Which "Basement Tapes" do you prefer? (Poll)

Disc: 1
1. Odds and Ends
2. Orange Juice Blues (Blues for Breakfast)
3. Million Dollar Bash
4. Yazoo Street Scandal
5. Goin' to Acapulco
6. Katie's Been Gone
7. Lo and Behold!
8. Bessie Smith
9. Clothes Line Saga
10. Apple Suckling Tree
11. Please, Mrs. Henry
12. Tears of Rage

Disc: 2
1. Too Much of Nothing
2. Yea! Heavy and a Bottle of Bread
3. Ain't No More Cane
4. Crash on the Levee (Down in the Flood)
5. Ruben Remus
6. Tiny Montgomery
7. You Ain't Goin' Nowhere
8. Don't Ya Tell Henry
9. Nothing Was Delivered
10. Open the Door, Homer
11. Long Distance Operator
12. This Wheel's on Fire




CD 1:
1. Edge of the Ocean
2. My Bucket's Got a Hole in It
3. Roll on Train
4. Mr. Blue
5. Belshazzar
6. I Forgot to Remember to Forget
7. You Win Again
8. Still in Town
9. Waltzing with Sin
10. Big River (Take 1)
11. Big River (Take 2)
12. Folsom Prison Blues
13. Bells of Rhymney
14. Spanish is the Loving Tongue
15. Under Control
16. Ol' Roison the Beau
17. I'm Guilty of Loving You
18. Cool Water
19. The Auld Triangle
20. Po' Lazarus
21. I'm a Fool for You (Take 1)
22. I'm a Fool for You (Take 2)

CD 2:
1. Johnny Todd
2. Tupelo
3. Kickin' My Dog Around
4. See You Later Allen Ginsberg (Take 1)
5. See You Later Allen Ginsberg (Take 2)
6. Tiny Montgomery
7. Big Dog
8. I'm Your Teenage Prayer
9. Four Strong Winds
10. The French Girl (Take 1)
11. The French Girl (Take 2)
12. Joshua Gone Barbados
13. I'm in the Mood
14. Baby Ain't That Fine
15. Rock, Salt and Nails
16. A Fool Such As I
17. Song for Canada
18. People Get Ready
19. I Don't Hurt Anymore
20. Be Careful of Stones That You Throw
21. One Man's Loss
22. Lock Your Door
23. Baby, Won't You be My Baby
24. Try Me Little Girl
25. I Can't Make it Alone
26. Don't You Try Me Now

CD 3:
1. Young but Daily Growing
3. The Hills of Mexico
4. Down on Me
5. One for the Road
6. I'm Alright
7. Million Dollar Bash (Take 1)
8. Million Dollar Bash (Take 2)
9. Yea! Heavy and a Bottle of Bread (Take 1)
10. Yea! Heavy and a Bottle of Bread (Take 2)
11. I'm Not There
12. Please Mrs. Henry
13. Crash on the Levee (Take 1)
14. Crash on the Levee (Take 2)
15. Lo and Behold! (Take 1)
16. Lo and Behold! (Take 2)
17. You Ain't Goin' Nowhere (Take 1)
18. You Ain't Goin' Nowhere (Take 2)
19. I Shall be Released (Take 1)
20. I Shall be Released (Take 2)
21. This Wheel's on Fire
22. Too Much of Nothing (Take 1)
23. Too Much of Nothing (Take 2)

CD 4:
1. Tears of Rage (Take 1)
2. Tears of Rage (Take 2)
3. Tears of Rage (Take 3)
4. Quinn the Eskimo (Take 1)
5. Quinn the Eskimo (Take 2)
6. Open the Door Homer (Take 1)
7. Open the Door Homer (Take 2)
8. Open the Door Homer (Take 3)
9. Nothing Was Delivered (Take 1)
10. Nothing Was Delivered (Take 2)
11. Nothing Was Delivered (Take 3)
12. All American Boy
13. Sign on the Cross
14. Odds and Ends (Take 1)
15. Odds and Ends (Take 2)
16. Get Your Rocks Off
17. Clothes Line Saga
18. Apple Suckling Tree (Take 1)
19. Apple Suckling Tree (Take 2)
20. Don't Ya Tell Henry
21. Bourbon Street

CD 5:
1. Blowin' in the Wind
2. One Too Many Mornings
3. A Satisfied Mind
4. It Ain't Me, Babe
5. Ain't No More Cane (Take 1)
6. Ain't No More Cane (Take 2)
7. My Woman She's A-Leavin'
8. Santa-Fe
9. Mary Lou, I Love You Too
10. Dress it up, Better Have it All
11. Minstrel Boy
12. Silent Weekend
13. What's it Gonna be When it Comes Up
14. 900 Miles from My Home
15. Wildwood Flower
16. One Kind Favor
17. She'll be Coming Round the Mountain
18. It's the Flight of the Bumblebee
19. Wild Wolf
20. Goin' to Acapulco
21. Gonna Get You Now
22. If I Were A Carpenter
23. Confidential
24. All You Have to do is Dream (Take 1)
25. All You Have to do is Dream (Take 2)

CD 6:
1. 2 Dollars and 99 Cents
2. Jelly Bean
3. Any Time
4. Down by the Station
5. Hallelujah, I've Just Been Moved
6. That's the Breaks
7. Pretty Mary
8. Will the Circle be Unbroken
9. King of France
10. She's on My Mind Again
11. Goin' Down the Road Feeling Bad
12. On a Rainy Afternoon
13. I Can't Come in with a Broken Heart
14. Next Time on the Highway
15. Northern Claim
16. Love is Only Mine
17. Silhouettes
18. Bring it on Home
19. Come All Ye Fair and Tender Ladies
20. The Spanish Song (Take 1)
21. The Spanish Song (Take 2)






CD 1:
1. Open the Door, Homer (Restored version)
2. Odds and Ends (Alternate version)
3. Million Dollar Bash (Alternate version)
4. One Too Many Mornings (Unreleased)
5. I Don't Hurt Anymore (Unreleased)
6. Ain't No More Cane (Alternate version)
7. Crash on the Levee (Restored version)
8. Tears of Rage (Without overdubs)
9. Dress it up, Better Have it All (Unreleased)
10. I'm Not There (Previously released)
11. Johnny Todd (Unreleased)
12. Too Much of Nothing (Alternate version)
13. Quinn the Eskimo (Restored version)
14. Get Your Rocks Off (Unreleased)
15. Santa-Fe (Previously released)
16. Silent Weekend (Unreleased)
17. Clothes Line Saga (Restored version)
18. Please, Mrs. Henry (Restored version)
19. I Shall be Released (Restored version)

CD 2:
1. You Ain't Goin' Nowhere (Alternate version)
2. Lo and Behold! (Alternate version)
3. Minstrel Boy (Previously released)
4. Tiny Montgomery (Without overdubs)
5. All You Have to do is Dream (Unreleased)
6. Goin' to Acapulco (Without overdubs)
7. 900 Miles from My Home (Unreleased)
8. One for the Road (Unreleased)
9. I'm Alright (Unreleased)
10. Blowin' in the Wind (Unreleased)
11. Apple Suckling Tree (Restored version)
12. Nothing Was Delivered (Restored version)
13. Folsom Prison Blues (Unreleased)
14. This Wheel's on Fire (Without overdubs)
15. Yea! Heavy and a Bottle of Bread (Restored version)
16. Don't Ya Tell Henry (Alternate version)
17. Baby, Won't You be My Baby (Unreleased)
18. Sign on the Cross (Unreleased)
19. You Ain't Goin' Nowhere (Without overdubs)

 

You only have one listening session. Which album do you go with?

 

You really need to include the mono 'Basement Tape' RSD release (original acetate). For me, that's the definitive condensation of these sessions (with the big box next, for obvious reasons). It's also the best sounding release these sessions have ever had.

 

You didn't include the 2012 Mobile Fidelity release.

 

I agree about the sound of the original acetate and would love for it to surface, but I remember HATING The Basement Tapes when I first heard them. The contrast with Blood on the Tracks and Desire was too much to handle.

I sort of understood the appeal, but I didn't really get it until I heard Tree With Roots. Turns out that the therapeutic dosage of The Basement Tapes for me is somewhere north of 100 tracks.

I still find that, rather than dipping in for a few favorites, I prefer setting aside any other listening plans until I work my way through the whole set again.

 

YES!

 

No love for Raw?

 

Could someone post (or direct me to) a tracklist for the RSD release? Thanks.

 

I don't quite know what you mean here: the original acetate mix was released commercially on vinyl the month before last, so it has 'surfaced' - unless you mean something else?

 

here's the text info i have for it:

This is a Record Store Day exclusive release of the original 14 track acetate sent to artists to consider recording these Dylan compositions recorded during the (in)famous “Basement Tapes” sessions.

Tracklist:
01. Million Dollar Bash 2:35
02. Yea Heavy and A Bottle ‘o Bread 2:16
03. Please Mrs. Henry 2:34
04. Crash On The Levee 2:06
05. Low and Behold 2:50
06. Tiny Montgomery 2:57
07. If Your Memory Serves You Well (This Wheel’s On Fire) 3:55
08. You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere 2:46
09. Any Day Now (I Shall Be Released) 3:58
10. Too Much Of Nothing 2:54
11. Tears Of Rage 4:04
12. The Mighty Quinn 2:03
13. Open The Door Homer 2:53
14. Nothing Has Delivered 4:26

it REALLY sounds great...i have the 6-disc complete box...which is awesome, of course - but i have been listening to this a lot over the last few weeks...

 

I will always have a sweet soft spot for the 1975 release, even as I acknowledge that it was botched, and bettered by the Complete BS11 release. But the Complete BS11 release is the one.

 

A Tree With Roots

I must admit this is one case where I actually didn't pick up the "official" full enchilada (I do have the 1975 album/CD), because, as Bob himself once said, "I thought everybody already had 'em!"

Can you imagine if that had actually been released in 1967?

 

All three are good. I think the '75 album Robbie Robertson pulled together is unfairly slagged -- yeah, it's not an historical representation of what actually went on in the basement either in terms of material or sonics, but it's a great album and worth listening to one it's own terms for the great Band songs and performances on there -- "Bessie Smith" and "Ain't No More Cane" and "Katie's Been Gone."

That said, when I turn to the basement tapes it's stuff like "Bonnie Ship the the Diamond" and "First Time on the Highway" and the Johnny Cash covers like "Big River" and "Balzhazzar" and less commonly heard originals like "All I Have to Do Is Dream" and "One Man's Loss" that I turn to as much as the great demo songs like "Tears of Rage" that we originally heard in '75. Plus, for me, the magic of the basement tapes is in the range, the mood, the homemade DIY quality, the fact that crazy whacked out versions of Gid Tannen tunes bump up against great originals like "Goin' to Acapulo" and unfinished, evanescent songs that suggest latent greatness like "She's Not There"...the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. To me, every attempt to try to reduce it to a listenable, professional type of releaseable album for the average listener just kind of takes the magic out of the whole thing. Excerpted and abridged versions make for much easier more approachable listening, but in the end they're all missing something.

 

The RSD Mono Basement Tape is the one. Everything else is second rate to my ears.

 

I love the Band songs on the '75 release. I got the 3-CD version last year and don't listen to it as much as the original.

 

If you love the Basement Tapes why would you not want the complete version?

 

Ah! I didn't know that! Great news! So how about, "released on anything but vinyl."

I'm glad it's on vinyl, and should definitely have appeared on vinyl first...but.....

 

RSD single disc for me. It flows really nicely and is (for me) the essential version.

 

Truthfully, for a normal listening session, I prefer my own 2-disc condensed version of the "Complete" set. The original 2LP set is a great album, and includes some of my favorite songs by The Band ever. However, passing it off as the "real basement tapes" does somewhat tarnish its reputation historically.

 

I do have and value the complete version, but the 1975 album selects the best songs, IMO, and also adds a handful of stellar Band songs. It's a more concentrated coherent listening experience as an album, to me.

 

I have only recently purchased the Complete version and am still immersing myself in it. What tiny doubts I had about getting the larger edition, disappeared almost straight away after pressing 'play'. The further I went into it, the more I liked it. And when I reached the end...I went back to Disc 1 and started again. And the second play through had me more enthralled than the first. I'm still digging it immensely, as a whole. The covers, both well known and obscure...and the originals, whether complete songs or just wonderful little snippets, just hang together perfectly. The whole thing just sounds so wonderfully laid back it's a joy to behold.

I did have a question, however, for anyone here who has both the Complete and Raw sets : is there, or are there, any tracks on Raw that are unique to it? Or any mixes that are unique to it and not on the Complete set?

 

Is the 1975 "Basement Tapes" the only one to include songs by The Band without Bob Dylan?

 

Yes. Though you can hear these tracks and scattershot other Band material recorded during this period on the "unofficial" Genuine Basement Tapes and Basement Reels collections, as well as the official Across the Great Divide and A Musical History comps, and the remastered Music From Big Pink expanded edition.

Suffice it to say, a coherent, comprehensive collection of this material presented in optimum audio (as long rumored) is long overdue...