Outside The Law: Studio Outtakes, 1973 - 1975

Outside The Law: Studio Outtakes, 1973 - 1975

Rock Me Mama (Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid Outtake)
Tangled Up In Blue (Blood On The Tracks Outtake)
Joey (Desire Outtake)
Going Going Gone (Planet Waves Outtake)
Billy (Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid Outtake)
Rita Mae (Desire Outtake)
Idiot Wind (Blood On The Tracks Outtake)
Crosswind Jamboree (Planet Waves Outtake)
Sweet Amarillo (Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid Outtake)
If You See Her, Say Hello (Blood On The Tracks Outtake)
Hurricane (Desire Outtake)
Nobody 'Cept You (Planet Waves Outtake)
Lily, Rosemary & The Jack Of Hearts (Blood On The Tracks Outtake)
Knockin' On Heaven's Door (Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid Outtake)
Pecos Blues (Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid Outtake)

[links removed due to official release]

Hello again, listeners. 

We've got a new compilation centered on the period of time in which Bob Dylan moved from his 'country' phase out into a more confessional, edgy sound. You can hear elements of both here, from the down-home singalong vibe of "Rock Me, Mama" or "Sweet Amarillo" to the outlaw ballads from the Desire record. And between these, of course, are some of the most treasured outtakes in Dylan's catalog - the Blood On The Tracks New York Sessions. Of these, "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack Of Hearts" is the most fascinating to me; though the full-band album benefits greatly from its instrumentation, this one sounds like you could be in the room listening to the song's debut. The others hew closely to cuts found on the Bootleg Series, Volume 1-3, though they are distinct in their own ways. In particular, the rendition of "Idiot Wind" featured here contains no organ fills, and seems to have been very rare until recently.

Outtakes of "Joey" and "Going, Going, Gone" are also fairly recent additions to the world of field recordings. "Joey" is sadly derived from a lossy source, which is the only one to surface so far. It also has had some editing carried out by, if I recall correctly, the Expecting Rain website's very own Bennyboy to correct issues in the audio. Some have made the case that this performance of "Going, Going, Gone" is the isolated vocal track from the official release. I disagree, though it remains fairly similar to that recording. The starkness is a fine companion to a withering vocal, highlighting the desperation present in this plea.

It is worth mentioning that "Goodbye Holly" is the only significant omission from this set. It is not included because the sound is distorted, it's fairly insubstantial, and the song is just long enough to prevent this from fitting onto a single disc; something had to go, and I can't say it was a tough decision. Seek it out if you feel so bold.

I hope the collection sounds as good to you as it does to me - it's a relaxing listen, full of long, generally laid back songs. Hopefully it's a fine match for sipping a beer and letting the mind wander along with these outlaws in (and out) love. Be it Hurricane, Joey, Rita, Billy, or the Jack of Hearts, you'll find someone here to hum along with.

Enjoy!

And of course, it would be unfair not to point you in the direction of the official releases from this time frame. A good series of record were released at this time, including:

Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid Soundtrack
Planet Waves
Blood On The Tracks
Desire

My personal favorite of those is Planet Waves, though perhaps a wiser man would say Blood On The Tracks. Mercifully, I can't say I suffer from an abundance of wisdom.

I would encourage listeners to seek out Biograph for the impressive "Abandoned Love" from the Desire sessions as well as "Up To Me" and "You're A Big Girl Now" from Blood On The Tracks; check out The Bootleg Series, Volumes 1-3 for other Blood On The Tracks outtakes in slightly higher quality than what is presented here. As to "Abandoned Love," you'll be hearing its only live rendition on an upcoming release at this blog.

Note that all links here are to bobdylan.com, but these recordings are available at Amazon, iTunes, and possibly your local music store (if it still exists).

Next week, we will be moving on to live recordings. I hope you find them as enjoyable as the studio outtakes. Until then, keep yourself healthy and listen to some good tunes!