Bob Dylan &#8211; The Bootleg Series Volume 18 Review

Bob Dylan

The Bootleg Series Volume 18: Through The Open Window, 1956-1963

★★★★★

COLUMBIA/LEGACY

Is pre-electrification Bob Dylan underrated? That’s the impression that forms as one dives into these unreleased windows on his early metamorphoses. Maybe not OG rock’n’roll Dylan – a fragment of Bob and school pals essaying Let The Good Times Roll here is charming but not strictly ‘good’ – but certainly the folk student and neophyte songwriter compiled in the bulk of this treasure trove.

An alternate 1961 take of Man Of Constant Sorrow showcases the extraordinary ‘old man’ voice that would make his first three albums feel so out of time, while Freewheelin’ outtake Rocks And Gravel exemplifies the funky phrasing and unerring right hand of his best early work.

The parallel blossoming of a writer and performer climaxes in two discs of Dylan’s October 26, 1963 show at Carnegie Hall, the apotheosis of the vibrating imagery and magnetic command of his breakthrough phase, where Ballad Of Hollis Brown is a demonic spell but in truth every damn song is a transcendence. Who needs electricity?

Through The Open Window, 1956-1963 is out October 31 on Columbia Legacy.

ORDER: Amazon | Rough Trade | HMV

Tracklisting:

8-CD Version

Disc 1:

Let the Good Times Roll (Terlinde Music Shop, St. Paul, MN, 1956)

I Got a New Girl (Informal Recording, Hibbing, MN, 1959)

San Francisco Bay Blues (Informal Recording, Minneapolis, MN, 1960)

Jesus Christ (Informal Recording, Minneapolis, MN, 1960

East Virginia Blues (Informal Recording, Madison, WI, 1960)

K.C. Moan (Informal Recording, Madison, WI, 1960)

Bob Dylan with Danny Kalb

Hard Travelin’ (Informal Recording, Madison, WI, 1960)

Bob Dylan with Danny Kalb

Pastures of Plenty (Informal Recording, East Orange, NJ, 1961)

Remember Me (Informal Recording, East Orange, NJ, 1961)

Song to Woody (The Gaslight Cafe, NYC, 1961)

Talkin’ Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues (The Gaslight Cafe, NYC, 1961)

Ain’t No Grave (Informal Recording, NYC, 1961)

I Ain’t Got No Home (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 1961)

Death Don’t Have No Mercy (Party, Minneapolis, MN, 1961)

Devilish Mary (Party, Minneapolis, MN, 1961)

Introduction: Riverside Church (Riverside Church, NYC, 196)

Handsome Molly (Riverside Church, NYC, 1961)

Introduction: See That My Grave Is Kept Clean (Gerdes Folk City, NYC, 1961)

See That My Grave Is Kept Clean (Gerdes Folk City, NYC, 1961)

The Girl I Left Behind (Gerdes Folk City, NYC, 1961)

Introduction: Pretty Boy Floyd (Gerdes Folk City, NYC, 1961)

Pretty Boy Floyd (Gerdes Folk City, NYC, 1961)

Bob Dylan with Jim Kweskin

Railroading on the Great Divide (Gerdes Folk City, NYC, 1961)

Bob Dylan with Jim Kweskin

Introduction: Fixin’ to Die (Folklore Center, NYC, 1961)

Fixin’ to Die (Folklore Center, NYC, 1961

Bob Dylan with Dave Van Ronk

I’ll Fly Away (Carolyn Hester Alternate Take, NYC, 1961)

Carolyn Hester with Bob Dylan

Disc 2:

Introduction: In the Pines (Carnegie Chapter Hall, NYC, 1961)

In the Pines (Carnegie Chapter Hall, NYC, 1961)

Gospel Plow (Carnegie Chapter Hall, NYC, 1961)

Introduction: Young But Daily Growing (Carnegie Chapter Hall, NYC, 1961)

Young But Daily Growing (Carnegie Chapter Hall, NYC, 1961)

Man on the Street (Carnegie Chapter Hall, NYC, 1961)

This Land Is Your Land (Carnegie Chapter Hall, NYC, 1961)

Pretty Polly (Carnegie Chapter Hall, NYC, 1961)

Man of Constant Sorrow (Bob Dylan Rehearsal, NYC, 1961)

House Carpenter (Bob Dylan Outtake, NYC, 1961)

You’re No Good (Bob Dylan Alternate Take, NYC, 1961)

He Was a Friend of Mine (Bob Dylan Outtake, NYC, 1961)

Ramblin’ Round (Bob Dylan Outtake, NYC, 1961)

Story: East Orange, New Jersey (Party, Minneapolis, MN, 1961)

Stealin’ (Party, Minneapolis, MN, 1961)

Po’ Lazarus (Party, Minneapolis, MN, 1961)

Dink’s Song (Party, Minneapolis, MN, 1961)

I Was Young When I Left Home (Party, Minneapolis, MN, 1961)

In the Evening (Party, Minneapolis, MN, 1961)

Baby, Let Me Follow You Down (Party, Minneapolis, MN, 1961)

Cocaine (Party, Minneapolis, MN, 1961)

Disc 3:

The Death of Emmett Till (WBAI-FM, NYC, 1962)

Conversation: Folksinger’s Choice, 1 (WBAI-FM, NYC, 1962)

Roll On, John (WBAI-FM, NYC, 1962)

Conversation: Folksinger’s Choice, 2 (WBAI-FM, NYC, 1962)

Hard Times in New York Town (WBAI-FM, NYC, 1962)

Talkin’ John Birch Paranoid Blues (Informal Recording, NYC, 1962)

Ballad of Donald White (Informal Recording, NYC, 1962)

Midnight Special (The Midnight Special Rehearsals, NYC, 1962)

Harry Belafonte with Bob Dylan

Midnight Special (The Midnight Special Alternate Take, NYC, 1962)

Harry Belafonte with Bob Dylan

Wichita (Three Kings and the Queen Album Version, NYC, 1962)

Big Joe Williams with Bob Dylan

It’s Dangerous (Kings and the Queen, Volume Two Album Version, NYC, 1962)

Victoria Spivey with Bob Dylan and Big Joe Williams

Honey, Just Allow Me One More Chance (Gerdes Folk City, NYC, 1962)

Talkin’ New York (Gerdes Folk City, NYC, 1962)

Corrina, Corrina (Gerdes Folk City, NYC, 1962)

Deep Ellum Blues (Gerdes Folk City, NYC, 1962)

Introduction: Blowin’ in the Wind (Gerdes Folk City, NYC, 1962) – 0:00:19

Blowin’ in the Wind (Gerdes Folk City, NYC, 1962)

Rambling, Gambling Willie (Freewheelin’ Outtake, NYC, 1962)

(I Heard That) Lonesome Whistle (Freewheelin’ Outtake, NYC, 1962)

Rocks and Gravel (Freewheelin’ Outtake, NYC, 1962)

Paths of Victory (Broadside Office, NYC, 1962)

Train A-Travelin’ (Broadside Reunion Album Version, NYC, 1962)

Hiram Hubbard (The Finjan, Montreal, 1962)

Quit Your Low Down Ways (The Finjan, Montreal, 1962)

Let Me Die in My Footsteps (The Finjan, Montreal, 1962)

Ramblin’ on My Mind (The Finjan, Montreal, 1962)

Blue Yodel No. 8 (Mule Skinner Blues) (The Finjan, Montreal, 1962)

Disc 4:

Baby, Please Don’t Go (Freewheelin’ Outtake, NYC, 1962)

Worried Blues (Freewheelin’ Outtake, NYC, 1962)

Baby, I’m in the Mood for You (Freewheelin’ Outtake, NYC, 1962)

Bob Dylan’s Blues (Freewheelin’ Alternate Take, NYC, 1962)

Introduction: Tomorrow Is a Long Time (Party, Minneapolis, MN, 1962)

Tomorrow Is a Long Time (Party, Minneapolis, MN, 1962)

This Land Is Your Land – The Last Verses (Party, Minneapolis, MN, 1962)

Long Time Gone (Party, Minneapolis, MN, 1962)

A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall (The Gaslight Cafe, NYC, 1962)

Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right (The Gaslight Cafe, NYC, 1962)

Barbara Allen (The Gaslight Cafe, NYC, 1962)

The Cuckoo (The Gaslight Cafe, NYC, 1962)

That’s All Right (Freewheelin’ Outtake, NYC, 1962)

Mixed-Up Confusion (Single Alternate Take, NYC, 1962)

Ballad of Hollis Brown (Freewheelin’ Outtake, NYC, 1962)

Kingsport Town (Freewheelin’ Outtake, NYC, 1962)

Whatcha Gonna Do? (Freewheelin’ Outtake, NYC, 1962)

Hero Blues (Freewheelin’ Outtake, NYC, 1962)

I Shall Be Free (Freewheelin’ Alternate Take, NYC, 1962)

Disc 5:

The Ballad of the Gliding Swan (BBC-TV, London, 1963)

Only a Hobo (Broadside Ballads Album Version, NYC, 1963)

John Brown (Broadside Ballads Album Version, NYC, 1963)

All Over You (Informal Recording, NYC, 1963)

Bob Dylan with Happy Traum and Gil Turner

Oxford Town (Witmark Demo, NYC, 1963)

Bob Dylan’s Dream (Town Hall, NYC, 1963)

Introduction: Walls of Red Wing (Town Hall, NYC, 1963)

Walls of Red Wing (Town Hall, NYC, 1963)

Introduction: Tomorrow Is a Long Time (Town Hall, NYC, 1963)

Tomorrow Is a Long Time (Town Hall, NYC, 1963)

Dusty Old Fairgrounds (Town Hall, NYC, 1963)

Introduction: Pretty Peggy-O (Town Hall, NYC, 1963)

Pretty Peggy-O (Town Hall, NYC, 1963)

Who Killed Davey Moore? (Town Hall, NYC, 1963)

Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie (Town Hall, NYC, 1963)

James Alley Blues (Informal Recording, NYC, 1963)

I Rode Out One Morning (Informal Recording, NYC, 1963)

House of the Rising Sun (Informal Recording, NYC, 1963)

Talkin’ World War III Blues (Club 47, Cambridge, MA, 1963)

Masters of War (Freewheelin’ Alternate Take, NYC, 1963)

Girl from the North Country (Freewheelin’ Alternate Take, NYC, 1963)

Disc 6:

Introduction by Cordell Reagon (SNCC Rally, Greenwood, MS, 1963)

Only a Pawn in Their Game (SNCC Rally, Greenwood, MS, 1963)

Blowin’ in the Wind (SNCC Rally, Greenwood, MS, 1963)

Eternal Circle (Party, Minneapolis, MN, 1963)

Liverpool Gal (Party, Minneapolis, MN, 1963)

West Memphis (Party, Minneapolis, MN, 1963)

Bob Dylan with Tony Glover

North Country Blues (Newport Folk Festival, RI, 1963)

With God on Our Side (Newport Folk Festival, RI, 1963)8

Bob Dylan with Joan Baez

Playboys and Playgirls (Newport Folk Festival, RI, 1963)

Bob Dylan with Pete Seeger

Blowin’ in the Wind (Newport Folk Festival, RI, 1963)

Bob Dylan with with Joan Baez, Peter, Paul & Mary, The Freedom Singers, Pete Seeger

Slate: Boots of Spanish Leather (The Times They Are A-Changin’ Sessions, NYC, 1963)

Boots of Spanish Leather (The Times They Are A-Changin’ Alternate Take, NYC, 1963)

Seven Curses (The Times They Are A-Changin’ Outtake, NYC, 1963)

Farewell (The Times They Are A-Changin’ Outtake, NYC, 1963)

Bob Dylan’s New Orleans Rag (The Times They Are A-Changin’ Outtake, NYC, 1963)

Moonshiner (The Times They Are A-Changin’ Outtake, NYC, 1963)

Introduction by Joan Baez (Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, NYC, 1963)

Troubled and I Don’t Know Why (Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, NYC, 1963)

Bob Dylan with Joan Baez

Introduction by Ossie Davis (March on Washington, Washington, D.C., 1963)

When the Ship Comes In (March on Washington, Washington, D.C., 1963)

Bob Dylan with Joan Baez

The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll (Party, Los Angeles, 1963)

The Times They Are A-Changin’ (Informal Recording, Los Angeles, 1963)

One Too Many Mornings (The Times They Are A-Changin’ Alternate Take, NYC, 1963)

Key to the Highway (The Times They Are A-Changin’ Outtake, NYC, 1963)

Disc 7:

The Times They Are A-Changin’ (Carnegie Hall, NYC, 1963)

Ballad of Hollis Brown (Carnegie Hall, NYC, 1963)

Introduction: Who Killed Davey Moore? (Carnegie Hall, NYC, 1963)

Who Killed Davey Moore? (Carnegie Hall, NYC, 1963)

Boots of Spanish Leather (Carnegie Hall, NYC, 1963)

Talkin’ John Birch Paranoid Blues (Carnegie Hall, NYC, 1963)

Lay Down Your Weary Tune (Carnegie Hall, NYC, 1963)

Introduction: Blowin’ in the Wind (Carnegie Hall, NYC, 1963)

Blowin’ in the Wind (Carnegie Hall, NYC, 1963)

Introduction: Percy’s Song (Carnegie Hall, NYC, 1963)

Percy’s Song (Carnegie Hall, NYC, 1963)

Seven Curses (Carnegie Hall, NYC, 1963)

Walls of Red Wing (Carnegie Hall, NYC, 1963)

Introduction: North Country Blues (Carnegie Hall, NYC, 1963)

North Country Blues (Carnegie Hall, NYC, 1963)

A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall (Carnegie Hall, NYC, 1963)

Disc 8:

Talkin’ World War III Blues (Carnegie Hall, NYC, 1963)

Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right (Carnegie Hall, NYC, 1963)

Story: Hootenanny Hoot (Carnegie Hall, NYC, 1963)

With God on Our Side (Carnegie Hall, NYC, 1963)

Only a Pawn in Their Game (Carnegie Hall, NYC, 1963)

Introduction: Masters of War (Carnegie Hall, NYC, 1963)

Masters of War (Carnegie Hall, NYC, 1963)

Introduction: The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll (Carnegie Hall, NYC, 1963)

The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll (Carnegie Hall, NYC, 1963)

Introduction: When the Ship Comes In (Carnegie Hall, NYC, 1963)

When the Ship Comes In (Carnegie Hall, NYC, 1963)

2-CD Version

Disc 1:

Let the Good Times Roll (Terlinde Music Shop, St. Paul, MN, 1956)

I Got a New Girl (Informal Recording, Hibbing, MN, 1959)

Jesus Christ (Informal Recording, Minneapolis, MN, 1960)

K.C. Moan (Informal Recording, Madison, WI, 1960)

Bob Dylan with Danny Kalb

Remember Me (Informal Recording, East Orange, NJ, 1961)

Railroading on the Great Divide (Gerdes Folk City, NYC, 1961)

Bob Dylan with Jim Kweskin

Man of Constant Sorrow (Bob Dylan Rehearsal, NYC, 1961)

He Was a Friend of Mine (Bob Dylan Outtake, NYC, 1961)

Ramblin’ Round (Bob Dylan Outtake, NYC, 1961)

Story: East Orange, New Jersey (Party, Minneapolis, MN, 1961)

Po’ Lazarus (Party, Minneapolis, MN, 1961)

Dink’s Song (Party, Minneapolis, MN, 1961)

I Was Young When I Left Home (Party, Minneapolis, MN, 1961)

Cocaine (Party, Minneapolis, MN, 1961)

Talkin’ New York (Gerdes Folk City, NYC, 1962)

Corrina, Corrina (Gerdes Folk City, NYC, 1962)

(I Heard That) Lonesome Whistle (Freewheelin’ Outtake, NYC, 1962)

Rocks and Gravel (Freewheelin’ Outtake, NYC, 1962)

Let Me Die in My Footsteps (The Finjan, Montreal, 1962)

Tomorrow Is a Long Time (Party, Minneapolis, MN, 1962)

Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right (The Gaslight Cafe, NYC, 1962)

The Cuckoo (The Gaslight Cafe, NYC, 1962)

The Ballad of the Gliding Swan (BBC-TV, London, 1963)

John Brown (Broadside Ballads Album Version, NYC, 1963)

Dusty Old Fairgrounds (Town Hall, NYC, 1963)

Disc 2:

House of the Rising Sun (Informal Recording, NYC, 1963)

Seven Curses (The Times They Are A-Changin’ Outtake, NYC, 1963)

Masters of War (Freewheelin’ Alternate Take, NYC, 1963)

Girl from the North Country (Freewheelin’ Alternate Take, NYC, 1963)

Liverpool Gal (Party, Minneapolis, MN, 1963)

Boots of Spanish Leather (The Times They Are A-Changin’ Alternate Take, NYC, 1963)

Moonshiner (The Times They Are A-Changin’ Outtake, NYC, 1963)

The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll (Party, Los Angeles, 1963)

The Times They Are A-Changin’ (Informal Recording, Los Angeles, 1963)

Who Killed Davey Moore? (Carnegie Hall, NYC, 1963)

Lay Down Your Weary Tune (Carnegie Hall, NYC, 1963)

Blowin’ in the Wind (Carnegie Hall, NYC, 1963)

North Country Blues (Carnegie Hall, NYC, 1963)

A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall (Carnegie Hall, NYC, 1963)

Talkin’ World War III Blues (Carnegie Hall, NYC, 1963)

Only a Pawn in Their Game (Carnegie Hall, NYC, 1963)

When the Ship Comes In (Carnegie Hall, NYC, 1963)

4-LP Version

LP 1, Side A – 21:03:

Let the Good Times Roll (Terlinde Music Shop, St. Paul, MN, 1956)

I Got a New Girl (Informal Recording, Hibbing, MN, 1959)

Jesus Christ (Informal Recording, Minneapolis, MN, 1960)

K.C. Moan (Informal Recording, Madison, WI, 1960)

Bob Dylan with Danny Kalb

Remember Me (Informal Recording, East Orange, NJ, 1961)

Railroading on the Great Divide (Gerdes Folk City, NYC, 1961)

Bob Dylan with Jim Kweskin

Man of Constant Sorrow (Bob Dylan Rehearsal, NYC, 1961)

He Was a Friend of Mine (Bob Dylan Outtake, NYC, 1961)

Ramblin’ Round (Bob Dylan Outtake, NYC, 1961)

LP 1, Side B – 18:40

Story: East Orange, New Jersey (Party, Minneapolis, MN, 1961)

Po’ Lazarus (Party, Minneapolis, MN, 1961)

Dink’s Song (Party, Minneapolis, MN, 1961)

I Was Young When I Left Home (Party, Minneapolis, MN, 1961)

Cocaine (Party, Minneapolis, MN, 1961)

LP 2, Side C – 20:25:

Talkin’ New York (Gerdes Folk City, NYC, 1962)

Corrina, Corrina (Gerdes Folk City, NYC, 1962)

(I Heard That) Lonesome Whistle (Freewheelin’ Outtake, NYC, 1962)

Rocks and Gravel (Freewheelin’ Outtake, NYC, 1962)

Let Me Die in My Footsteps (The Finjan, Montreal, 1962)

Tomorrow Is a Long Time (Party, Minneapolis, MN, 1962)

LP 2, Side D – 17:47:

Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right (The Gaslight Cafe, NYC, 1962)

The Cuckoo (The Gaslight Cafe, NYC, 1962)

The Ballad of the Gliding Swan (BBC-TV, London, 1963)

John Brown (Broadside Ballads Album Version, NYC, 1963)

Dusty Old Fairgrounds (Town Hall, NYC, 1963)

LP 3, Side E – 21:00:

House of the Rising Sun (Informal Recording, NYC, 1963)

Seven Curses (The Times They Are A-Changin’ Outtake, NYC, 1963)

Masters of War (Freewheelin’ Alternate Take, NYC, 1963)

Girl from the North Country (Freewheelin’ Alternate Take, NYC, 1963)

Liverpool Gal (Party, Minneapolis, MN, 1963)

LP 3, Side F – 17:28:

Boots of Spanish Leather (The Times They Are A-Changin’ Alternate Take, NYC, 1963)

Moonshiner (The Times They Are A-Changin’ Outtake, NYC, 1963)

The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll (Party, Los Angeles, 1963)

The Times They Are A-Changin’ (Informal Recording, Los Angeles, 1963)

LP 4, Side G – 15:42:

Who Killed Davey Moore? (Carnegie Hall, NYC, 1963)

Lay Down Your Weary Tune (Carnegie Hall, NYC, 1963)

Blowin’ in the Wind (Carnegie Hall, NYC, 1963)

North Country Blues (Carnegie Hall, NYC, 1963)

LP 4, Side H – 20:10:

A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall (Carnegie Hall, NYC, 1963)

Talkin’ World War III Blues (Carnegie Hall, NYC, 1963)

Only a Pawn in Their Game (Carnegie Hall, NYC, 1963)

When the Ship Comes In (Carnegie Hall, NYC, 1963)

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