Bob Dylan - 24 - 1971 white label - 14 track b**tl*g vinyl - From Witmark Demos

	£		22
	$		29

Bob Dylan - 24 - 1971 white label - 14 track - b**tl*g vinyl

Behold!  A selection of tracks recorded back in the early 1960s for Witmark, Dylan's music publisher.  These tracks are now quite freely available as part of The Dylan Bootleg Sessions on Columbia; however back in 1971 they were extremely scarce and rarely heard.  Hence this somewhat private (and quite unofficial) pressing, copies of which were traded secretly between the hippest of Bobcats.  

At the time of release, record companies and artists refused to recognise the demand amongst fans for recordings that went beyond officially sanctioned releases.  Meanwhile, in 1971, Dylan's career and music was in the doldrums - it would be a few years before he was back, firing on all six, with Blood On The Tracks and Desire.  Fans were desperate for new, unheard and quality material - this album was a heaven-sent collection of exquisite songs written and recorded before Judas Dylan went electric.  50 minutes of pure Bob. 

What fascinates me especially about this LP is that two of the songs (Only A Hobo and Mama You Been On My Mind, both previously unreleased) were covered by Rod Stewart (on Gasoline Alley and Smiler, respectively).  It's no secret that Rod The Mod remains a huge admirer of Dylan - I can't help but wonder if Rod had a copy of this very album in his collection.

Any serious Dylan fan will surely already own a complete set of Columbia's Bootleg series, but how many will be able to lay their hands on original vinyl copies of the hush-hush and exclusive unapproved releases? 

This one is for serious fans and for the Dylan-curious.  It's for anyone wanting to understand not just the man's music but also his unending appeal.  Records such as this are an essential part of the story.  This is how Dylan fans would get their fix w-a-y back then. 

Condition

This record has been graded as per The Record Collector grading guide (see below). 

Cover - very good.  Slight shelf wear only.  Take a look at the high-resolution pictures attached.  No retouching has been applied to the photographs. What you see is what you get!

This record has a white label and a plain white cover.  The original owner (I'm guessing) has added his own "24" logo to the front sleeve in felt pen, the vendor (presumably) has written the artist's name in biro in the top left hand corner.

Vinyl - Near Mint. For an album of, shall we say, indeterminate origin, the pressing quality is very good indeed.  There's only the slightest of snap/crackle/pop, the playing surface is free of scratches or other marks. There is no suggestion that this record has been played very many times at all.  There is no inner-groove stylus-induced distortion.  Whilst the tapes are nowhere near as crisp as those that were used for the official Columbia release, they are for the most part surprisingly good. 

There is a tiny movement on the edge of record as it rotates on the turntable.  It does not affect play.  I wouldn't describe it as a warp, but neither would I describe the record as totally flat. You need to look very carefully to even see this slight imperfection.

Please feel free to listen to a rip of this LP that I have made from my Technics SL1210 turntable.  No noise reduction nor equalisation has been applied to the attached recording.   This is how this record actually sounds.

https://soundcloud.com/user980625031/bob-dylan-24 

Please note that track 1 appears to jump once - this is not a fault in the pressing, the flaw is actually bad editing in the original recording.   Likewise, track 8 (Baby, I'm In The Mood For You) is missing a few bars at the beginning.

 
Recording dates and running order: - 

Side 1

• 1.       Mama You Been On My Mind (9 June 1964)
• 2.       Lay Down Your Weary Tune (24 Oct 1963)
• 3.       I'll Keep It With Mine (June 1964)
• 4.       California (13 Jan 1965)
• 5.       Moonshiner (12 Aug 1963)
• 6.       Only A Hobo (???)
• 7.       Who Killed Davey Moore? (26 Oct 1963)

Side 2

• 1.       Baby I'm In The Mood For You (Dec 1962)
• 2.       Guess I'm Doing Fine (Jan 1964)
• 3.       Quit Your Low Down Ways (Dec 1962)
• 4.       Gypsy Lou (Aug 1963)
• 5.       Whatcha Gonna Do (???)
• 6.       Percy's Song (24 Oct 1963)
• 7.       Hero Blues (May 1963)

Ultra-rigid packaging comes as standard.  Happy bidding!

The Record Collector grading guide: - 

MINT: The record itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.

EXCELLENT: The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and / or creasing.

VERY GOOD: The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.

GOOD: The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discolouration, etc.

FAIR: The record is still just playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents will be torn, stained and / or defaced.

POOR: The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents will be badly damaged or partly missing.

BAD: The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection filler.

As well as the above grades, NEAR MINT is often used as well; this is really for a record that appears new but is known to have been played because the label has light spindle marks or because it has come from a previous owner and is assumed to have been played by them. For records which appear to fall between the accepted grades, + and - are also often added to the grading.