Bob Dylan has announced the latest instalment of his acclaimed Bootleg series. The Bootleg Series Volume 18: Through The Open Window, 1956-1963 charts Dylan’s evolution from a big dreamin’ wannabe in Hibbing, Minnesota to folk rock’s times a-changin’ poet genius. Its eight discs feature a wealth of previously unheard home recordings, studio outtakes, and live recordings, including a complete recording of his landmark concert at New York’s Carnegie Hall on October 26, 1963. You can hear a previously unreleased take of Rocks And Gravel, taken for the sessions for 1963’s The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, from the new boxset below:
It’s a remarkable story told in full in the latest issue of MOJO – on sale now – in which Dorian Lynskey delves into the Greenwich Village folk scene milieu to hear from the friends and contemporaries who witnessed Dylan’s transformation first-hand.
As part of the journey, Lynskey takes a trip back to St Paul, Minnesota on Christmas Eve, 1956 where Bobby Zimmerman made his first-ever acetate recording and uncovers a teenage rock’n’roll obsession Dylan tried to keep hidden when he became the toast of the Village a few years later:
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READ MORE: Bob Dylan’s Greatest Songs, as chosen by Paul McCartney, Nick Cave, Patti Smith and more…
“I played all the folk songs with a rock’n’roll attitude,” Dylan told Cameron Crowe in 1985. “This is what made me different and allowed me to cut through all the mess and be heard.” True enough, but at the time Dylan went out of his way to avoid talking about the flamboyant teenage greaser from Minnesota whose ambition in his high-school yearbook was “to join Little Richard”.
Looking back, Dylan related his adolescent obsession to the looming spectre of nuclear war, framing it as a protest against death: “Rock’n’roll made you oblivious to the fear.” More prosaically, it was thrillingly new, all wrapped up with girls, motorbikes and getting out of Hibbing. On Christmas Eve 1956, 15-year-old Bobby Zimmerman walked into a booth in a music shop in St Paul, Minnesota, with his friends Larry Kegan and Howard Rutman and made his first ever acetate recording, a rock’n’roll medley under the name the Jokers, a fragment of which – a crackly stab at Shirley & Lee’s 1956 hit, Let The Good Times Roll – kicks off the new T__hrough The Open Window box.
That was just a lark but soon he was fronting high-school bands: The Shadow Blasters, The Golden Chords, The Satin Tones, The Rock Boppers. He played piano standing up like Little Richard and dressed like James Dean in Rebel Without A Cause. His confidence was inexplicably bulletproof. His high-school girlfriend Echo Helstrom recalled that he “lived in his own world… playing like they were clapping, when they were really booing”.
On January 31, 1959, Dylan saw Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper play the Duluth Armory. Within days, all three were dead in a plane crash but his rock’n’roll ambitions survived a few months longer. That summer, he played piano for Fargo, North Dakota’s very own aspiring teen idol Bobby Vee under the aggravating pseudonym Elston Gunnn. (At one point, he outrageously claimed that he had also played for Elvis and Little Richard.) Then, almost overnight, he converted to folk music and dismissed his former favourites as unserious. “Life is full of complexities,” he later said, “and rock’n’roll didn’t reflect that.”
The truth, as Dylan later admitted to Robert Shelton, was that he still listened to Elvis records in Greenwich Village but only “when nobody else was around”. It was a private indulgence, unhelpful to his career. His disastrous debut single Mixed-Up Confusion (an outtake features on Through The Open Window) must have cemented this belief. John Hammond pushed him into his first recording with a full band (Dylan goes electric!) but this misguided trifle evaporated upon release in October 1962 and scared off Dylan from trying again until 1965. The explosive fusion of folk and rock’n’roll, so latent within him, would have to wait a while.
"It was earth-shaking..."
Get the latest issue of MOJO to uncover the full story behind the dawn of Bob Dylan's career in Manhattan’s crucible of folk, poetry and politics from the friends and peers who watched it happen. Plus! Get an exclusive alternate take of One Too Many Mornings on our accompanying The Best Of Greenwich Village 1950-1965 CD. More information and to order a copy HERE!
Bob Dylan’s Bootleg Series Volume 18: Through The Open Window, 1956-1963 is out October 31 on Columbia Records / Legacy Recordings.
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BOOTLEG SERIES VOLUME 18: THROUGH THE OPEN WINDOW, 1956-1963 FULL TRACKLIST:
DISC 1
1. LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL
December 24, 1956 – Terlinde Music Shop, St. Paul, MN
2. I GOT A NEW GIRL
May 1959 – Home of Ric Kangas, Hibbing, MN
3. SAN FRANCISCO BAY BLUES
4. JESUS CHRIST
September 1960 – Home of Bob Dylan, Minneapolis, MN
5. EAST VIRGINIA BLUES
6. K.C. MOAN
7. HARD TRAVELIN’
Late 1960 – Madison, WI
8. PASTURES OF PLENTY
9. REMEMBER ME
February 1961 – Home of Bob and Sid Gleason, East Orange, NJ
10. SONG TO WOODY
11. TALKIN’ BEAR MOUNTAIN PICNIC MASSACRE BLUES
September 6, 1961 – The Gaslight Cafe, NYC
12. AIN’T NO GRAVE
Summer 1961 – Home of Mell and Lillian Bailey, NYC
13. I AIN’T GOT NO HOME
May 13, 1961 – Coffman Theater, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
14. DEATH DON’T HAVE NO MERCY
15. DEVILISH MARY
May 1961 – Minneapolis, MN
16. Introduction: RIVERSIDE CHURCH
17. HANDSOME MOLLY
July 29, 1961 – Saturday of Folk Music (WRVR-FM), Riverside Church, NYC
18. Introduction: SEE THAT MY GRAVE IS KEPT CLEAN
19. SEE THAT MY GRAVE IS KEPT CLEAN
20. THE GIRL I LEFT BEHIND
21. Introduction: PRETTY BOY FLOYD
22. PRETTY BOY FLOYD
23. RAILROADING ON THE GREAT DIVIDE
October 1, 1961 – Gerdes Folk City, NYC
24. Introduction: FIXIN’ TO DIE
25. FIXIN’ TO DIE
1961 – Folklore Center, NYC
26. I’LL FLY AWAY – Take 1 (Alternate Take)*
September 29, 1961 – Carolyn Hester sessions,Studio A, Columbia Recording Studios, NYC
DISC 2
1. Introduction: IN THE PINES
2. IN THE PINES
3. GOSPEL PLOW
4. Introduction: YOUNG BUT DAILY GROWING
5. YOUNG BUT DAILY GROWING
6. MAN ON THE STREET
7. THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND*
8. PRETTY POLLY
November 4, 1961 – Carnegie Chapter Hall, NYC
9. MAN OF CONSTANT SORROW – Rehearsal (Alternate Take, Nov 20, 1961)
10. HOUSE CARPENTER – Take 1 (Outtake, Nov 22, 1961)*
11. YOU’RE NO GOOD – Take 2 with Take 6 Insert (Alternate Take, Nov 20, 1961)
12. HE WAS A FRIEND OF MINE – Take 2 (Outtake, Nov 20, 1961)*
13. RAMBLIN’ ROUND – Take 2 (Outtake, Nov 22, 1961)*
Bob Dylan sessions Studio A, Columbia Recording Studios, NYC
14. Story: EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY
15. STEALIN’
16. PO’ LAZARUS
17. DINK’S SONG*
18. I WAS YOUNG WHEN I LEFT HOME*
19. IN THE EVENING
20. BABY, LET ME FOLLOW YOU DOWN
21. COCAINE
December 22, 1961 – Home of Bonnie Beecher, Minneapolis, MN
DISC 3
1. THE DEATH OF EMMETT TILL
2. Conversation: FOLKSINGER’S CHOICE, 1
3. ROLL ON, JOHN*
4. Conversation: FOLKSINGER’S CHOICE, 2
5. HARD TIMES IN NEW YORK TOWN
Broadcast March 11, 1962 – Folksinger’s Choice,WBAI-FM Studios, NYC
6. TALKIN’ JOHN BIRCH PARANOID BLUES
March 1962 – Home of Mell and Lillian Bailey, NYC
7. BALLAD OF DONALD WHITE
September 20, 1962 – Home of Mac and Eve McKenzie, NYC
8. MIDNIGHT SPECIAL – Rehearsals
9. MIDNIGHT SPECIAL – Take 17 (Alternate Take)
February 2, 1962 – The Midnight Special sessions, Webster Hall, NYC
10. WICHITA (Album Version)*
11. IT’S DANGEROUS (Album Version)*
March 2, 1962 – Three Kings and the Queen and Kings and the Queen, Volume Two sessions, Cue Recording Studios, NYC
12. HONEY, JUST ALLOW ME ONE MORE CHANCE**
13. TALKIN’ NEW YORK**
14. CORRINA, CORRINA*
15. DEEP ELLUM BLUES**
16. Introduction: BLOWIN’ IN THE WIND
17. BLOWIN’ IN THE WIND*
April 16, 1962 – Gerdes Folk City, NYC
18. RAMBLING, GAMBLING WILLIE – Take 3 (Outtake)**
19. (I HEARD THAT) LONESOME WHISTLE – Take 2 (Outtake)**
April 24, 1962 – Freewheelin’ sessions, Studio A, Columbia Recording Studios, NYC
20. ROCKS AND GRAVEL – Take 3 (Outtake)**
April 25, 1962 – Freewheelin’ sessions, Studio A, Columbia Recording Studios, NYC
21. PATHS OF VICTORY
22. TRAIN A-TRAVELIN’ (Album Version)*
October-December 1962 – Broadside Office, NYC
23. HIRAM HUBBARD**
24. QUIT YOUR LOW DOWN WAYS**
25. LET ME DIE IN MY FOOTSTEPS**
26. RAMBLIN’ ON MY MIND**
27. BLUE YODEL NO. 8 (MULE SKINNER BLUES)**
July 2, 1962 – The Finjan, Montreal, Canada
Disc 4
1. BABY, PLEASE DON’T GO – Take 3 (Outtake)**
April 25, 1962 – Freewheelin’ sessions, Studio A, Columbia Recording Studios, NYC
2. WORRIED BLUES – Take 1 (Outtake)**
3. BABY, I’M IN THE MOOD FOR YOU – Take 4 (Outtake)**
4. BOB DYLAN’S BLUES – Take 2 (Outtake)**
July 9, 1962 – Freewheelin’ sessions, Studio A, Columbia Recording Studios, NYC
5. Introduction: TOMORROW IS A LONG TIME
6. TOMORROW IS A LONG TIME
7. THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND – The Last Verses
8. LONG TIME GONE
August 11, 1962 – Home of Dave Whitaker, Minneapolis, MN
9. A HARD RAIN’S A-GONNA FALL*
10. DON’T THINK TWICE, IT’S ALL RIGHT*
11. BARBARA ALLEN*
12. THE CUCKOO*
October 1962 – The Gaslight Cafe, NYC
13. THAT’S ALL RIGHT – Take 5 (Outtake)**
October 26, 1962 – Freewheelin’ sessions, Studio A, Columbia Recording Studios, NYC
14. MIXED-UP CONFUSION – Take 10 (Single Alternate Take)**
November 1, 1962 – Freewheelin’ sessions, Studio A, Columbia Recording Studios, NYC
15. BALLAD OF HOLLIS BROWN – Take 2 (Outtake)**
16. KINGSPORT TOWN – Take 2 (Outtake)*
November 14, 1962 – Freewheelin’ sessions, Studio A, Columbia Recording Studios, NYC
17. WHATCHA GONNA DO? – Remake, Take 1 (Outtake)**
18. HERO BLUES – Take 4 (Outtake)**
19. I SHALL BE FREE – Take 3 (Alternate Take)**
December 6, 1962 – Freewheelin’ sessions, Studio A, Columbia Recording Studios, NYC
Disc 5
1. THE BALLAD OF THE GLIDING SWAN
Broadcast January 13, 1963 – “Madhouse on Castle Street,” BBC-TV Studios, London, England
2. ONLY A HOBO (Album Version)*
3. JOHN BROWN (Album Version)*
February 1963 – Broadside Ballads, Vol. 1 sessions, Folkways Studio, NYC
4. ALL OVER YOU**
February 8, 1963 – NYC
5. OXFORD TOWN* (Demo)
March 1963 – Witmark Studio, NYC
6. BOB DYLAN’S DREAM*
7. Introduction: WALLS OF RED WING
8. WALLS OF RED WING**
9. Introduction: TOMORROW IS A LONG TIME
10. TOMORROW IS A LONG TIME*
11. DUSTY OLD FAIRGROUNDS**
12. Introduction: PRETTY PEGGY-O
13. PRETTY PEGGY-O**
14. WHO KILLED DAVEY MOORE?**
15. LAST THOUGHTS ON WOODY GUTHRIE*
April 12, 1963 – Town Hall, NYC
16. JAMES ALLEY BLUES**
April 18, 1963 – Home of Mac and Eve McKenzie, NYC
17. I RODE OUT ONE MORNING**
April 19, 1963 – Home of Mac and Eve McKenzie, NYC
18. HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN**
April 18, 1963 – Home of Mac and Eve McKenzie, NYC
19. TALKIN’ WORLD WAR III BLUES
April 21, 1963 – Club 47, Cambridge, MA
20. MASTERS OF WAR – Take 6 (Alternate Take)
21. GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY – Take 4 (Alternate Take)
April 24, 1963 – Freewheelin’ sessions, Studio A, Columbia Recording Studios, NYC
Disc 6
1. Introduction by Cordell Reagon
2. ONLY A PAWN IN THEIR GAME
3. BLOWIN’ IN THE WIND
July 6, 1963 – SNCC Voter Registration Rally, Greenwood, MS
4. ETERNAL CIRCLE
5. LIVERPOOL GAL
6. WEST MEMPHIS
July 17, 1963 – Home of Tony Glover, Minneapolis, MN
7. NORTH COUNTRY BLUES*
8. WITH GOD ON OUR SIDE*
July 27, 1963 – Newport Folk Festival, Newport, RI
9. PLAYBOYS AND PLAYGIRLS*
July 28, 1963 – Newport Folk Festival, Newport, RI
10. BLOWIN’ IN THE WIND*
July 26, 1963 – Newport Folk Festival, Newport, RI; Bob Dylan: vocals and guitar
11. Slate: BOOTS OF SPANISH LEATHER
12. BOOTS OF SPANISH LEATHER – Take 1 (Alternate Take)
13. SEVEN CURSES – Take 3 (Outtake)*
14. FAREWELL – Take 5 (Outtake)*
August 6, 1963 – The Times They Are A-Changin’ sessions, Studio A, Columbia Recording Studios, NYC
15. BOB DYLAN’S NEW ORLEANS RAG – Remake, Take 3 (Outtake)
August 7, 1963 – The Times They Are A-Changin’ sessions, Studio A, Columbia Recording Studios, NYC
16. MOONSHINER – Remake, Take 1 (Outtake)*
August 12, 1963 – The Times They Are A-Changin’sessions, Studio A, Columbia Recording Studios, NYC
17. Introduction by Joan Baez
18. TROUBLED AND I DON’T KNOW WHY*
August 17, 1963 – Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, NYC
19. Introduction by Ossie Davis
20. WHEN THE SHIP COMES IN**
August 28, 1963 – March on Washington, Washington, D.C.
21. THE LONESOME DEATH OF HATTIE CARROLL
September 1963 – Home of Ben Shapiro, Los Angeles
22. THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN’
September 1963 – California
23. ONE TOO MANY MORNINGS – Take 1 (Alternate Take)
October 24, 1963 – The Times They Are A-Changin’ sessions, Studio A, Columbia Recording Studios, NYC
24. KEY TO THE HIGHWAY – Take 1 (Outtake)
October 23, 1963 – The Times They Are A-Changin’ sessions, Studio A, Columbia Recording Studios, NYC
DISC 7
1. THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN’*
2. BALLAD OF HOLLIS BROWN*
3. Introduction: WHO KILLED DAVEY MOORE?
4. WHO KILLED DAVEY MOORE?*
5. BOOTS OF SPANISH LEATHER*
6. TALKIN’ JOHN BIRCH PARANOID BLUES*
7. LAY DOWN YOUR WEARY TUNE*
8. Introduction: BLOWIN’ IN THE WIND
9. BLOWIN’ IN THE WIND**
10. Introduction: PERCY’S SONG
11. PERCY’S SONG**
12. SEVEN CURSES**
13. WALLS OF RED WING**
14. Introduction: NORTH COUNTRY BLUES
15. NORTH COUNTRY BLUES*
16. A HARD RAIN’S A-GONNA FALL*
October 26, 1963 – Carnegie Hall, NYC
DISC 8
1. TALKIN’ WORLD WAR III BLUES**
2. DON’T THINK TWICE, IT’S ALL RIGHT**
3. Story: HOOTENANNY HOOT
4. WITH GOD ON OUR SIDE*
5. ONLY A PAWN IN THEIR GAME**
6. Introduction: MASTERS OF WAR
7. MASTERS OF WAR*
8. Introduction: THE LONESOME DEATH OF HATTIE CARROLL
9. THE LONESOME DEATH OF HATTIE CARROLL*
10. Introduction: WHEN THE SHIP COMES IN
11. WHEN THE SHIP COMES IN*
October 26, 1963 – Carnegie Hall, NYC
* ALL TRACKS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED
** Previously released on 50th Anniversary Collection 1962 and
The 50th Anniversary Collection 1963 (Sony)
Main photo: 17-year-old Hibbing High School student Robert Zimmerman, September 1958