Bob Dylan and The Band – The Bootleg Series Vol. 11: The Basement Tapes – Raw (2014) review
Bob Dylan and The Band – The Bootleg Series Vol. 11: The Basement Tapes – Raw (Legacy, 2014)
I’ve been toying with the Basement Tapes since I first heard
about them … and I first heard about them in the mid 60’s as holy grail rumors,
circulating with the reverence of urban legends in Dylan circles. There were
even bootlegged copies of those sessions floating around, with people merely
hinting that they knew a guy who knew a guy who had heard them. There was one
white jacketed vinyl version with a mimeographed flyer taped to the front
[which I wish I still had], then there was a collection of rather poorly
recorded cassettes, and finally, like the parting of the Red Sea, the Basement
Tapes were officially released as a vinyl album. I remember everyone grabbing a copy, thinking
that they were going to gain some personal insight, get clued in, understand
the inter-workings, and perhaps the curtains would be parted, and Mr. Dylan
would at last be revealed.
about them … and I first heard about them in the mid 60’s as holy grail rumors,
circulating with the reverence of urban legends in Dylan circles. There were
even bootlegged copies of those sessions floating around, with people merely
hinting that they knew a guy who knew a guy who had heard them. There was one
white jacketed vinyl version with a mimeographed flyer taped to the front
[which I wish I still had], then there was a collection of rather poorly
recorded cassettes, and finally, like the parting of the Red Sea, the Basement
Tapes were officially released as a vinyl album. I remember everyone grabbing a copy, thinking
that they were going to gain some personal insight, get clued in, understand
the inter-workings, and perhaps the curtains would be parted, and Mr. Dylan
would at last be revealed.
But truth be told, that grouping of songs were rather
uninteresting to me, they certainly didn’t reveal much I didn’t already
know. With more songs from these
sessions surfacing as time went on, the one thing I became more sure of, was
that the best material had already seen the light of day, and that His-Bobness,
his mates, and his mate’s heirs were certainly going to cash in on some serious
bucks. And therein lies the joke of all
time, much like the American Indians taking back all that was theirs from the
white man, one dollar at a time from their casinos, Mr. Dylan found that
anything he touched was gold.
uninteresting to me, they certainly didn’t reveal much I didn’t already
know. With more songs from these
sessions surfacing as time went on, the one thing I became more sure of, was
that the best material had already seen the light of day, and that His-Bobness,
his mates, and his mate’s heirs were certainly going to cash in on some serious
bucks. And therein lies the joke of all
time, much like the American Indians taking back all that was theirs from the
white man, one dollar at a time from their casinos, Mr. Dylan found that
anything he touched was gold.
Since those first Basement Tapes came out Dylan has been
selling harmonicas he’s used on stage, even if he blew one single note on them,
for several hundred dollars, a signed one for even more [actually $5,000], and
I haven’t even gotten to the limited edition signed box set containing several
used during full shows, or his appearance on Pawn Stars. I imagine him, Sharpie in hand, sitting on
his bus rolling down Highway 61 to next town, a pile of harps in front of him,
CNN on the tube, signing late into the lonely night.
selling harmonicas he’s used on stage, even if he blew one single note on them,
for several hundred dollars, a signed one for even more [actually $5,000], and
I haven’t even gotten to the limited edition signed box set containing several
used during full shows, or his appearance on Pawn Stars. I imagine him, Sharpie in hand, sitting on
his bus rolling down Highway 61 to next town, a pile of harps in front of him,
CNN on the tube, signing late into the lonely night.
Well, it’s been nearly 50 years since Garth Hudson so
meticulously cataloged all the comings and goings that transpired during those
heady nights in that Woodstock basement … and here we are today, people still
hungry for anything that Bob Dylan has touched, and to that end, I hope that
you enjoy it, that all your questions get answered, that the clouds evaporate,
the curtains part, that His Royal Bob-ness ascends from your stereo and reveals
truths, like old testament scriptures to your upturned face.
meticulously cataloged all the comings and goings that transpired during those
heady nights in that Woodstock basement … and here we are today, people still
hungry for anything that Bob Dylan has touched, and to that end, I hope that
you enjoy it, that all your questions get answered, that the clouds evaporate,
the curtains part, that His Royal Bob-ness ascends from your stereo and reveals
truths, like old testament scriptures to your upturned face.
But I doubt that will happen …
*** Yes, the Basement Tapes have had a profound effect,
they’ve sparked: One band called The New Basement Tapes, and well over 100
individual albums by other bands who refer to their material as The Basement
Tapes.
they’ve sparked: One band called The New Basement Tapes, and well over 100
individual albums by other bands who refer to their material as The Basement
Tapes.
Review made by Jenell Kesler/2014
© Copyright http://psychedelicbaby.blogspot.com/2014
