BOB DYLAN’s “Complete Basement Tapes” Record Collection

For the longest time, BOB DYLAN’s “Basement Tapes” was thought to consist of the 14 original songs he sent out as Dwarf Music publishing demos in 1967, bootlegged extensively and later doctored up for official release 8 years later. It came as quite the surprise to the music world when in 1986 it was learned that in addition to the much ballyhooed and covered demo recordings, there was a much larger trove of recordings (130+ songs in all), consisting of more Dylan originals as well as a bounty of cover songs. The cover songs appear to have been chosen by Dylan himself and provide a glimpse not only into his personal record collection but also into the music that informed the basement songs we already knew about, if not his entire catalog. Dylan and the Hawks (as they were last called) were all playing pretty much for themselves (the idea of creating demos  for others materialized sometime later during the recordings) and were made with a total disregard for the musical fashions of the time. The complete Basement Tapes (released last year) provide an unparalleled fly-on-the-wall moment in American musical history where the listener is able to crash a party to which no one was invited.
It should be noted that not all the songs on this collection are the original versions but rather the versions that Dylan most likely used as source material. The songs he chose to cover were not quite as diverse as they might appear at first glance. Five songs come from Canadian folk duo and Greenwich Village friends Ian and Sylvia (three from their Four Strong Winds album alone), four songs come from Johnny Cash, and three come from various Clancy Brothers (an act known to have been one of Dylan's favorites in his early years). All the inspirations for the Basement Tapes sessions provide a survey of Dylan’s folk and C&W influences. For the most part tracks are presented here in the presumed order Dylan and the Hawks recorded them over an eight month period in 1967. (Mark R.)trax Vol 1:
1. My Bucket's Got a Hole in It '49 - Hank Williams 2. Mr. Blue '59 - The Fleetwoods 3. Belchazaar '57 - Johnny Cash 4. I Forgot to Remember to Forget '55 - Elvis Presley 5. You Win Again '52 - Hank Williams 6. Still in Town '64 - Johnny Cash 7. Waltzing with Sin '54 - Sonny Burgess 8. Big River '57 - Johnny Cash 9. Folsom Prison Blues '56 - Johnny Cash 10. Bells of Rhymney '59 - Pete Seeger 11. Spanish Is a Loving Tongue '63 - Ian & Sylvia 12. Rosin Le Beau '59 - The Clancy Brothers 13. Cool Water '34 - The Sons of the Pioneers 14. Royal Canal (The Auld Triangle) '65 - Liam Clancy 15. Poor Lazarus '63 - Ian & Sylvia 16. Johnny Todd '60 - Bob Roberts 17. Tupelo Blues '59 - John Lee Hooker 18. You Gotta Quit Kickin' My Dog Around '27 - Gid Turner & the Skillet Lickers 19. (See You) Later Alligator (Alan Ginsburg) '65 - Bobby Charles 20. Four Strong Winds '63 - Ian & Sylvia 21. The French Girl '65 - Ian & Sylvia 22. Joshua Goes Barbados '63 - Eric Von Schmidt 23. I'm in the Mood for Love '51 - John Lee Hooker
trax Vol 2:

1. Baby Ain't That Fine '66 - Gene Pitney & Melba Montgomery 2. Rock, Salt and Nails '65 - Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs 3. Fool Such As I '52 - Hank Snow 4. Song for Canada '65 - Ian & Sylvia 5. People Get Ready '65 - The Impressions 6. I Don't Hurt Anymore '53 - Hank Snow 7. Be Careful of the Stones That You Throw '52 - Luke the Drifter (Hank Williams) 8. Lang A-Growing '65 - Liam Clancy 9. Bonnie Ship the Diamond '62 - Judy Collins 10. Buffalo Skinners (Hills of Mexico) '45 - Woody Guthrie 11. Down on Me '63 - Eric Von Schmidt 12. All American Boy '59 - Bobby Bare (As Bill Parsons) 13. A Satisfied Mind '54 - Red Hayes 14. Ain't No More Can (On the Brazos) '33 - Ernest Williams & James (Ironhead) Baker 15. 900 Miles From My Home '45 - Woody Guthrie 16. Goin' Down the Road Feeling Bad '44 - Woody Guthrie 17. Wildwood Flower '28 - The Carter Family 18. One Kind Favor (See That My Grave Is Kept Clean) '28 - Blind Lemon Jefferson 19. If I Were a Carpenter '66 - Tim Hardin 20. Confidential '56 - Sonny Knight 21. Silhouettes '56 - The Rays 22. Come All Ye Fair and Tender Ladies '52 - The Carter Sisters 23. Will (Can) the Circle Be Unbroken '33 - The Carter Family

…Compiled By Mark R. / served by Gyro1966…