Philzone.org Discussion Board: Archive 2004: Music Talk Archive 2004: Dylan's 1973 "Dylan" album

I've never been much of a Dylan fan, but back in college I had this old tape which had some Dylan like I'd never heard. This cool version of Big Yellow Taxi w/ chicks singing in the background, Mr. Bojangles, and a few others. I absolutley loved this tape and played it to death. It also opened me up to giving Dylan more of a chance in general, although so often I just can't get past the voice to really dig the music. In any case, after doing some research, it seems pretty clear that he and most everyone else consider this to be his biggest heap of shit album ever. And I love it. But I can't find any traces of it available anywhere. Does anyone know if it exists on CD in any version, or if any of the tunes made it onto any compilations or anything?

Funny, 4-Way Street is widely panned as CSN's biggeset heap of shit, and it's also by far my favorite album of theirs. I hung out at a bar a few years back, having drinks w/ Stills, and asked him what he thought of 4-Way stree. He said it sucks as bad as they said it does. Just goes ta show...

Poz, I love 4-Way Street, also.

I wish the mobile fidelity'd folks would get their sonic labs on of that double album.

Neil's "Southern Man" and Stills' "Carry On" are both stellar.

Re the Dylan '73 album of covers. From what I've read in various Dylan biographies, this particular album, full name "Dylan (A Fool Such As I)", was released as some kind of revenge by Columbia Records after Dylan defected to Asylum Records. It's made up entirely of out-takes - basically a series of warm-up numbers recorded by Dylan and various band members. They were never meant for release.

After Dylan went back to Columbia, said album was duly consigned to history and forgotten.

My tutor at university had a vinyl copy of it and included some songs from it when he did me a tape of "Nashville Skyline" and a bootleg album of Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash sessions. I always liked those songs ("Take A Message To Mary", "Lily Of The West", "Big Yellow Taxi" etc). Would be nice to hear them on CD (my cassette is completely worn out from repeated listening). Doubt Dylan would approve though.

I also love "4 Way Street" although I prefer the first disc of acoustic material. The electric stuff is funky but I've never been too happy with the sound quality. Poor recording? Poor mixing? It's certainly not had as much playing time as Disc 1.

Ru

The electric stuff is funky but I've never been too happy with the sound quality. Poor recording? Poor mixing?




I wish the mobile fidelity'd folks would get their sonic labs on of that double album.

I have this (Dylan'73 A Fool Such As I) on disc if anyone wants it.Email me your address and I'll drop a copy in the mail for you.

Ru is right on about the Columbia Dylan album
I (and I'm sure Gunner and others) can reccomend some similar Bob if needed, just let me know

4 Way Street has always been a fave, but the quality is shitty and from what I've been told (and read) it's overdubbed to death
Get the boots, I just got an MSG 72 I think that is far superior

>>>I (and I'm sure Gunner and others) can reccomend some similar Bob if needed, just let me know


Please do!

I have this (Dylan'73 A Fool Such As I) on disc if anyone wants it.Email me your address and I'll drop a copy in the mail for you.



Thanks Brother - just e-mailed ya.

Ru.

poz,

Okay you may have / or have heard some of these

If you like bluegrass, americana, American Beauty era GD, etc. get The Basement Tapes 5 cd set with The Band, NOT the Columbia release from 76
This is essential stuff in the history of rock, many of these cuts were just for fun or demos for the publishing company (Quinn the Eskimo for one!) lots of other gems and covers too

I'm sure others will have other opinions but I think to understand the craft of Bob ht efirst three or four albums are essential (or 6!)
Bob Dylan, Freewheelin, Another Side, Times, Bringing It, and Highway 61

From there get the Live 1966, this was bootlegged for years and is some of the best live music by anyone EVER

Blonde on Blonde is a double album of blusey psychedelia & other types, ltsa fun stuff and classics too like Memphis Blues and Sad Eyed Lady
Easily one of the best albums of all time

Nashville Skyline is some Country funk, it's great & fun plus has a Johnny Cash cameo
To boot Bob summoned up a voice on this disc that never appeared again, very unique and interesting

New Morning has some good stuff, but it's uneven
I like it and it's similar and from the same time period basically as the Dylan cassette you had
Of note here is If Dogs Run Free, Day of the Locusts and The Man in Me

John Wesley Harding is really interesting. It's got a biblical, western folk sound on it that I've never really heard anywhere else, not everyone will like this, it's great for the original readings of All Along The Watchtower and Drifter's Escape both made famous by Jimi

since we're there I'll dismiss Pat Garret & Billy the Kid sountrack album, it's allright but you're not missing anything except the original Knockin on Heaven's Door

Ah Planet Waves ! Great stuff, although there are some clunkers, features The Band recorded dry and nice, Tough Mama, Hazel, and 2 versions of Forever Young - one with a great Robbie Robertson solo !

Before The Flood is the 74 tour with The Band live album. The coked up arrangements are fun but the recording quality is blah
I have some boots from this tour that I like better

Self Portrait is alot like that Dylan album you had but Bob had a hand in it, interesting cover of The Boxer, all in all I pass

Blood on The Tracks may be the best album Bob ever made. There's really nothing I can say about it that does it justice
The themes and emotions projected across it are all places we've been. It's alays fun too to listen to the original Simple Twist

Desire may be my personal favorite. The saga of Ruben "Hurricane" Carter on one side and "Joey" on the other (Joey Gallo ? I think) priceless
This album also features Emmylou Harris doing her thing backing on almost every track
Oh Sister, One More Cup of Coffe, Isis - this is another album where Bob went somewhere never to return, very unique. Also features Jaques Levy as co-writer and fiddler/ violinist on these gypsy jems. Black Diamond Bay is an awesome song, hell I like em all, even Sara. Mozambique always makes me smile

I'm moving over and on to Oh Mercy, Bob's l;ate 80s masterpiece that signalled his return. Although it's got his sound and some say Daniel Lanois production (think Peter Gabriel, U2) makes the album, it's really all in the songs. Like Desire and BOTT and JWH there's a unique universe Bob takes us to
Every song is a winner, Political World and Everything is broken are rockers, others are spooky - it's swampy & great, Dignity was cut at this time and is an awesome cut - I have the outtakes and alternate mixes fromthis record and I really dig them

I won't reccomend too many live official releases except the Bootleg series ones that have been dripping out over the past 10 years (Thanks ! Columbia) but I will reccomend Hard Rain
1976 I think, it was a performance for a never aired Dylan TV special / concert that was never aired. I guess Bob liked it and released it - I do too
The Maggie's Farm and Oh Sister on here are splendid -

Not too crazy about all biblically based years but I really like Slow Train and Saved, you may too

I'm skipping up to Infidels, it has the awesome Jokerman, I & I, and Liscense to Kill PLUS you get Sly & Robbie AND Mark Knopfler a very cool little band for this disc

Other ones I haven't mentioned I'm not that fond of, but others are. There are three 90's albums that if you dig old blues and folk, Leadbelly / Guthrie / Folkways type stuff you'll dig "Time out of Mind" "Good as I been" and "World Gone Wrong"

The MTV Unplugged album IS actually really really good, awesome song selection, well played, very unlike Bob to show up to a filming and act like he cared, but he nails it

Dylan & The Dead - There's no reason to have this when you can get the 5-CD rehersals with the boys from Club Front which are far superior, I do like this Slow Train though

Down in the Groove has one of the rare exceptions on a Dylan album, two songs written by someone else - Robert Hunter ! Thats right here you get Silvio & Ugliest Girl in The World, with Jerry Bob and Brent on board for those two cuts, interesting to us Heads, but the rest is uneven

Love & Theft - his most recent release is very very good, it's a different Bob, older and wary, but it's just so damn good

The Live 1975 Tour that just came out as part of The Bootleg Series is excellent as well, it's from that Blood on the Tracks / Desire era. A Tour called The Rolling Thunder Review that was a rteal knockout, great energy and vocals from all

Well thats it, I don't think I've missed anything essential. If you like live music and after you've digested these feel free to email me for some live Bob, I have some of the more famous shows from The Never Ending Tour, outakes from the late 60's, The Basement Tapes, Dylan & Dead rehersals, some good born again shows and some great mid-80's rockers from London & Paris

Have Fun

"Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid" is best experienced by watching the movie - a sad, powerful epic from the great Sam Peckinpah (my hero!).

Ok, I'm going to own up to liking "Empire Burlesque". Sorry!

My favourite Dylan, hands down, is Bootleg Series Vol 5. ("Hard Rain" is a good companion volume although it lacks the superb sound of the more recent release. Still, "Maggie's Farm" IS awesome, as is "Shelter From The Storm").

I like the movie, it's a little dated, but I think on it's own the record falters a bit

Yeah I like Empire, I think it's one of those things . . . .
If you like pears you'll like asian pears, if you don't like pears you won't. I wouldn't play it for someone I was trying to initiate, but there's a Dylan for everyman !

Shelter is great on that ! I like all the Bootleg Series, I remember when Vol.1, 2 & 3 were out - HOLY cow !

Bootleg Series 1-3 is awesome, as is Vol 4. Once again, I have my tutor (now my friend/mentor) to thank for introducing me to the infamous '66 gig featured in Vol 4. He had a bootleg of the electric show on vinyl, the cover of which incorrectly identified it as a performance from the Royal Albert Hall. The sound quality was very rough so it was great to hear it properly and complete with the acoustic show.

Interestingly, my tutor used to be good friends with the late John Bauldie, who wrote the liner notes for Vol 1-3. They were at university together in the 60s and remained in touch sporadically over the years. At one point, my tutor was going to invite Bauldie over to do a talk in one of our Popular Culture classes but tragically he was killed in a helicopter crash before the phone call was made.

Ru

Nice summation Dazy.

Hey Hedspace, I'd trade you for the Fool Such as I cd. emotw

Nice Job Lazy.

I think the best album for someone to get that doesnt have any Bob Dylan would be the Bootleg series 1-3! Those cds are so fucking awesome! I have played the shit outta three copies. gotta get a new one again. go buy this today if you dont already own it.

What about Under the Red Sky? I really like that song, and Harrison's slide work on it, but I haven't heard the whole album..

Infidels - Oh Mercy - Blood On The Tracks - Desire in that order

Darkhorse,

Under The Red Sky is a mixed bag, I liked it and spun it when it came out, then it receded
Cats In the Well survived and was a tour staple for a while, a good barn burner, Wiggle Wiggle is pretty funny
Stuff was done in the Wilbury era, like Petty's Full Moon Fever & The Nobody's Child single by Harrison

>>>I have this (Dylan'73 A Fool Such As I) on disc if anyone wants it.Email me your address and I'll drop a copy in the mail for you.

hed I sent you an email but hadn't heard back yet. We were talking about trading something (I forget what at the moment) a while ago, so I'm going to send whatever I told you I'd send and hopefully you can fire the Dylan back my way.

thanks,
poz