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Rating: Bootleg? What is a Bootleg? What are Bootlegs? They are records produced and sold without the authorization of the copyright holder. Often they are recordings of concerts obtained with hidden microphones, and other times they are material recorded directly by the record company, which is later set aside. Not quite safe enough, it seems. There are an infinite number of bootlegs containing material of Dylan from various periods of his career. From the early adolescent recordings to the very latest concerts. There is no period of Dylan that hasn't been scrutinized and laid bare by these publications. And I am immensely happy about it.
But let's talk about the album in question. It's 1962 and Bob is busy recording what will be his second album and his first masterpiece.
"The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan" to be released the following year.
Bob Dylan freewheeling, indeed. The album contains his first famous masterpieces: The devastating "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall", the brilliant melancholy of "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright", the intelligent irony of "Talkin' World War Three Blues", and the essential sweetness of "Girl From The North Country". Dylan's creative genius is being born.
The recordings take place in New York between April and November. Many songs will be discarded. Great material unjustly left out. These unfortunate exclusions are included in the album I want to talk about: "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan Outtakes".
Bob is elated. He is having fun. Swept away by his creative drive. Original songs of heartbreaking beauty alternate with energetic and carefree covers. Exceptional Songwriter songs ("Let Me Die In My Footsteps"), Folk ("The Ballad Of Hollis Brown") and Blues ("Milkcow's Calf Blues") reign supreme. But there's something unexpected. Something that won't be heard at all (or almost) in the official release. A Band accompanies him on some songs. A rich sound. Energetic. Brilliant. An accompaniment that seems to whirl around the expressive voice of the unleashed sprite. Sounds that at times seem to come from the album "Bringing It All Back Home" a few years later.
Our precious bootleg opens with "Baby Please Don't Go", an old blues first recorded by Big Joe Williams in 1935, a song that many have "touched" over the years. Bob doesn't do badly on the guitar, and the beloved harmonica can play freely between verses, hopping up and down. But the best is yet to come. Let's see the highlights.
The second track on the album, "Corrina, Corrina", can leave you speechless with its delicateness. The fingers slide confidently over the guitar. The voice leaves a trail of melancholy after each phrase. A perfect performance.
Then, out of nowhere, comes "Mixed Up Confusion" (3 different takes offered on this album) introduced by a playful singing that says: "I got mixed up confusion, man it's a-killin' me." Bob lights the fuse, and the Band explodes, and he dives right in. The drum rolls wildly while the piano, bass, harmonica, and a sharp little guitar do the rest. A perfect springboard for phrases like: "I'm looking for answers, but I don't even know who to ask!". Same "electric" treatment for "It's Alright Mama" (Elvis's first hit) and for one of the two takes of "Rocks And Gravel".
One of the jewels of the album is certainly "Let Me Die In My Footsteps". Destined to become one of the most famous exclusions of Dylan's production. With a knowing voice, he sings: "some who believe the end is near instead of learning to live learn to die".
We also find "Lonesome Whistle Blues", a cover of the old hit by the beloved Hank Williams (one of young Bob's early idols).
This bootleg should not replace the official album. But it can complement and complete it impeccably.
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