jerry Schatzberg, among many others. BLONDE ON BLONDE - BOB DYLAN - ALBUM COVER LOCATION - POPSPOTS
Thank you, excellent work! Fun work too, I can't imagine how you must've felt when it all came together. I would've said this was hopeless, and we'd only have a "general area" guess. This mystery was also unraveled at a peak time of Dylan 1966-era archives, in the middle of the "Cutting Edge" sessions box set release and the 1966 Tour box release.
Bob Egan and I met at the spot in early March of 2016, 50 years nearly exactly since the shoot! Unfortunately the garage with the odd three grilled windows was long gone.
Just realised that I have never listened to the bonus disc 18 from The Cutting Edge. Not sure why it got missed but I guess going through the studio sessions was a major task in its own right. This is a nice gem to have discovered. I used this as a soundtrack to looking through The Beaten Track art book which has provided a wonderfully relaxing afternoon. Am now having a second listen. The hotel session recorded during Don't Look Back is a nice eavesdrop on an informal singalong at the Savoy. This set keeps on surprising. The Station Hotel tape is lovely too. How the hell did I not play this, was it three years ago! Wow. Missed out on this book, so it looks like a good time to pick it up. I'm not really short of new music to listen to at the moment but this has whetted my appetite to revisit the big set. Perhaps I'll order the book and read along with the appropriate sessions. It is such a good time to be around and buying music. Who would have through a few years back that we would be getting all of these wonderfully curated sets.
One of the conditions attached to the purchase of Big Blue was that failure to play all eighteen discs within a six-month period would result in immediate forfeiture of all eighteen discs to someone who would play them.
Whoops. Never read the small print! I think that perhaps this disc was waiting to be played with the visual accompaniment of The Beaten Path book. Somehow the informal hotel room tapes matched the artwork drawn from his artistic adventures celebrating the various locations he has chosen to capture with the pencil and brush.
Just finished this book last week - very enjoyable read. I only purchased the 2 disc release -- really need to grab at least the 6 disc set at some point.
Obviously, the 18 CD set is the dog's bollocks but that might be more difficult to come by in it's original packaging... Don't forget also the Electric Dylan site by @Roger Ford . He has very recently updated the main text and the Cutting Edge essays to include the new information from the terrific book by @Daryl Sanders . Electric Dylan Also, for those who (unlike me) do things on F***b**k, note this post from @Daryl Sanders Dylan / Blonde on Blonde: 'That Thin Wild Mercury Sound' (Daryl Sanders book, Oct. 2018)
I received a £25 Amazon gift card for having the best stats on my team at work, so I ponied up the extra £4.25 for this. Beautiful book. Huge, heavy, and sumptuous. Lovely photographs. Recommended, even at the published price.
So I've been revisiting Blonde on Blonde again recently thanks to the Mofi SACD and love it now more than any point in the last 22 year's when I first acquired it. But I must confess, I didn't really dig The Cutting Edge - the 6cd format with multiple sequential takes didn't grab me and the collection soon gathered digital dust. I always meant to get back to it and make playlists etc but just skimmed the best of 36 track version on Tidal this evening and was blown away. So much more enjoyable than the longer format to my tastes. Looking forward to doing something similar with The Basement Tapes and BOTT (altho the latter will have to involve playlist compiling)
Personally, I prefer the very longest format. Then I will pick and choose what to listen to at any one time. I generally do not listen to entire CDs at one time.
I had a similar experience with the 6CD set. And the 2CD set. The only one that grabbed me was Big Blue. But eventually even that wasn't enough... #
Wow, I'm happy with my 1 copy of big blue...but I agree the material is incredible. I'm also in the midst of reading "Thing Wild Mercury Sound"
Wow I’m really very tempted to pull the cord on the 6 cd version before the prices go sky high. I really love the Deluxe More Blood, forgot how much Dylan means to me.
I appreciate your "Gotta have a Back-Up" philosophy. I take it a step further. All back-up copies need a third back-up, cause if your first copy goes, you could be left without a back-up. I have back-ups of everything. But I do not have a back-up plan for anything. Cause I got no plans for anything.
I have a nice crisp $5 bill I am willing to part with for one of those Collector's Editions. You don't need two of them.
I read this recently with Big Blue as an accompaniment. It is pretty well essential to consume both of them together. An excellent excuse for another extended listen.
