Dylan Revisited

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Folksinger's Choice (1962) Dylan Revisited · Episode

Spotify link: open.spotify.com/episode/4mOT...

Folksinger's Choice (1962) Podcast Episode · Dylan Revisited · EP4 · 19m

Episode 4 of the Dylan Revisited podcast is here.

This time we're talking about an early Bob Dylan radio appearance on a show called Folksinger's Choice that features great performances and sparkling conversation with host Cynthia Gooding.

Listen now: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/f...

This is the one

New podcast episode dropping tomorrow...

“Ichabod…”

Imagine the annual middle-aged outrage at whoever’s headlining Glastonbury but on a weekly basis.

Thank you and will definitely keep everyone updated. Believe me, when I have a book out, you'll be sick of hearing about it.

Check out the conclusion of my revisit to More Blood More Tracks here: bsky.app/profile/did:...

Stopped into a cheap strange hotel
With a neon burning bright
She felt the pain of the night
Hit her like an evening freight
Rolling down like a simple twist of fate

Birmingham Oct 10, 1987
Bob Dylan

Absolutely - after my revisit to the film and its backstory, I was almost convinced it was the greatest film ever made*. But after I finally came up for air, I was able to approach it with a little more perspective.

And of course, I do the same with some of Dylan's albums.

* The Princess Bride

Maybe it's that I don't necessarily want confessional from Bob. I love his puzzles and mysteries. While the NY Tangled verse about "they thought they were successful" seems very personal and relatable, I prefer "he started into dealing with slaves", which fires my imagination. What does that mean?

I think you're right about the distance and playing more of a character. Even when he shifts from "he" to "I" in Tangled, he's somehow taking a step back from the song.

And the emotions laid bare in the original cuts. For me Bob seems to stand outside many of the songs on the official release, less autobiographical and more Bob singing in character😎 fascinating back story to those NY sessions however , the variety of players & personalities who contributed 😎🎶👍

Brilliant analysis as always 👌I love the NY versions of the songs, I’ve always felt that they sound more intimate, more honest, with a yearning regret that get lost in the re-recording. Perhaps by December Bob has had time to think about the songs and decided to put some distance between himself

Thanks for sharing.

For Dylanoligists, SO GOOD. (Entire thread)

Yes, I decided recently that I'd like to turn all this into a book so am working on editing what I have, plus writing new material about earlier Dylan recordings that I didn't cover initially. Currently aiming for a Spring 2026 publication.

Thanks Marty - glad you enjoyed it.

For me, the evolution of many of the lyrics and the expansion of the sonic palette in the December sessions made Blood on the Tracks a better record.

But what a privilege it is to also be able to experience Dylan’s journey on More Blood More Tracks.

What do you think?

This largely sums up how I feel about More Blood More Tracks.

While I appreciate the rawness of the words and spareness of the sound on many of these alternative versions, they rarely make me think that Dylan made a mistake in re-recording half of the songs in Minnesota.

The New York Tangled also has a lot of lyrical variations, like the distancing “he” pronoun.

Most notable is the Montague St verse, which is much altered to focus on the couple’s different attitude to “material things” and feels way less mysterious than what it will become.

YouTube video by Bob Dylan - Topic Tangled Up in Blue (Take 3, Remake 3)

But the pair saved the best for last and the very final take of the New York sessions is the superb Take 3, remake 3 of Tangled.

Dylan’s guitar is bright, Brown’s bass is subtle and Bob’s low key vocals give the story a more wistful appeal.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=fL6M...

YouTube video by Bob Dylan - Topic Tangled Up in Blue (Take 3, Remake 2)

Later that day Dylan and Brown cut the great Take 3, Remake that eventually ended up vol. 2 of The Bootleg Series.

While on day 4, their Take 3, Remake 2 was destined for the test pressing despite the noise of Bob’s buttons clacking off his guitar.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrHl...

Tangled Up in Blue (Take 2, Remake) by Bob Dylan on Apple Music Preview Tangled Up in Blue (Take 2, Remake) by Bob Dylan on Apple Music. 2018. Duration: 6:38.

Two days previously, we can hear Dylan giving Paul Griffin ideas on what to play on Tangled Up in Blue.

But in the only complete take of the song on which Griffin appears, his organ isn’t really adding much.

music.apple.com/us/song/tang...

Meet Me in the Morning (Take 1, Remake) by Bob Dylan on Apple Music Preview Meet Me in the Morning (Take 1, Remake) by Bob Dylan on Apple Music. 2018. Duration: 4:56.

I don’t know if The Rolling Stones frontman was around for an earlier take of Meet Me in the Morning.

But he would have found its taut, cool blues sound familiar, like his own band’s back to basics approach on Exile on Main Street.

music.apple.com/us/song/meet...

Meet Me in the Morning (Takes 2-3, Remake 2) by Bob Dylan on Apple Music Preview Meet Me in the Morning (Takes 2-3, Remake 2) by Bob Dylan on Apple Music. 2018. Duration: 1:42.

After a slow blues Take 2 Remake 2, Mick Jagger’s voice appears saying: “you wanna play slide…cos it sounds great”.

Dylan rejects the suggestion that he can play slide but then tries it before stopping. “Not me” he says, Jagger agrees and they laugh.

music.apple.com/us/song/meet...

Call Letter Blues (Rehearsal) by Bob Dylan on Apple Music Preview Call Letter Blues (Rehearsal) by Bob Dylan on Apple Music. 2018. Duration: 2:03.

Griffin contributed fun rock’n’roll keys to a curtailed rehearsal of Call Letter Blues but it’s the last we hear of that song.

Dylan returned to its twin Meet Me in the Morning on day 4 with Brown, though there is another hopeful collaborator around.

music.apple.com/us/song/call...

Most surprisingly for Dylan fans who bought the film soundtrack was an additional verse about broken bonds and a journey to the woods.

In New York, Dylan excised that verse completely from the next take of Shelter from the Storm.

YouTube video by Bob Dylan - Topic Shelter from the Storm (Take 1)

That ended up being Take 4, another Griffin-free performance, though his piano brought a joyful bounce to Take 1.

This version surfaced decades later during the closing scene of Cameron Crowe’s film Jerry Maguire, but with the keys removed.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEls...