Babs Bootleg Bonanza - Bob Dylan Edition

 

'Fourth Time Around' is a 3CD bootleg compilation released on the Scorpio label in 2008.  It compiles rare live and studio recordings and should not be confused with official releases like Sony's The Bootleg Series 'Vol. 1-3' or 'Vol. 4 - Live 1966'.

This box covers Bob's career, in chronological order up to the 1990s.  A lot of emphasis, of course, is placed on the 1960s.  There are some incredible gems here, but there are also several previously released boots that are collected here due to their relative obscurity.

Disc 1

01 Ranger’s Command

     (Sept. 29, 1961, Gerde’s Folk City, NYC)

02 Baby Let Me Follow You Down

     (Dec. 22, 1961, Minnesota Hotel Tape)

03 Midnight Special

     (Feb. 2, 1962, Belafonte session rehearsal, Bob on

     harmonica)

04 Makes a Long Time Man Feel Bad

     (Cynthia Gooding radio show, February 1962)

05 Baby Please Don’t Go

     (Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan outtake, April 25, 1962)

06 Ballad of the Gliding Swan

     (Madhouse on Castle Street, BBC broadcast, recorded Dec.

      30, 1962, or Jan. 04, 1963)

Tracks 7-11 from MacKenzie Tape, NYC, April 1963

07 James Alley Blues

08 Long Time Gone

09 Only a Hobo

10 Not the Cough Song

11 A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall

12 Troubled and I Don’t Know Why

     (Aug. 17, 1963, Forest Hills, N.Y., duet with Joan Baez)

Tracks 13-16, Oct. 26, 1963, Carnegie Hall, NYC

13 Ballad of Hollis Brown

14 Boots of Spanish Leather

15 North Country Blues

16 Seven Curses

Tracks 17-18 May 17, 1964, Royal Festival Hall, London

17 Eternal Circle

18 Mr. Tambourine Man

19 Outlaw Blues

     (Jan. 13, 1965, studio session)

20 Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window

     (Oct. 25, 1965, studio)

21 Keep It With Mine

      (Feb. 15, 1966, studio)

Disc 2
01 Tell Me Momma
       (May 14, 1966, Liverpool)
02 I Ain’t Got No Home

     (Jan. 20, 1968, Guthrie Memorial Concert, NYC)

03 See That My Grave Is Kept Clean

     (Basement Tapes)

04 One Too Many Mornings

     (Feb. 18, 1969, Dylan-Cash Nashville session.)

05 Song to Woody

     (May 1, 1970, studio)

06 If Not for You

     (July 31, 1971, Concert for Bangladesh rehearsal,

      NYC)

Tracks 7-8 are Nov. 9 and 17, 1971, studio

07 Put My Money Down

08 For You, Oh Babe, for You, 

09 Going Going Gone

     (studio, Nov. 5-6, 1973)

10 What Will You Do When Jesus Comes?

      (studio, October 1975)

11 No Man Righteous

     (Nov. 16, 1979, San Francisco.)

12 I Will Sing

     (April 20, 1980, Toronto.)

13 Let’s Keep It Between Us

     (Rundown Studios, October 1980)

Tracks 14-15 rough mixes, May 1981

14 Shot of Love

15 In the Summertime

16 Let It Be Me

     (studio, May 1981)

17 The Groom’s Still Waiting at the Altar

      (rough mix, May 1981)

18 I and I

     ("dub mix" spring 1983)

19 Sidewalks, Fences and Walls

     (studio, May 5, 1987)

Disc 3

01 Soon, March 11

     (1987, Gershwin concert, Brooklyn, N.Y.)

Tracks 2-3 demos, March 1989

02 Ring Them Bells

03 Dignity

Tracks 4-9 studio, spring 1990

04 Two by Two

05 Born in Time

06 Wiggle Wiggle

07 TV Talkin’ Song

08 Unbelievable

09 Under the Red Sky

Tracks 10-13 studio, June 1992

10 Polly Vaughan

11 Catskill Serenade

12 Miss the Mississippi

13 Sloppy Drunk, 

14 If You Belonged to Me

     (Dylan’s garage studio, summer 1993)

Tracks 15-18 studio, Sept. 30, 1994

15 Any Way You Want Me

16 Lawdy Miss Clawdy

17 Money Honey 1

18 Money Honey 2

Tracks 19-21 various studio sessions

19 I Can’t Get You Off My Mind

20 Return to Me

21 Red Cadillac and a Black Mustache

22 Tell Old Bill

     (Take 6, summer 2005, unknown location)

23 A Change Is Gonna Come

     (March 28, 2004, Apollo Theater, NYC)

24 Baseball

If you're a Zimmy fan, you'll enjoy this collection.

For the freeload, What Bob Dylan album do you play the most?

Blind Gary Davis - 'Harlem Street Singer'

 

'Harlem Street Singer' was recorded on August 24, 1960, at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.  It was produced by Kenneth S. Goldstein and released on Prestige Records' Bluesville label in December 1960.

The album's title comes from Gary Davis’s a.k.a. Reverend Gary Davis' real-life moniker as he spent decades performing and preaching throughout the streets of the Harlem section of New York.

'Harlem Street Singer' is a foundational pillar of country blues and gospel music with its songs and complex fingerpicking style.  Bob Dylan, the Grateful Dead, Dave Van Ronk, and Jorma Kaukonen (to name but a few) have sited this album as a major influence.

Gary Davis was 65 years old when this album was recorded, and he delivers his most famous original composition, "Death Don't Have No Mercy," alongside his definitive rendition of the traditional standard "Samson and Delilah."

Legendary engineer Rudy Van Gelder captured the 12-track session in pristine hi-fi, in a single, three-hour session allowing Gary's guitar and soulful voice to ring with incredible warmth and clarity.

'Harlem Street Singer' is an essential album, that belongs in every Blues collection. 

For the freeload, name one Jazz, Blues or Rock album that to you is an essential album that belongs in every music collection.

Bobby Hutcherson - 'Dialogue'

 

'Dialogue' was recorded at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ on April 3, 1965.  It was produced by Alfred Lion, and released on the Blue Note label in August 1965.  As with all classic Blue Note albums, the cover was designed by Reid Miles, with photography by Francis Wolff.

This was Bobby Hutcherson's debut album who had already proven himself a versatile sideman on classic Blue Note albums from Grant Green's 'Idle Moments' to Jackie McLean's 'Destination Out' to Eric Dolphy's 'Out To Lunch'.  Alfred Lion had brought Bobby into the studio as a leader for a 1963 session of straight-ahead hard bop that he opted not to put out at the time (it was eventually released in 1999 as the excellent album 'The Kicker'). 

'Dialogue' on the other hand showcased Bobby’s more adventurous leanings with a state-of-the-art sextet featuring Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Sam Rivers on tenor and soprano saxophone, bass clarinet, and flute, Andrew Hill on piano, Richard Davison bass, and Joe Chambers on drums.  The albums' distinctive compositions are by Andrew Hill and Joe Chambers.

Many people, myself included, consider 'Dialogue' to be vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson's masterpiece that bridges the gap between advanced hard bop and the mid-1960s "New Thing" movement without descending into chaotic (and sometime migraine inducing) free jazz.

I bought this album in the summer of 1965, and have rebought it quite a few times in different formats over the years.  For 61 years now, it's been in rotation and semi-rotation, and it’s one of those albums that every once in a while, I notice things I had not before.

Today's freeload is a remastered limited edition from Blue Note Japan, in the UHQCD format, from masterings that Kevin Gray did for the Tone Poet and BN Classic LP releases.  And they sound sweet!  If you freeloaded the previously posted 'Blue Note 85 Reissues', you know what I'm talking about.  This is my current "go to" version.

For the freeload name an (as in one) artist or group, and the album you consider to be their masterpiece.

Van Morrison – 'Be Just and Fear Not: Live At Orangefield'

 

'Be Just and Fear Not: Live At Orangefield' was recorded at the Orangefield Secondary School in Belfast, Northern Ireland, from August 22 to 24, 2014.  "Be Just And Fear Not" was the school's motto.  Produced by Van, the album was released in July 2024 on the Orangefield Records label.  

Orangefield Records was established by Van, as an exclusive record label and direct-to-fan online store releasing archival material, live performances, and special projects spanning the 1970s to the 2000s directly to fans.

In 2014, Van made a nostalgic return to his alma mater, Orangefield Secondary School in Belfast, Northern Ireland.  It was here, in 1959, that he first performed publicly with his skiffle group, Midnight Special.  

As a heartfelt farewell to his school, which was preparing to close its doors for the final time that year, Van performed three shows.  Van wrote and sings two songs specifically about the Orangefield school, the ode "Orangefield" and "Got To Go Back", in which he explains why he had to return to the school of his youth.  The spoken childhood memory On "Hyndford Street" about "the days before rock music" is also a direct reminder of that time.  

Van (on vocals, alto sax, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, harmonica, piano) is backed by an excellent band, consisting of Dave Keary on guitar, Paul Moran on keyboards and trumpet, Paul Moore on bass, Bobby Ruggiero on drums, Alistair White on euphonium and trombone, Chris White on tenor sax, baritone sax, clarinet and flute, and outstanding backing vocals by Dana Masters and Jolene O’Hara.

The set departs from conventional renditions, incorporating swinging rhythms, jazzy(ish) reinterpretations, horn sections, and female co-lead vocals. The performance also includes inspired takes on classic songs such as "Moondance", "Into the Mystic" and "Cleaning Windows".

Don't miss this one, this is late period Van Morrison, at his best.

Setlist:

01. Celtic Excavation/Into The Mystic

02. Cleaning Windows

03. Orangefield

04. Moondance

05. Precious Time

06. That’s Life

07. Too Many Myths

08. Got To Go Back

09. Real Real Gone/You Send Me

10. Rough God Goes Riding

11. Enlightenment

12. Sometimes We Cry

13. Northern Muse (Solid Ground)

14. On Hyndford Street

15. Ballerina

16. In The Garden

'Be Just and Fear Not: Live At Orangefield' also features spectacular sound engineering, with crisp clean audio.

The freeload is 24bit/96kHz.

For the freeload, what Van Morrison album do you play the most?

The New One

 

24bit/96kHz
Link
https://workupload.com/file/RYHrG7vbPBm

Enjoy, my friends!

Herb Ellis, Joe Pass, Ray Brown, Jake Hanna - 'Jazz/Concord'

'Jazz/Concord' was recorded at Wally Heider Studios in Los Angeles on July 29, 1973.  It was produced by Carl Jefferson, and released on January 1, 1974, on the Concord Records label.

This album holds a special place in music history as the very first official release (Catalog No. CJ-1) by the highly respected Concord Jazz record label.  The label was founded by Carl Jefferson after Herb Ellis and Joe Pass (whom unbelievably at the time were without recording contracts), asked him to produce a record for them following their fiery performance at the 1973 Concord Summer Festival.  Carl Jefferson would go on to produce well over 500 recording sessions.

'Jazz/Concord' is high-energy live-in-the-studio album featuring Herb Ellis and Joe Pass on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, and Jake Hanna on drums.  The result is an intuitive dialogue between two of jazz history’s greatest guitar virtuosos, underpinned by one of the tightest rhythm sections of the era.  Herb and Joe explore the history of electric jazz guitar, while constantly switching between melodic leads and rhythmic accompaniment.

Years ago, my husband Jerry and I had a conversation with Carl Jefferson.  Over a joint and glass of bourbon, he told us the nine tracks were completed with no overdubs in eleven takes, due to one false start and a broken guitar string.  They went into the studio at 3PM, and left the studio at 7PM, with a finished album and went out for dinner.

Tracklist 
1. "Look for the Silver Lining"
2. "Shadow of Your Smile" 
3. "Good News Blues"
4. "Honeysuckle Rose" 
5. "Happiness is the Concord Jazz Festival"
6. "Stuffy"
7. "Georgia on My Mind"
8. "Love for Sale"
9. "Bad News Blues"

If you like guitar music, you'll love this album.

'Jazz/Concord' (not unlike all Concord Records releases) has excellent sonics, featuring excellent stereo separation with Herb Ellis and Ray Brown in the left and channel and Joe Pass and Jake Hanna in the right.

The freeload is a 2014 remastered CD released for the Japanese domestic market.

For the freeload:
In the recent Rickie Lee Jones feature, I asked about artists or groups you like, but whose work you find inconsistent or uneven.  Regular poster, and all around nice guy "Mike" replied with his thoughts on the subject, and then asked:

"P.S. Which artist has made *exclusively* good albums or music? I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on that...".

So would I, so let's go with Mike's question.

Joe Cocker - 'With a Little Help From My Friends'

 

'With a Little Help from My Friends' was recorded at Olympic Studios, London and Trident Studios, London during 1968.  "Feeling Alright" was recorded at A&M Studios, Los Angeles, September 1968.  It was released on April 23, 1969, on the A&M Records label.  This was Joe's debut studio album, and in my opinion, his best.

Joe gets a lot of help from his large circle of friends, with 24 of them collaborating on the album.  Among them were Jimmy Page, Steve Winwood, Albert Lee, Matthew Fisher, and B.J. Wilson of Procol Harum, David Bowie’s producer Tony Visconti, Merry Clayton, and Madeline Bell.

To my ears this album sounds remarkably similar to one of Aretha Franklin’s exceptional albums from the late 1960s or early 1970s, where Aretha Franklin temporarily stepped aside and Joe took her place at the microphone.  The background vocalists, piano and organ are eerily similar.  It’s pretty clear that her recordings were being used as a template for this album, and it seems to have worked out very well for everyone involved.  Sometimes it reminds me of Aretha stepping aside, and Ray Charles taking over vocal duties.  And I mean all of the above in the best possible way.

This is a masterclass in Blue Eyed Soul, as well as the art of the cover song, as Joe just doesn't just replicate material; he completely dismantles and claims it.

The freeload is a 24bit/96kHz SACD rip of the Audio Fidelity release from 2015.  This version has serious sonics.

For the freeload, what some of your favorite cover versions of songs that in your opinion surpass the original?

Hound Dog Taylor - 'Beware Of The Dog!'

'Beware Of The Dog!' was recorded in late 1974 at Northwestern University and Cleveland's Smiling Dog Saloon, and released on the Alligator Records label in 1976.  It was produced by Alligator Records founder, Bruce Iglauer.  The album was posthumously released as Hound Dog died of lung cancer in December 1975 at the age of just 59.

This Grammy-nominated release is probably the most raucous live blues albums ever recorded.  It's Loud, distorted and played using cheap Japanese Teisco brand guitars, which I'm guessing they bought at the Chicago Sears Roebuck store.  Oh, and there's no bass, it's just Theodore Roosevelt "Hound Dog" Taylor on vocals and slide guitar, Brewer Phillips on guitar, and Ted Harvey on drums.  The untamed interplay between these three musicians is something else!

If you like your music rough raw, and fun then this is for you.  Hound Dog Taylor and the House Rockers just go out and have a great time, a band just having fun and enjoying every minute.  Hound Dog while not the greatest guitarist or singer, makes up for it with a joyful enthusiasm that is evident throughout this recording.

The sound quality and balance is unusual by todays immaculately polished standards, with Hound Dogs' screeching slide guitar way up front that adds to the intimate feel.  

The freeload is a 24bit/96kHz vinyl rip, play it LOUD, and you'll feel as if you're in the front row, with sweat dripping down your neck.

For the freeload, lets talk about artist and groups, that aren't the greatest musicians, but make up for it in other ways.

Art Tatum - '20th Century Piano Genius'

 

Verve really "blew the budget" on this cover.

The title 'Art Tatum, 20th Century Piano Genius' is accurate, and also an understatement.

This is a 2CD set is Art Tatum playing mostly standards live at two different Hollywood parties thrown by composer and songwriter Ray Heindorf on April 16, 1950, and on July 3, 1955.  It's believed that the 1955 party was to celebrate wrap up of shooting Jack Webb's film, 'Pete Kelly's Blues'.

Since these are party recordings, you will hear some tape imperfections, such as Art Tatum’s rings on the keyboard, and the clinking of glasses along with the laughter of party guests.  But that’s what makes these recordings special—everyone is happy and relaxed, including Art.  There’s no studio pressure here; it’s a laid-back, party atmosphere where everyone, including the only performer, is clearly having a great time.  A few tunes, such as "Sweet Loraine" and "Body and Soul", were repeated five years apart.  Rather than being repetitive, a listen reveals the fluidity of Tatum’s genius.

Art’s technique and profound understanding of music set him apart from other musicians across all genres.  In his unique style, he meticulously dissected familiar titles, transforming them into his own original compositions.  By reconstructing these tunes with innovative chord progressions and rhythms, he breathed new life into classic standards, giving them a fresh and almost novel sound.

For the freeload pick an (as in one) artist you feel is a musical genius, and say a few words about them.

Rickie Lee Jones - 'Naked Songs Live and Acoustic'

 

'Naked Songs Live and Acoustic' was released in September 1995 on the Reprise Records label, and was produced by Rickie Lee and Russ Titelman.

As much as I love Rickie Lee, her discography and her live shows are uneven to say the least.  So when 'Naked Songs Live and Acoustic' was released, my expectations were somewhat low.  Boy was I wrong!  

This is a brilliantly intimate concert album that strips down her idiosyncratic, jazz-infused catalog, highlighting the "lifeblood" of each song.  The performances feature minimal arrangements that place her poetry and vocal style at the forefront.

Rickie Lee relies solely on her acoustic guitar or piano.  This album also serves as a great reminder of her incredible guitar and piano skills.  Her deft fretwork and rhythmic play shine through clearly without any external instrumentation.  That said, bassist Rob Wasserman makes a guest appearance on two tracks, "Chuck E.’s in Love" and "Autumn Leaves".

Tracklist
  1. The Horses
  2. Weasel and the White Boys Cool
  3. Altar Boy
  4. It Must Be Love
  5. Young Blood
  6. The Last Chance Texaco
  7. Skeletons
  8. Magazine
  9. Living It Up
10. We Belong Together
11. Coolsville
12. Flying Cowboys
13. Stewart's Coat
14. Chuck E.'s in Love
15. Autumn Leaves

For the freeload, let’s discuss artists or groups you like, but whose work you find inconsistent or uneven.

Howlin Wolf, Muddy Waters - The Real Folk Blues (Chess Records 75th Anniversary Series Remastered Mono Vinyl - 2026 Reissues)

Chess Records’ 'The Real Folk Blues' series was designed to cater to the "Folk revival craze" that swept through the 1960s.

Muddy Waters’ ‘The Real Folk Blues’ released in 1966 marked the inaugural release of this series, showcasing some of Mud's earliest recordings.  Notably, it includes his inaugural recording for the Aristocrat label, the precursor to Chess Records.  The early material on this record encapsulates the essence of early blues music before its transition into the electric era.  Songs like "Mannish Boy", "Walking Blues" and "Walking In The Park" serve as poignant reminders of Muddy Waters’ profound influence on the musical landscape of America.

Although most of these tracks were recorded in Chicago studios, often with electric guitar in the mix, the spirit is unmistakably down-home. There's a stark, front-porch authority in the performances — spare instrumentation, unvarnished arrangements, and a gritty, conversational vocal style that carries the emotional weight of Delta tradition straight into the urban blues era.

Tracklist:
Side A
1. Mannish Boy
2. Screamin’ And Cryin'
3. Just To Be With You
4. Walkin’ Thru The Park
5. Walkin’ Blues
6. Canary Bird

Side B
1. The Same Thing
2. Gypsy Woman
3. Rollin’ And Tumblin’ - Pt. 1
4. Forty Days And Forty Nights
5. Little Geneva
6. You Can’t Lose What You Never Had

Howlin’ Wolf's 'The Real Folk Blues' is a compilation of singles recorded between 1956 and 1965.  The music on this record offers a daring portrait of Howlin' Wolf, showcasing exceptional music that hadn’t been presented in album format before.  Classics on this record include "Killing Floor", "Tail Dragger", and "Built for Comfort".

This album did not fit the usual definitions of the so-called "folk blues", featuring instead Chicago urban blues by an incomparable singer and a host of great sidemen (including Hubert Sumlin and Buddy Guy), but Chess was making a move to remarket the blues to a new audience that had developed with the boom in folk music.

What's interesting is when you consider how many of the songs on this album have become standards in the repertoires of countless blues and rock bands, it's hard to fathom that none of these Wolf 45s sold well enough to make the Billboard R&B charts.

Tracklist:

Side A
1. Killing Floor
2. Louise
3. Poor Boy
4. Sitting On Top Of The World
5. Nature
6. My Country Sugar Mama

Side B
1. Tail Dragger
2. Three Hundred Pounds Of Joy
3. The Natchez Burnin’
4. Built For Comfort
5. Ooh Baby (Hold Me)
6. Tell Me What I’ve Done

The freeloads are 24-bit/192 kHz vinyl (180-gram) rips of both albums released this past May.  
They have never sounded better.

For the freeload make up a music subgenre.