Bootleg Series Volume 9 – The Witmark Demos contains 47 acoustic recordings plus another release of the first 8 albums in mono
Volume 9 of Bob Dylan’s Bootleg Series will be released on October 19, 2010. It contains 47 of Dylan’s earliest compositions. It is currently # 6 on Amazon.com’s best seller list for music, based on pre-orders.
In order to register his copyrights, Bob Dylan’s publisher Leeds Music then Witmark would get solo versions of Bob Dylan’s songs accompanied by acoustic guitar and harmonica and sometimes piano. Employees of the publisher would transcribe the songs into standard music notation for copyright registration.
“Among the many gems are 15 Bob Dylan songs that were recorded by the artist only for these sessions, and which have never been officially released to the public until now. These include the plaintive “Ballad For A Friend,” the civil rights era-inspired “Long Ago, Far Away” and “The Death Of Emmett Till,” and the poignant “Guess I’m Doing Fine.” The Witmark Demos also features a deluxe booklet featuring in-depth liner notes by noted music historian Colin Escott, as well as rare photographs of Bob Dylan captured during the same period as these early recordings.” Sony
Some of these recordings have been in unofficial circulation for decades but this marks the first time Sony has officially released them. The 2 CD set has historical value if somewhat limited interest for today’s audiences. The set can be pre-ordered from Amazon.com for $16.99 The Witmark Demos: 1962-1964 (The Bootleg Series Vol. 9)
Sony has a pre-order promotion that includes a Bob Dylan T-shirt for $32.99. The Sony bundle includes a digital download on October 19th along with the CD and t-shirt. Canadian and International customers get hit with a shipping charge. In the past Sony wouldn’t even ship to Canada so that’s an improvement in customer service.
Bob Dylan—The Original Mono Recordings
Sony is also re-releasing the original 8 Bob Dylan albums as mono CDs, Bob Dylan—The Original Mono Recordings. Back in the 1960s most albums were recorded for mono and later mixed stereo. There are subtle differences between the two versions that interest collectors.
“This box collects Bob Dylan’s first eight 12-inch LPs, his albums from Bob Dylan in 1962 to John Wesley Harding in 1968, as most people heard them, as they were expected to be heard, and as most often they were meant to be heard: in mono.” — Greil Marcus
“The Original Mono Recordings are comprised of these albums painstakingly reproduced from their first generation monaural mixes as the artist intended them to be heard: One channel of powerful sound, both direct and immediate. While stereo recordings had been available as early as the mid-1950s, mono was still the predominant – and often preferred – mode of recording and mixing by the top artists of the 1960s. As a result, artists like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan devoted their attention to the mono mixes, leaving the stereo mixing process to studio engineers.”
“The Original Mono Recordings are accompanied by a deluxe booklet, featuring vintage photographs of Bob Dylan and an expansive essay from renowned author and critic – and longtime Dylan aficionado – Greil Marcus. Each disc in the set comes in its own individual jacket which faithfully replicates the original album artwork, complete with labels and stickers that were found on the original 1960s releases. ” Sony
The first 8 albums were:
* Bob Dylan – 1962
* The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan – 1963
* The Times They Are A-Changin’ – 1964
* Another Side Of Bob Dylan – 1964
* Bringing It All Back Home – 1965
* Highway 61 Revisited – 1965
* Blonde on Blonde – 1966
* John Wesley Harding – 1967
This set is also available from Amazon.com on a pre-order for $116.99 The Original Mono Recordings
Pre-Order from Sony for $108.98 and they throw in a poster. Add $25 for freight to Canada. Bootleg No 9 and the Mono 8 can be ordered as bundle for $129.99 plus $32 in freight to Canada.
Ultimate collector pack
If you are the ultimate Bob Dylan collector you will be tempted vinyl LP sets of the new releases: Mono 8 LP for $250 or both on vinyl for $340. If you can afford this level, who cares what the freight is.
I ordered both the CD and vinyl of Tell Tale Signs:The Bootleg Series Vol. 8 [4 LP Vinyl]
The Mono 8 is currently # 36 for rock music on Amazon.com. The Witmark Demos is amazingly # 9 today in all music.
Bob Dylan Bootleg No 9 Witmark Demos track listing
Tracklisting:
Disc 1:
1. Man On The Street (Fragment)
2. Hard Times In New York Town
3. Poor Boy Blues
4. Ballad For A Friend
5. Rambling, Gambling Willie
6. Talking Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues
7. Standing On The Highway
8. Man On The Street
9. Blowin’ In The Wind
10. Long Ago, Far Away
11. A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall
12. Tomorrow Is A Long Time
13. The Death of Emmett Till
14. Let Me Die In My Footsteps
15. Ballad Of Hollis Brown
16. Quit Your Low Down Ways
17. Baby, I’m In The Mood For You
18. Bound To Lose, Bound To Win
19. All Over You
20. I’d Hate To Be You On That Dreadful Day
21. Long Time Gone
22. Talkin’ John Birch Paranoid Blues
23. Masters Of War
24. Oxford Town
25. Farewell
Disc 2:
1. Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right
2. Walkin’ Down The Line
3. I Shall Be Free
4. Bob Dylan’s Blues
5. Bob Dylan’s Dream
6. Boots Of Spanish Leather
7. Walls of Red Wing
8. Girl From The North Country
9. Seven Curses
10. Hero Blues
11. Whatcha Gonna Do?
12. Gypsy Lou
13. Ain’t Gonna Grieve
14. John Brown
15. Only A Hobo
16. When The Ship Comes In
17. The Times They Are A-Changin’
18. Paths Of Victory
19. Guess I’m Doing Fine
20. Baby Let Me Follow You Down
21. Mama, You Been On My Mind
22. Mr. Tambourine Man
23. I’ll Keep It With Mine
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