A new addition to Bob Dylan’s Bootleg Series is about to highlight his earliest recordings.
The Bootleg Series has been a long-time favorite among fans, offering a fascinating alternative perspective on significant releases from Bob Dylan’s repertoire. The archives hold true treasures, transforming the Bootleg Series into a benchmark for how prominent artists can revisit their history.
‘Bootleg Series Volume 18: Through The Open Window, 1956-1963’ promises to be a significant release, compiling some of the songwriter's earliest accessible recordings, many of which have never before been fully released.
Scheduled for release on October 31st, the extensive 8CD box set features a vast array of material, ranging from high school recordings to his initial experiences in the Greenwich Village folk scene.
This collection spans lively renditions of rock ‘n’ roll classics from his childhood to his coffeehouse performances, pivotal trips to England, and his iconic Carnegie Hall concerts in 1963, making it a must-have.
“Of that time and those places, this collection is merely a fragment,” states author and historian Sean Wilentz in his 125-page liner notes essay. “Nonetheless, as an auditory documentation of an artist evolving into their identity—or in Dylan’s case, his initial artistic personas—the collection seeks to bridge time and space, not as a nostalgic reminiscence but as a vibrant link between the past and present, the old and the new, which are never as separate as we might believe.” Released ahead of the collection, ‘Rocks And Gravel’ is now available – listen below.
TRACKLIST
BOOTLEG SERIES VOLUME 18: THROUGH THE OPEN WINDOW,
1956-1963
Disc 1
1. Let the Good Times Roll
December 24, 1956 – Terlinde Music Shop, St. Paul, MN
2. I Got a New Girl
May 1959 – Home of Ric Kangas, Hibbing, MN
3. San Francisco Bay Blues
4. Jesus Christ
September 1960 – Home of Bob Dylan, Minneapolis, MN
5. East Virginia Blues
6. K.C. Moan
7. Hard Travelin’
Late 1960 – Madison, WI
8. Pastures of Plenty
9. Remember Me
February 1961 – Home of Bob and Sid Gleason, East Orange, NJ
10. Song to Woody
11. Talkin’ Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues
September 6, 1961 – The Gaslight Cafe, NYC
12. Ain’t No Grave
Summer 1961 – Home of Mell and Lillian Bailey, NYC
13. I Ain’t Got No Home
May 13, 1961 – Coffman Theater, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
14. Death Don’t Have No Mercy
15. Devilish Mary
May 1961 – Minneapolis, MN
16. Introduction: Riverside Church
17. Handsome Molly
July 29, 1961 – Saturday of Folk Music (WRVR-FM), Riverside Church, NYC
18. Introduction: See That My Grave Is Kept Clean
19. See That My Grave Is Kept Clean
20. The Girl I Left Behind
21. Introduction: Pretty Boy Floyd
22. Pretty Boy Floyd
23. Railroading on the Great Divide
October 1, 1961 – Gerdes Folk City, NYC
24. Introduction: Fixin’ to Die
25. Fixin’ to Die
1961 – Folklore Center, NYC
26. I’ll Fly Away – Take 1 (Alternate Take)*
September 29, 1961 – Carolyn Hester sessions, Studio A, Columbia Recording Studios, NYC
Disc 2
1. Introduction: In the Pines
2. In the Pines
3. Gospel Plow
4. Introduction: Young But Daily Growing
5. Young But Daily Growing
6. Man on the Street
7. This Land Is Your Land*
8. Pretty Polly
November 4, 1961 – Carnegie Chapter Hall, NYC
9. Man of Constant Sorrow – Rehearsal (Alternate Take, Nov 20, 1961)
10. House Carpenter – Take 1 (Outtake, Nov 22, 1961)*
11. You’re No Good – Take 2 with Take 6 Insert (Alternate Take, Nov 20, 1961)
12. He Was a Friend of Mine – Take 2 (Outtake, Nov 20, 1961)*
13. Ramblin’ Round – Take 2 (Outtake, Nov 22, 1961)*
Bob Dylan sessions Studio A, Columbia Recording Studios, NYC
14. Story: East Orange, New Jersey
15. Stealin’
16. Po’ Lazarus
17. Dink’s Song*
18. I Was Young
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A new installment of Bob Dylan's Bootleg Series is poised to showcase his earliest recordings. Fans have long held a special appreciation for the Bootleg Series.