Bob Dylan Blood On The Tracks Alternative

I just picked up the January issue of the british magazine Uncut with Bob Dylan on the cover. The featured article is the making of "Blood On The Tracks" It's a must read for any Dylan fan. Especially someone like myself who is relatively new to getting into Dylan. It also comes with a choice of CD's the one I chose is songs that influenced Bob Dylan. The other is songs that were influenced by Bob Dylan. It's a fantastic story on how at the last minute on the eve of the album release on Christmas day 1974. Bob changed his mind and re-recorded several tracks and changed the lyrics. You can access the Uncut website and listen to both versions of each song. I hope that this link works.

http://www.uncut.co.uk/music/bob_dylan/special_features/398

 

There's a whole book written about the Blood on the Tracks sessions titled Simple Twist of Fate by Andy Gill and Kevin Odegard. The Uncut article is good, but the book is even more detailed. Well worth checking out.

Steve

 

I much prefer the early version of this album to what was eventually released, but that's just me.

 

I'm kinda with you. Just listened to the CD this morning, strangely enough. The original version has a whole different vibe than the released album, moodier, but not as strident. I love his humming in "You're a Big Girl Now", much better than the yelping on the legit release.

 

Is there anything else that was supposed to be on the original LP that hasn't been released on the Bootleg series Vol. 1-3? I also like the original version of "You're A Big Girl Now". I'm assuming there are boots out there of what the original album was supposed to sound like.
If so how is the quality?

 

I can't answer the first part of your question offhand, but the sound quailty of the boot that I have (BOT, The NY Sessions) is very good. I believe that it's a transfer of the original acetate, though I could be mistaken.

 

After hearing the original, the released version just seems way too agressive. I never listen to the regular version anymore, it just annoys me somehow.

 

Technically, I don't believe any of the discarded tracks from the original BLOOD ON THE TRACKS have been released officially. "You're a Big Girl Now" on BIOGRAPH is a remix. "Tangled Up In Blue" and "If You See Her Say Hello" on BOOTLEG SERIES are different takes, I believe. "Idiot Wind" I think is the same basic take, but missing the organ overdubs (which are praised in the liner notes!) and some vocal "punch-ins." The acoustic "Lily, Rosemary, and The Jack of Hearts" remains unreleased.

All bootlegs that I know of are sourced from the LP test pressing. It seems that a bootleg called NEW YORK SESSIONS has become the standard bearer. It's a pretty good needle drop, but there is a skip on the beginning of "Idiot Wind" on all the copies of it that I've heard.

 

Off the top of my head:
"Lily, Rosemary & the Jack of Hearts" - original NY version not officially released.
"Idiot Wind" - original NY version not officially released. Version on Bootleg Series is missing organ (spooky wind) overdubs, seems to be "pre-acetate"/demo version.
"Tangled Up In Blue" - original version not officially released. Version on Bootleg Series missing some overdubs, forget which though, seems to be "pre-acetate"/demo version.
"Call Letter Blues" - demo version of "Meet Me in the Morning" - not really part of Acetate
"Shelter From The Storm" - (Jerry Maguire Soundtrack) demo version - not really part of Acetate

I have and love the original NY boot and I am probably in the minority of the "collector/cognoscenti" contingent, but I really think the official released version is the stronger of the two.

 

Crystal clear.

Edit: BTW, I was listening to the NY disc with a friend once and he told me that at some point, 'If You See Her, Say Hello' got twisted into 'If You See Her, Say **** Off'. Is this true at all? Maybe an off-the-cuff live thing? I don't recall where he said he'd heard it.

 

That makes two of us. While I think one or two of the discarded original NY versions are far stronger than the later Minneapolis re-recordings, the original NY album as a whole sounds a little monotonous. It's 50 minutes of slow acoustic songs, all in the same open tuning. The released version is a far more varied and (if such a word can be used about an album that's so much about pain) pleasant listening experience than the original NY version, IMO.

 

I prefer a hybrid of the two. I like the New York If You See Her and You're A Big Girl better, and the Minnesota Tangled Up In Blue and Lily Rosemary better. I like both Idiot Winds, depending on my mood. I've burned two "ideal" versions of this album. With the above choices, and one with the NY Idiot Wind and one with the Minn. Idiot Wind. Interesting listening.

Jeff

 

Looks very interesting. Are you aware of any books that cover the Blonde On Blonde years?

 

That's great stuff I must somehow try and find the NY boot.

 

Blood on the Tracks is my favorite Dylan album, and I love both the unreleased version and the offically-released version. I think the original versions of "Tangled Up In Blue" and and "Idiot Wind" are equal to the versions on the album, and the difference in lyrics and mood cast another light on the album. I prefer the New York version of "Lily, Rosemary, and the Jack of Hearts," but like the Minnesota version of "If You See Her, Say Hello." I don't think the original version is necessary better than the released version, but it is still brilliant, and offers deeper insights into the album.

The "Blood on the Tracks: New York Sessions" boot, as some have said here, is a needle-drop of an acetate or test-pressing. There's some very slight surface noise between tracks, but thankfully I don't hear any NR used. The boot sounds very clear and warm and has excellent sound quality, other than the slight skip at the very beginning of "Idiot Wind."

 

It's the nature of the beast, I guess. If they had declicked it we'd all be bitching about the declicking.

 

"Like The Night" by C.P. Lee, though it primarily focuses on the 1966 tour.

 

I've considered burning my own BLOOD ON THE TRACKS, but the only thing I know for sure is that I'd replace "Meet Me In The Morning" with "Call Letter Blues". I'm of the firm belief that the absence of "Call Letter Blues" (in it's original form) was done for personal and not artistic reasons.

 

I vastly prefer the version of "Idiot Wind" on the Boolteg Series. The vocal on the released album version sounds "hammy" or "forced" by comparison.

I think a major reason Bob rerecorded this stuff was listening to the finished lp playback and all thru the disc you could hear his jacket buttons loudly clacking on the guitar. I played some tracks for a buddy (version a of one song and version b of same song kind of comparisons) and this new Dylan listener picked up on the "button clacks" right away.

 

The Genuine Bootleg Series Vol 1-3 have the original, NY versions of 4 of the 5 that were ultimately replaced. The 5th track not included on the Genuine Bootleg Series is "You're A Big Girl Now," found on "Biograph."

The transfers on "Genuine Bootleg Series" are different than the ones done for the "NY Sessions" boot that seems to use an entire copy of the original acetate. What's very odd about the "NY Sessions" boot is that the pitch fluctuates on every track, it's not consistent. Compare the 5 NY tracks that were retained for the official release and "You're A Big Girl Now," which may be a remix but is still the same performance and basically a little drier, a pretty minor change in the mix. Sometimes tracks on the "NY Sessions" boot are off by a small fraction of a semitone, some by almost a whole. Problem is, it's tough to tell how off the unreleased NY tracks are - you could play them yourself and through trial and error determine which key is too difficult, but that's about it. Dylan supposedly ran through all his songs in numerous different keys, arrangements, tempos, etc. during the NY sessions.

 

I prefer my "Blood On The Tracks" exactly as it was originally released. Bob made the right choice.

 

I too prefer the released version, but I prefer "Lily, Rosemary..." on the NY version. It actually makes it tolerable. "Tangled" is superb on the NY tape too, but not quite as good. My collection wouldn't be complete without both the NY and standard album however...both are essential!

 

The closest thing would probably be Bob Dylan: The Recording Sessions by Clinton Heylin. which covers all the recording sessions up to 1994. Other than that, most of the Dylan biographies cover the Blonde on Blonde years and the "Just Like the Night" book covers the 1966 Manchester show.

Steve

 

This is a subjective choice to some extent. The official album is still great. But I think all the rerecordings with the exception of Tangled Up in Blue are weaker than the originals (I think both Tangled's are equally great). Some of the rerecordings like Idiot Wind and Lily, Rosemary... are much weaker, IMHO. I never liked those songs before I heard the NY version. Plus the main difference between the two versions is that the original version is consitent in tone, mood, and to some extent instrumentation (what some called monotonous); the official version has more variety, but sacrifices a great deal of its poigniancy. I don't even own the official version anymore; the NY version is my favorite Dylan album (well after Another Side that is )