Dylan / Blonde on Blonde: 'That Thin Wild Mercury Sound' (Daryl Sanders book, Oct. 2018)

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by HominyRhodes, Oct 15, 2018.

  1. shadow blaster

    shadow blaster Forum Resident

    Location:
    Scandinavia
    "another great song in his head ("She's Your Lover Now"),"

    It always puzzled me why he didn't try this one out in Nashville. I'm sure he could have nailed it like he did Visions of Johanna.
     
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  2. NumberEight

    NumberEight Came too late and stayed too long

    A Nashville version of She’s Your Lover Now might well have lost its venom in the process, ending up as a ‘performance’ along the lines of the Minneapolis Blood on the Tracks recordings, which (excellent as they are) are a lot less bloodier than their New York counterparts.

    There must be something about New York.
     
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  3. shadow blaster

    shadow blaster Forum Resident

    Location:
    Scandinavia
    It would have been different, yes, just like Johanna. And finished. But for whatever reason, Bob never returned to it.
    De BOTT: I disagree. You think Idiot Wind from MN lacks "venom"...?
     
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  4. RayS

    RayS A Little Bit Older and a Little Bit Slower

    Location:
    Out of My Element
    I can just hear Bob Johnston now: "CO-89210, 'She's Your Lover Now', Take 17, Edit Piece". They pick it up right before her mouth cries wolf and play it through to the end. A little splice work and send it out into the world!
     
  5. NumberEight

    NumberEight Came too late and stayed too long

    Not venom: blood.
     
  6. shadow blaster

    shadow blaster Forum Resident

    Location:
    Scandinavia
    He pays in blood there, but not his own.....
     
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  7. JudasPriest

    JudasPriest Forum Resident

    Just ordered the book after wandering across this thread. Going through a big Blonde on Blonde phase and probably enjoying it more than at any point since 1st hearing it 22 years ago- largely due to the Mofi SACD which I'm in love with.

    If you're still here Daryl, how do you rate that version of the album?
     
  8. JudasPriest

    JudasPriest Forum Resident

    Book has arrived and enjoying it very much so far
     
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  9. JudasPriest

    JudasPriest Forum Resident

    It really does put you on the studio.
     
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  10. HominyRhodes

    HominyRhodes Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Chicago
    As I've said before, all of the background information about the Nashville Cats in Daryl's book has really made me appreciate those studio musician's contributions to those 1966 Dylan recordings, not to mention all of their work with so many other artists and their own solo careers.
    I did this amateur-hour photo montage :hide: of the fourteen primary individuals involved in the Blonde on Blonde Nashville sessions to help remind me who was who. I'll post a 'key' shortly, if anyone else isn't sure who they all are.

    [​IMG]
     
  11. HominyRhodes

    HominyRhodes Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Chicago
    Here's a key to the image:
    [​IMG]
     
  12. Dok

    Dok Senior Member

    ^Excellent! I wonder why Mac wasn't credited initially? Seems like I should know that story.
     
  13. HominyRhodes

    HominyRhodes Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Chicago
    I believe Bob Johnston dropped the ball on that, and somehow forgot to include Mac's name in the credits. The album jacket also left off the names of Paul Griffin, Rick Danko and Bobby Gregg, who played on Dylan's "One Of Us Must Know" in NYC, with Robbie R. and Al Kooper.
     
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  14. NumberEight

    NumberEight Came too late and stayed too long

    Very nice! It has a nice contemporaneous feel.
     
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  15. HominyRhodes

    HominyRhodes Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Chicago
    As penance for misspelling Buzz's surname (CASON), I'll post this Billboard article that I recently came across -- seems he had an alias, huh?:)

    [​IMG]
     
  16. HominyRhodes

    HominyRhodes Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Chicago
    Thanks!!
     
  17. HominyRhodes

    HominyRhodes Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Chicago
    I just realized that another name missing from the original Blonde on Blonde credits was Wayne Butler (shown in the montage above) who played the trombone on "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35."

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
    (borrowed images of the inner gatefold -- Jerry Schatzberg's only credit is the photo of him, 2nd from right on the bottom)

    As @Percy Song noted earlier in the thread, photographer Jerry Schatzberg recently published a new photo book, which includes some of the original shots used for the interior layout of the first album jacket:

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    I'm not sure if this photo of actress Claudia Cardinale is in the new JS book, but it was the reason that the original album photo layout eventually had to be redone (for the U.S. releases, at least.) Details at Roger Ford's Electric Dylan website. Blonde On Blonde - Part 1
    [​IMG]

    Daryl's book also features the uncropped version of the photo of Dylan onstage with his black Telecaster (which was severely cropped on the album jacket interior) and he interviewed the photographer, Charlie Steiner, who was able to show Dylan some of his prints in person.

    And as everyone probably knows, the photo at the top of the inner gatefold shows the back of Albert Goldman's head as he watches Bob light a smoke.
     
  18. John DeAngelis

    John DeAngelis Senior Member

    Location:
    New York, NY
    Albert Grossman, not Albert Goldman.
     
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  19. HominyRhodes

    HominyRhodes Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Chicago
    Thank you. Whoa....that's too funny...I cannot believe I did that. Must have stayed up too late last night. :yawn: o_O
     
  20. Percy Song

    Percy Song A Hoity-Toity, High-End Client

    It's like you've never been away, HR!

    Love that montage. The image on the bass drum is a nice touch:-

    [​IMG]




    And still, after all this time, some of the mysteries surrounding "Blonde on Blonde" remain. Who is that girl? Carole Adler? Joan Carra?


    [​IMG]
     
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  21. HominyRhodes

    HominyRhodes Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Chicago
    I had the good fortune to visit Nashville back the early 1980s. After spending an afternoon at the old Country Music Hall of Fame, we figured out that we were actually in the Music Row section of town, and soon spotted the Columbia Recording Studios complex. I wasn't sure if this was actually the place where Dylan had recorded in the 1960s, since it looked more like an office building with a warehouse attached. I really wish I knew then what I know now.

    We also had no idea that RCA's Nashville studios "A" and "B" were right around the corner from Columbia, so we never saw them. Again, if I had only known...

    :doh: :shrug:

    [​IMG]
    (slightly modified recent aerial view of the Columbia & RCA studio buildings on Music Row - source G o o g l e )

    In Daryl's book, he references some of the comings-and-goings of Dylan's local backing musicians, who were generally quite busy playing other session dates when they weren't booked with him in Columbia's Studio 'A.' On Praguefrank's website, I found some Waylon Jennings sessions at RCA (listed below) that featured some of the same Nashville Cats being used by BD during his first week in Nashville.

    * In the early morning hours of Wednesday, Feb. 16th, at the end of a twelve-hour studio occupation, Dylan completed "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" in Columbia Studio "A," with Charlie McCoy and Wayne Moss on guitars, Pig Robbins on piano, Kenny Buttrey on drums, Al Kooper on organ, and Joe South on bass (The musicians had also recorded several instrumental takes of "I'll Keep It With Mine" on Tuesday evening, without Dylan's participation.) The marathon session ended at 5:30 a.m.

    * According to the info at Praguefrank's, at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Pig Robbins and bassist Henry Strzelecki did a three-hour/three song Waylon session over at RCA. One of the tracks recorded was "Time To Bum Again"

    * At 6:00 p.m. that same Wednesday evening, Charlie McCoy, Kenny Buttrey, Wayne Moss, Joe South and Al Kooper reported to Columbia Studio 'A' for Dylan's final February recording date; if the Waylon Jennings RCA session info is correct, that means that Pig Robbins and Henry S. wouldn't have been able to make it over to the Dylan session until after 9:00 p.m. It turned out to be another long haul, during which only one song, "Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again," was apparently attempted and ultimately completed to Dylan's satisfaction. The musicians clocked out at 7:00 a.m. Thursday morning, and Dylan soon left town for a scheduled live show in Connecticut the following night. (Kenny Buttrey may have actually stuck around the studio to do a Bobby Goldsboro session later that day.)

    * On Thursday, Feb. 17th at 2:00 p.m., Pig Robbins, Henry S., and Charlie McCoy did another session with Waylon at RCA and completed four tracks; the session ended at 5:30.

    * At 2:00 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 18th, Charlie McCoy and Pig Robbins returned to RCA for their final February session with Waylon; one of the four songs they cut that day was a cover of the Beatles' "Norwegian Wood," the probable inspiration for Dylan's "4th Time Around," which Charlie had just recorded with him a few days before. [Sidebar: on Waylon's version of "Norwegian Wood," Charlie played his distinctive bass harmonica, which he used several years later on Simon & Garfunkel's "The Boxer," as well as on the Nashville overdub of Dylan's "Days of '49."]

    The notion of the Nashville Cats heading back and forth between the Columbia and RCA studios (did they walk or drive that short distance, I wonder?) to work sessions with Bob Dylan, Waylon Jennings, Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, and so many other music legends in such a short span of time is extremely fascinating to me. The Cats were certainly all very talented, no question about it, but they were also very, very lucky.


    WEDNESDAY
    16 February 1966 [18:00-21:00] RCA Victor Studio, 800 17th Ave. South, Nashville, TN – Waylon Jennings (Jerry Reed [gt], James Wilkerson, Henry Strzelecki, Jerry Carrigan, Richard Morris, Hargus Robbins + vocal chorus. Producer: Chet Atkins)
    060 TWA4-0612 TIME TO BUM AGAIN 47-8822/LSP 3620 BCD 16320
    061 TWA4-0613 FALLING FOR YOU LSP 3620 BCD 16320
    062 TWA4-0614 IF YOU REALLY WANT ME TO I'LL GO LSP 3620 BCD 16320

    THURSDAY
    17 February 1966 [14:00-17:30] RCA Victor Studio, 800 17th Ave. South, Nashville, TN – Waylon Jennings (Waylon Jennings [vcl], Ray Edenton [gt], Jerry Reed [gt], Charlie McCoy [gt], Henry Strzelecki [bass], Jerry Carrigan [drums], Richard Morris, Hargus Robbins [piano] + vocal chorus. Producer: Chet Atkins)
    063 TWA4-0615 FOR LOVIN' ME 47-8917/LSP 3620 BCD 16320
    064 TWA4-0616 BUT THAT'S ALRIGHT LSP 3620 BCD 16320
    065 TWA4-0617 DOESN'T ANYBODY KNOW MY NAME LSP 3620 BCD 16320
    066 TWA4-0618 TAOS, NEW MEXICO LSP 3825 BCD 16320

    FRIDAY
    18 February 1966 [14:00-17:30] RCA Victor Studio, 800 17th Ave. South, Nashville, TN – Waylon Jennings (Waylon Jennings [vcl], Jerry Reed [gt], Velma Smith [gt], Charlie McCoy [gt -- BASS HARMONICA on "Norwegian Wood"], Norbert Putman [bass], Jerry Carrigan [drums], Hargus Robbins [piano] + Anita Kerr Singers. Producer: Chet Atkins)
    067 TWA4-0623 YOU'RE GONNA WONDER ABOUT ME LSP 3620 BCD 16320
    068 TWA4-0624 NORWEGIAN WOOD 47-8822/ LSP 3736 BCD 16320
    069 TWA4-0625 I TREMBLE FOR YOU LSP 3825 BCD 16320
    070 TWA4-0626 LEAVIN' TOWN LSP 3620 BCD 16320



    I haven't dug into very many RCA Nashville sessions, but their much-ballyhooed new Studio "A" was never as popular as the older Studio "B," was it? Elvis always used "B," right?

    [​IMG]




    BTW: Dylan returned to Columbia's Nashville studios on March 7, 1966 to complete the rest of the tracks for Blonde on Blonde; that very same week, his future bandmate Roy Orbison (alias Lefty Wilbury) was recording for the M.G.M. label just a stone's throw away over at RCA. I wonder if either one of them was aware of the other's presence back then?

    9 March 1966 RCA Victor Studio, 800 17th Ave. South, Nashville, TN – Roy Orbison (Roy Orbison [vcl] + unknown musicians. Producer: Wesley Rose and Jim Vienneau)
    144 66-XY-472 WHERE IS TOMORROW K13498/SE 4379
    145 66-XY-489 CITY LIFE SE 4379
    146 66-XY-490 GROWING UP SE 4379
    147 66-XY-491 JUST ANOTHER NAME FOR ROCK AND ROLL SE 4379
    148 no TWINKLE TOES [remix] unissued


    POSTSCRIPT: In May of 1966, after completing the filming of Spinout! in California, Elvis returned to RCA Studio "B" in Nashville to record his stellar gospel album, How Great Thou Art; he also cut some other tracks that ended up on the Spinout! soundtrack LP -- including that haunting version of Bob Dylan's "Tomorrow Is A Long Time." It was recorded on May 26th, while Dylan himself was in England, finishing up his legendary '66 world tour with two shows at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
     
  22. Richard--W

    Richard--W Forum Resident

    Terrific cover version of Tomorrow Is A Long Time. I've always liked it.

    Dylan must have been thrilled that Elvis was recording one of his songs.
     
  23. Flaming Torch

    Flaming Torch Forum Resident

    Somewhere out there is Dylan quote stating the Elvis "Tomorrow Is A Long Time" was his favourite cover of one of his songs.

    Re She's Your Lover Now similar to Caribbean Wind in that it is a great song never fully realised in the studio. I too always have wondered what a Nashville version would be like and why Bob never attempted it there. I guess he had some new songs and unlike Visions of Johanna (which was in the acoustic set list) did not think it worth having another go at recording She's Your Lover Now.
     
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  24. HominyRhodes

    HominyRhodes Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Chicago
    I think that Dylan abandoned "She's Your Lover Now" after he recorded "One of Us Must Know," which seems to have been a less venomous take on the same subject matter.

    The other song that Dylan never quite recorded to his own satisfaction in NYC was "I'll Keep It With Mine." He apparently planned on trying it again in Nashville, since we have that beautiful instrumental version (or versions) done by his backing musicians, but unfortunately he never laid down a vocal take himself. And he's never revisited the song again, either, which is a real shame.
     
  25. Richard--W

    Richard--W Forum Resident

    When BS 12 was announced I expected to find a thorough session on
    "I'll Keep It With Mine" in the big-blue box. A disappointment in an
    otherwise immaculately beautiful set for the ages.

    Tribute has started what is rapidly becoming my favorite thread on
    the forum, everybody should check it out:

    Bob Dylan - The Early Live Show Thread (1960 through 1964)
     

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