After "The Friends of Chile Benefit Concert", held at Madison
Square Garden in New York on May 9, Bob Dylan began an
extramarital relationship with an employee of Columbia Records, which
marked the end of marriage with his wife Sara and the reason for the
songs of what would be his next album "Blood on the tracks".
In the summer of 1974, he
began to write many of them that he completed on the farm of his friend Bernstein
in Minnesota, a total of 17 songs, considered by critics as the best
love songs ever written. Before recording them in In the studio, Bod Bylan
showed them to a couple of friends, including Crosby, Stills & Nash.
Initially he thought of recording them with electric accompaniment for
which he contacted Mike Bloomfield, but finally after a couple of tests,
he gave up and opted for something simpler, acoustic.
After signing a new contract
with Columbia Records on September 2, Dylan returned to the studios two weeks
later. Thus the 16 in the "Studios A & R" of New York,
recorded a total of 30 takes of songs like: "If you see her, say
hello"; "You're a big girl now"; "Simple twist of
fate"; "Up to me" or "Tangled up in blue" ..,
among others. But at the end of this first session, part of the musicians : Charles
Brown III (guitar), Barry Kornfeld (guitar), Eric Weissberg (guitar), Thomas
McFaul (keyboards), Tony Brown (bass), Richard Crooks (guitar) drummer),
they gave up because at their discretion, Bob Dylan recorded at a high speed,
going from one song to another with hardly any rest, so it was difficult to
keep up with him. Something very similar to what happened in previous days with
Mike Bloomfield.
The recording sessions lasted
only four days, until 19, in which Bob Dylan was only accompanied by bassist
Tony Brown (17 & 19), Paul Griffin (organ) (17) and Buddy Cage
(guitar) (18). After the mixes, on September 25 a first acetate was made
for Columbia. And a few days later, on October 8, a second, where the order of
some of the songs was changed. But after the private audition of this new acetate by
Bob Dylan's brother, David Zimmerman, his advice was to touch up some
songs that were too dark, rough, not very polished, so he ran the risk that the
album would not turn out to be commercial enough and will fail.
Bob Dylan listened to his
brother and decided to re-record five of the ten tracks on the album, so two
new sessions were hired at the "Sound 80 Studios" in
Minneapolis, Minnesota. On December 27 and 30 for: "You're a big
girl now"; "Idiot wind", "Tangled up in blue",
"Lily, Rosemary and Jack of Hearts" & "If you see her, say
hello". The album that was originally scheduled by Columbia for the
end of November, but was delayed until January 20, 1975.
Side A: (27:22)
1.Tangled Up in Blue
(Alt.Take)..(6:51)
2.You´re Gonna Make Me
Lonesome When You Go.(2:55)
3.Simple Twist of Fate. (4:19)
4.You're a Big Girl Now
(Alt.take).(4:23)
5.Idiot Wind. (Alt.Take).(8:52)
Side B: (27:02)
1.Meet Me In The Morning
(Alt.Take).(4:59)
2.Shelter From the Storm
(Alt.take).(6:01)
3..If you see her, say hello
(Alt.Take).(3:45)
4.Lily, Rosemary and the Jack
of Hearts.(8:53)
5.Buckets of Rain.(3:22)
Bonus tracks:
1. Up to Me (Outtake).(6:18)
2.Call Letter Blue
(Outtake).(4:27)
The reconstruction that I bring to you is done following the original order
in which the songs were placed in the first two acetates. So Side A, follows
the order of (2nd acetate, October 8) and B (1st acetate, September 25);
besides including a good part of the alternative recordings to the ones
published in the original LP of 1975. This shows a simpler and perhaps less
refined album, but that compiles almost all the songs of New York of the
month of September, with the exception of : "Lily, Rosemary and Jack of
Hearts", remains with the December 30 version. Two
outtakes from New York sessions are included (bonus
tracks).Bit.ly/75bod7 The record, fifteenth in Bob Dylan's career, is
considered one of the best, so enjoy it.
