Episode 30: Dylan the Name Dropper

Many musicians have name checked Bob Dylan in their songs over the years - from David Bowie’s Song For Bob Dylan to the Counting Crows singing “I wanna be Bob Dylan” in Mr. Jones. But Dylan himself has used his songs sometimes to give a shout out to other artists.

This week, Laura talks us through some of the instances where Dylan has mentioned other musicians, some more surprising than others, and discusses what role these name checks play in the context of the song. This episode also features the live debut of the song Tombstone Blues!

A little correction: I initially say that the 1971 version of You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere was recorded for the Greatest Hits Vol. III, but it was the Vol. II. My mistake, it was actually the live version of Highlands at the end of the episode that was released alongside the Greatest Hits Vol. III.

Here is the Alicia Keys performance from the 2002 Grammy Awards.

If you want to listen to more of Link Wray’s excellent self-titled record, you can find it on Spotify here.

Here’s the solo version of Old Five and Dimers Like Me, recorded during the Hearts of Fire Sessions in 1986.

If I would have had time to play a Bo Diddley song, I probably would have played this one. More honourable mentions include Blind Willie McTell, Cisco Houston, Sonny Terry, and Leadbelly.

For more information on Bob Dylan’s relationship with Neil Young, this is an interesting link you might want to check out!

Playlist:

1. Thunder On The Mountain (snippet - full version here)

2. You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere - The Byrds (snippet - full version here)

3. You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere (1971 sessions)

4. Sign Language - Eric Clapton

5. Black River Swamp - Link Wray

6. I Feel A Change Comin’ On (snippet - full version here)

7. Old Five And Dimers Like Me - Billy Joe Shaver

8. Yonder Come The Blues - Ma Rainey (snippet - full version here)

9. Tombstone Blues (Live at the Contemporary Songs Workshop, Newport Folk Festival, Freebody Park, Newport, RI - 24 July, 1965) - live debut!

10. Highlands (Live, Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium, Santa Cruz, CA, 16 March, 2000, released on the limited edition version of The Best of Bob Dylan Vol. 2)

Episode 29: Caribbean Wind

This week’s episode is dedicated to just one song - Caribbean Wind. Recorded for 1981’s Shot of Love and ultimately discarded, it has long been regarded by fans as one of Dylan’s great unfinished masterpieces. The episode features an excerpt from a conversation between Laura and The Freewheelin’ Rob Kelly, recorded for an episode of his podcast Pod Dylan. If you’d like to hear the long, unedited version of our chat, head over to the Pod Dylan website.

As promised, here is a file with all sets of known lyrics to the song (including the official ones on the Dylan website and in the Lyrics publications). The font is tiny because I wanted to make it easier to compare different versions, but you can zoom in if it’s hard to read.

You can listen to the bootleg studio recording that is Rob’s favourite here.
Also, for good measure, here is the live performance in the version I had before Trouble No More was released. The mix in the official version is very different (very little bass and drums and a lot of guitar), so I think it’s worth hearing this. I think it gives you more of an idea of what it actually sounded like in the room.

I cannot believe it, but while putting together this episode, I thought of more things that are worth mentioning about this song! Let me know if you’re interested, maybe I’ll try to write an article about it or something.

Playlist:

1. Caribbean Wind (Biograph version)

2. Caribbean Wind (live 12 November, 1980, Fox Warfield Theatre, San Fracisco, CA)

Episode 28: The Truth

In the first episode after the summer break, the theme is Dylan's Search for Truth in his songs. Laura talks about Dylan’s adherence to facts and reality, as well as where truth can be found in Dylan’s songs.

Here’s a link to The Death of Emmett Till, which I mentioned in the episode.

Playlist:

1. The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll

2. Outlaw Blues

3. Gates of Eden (Live 5 May, 1965, Town Hall, Birmingham, UK)

4. Precious Angel (Live April, 1980, Massey Hall, Toronto, Canada)

5. Lone Pilgrim

Episode 27: The Wind

In the last episode before the summer break, Laura talks about the motif of the Wind in Dylan's songs.

Playlist:

1. I Was Young When I Left Home (Minnesota Hotel Tapes)

2. Caribbean Wind (Rehearsal with pedal steel)

3. Floater ( Too Much To Ask)

4. Idiot Wind

5. Blowin' In The Wind (Live 26 October, 1963, Carnegie Hall, NYC)

Episode 26: The ‘Never Ending Tour’ Part II

This week: part 2 of an exploration of Dylan's so-called Dylan's Never Ending Tour, with more excellent and rare live performances from the past 30 years.

Playlist:

1. Born In Time (Live 1 February, 1998, NJPAC, Newark, NJ)

2. Lonesome Day Blues (Live, 1 February, 2002, Sunrise, FL)

3. Country Pie (Live, 24 September, 2000, Portsmouth, UK)

4. Little Moses (Live, 30 October 1992, Orpheum Theater, Minneapolis, MN)

5. The Times We’ve Known (Live, 1 November, 1998, Madison Square Garden, NYC)