SEALED - 1973 ORIG / RARE STICKER - UNRELEASED BOB DYLAN GEMS LAST COLUMBIA

$

68

  1970 UNRELEASED SESSIONS ~ QUICKLY DELETED ALBUM  
     ..|/\|...............................................|/\|..                          

           

              BOB DYLAN

                  " Bob Dylan "

        USA - COLUMBIA RECORDS - 32747

Bob Dylan left Columbia Records when his contract expired and signed to David Geffen’s brand new Asylum Records in 1973. Dylan’s deal with Columbia ended with the release of 1971’s Greatest Hits Vol. II (or More Greatest Hits in UK), although Columbia supposedly bought the rights to release  Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid.

The precise reasons for Dylan wanting to leave Columbia are open to debate, but he had complained in interviews that Columbia “didn’t care” about him or his work:  “It was long overdue. Just a feeling it was time to go on…Suspected they (CBS) were doing more talk than action. Just released ’em and that’s all. Got a feeling they didn’t care whether I stayed there or not.”

It is not surprising that Columbia didn’t want to lose him, or that other labels wanted to court him.

Dylan is made up of 2 studio outtakes from Self Portrait  sessions and 7 from New Morning.

Recording sessions for New Morning began on May 1, 1970, when Dylan was joined by George Harrison, Charlie Daniels and Russ Kunkel at Columbia’s Studio B (49 East 52nd Street) in New York City. With producer Bob Johnston, Dylan began recording some very loose ‘covers’, including renditions of ‘Yesterday’,  ‘All I Have To Do Is Dream’ and an early version of ‘If Not For You’.

The Self Portrait sessions were recorded at both Studio A, 804 16th Ave. South, Nashville, Tennessee (the same studio that gave the world Blonde On Blonde) and Columbia Studios, New York, and stretched from April 24th 1969 up to April 3rd 1970, according to Clinton Heylin and Michael Krogsgaard. After the basic tracks were recorded in New York City, the tapes were flown to Nashville, Tennessee for overdubbing. The sessions started while Dylan was still recording Nashville Skyline.

Lily Of The West

An old Irish ballad, reincarnated as an American folk song, often called ‘Handsome Mary, The Lily Of The West’.

It’s a classic murder ballad – boy finds girl, girl cheats on him, boy kills rival.

The sound takes some getting used to. It is indistinct and poorly balanced, but despite this, the playing and singing is excellent, with some sweet dynamics that the mixing desk hasn’t destroyed. The backing singers come in here and there, which adds a witty, cowboy western soundtrack feel.

It is short and sweet.

Can’t Help Falling In Love

Famously covered by Elvis in 1961 on the Blue Hawaii soundtrack, the melody is based on “Plaisir d’Amour”, written in 1784 by Jean Paul Egide Martini (1741-1816).

My list of favourite Dylan performances contains this track. I love it.

I think the singing is great, the band play loose and loping, the harmonica works and the whole track always makes me happy.

The album is worth purchasing for this track alone.

Sarah Jane

This is an old folk song, re-arranged by Bob Dylan. There are versions by Uncle Dave Macon, The Kingston Trio and Flatt and Scruggs.

The mixing on this track is awful – I don’t know why it would have been released in such a state. The instruments sound foggy and indistinct, and the backing vocals are way too high. That said, it’s a chirpy song about domestic bliss and Dylan sounds happy. There’s no great depth to the song, lyrically or musically, but that’s fine. Not everything has to be deep and dark. I find myself singing it when I’m in a good mood.

The Ballad Of Ira Hayes

A song that should fit Dylan like a glove. The subject matter – Ira Hayes (Chief Falling Cloud) was a Pima Native American who served as a US Marine in World War Two and died of alcoholism and exposure in 1955 – would surely have interested him and the tune could easily suit his vocal style.

Mr Bojangles

The acoustic guitar sounds great and the electric organ lifts in the right places and although the backing singers sound a little strange – they work well. I don’t like the long held notes near the end, but that’s just me.

Mary Ann

This is a traditional folk song, that bears a striking resemblance to Fare Thee Well. The first published version of the song appeared in Roxburghe Ballads dated 1710.

There is little to get excited about here, but possibly, were it to be remixed, it could be a really good track. It must have been difficult to mix this track to sound so dead, but they managed it.

Big Yellow Taxi

Sounds like a warm-up, a cover to get the studio sound or break in the vocals. I can imagine the engineers running around setting up the baffles while they jam through it. It’s fun for a minute, but then is forgotten.

A Fool Such As I

I love late 60’s Elvis, when he went really funky and gospel-edged, and this track reminds me of that period. Like looking at a pearl through dirty water, but a great, funky version of a classic crooner. You can hear the musicians grinning. Dylan’s voice sounds wonderful. It’s no wonder it did well as a single in Europe.

Spanish Is The Loving Tongue

This song is based on the poem “A Border Affair” written by Charles Badger Clark in 1907. Clark was a cowboy poet who lived throughout the American West, and was named the Poet Laureate of South Dakota in 1930. The poem was set to music in 1925 by Billy Simon.

Along with the version on the B Side of 1971’s Watching The River Flow, Dylan and the musicians treat the song with great respect and record a shining little crooner’s gem. It’s a Bakelite pop belter that could have been playing on a mantelpiece radio from anyone’s past. It’s a great final song and shows what a versatile singer Bob Dylan really is.

Listening to this LP now, taking into account the song selections, the eye-brow raising mixing, the quality and quantity of outtakes that could have been included and the timing of its release, it is hard to come to any conclusion other than: A CBS sabotage release.

CONDITION: The cover: rated: FACTORY SEALED...stunning first print NEVER OPENED / NEVER PLAYED ... contains the rare stylized custom songs sticker on outside of the cellophane ...there are no delete marks, no split seams, no bends, and no writing  ...

UNPLAYED - SEALED 1973 first print - no bar code

              BOB DYLAN

                  " Bob Dylan "

        USA - COLUMBIA RECORDS - 32747

Bob Dylan left Columbia Records when his contract expired and signed to David Geffen’s brand new Asylum Records in 1973. Dylan’s deal with Columbia ended with the release of 1971’s Greatest Hits Vol. II (or More Greatest Hits in UK), although Columbia supposedly bought the rights to release  Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid.

The precise reasons for Dylan wanting to leave Columbia are open to debate, but he had complained in interviews that Columbia “didn’t care” about him or his work:  “It was long overdue. Just a feeling it was time to go on…Suspected they (CBS) were doing more talk than action. Just released ’em and that’s all. Got a feeling they didn’t care whether I stayed there or not.”

It is not surprising that Columbia didn’t want to lose him, or that other labels wanted to court him.

Dylan is made up of 2 studio outtakes from Self Portrait  sessions and 7 from New Morning.

Recording sessions for New Morning began on May 1, 1970, when Dylan was joined by George Harrison, Charlie Daniels and Russ Kunkel at Columbia’s Studio B (49 East 52nd Street) in New York City. With producer Bob Johnston, Dylan began recording some very loose ‘covers’, including renditions of ‘Yesterday’,  ‘All I Have To Do Is Dream’ and an early version of ‘If Not For You’.

The Self Portrait sessions were recorded at both Studio A, 804 16th Ave. South, Nashville, Tennessee (the same studio that gave the world Blonde On Blonde) and Columbia Studios, New York, and stretched from April 24th 1969 up to April 3rd 1970, according to Clinton Heylin and Michael Krogsgaard. After the basic tracks were recorded in New York City, the tapes were flown to Nashville, Tennessee for overdubbing. The sessions started while Dylan was still recording Nashville Skyline.

Lily Of The West

An old Irish ballad, reincarnated as an American folk song, often called ‘Handsome Mary, The Lily Of The West’.

It’s a classic murder ballad – boy finds girl, girl cheats on him, boy kills rival.

The sound takes some getting used to. It is indistinct and poorly balanced, but despite this, the playing and singing is excellent, with some sweet dynamics that the mixing desk hasn’t destroyed. The backing singers come in here and there, which adds a witty, cowboy western soundtrack feel.

It is short and sweet.

Can’t Help Falling In Love

Famously covered by Elvis in 1961 on the Blue Hawaii soundtrack, the melody is based on “Plaisir d’Amour”, written in 1784 by Jean Paul Egide Martini (1741-1816).

My list of favourite Dylan performances contains this track. I love it.

I think the singing is great, the band play loose and loping, the harmonica works and the whole track always makes me happy.

The album is worth purchasing for this track alone.

Sarah Jane

This is an old folk song, re-arranged by Bob Dylan. There are versions by Uncle Dave Macon, The Kingston Trio and Flatt and Scruggs.

The mixing on this track is awful – I don’t know why it would have been released in such a state. The instruments sound foggy and indistinct, and the backing vocals are way too high. That said, it’s a chirpy song about domestic bliss and Dylan sounds happy. There’s no great depth to the song, lyrically or musically, but that’s fine. Not everything has to be deep and dark. I find myself singing it when I’m in a good mood.

The Ballad Of Ira Hayes

A song that should fit Dylan like a glove. The subject matter – Ira Hayes (Chief Falling Cloud) was a Pima Native American who served as a US Marine in World War Two and died of alcoholism and exposure in 1955 – would surely have interested him and the tune could easily suit his vocal style.

Mr Bojangles

The acoustic guitar sounds great and the electric organ lifts in the right places and although the backing singers sound a little strange – they work well. I don’t like the long held notes near the end, but that’s just me.

Mary Ann

This is a traditional folk song, that bears a striking resemblance to Fare Thee Well. The first published version of the song appeared in Roxburghe Ballads dated 1710.

There is little to get excited about here, but possibly, were it to be remixed, it could be a really good track. It must have been difficult to mix this track to sound so dead, but they managed it.

Big Yellow Taxi

Sounds like a warm-up, a cover to get the studio sound or break in the vocals. I can imagine the engineers running around setting up the baffles while they jam through it. It’s fun for a minute, but then is forgotten.

A Fool Such As I

I love late 60’s Elvis, when he went really funky and gospel-edged, and this track reminds me of that period. Like looking at a pearl through dirty water, but a great, funky version of a classic crooner. You can hear the musicians grinning. Dylan’s voice sounds wonderful. It’s no wonder it did well as a single in Europe.

Spanish Is The Loving Tongue

This song is based on the poem “A Border Affair” written by Charles Badger Clark in 1907. Clark was a cowboy poet who lived throughout the American West, and was named the Poet Laureate of South Dakota in 1930. The poem was set to music in 1925 by Billy Simon.

Along with the version on the B Side of 1971’s Watching The River Flow, Dylan and the musicians treat the song with great respect and record a shining little crooner’s gem. It’s a Bakelite pop belter that could have been playing on a mantelpiece radio from anyone’s past. It’s a great final song and shows what a versatile singer Bob Dylan really is.

Listening to this LP now, taking into account the song selections, the eye-brow raising mixing, the quality and quantity of outtakes that could have been included and the timing of its release, it is hard to come to any conclusion other than: A CBS sabotage release.

CONDITION: The cover: rated: FACTORY SEALED...stunning first print NEVER OPENED / NEVER PLAYED ... contains the rare stylized custom songs sticker on outside of the cellophane ...there are no delete marks, no split seams, no bends, and no writing  ...

UNPLAYED - SEALED 1973 first print - no bar code

              BOB DYLAN

                  " Bob Dylan "