There was a time — a time before Levon Helm and Robbie Robertson, before that first snare hit on “Like A Rolling Stone”, before Bob Dylan plugged in at all–when “The Times They Are A-Changin'” was Dylan’s hardest song. For those unversed in early Dylan, the 9th installment of the immaculate Bootleg series promises to be a comprehensive crash course.
Glide Magazine reports (via Rolling Stone) that almost two years after his last bootleg release, Bob Dylan will be releasing The Bootleg Series Vol. 9 this October. The forthcoming release will feature 47 tracks from studio recordings made in 1962-1964, known in closer circles as the Leeds Demos or Whitmark Demos. No specific date has been announced for the release.
Additionally, Rolling Stone reports that Bob Dylan (though more than likely Columbia Records) will be re-releasing his “first eight albums […] in mono format, which have never been issued on CD before. The reissues [were] reportedly mastered using ‘first issue copies of the mono LPs’ in order to recreate the sound of the original LPs.” You know that bum speaker you have? Now you can actually hear him sing!
The Bootleg Series Vol. 9 [purported] Tracklist:
Leeds Music Demos
New York City, New York
February 1962
01. Hard Times In New York Town
02. Poor Boy Blues
03. Ballad For A Friend
04. Rambling, Gambling Willie
05. Man On The Street
06. Talking Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues
07. Standing On The Highway
Witmark & Sons Demos
New York City, New York
December 1962
01. A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall
02. Tomorrow Is A Long Time
03. The Death Of Emmett Till
04. Let Me Die In My Footsteps
05. Ballad Of Hollis Brown
06. Quit Your Low Down Ways
07. Baby, I’m In The Mood For You
Witmark Studio
New York City, New York
Winter 1963
01. Bound To Lose, Bound To Win
02. All Over You
03. I’d Hate To Be You On That Dreadful Day
04. Talking John Birch Paranoid Blues
Witmark Studio
New York City, New York
March 1963
01. Long Time Gone
02. Masters Of War
03. Farewell
04. Oxford Town
05. Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right
06. Walkin’ Down The Line
Witmark Studio
New York City, New York
April 1963
01. I Shall Be Free
02. Bob Dylan’s Blues
03. Bob Dylan’s Dream
04. Boots Of Spanish Leather
Witmark Studio
New York City, New York
May 1963
01. Girl From The North Country
02. Seven Curses
03. Hero Blues
Witmark Studio
New York City, New York
August 1963
01. Whatcha Gonna Do
02. Gypsy Lou
03. Ain’t Gonna Grieve
04. John Brown
05. Only A Hobo
06. When The Ship Comes In
Witmark Studio
New York City, New York
October 1963
01. The Times They Are A-Changin’
Witmark Studio
New York City, New York
December 1963
01. Paths Of Victory
Witmark Studio,
New York City, New York
January 1964
01. Guess I’m Doing Fine
02.Baby Let Me Follow You Down (Eric von Schmidt)
Unidentified Recording Studio
New York City, New York
Mid to late June 1964
01. Mr. Tambourine Man
02. Mama, You Been On My Mind
03. I’ll Keep It With Mine
