1992 HIGHWAY 51

 

 

1      A SHORT SUBJECTIVE RETROSPECTIVE

2      The Year at a glance

3      CALENDAR

4      RECORDINGS

5      GOOD AS I BEEN TO YOU

6      NEW TAPES

6.1       The 1992 Compilation tape

6.2       Folksinger's Choice

6.3       Berkeley Community Theatre, Berkeley, California, 4 December 1965

6.4       A Hotel Room, Denver, Colorado, 13 March 1966

6.5       The Basement Tapes

6.6       The Band's New Year's Concert 1971/1972

6.7       Rehearsals before Rolling Thunder Revue II

6.8       Solid Rock Live Album

6.9       Toronto Concert Film

6.10     The Plugz Rehearsals

6.11     Rumored tapes

 

 

Next

Contents

 

 

1         A SHORT SUBJECTIVE RETROSPECTIVE

Another amazingly active year for Bob Dylan. The fifth year of The Never Ending Tour saw him returning down under for the first time since 1986. The addition of the multi-instrumentalist Bucky Baxter to the band proved to be a very good move. Baxter's pedal steel guitar gave new life to otherwise rather tired songs and prompted Dylan to reintroduce old gems like Idiot Wind to the set. After two shows in Hawaii, and a series of shows on the US West Coast, Dylan played his usual set of European summer rock festivals, starting near the polar circle and ending up at The Mediterranean. During the break between the summer tours in Europe and the US, Dylan recorded a number of traditional songs, probably at his home in Malibu and presented them to his record company. As a result the all acoustic album GOOD AS I BEEN TO YOU was released in late October. The same month Sony/Columbia arranged the slightly overdue "30th Anniversary Concert" in Madison Square Garden, broadcast live over pay-per-view TV-stations in both US and Europe. This event happened in the middle of the Fall tour, as usual going from north to south on the north American East coast.

 

2         The Year at a glance

 

 

 

 

 

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3         CALENDAR

 

Early January

Rumours of an acoustic album comes from Sony Music in France.

 

January 4

Rehearsals with the touring band starts in Los Angeles. They reportedly included a pedal steel guitarist and some other new musicians.

 

January 17

Rehearsals for Letterman's 10th Anniversary show. Like A Rolling Stone and Dolly Dagger by Jimi Hendrix are played.

 

January 18

The taping of Letterman's 10th Anniversary show. Two versions of Like A Rolling Stone are run through. The second is being used in the broadcast. Dylan's performance is the only live music during the Anniversary show.

 

Late January

Noel Redding is quoted as saying that he is doing the new Dylan album in Howard Stern Show in New York.

 

February 6

Broadcast of Letterman's 10th Anniversary show.

 

February 9

Robert Hilburn interview with Dylan in Erie last year is published in The Los Angeles Times Magazine.

 

February 13-15

Dylan attends Neil Young's shows on The Beacon Theatre in New York. They both one night turned up at the Bitter End to catch David Bromberg's set there.

 

March 9

Final rehearsals for the Australian tour starts at the Leeds Rehearsal Facility in Hollywood.

 

March 13

Stuart Coupe interviews Dylan in Los Angeles via telephone from Sydney. Dylan is in good mood and this 15 minute chat is one of the most enjoyable from the last years. In this interview Dylan reveals that he will record in Chicago in June and that "half of the songs are done". He also mentions that Random House will publish a book of drawing done while touring, appropriately titled Road Drawings. The Interview is later printed in a number of Australian papers.

 

March 18

The Australian tour starts in Perth. The set list contains Dolly Dagger and an electric version of Little Maggie, later to be included on Good As I Been To You. Sadly none of these songs reappear in 1992. Also debuted was West L.A. Fadeaway from Grateful Dead's In The Dark album and Cat's In The Well from Under The Red Sky. The latter was to be a regular during most of 1992. This is the last show with the "1991" format: 8 electric - 4 acoustic - 4 electric - 2 encores.

 

March 28

During the show in Dylan tries to get Bonnie Raitt on stage before Highway 61 Revisited but for some unknown reason she fails to appear. Bonnie Raitt and Marc Cohen shared the bill this evening with Dylan.

 

April 1

Peter Wilmouth interviews Dylan backstage at the Palais Theatre after there show there. The interviews is later printed in The Age, April .

 

April 2

The show in Melbourne features the first Idiot Wind since Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, 25 May 1976.

 

April 5

During the performance of Desolation Row Dylan is overcome by emotion and has to stop singing. Dylan speaks briefly with Jackson and the band goes on playing while Dylan goes to the back of the stage for a while. He then comes back and finishes the song.

 

April 14

Dylan again tries Desolation Row but the same thing happens. His voice breaks during the line "He was famous long ago for playing the electric violin". Desolation Row is next played in San Francisco 4 May, without interrupt.

 

April 27

Dylan is back on the West Coast for the first time in three years. The band is now expanded with Charlie Quintana on drums.

 

May 2

At the show in Santa Rosa when Dylan has sung the first two lines of Mr. Tambourine Man when woman from the audience comes on stage and runs towards Dylan. He looks startled and jumps back. The band continues to play and the woman "sings", repeating a few lines several times. She tries to get Dylan to sing with her but he stays back. Given the length of this “performance” it is obvious that security allowes her to stay on stage. When they come to lead her off, Dylan takes her arm and rais it above her head as in triumph! The same woman reappeares and runs to the microphone when Dylan starts Blowin' In The Wind. She says a word or two but security takes her off stage immediately this time.

 

May 3

Dylan attends the Jerry Garcia concert at the Warfield but doesn't come on stage.

 

May 5

Jerry Garcia attends the Bob Dylan at the Warfield and comes on stage for two songs, Cat's In The Well and Idiot Wind.

 

May 9

T-Bone Burnett guests on three songs: Idiot Wind, The Times They Are A-Changin' and Highway 61 Revisited at the show in San José.

 

May 23

The tour ends in Las Vegas, first show ever for Dylan in the game.

 

May 24

Bob celebrates his birthday in Las Vegas.

 

June 4

More than two weeks studio sessions in Chicago appear to have been spent taping mostly covers with David Bromberg and his band. Dylan records 26 songs, mainly folk and blues material. Some songs rumoured to have been finished: Lady From Baltimore, Polly Vaughan, Casey Jones, Duncan And Brady, Catskills Serenade, World Of Fools (both by Bromberg), Rise Again and Nobody's Fault But Mine. On the two last songs a 25-person gospel choir is added.

 

June 26

The European tour starts on a street corner in a very northern harbour town in Sweden, Luleå. You probably can't get much further from Bally's casino in Las Vegas where the last show was played! It is now that the acoustic numbers start getting very long (Mr. Tambourine Man is almost 10 minutes) thus extending the show length to about two hours in many cases.

 

July 2

The show in Belfort is unusually short due to the fact that the main event this evening is Bryan Adams!

 

July 12

The final show in Juan-les-Pins starts with Jimi Hendrix's Hey Joe making it the 8th debut in 11 shows! The others:

 

 

  • first acoustic version of West L.A. Fadeaway.

 

 

·        live debut of The Girl On The Green Briar Shore.

 

 

·        first I And I during the Never-Ending Tour.

 

 

·        live debuts of A Hazy Shade Of Winter and The Roving Blade.

 

 

·        live debut of 2 X 2.

 

 

·        first airing of I Dreamed I Saw St Augustine since Toad's Place in January 1990.

 

·        live debut of Around And Around.

 

August 22

At the show in Ottawa Dylan finally gets around to play the only single from Under The Red Sky, Unbelievable. This leaves only Handy Dandy and 10,000 Men this far never played live.

 

August 29

Dylan begins an outstanding five night residency at the Orpheum Theater in Minneapolis an establishment he once owned with his brother David.

 

October 16

"Columbia Records Celebrates The Music Of Bob Dylan" This three and a half hour tribute show is broadcast live by various TV and radio stations in US and Europe. A number of artists pays their tribute by playing one or two Dylan songs backed by Booker T and the MGs with G.E. Smith on extra guitar as "musical director". Two notable exceptions: John Hammond Jr has rehearsed I'll Be You Baby Tonight, but right before the show the evening's host, Kris Kristofferson insists on doing it, so John Hammond Jr, not knowing any other Bob Dylan songs, sung See That My Grave Is Kept Clean by Jesse Fuller. Sinead O'Connor gets booed for her recent appearance at Saturday Night Live, where she for some reason had tore up a picture of the Pope. Instead of just getting on with her act she chooses to challenge the audience, ended up screaming an a-capella version of Bob Marley's War and then leaving the stage in tears. Elvis Costello was to have done Positively 4th Street and Van Morrison Just Like A Woman but neither turn up.

 

October 23

The fall tour continues in Newark, Delaware and ends on

 

November 15

in West Palm Beach where Dylan's voice is so shot that he skips the two electric encores. Still it's a great concert and a fitting end to fifth year of The Never-Ending Tour.

 

October 30

Release of Good As I Been To You.

 

 

 

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4         RECORDINGS

Here’s a list of recordings from 1992 other than concerts. For details please refer to the corresponding session pages in Still On The Road.

 

January

New York City recording session

18 January

Taping for Late Night 10th Anniversary show.

13 March

Stuart Coupe telephone Interview

June

David Bromberg sessions

Summer

Nanci Griffith session

July- August

Good As I Been To You sessions

14-15 October

Rehearsals for the 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration

16 October

30th Anniversary Concert Celebration

19 October

Willie Nelson session

 

5         GOOD AS I BEEN TO YOU

This album was rushed out to profit on the interest in Dylan after the Madison Square Garden tribute concert. Many has over the years wished for an all acoustic album, but now we got it's a bit of a disappointment. First and foremost because there are no new Dylan songs on it. Since the previous album, Under The Red Sky, was recorded mainly in January 1990, it's most likely that at the end of 1992 we have yet to hear a Dylan song from the 90's!

The songs:

Frankie & Albert (trad. arr. by Bob Dylan)

Jim Jones (trad. arr. by Bob Dylan)

Blackjack Davey (trad. arr. by Bob Dylan)

Canadee-i-o (trad. arr. by Bob Dylan)

Sittin' On Top Of The World (Bo Carter/Walter Jacobs)

Little Maggie (trad. arr. by Bob Dylan)

Hard Times (Stephen Foster)

Step It Up And Go (Blind Boy Fuller)

Tomorrow Night (Sam Coslow/Will Grosz)

Arthur McBride (trad. arr. by Bob Dylan)

You're Gonna Quit Me (Mance Lipscomb)

Diamond Joe (Tex Logan)

Froggie Went A-Courtin' (trad. arr. by Bob Dylan)

Not only is this record acoustic, it's Dylan all by himself, guitar and harmonica, although the latter is used on two songs only, 5 and 9 (another source of disappointment). All songs are traditional or "in the public domain", meaning that the copyright owner failed to renew. Original authors are indicated above where known.

A special advance sampler in a plain cardboard box with sticker on it containing Sittin' On Top Of The World, Tomorrow Night, Canadee-I-O and Hard Times was released in mid-October. (Columbia CSK 4857).

The promotion material distributed before the release to the music business mentioned both a single and a video, but neither had appeared at the end of 1992

 

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6         NEW TAPES

In addition to all audience tapes from the shows, the following new tapes became available in 1992:

·        The 1992 Compilation tape

·        Folksinger's Choice, 11 March 1962

·        Berkeley Community Theatre, Berkeley, California, 4 December 1965

·        A Hotel Room, Denver, Colorado, 13 March 1966

·        More Basement Tapes

·        The Band's New Years Concert

·        Rehearsals before Rolling Thunder Revue II

·        Solid Rock Live Album

·        Toronto Concert Film

·        The Plugz Rehearsals

 

6.1        The 1992 Compilation tape

This is a 50 minute collection of rarities put together by a US collector:

Sally Gal

Freewheelin outtake, April 1962

*

Ramblin' Down Thru The World

New York Town Hall, 12 April 1963

+

You Bin Hidin' Too Long

New York Town Hall, 12 April 1963

**

Suzy

same as Bootleg Series but slightly longer

 

You Don't have To Do That

Bringing outtake from 13 January 1965

**

Jet Pilot

as on BIOGRAPH but slightly longer

*

Working On A Guru

from May 1 1970 w/ George Harrison

+

Let Me See

last track on "1980s Working tape"

+

Dark Groove (instr)

Infidels outtake

**

Don't Fly Unless It's Safe (instr)

Infidels outtake

**

Neighborhood Bully

different mix w/ harmonica

*

Silvio

different mix

*

Dirty World

w/ Dylan vocals without overdub

*

Ring Them Bells

rough mix

*

Disease Of Conceit

rough mix

*

What Was It You Wanted

rough mix

*

Shooting Star

rough mix

*

 

** new song, never before circulated

* new version, never before circulated

+ same as circulated but in better quality

 

The song You Bin Hidin' Too Long is together with the Cynthia Gooding radio program the most surprising find of the year. A Bob Dylan song performed live at this well-known concert, a song that no one had even been rumored before! Some call this Talkin' Hypocrite, but this is most likely another Dylan song performed in 1962.

 

6.2        Folksinger's Choice

Another surprise! A complete one hour radio program in excellent quality! And why has no one ever heard of this one before? Was it ever broadcast? This is a Cynthia Gooding radio show taped/broadcast (?) 11 March 1962. It contains chats between Dylan and a clearly charmed Cynthia Gooding and the following songs:

 

    1. Lonesome Whistle Blues (Hank Williams/Jimmy Davies)

    2. Fixin' To Die (Bukka White)

    3. Smokestack Lightning (?)

    4. Hard Travelin' (Woody Guthrie)

    5. Death Of Emmett Till

    6. Standing On The Highway

    7. Roll On, John (?)

    8. Stealin', Stealin' (trad. arr. Memphis Jug Band)

    9. Long Time Man (trad arr. Alan Lomax)

   10. Baby Please Don't Go (Big Joe Williams)

   11. Hard Times In New York Town

 

3, 2, 7, 9 first versions of these songs with Dylan.

5 first known recording of this song.

11 last known recording of this song.

 

6.3        Berkeley Community Theatre, Berkeley, California, 4 December 1965

This tape really fills in a gap in the recording history of Bob Dylan. Between the famous Forest Hills concert in August 1965 and the show in White Plains in New York, 6 February 1966, Dylan and The Hawks performed some 40 concerts and, up till now, not one single tape has been in circulation. The tape consists of the electric set:

    1.  Tombstone Blues

    2.  I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)

    3.  Baby Let Me Follow You Down

    4.  Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues

    5.  Long Distance Operator

    6.  It Ain't Me, Babe

    7.  Ballad Of A Thin Man

    8.  Positively 4th Street

    9.  Like A Rolling Stone

Dylan is backed by Robbie Robertson (guitar), Richard Manuel (piano),  Garth Hudson (organ), Rick Danko (bass) and Bobby Gregg (drums).

Long Distance Operator is the real treat here, the song later on appeared on The Basement Tapes sung by Rick Danko. This early version has one extra verse compared to the later version as printed in Lyrics. It Ain't Me, Babe has a nice slow arrangement. This is the first known electric version.

Too bad, the first set didn't see the light of day at the same time, since Dylan premiered Freeze Out, later known as Visions Of Johanna!

 

6.4        A Hotel Room, Denver, Colorado, 13 March 1966

This tape was recorded by Robert Shelton who also can be heard on the tape. It also contains an interview, which has not yet circulated. This is in the wee small hours of the morning after a long jet plane trip, most probably the one Shelton describes in his book (chapter 10). It consists of Dylan playing acoustic guitar and singing/composing new songs. On the tape there are at least three new songs plus Just Like A Woman and Sad-Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands. 40 minutes. A must.

 

6.5        The Basement Tapes

Big Pink, Woodstock, West Saugerties, New York, Late 1966-October 1967

The long rumored new batch of tapes from the basement in Woodstock finally started circulating in September 1992. Most of this material has also been "released" on the bootlegs "The Genuine Basement Tapes Vol 3-5". The listing below consists of all the new tracks. It starts with 76, since 75 tracks were known before.

    76.  Wildwood Flower (A. P. Carter)

    77.  See That My Grave Is Kept Clean (Blind Lemon Jefferson)

    78.  Coming Round The Mountain (trad.)

    79.  Instrumental Blues

    80.  The Flight Of The Bumble Bee (?)

    81.  Confidential (Dolinda Morgan)

    82.  Belshazzar (Johnny Cash)

    83.  I Forgot To Remember To Forget (S. Kesler - C. Feathers)

    84.  You Win Again (Hank Williams)

    85.  Still In Love With You (H. Cochran/H. Howard)

    86.  Waltzing With Sin (?)

    87.  Waltzing With Sin (?)

    88.  Big River (Johnny Cash)

    89.  Big River (Johnny Cash)

    90.  Odds And Ends

    91.  Nothing Was Delivered

    92.  Bourbon Street

    93.  Million Dollar Bash

    94.  Yea! Heavy And A Bottle Of Bread

    95.  Crash On The Levee (Down In The Flood)

    96.  Lo And Behold!

    97.  Harp Instrumental

    98.  You Ain't Goin' Nowhere

    99.  The Bells Of Rhymney (Idris Davies - Pete Seeger)

   100.  Won't You Please Come Home? (?)

   101.  Chilly Winds (trad.)

   102.  Spanish Is The Loving Tongue (Charles Badger Clark)

   103.  Piano And Harp Improvisations

   104.  Piano Instrumental

   105.  On A Rainy Afternoon

   106.  Broken Heart (?)

   107.  Broken Heart (?)

   108.  Instrumental

   109.  Come All You Fair And Tender Ladies (D. & G. Guard)

   110.  Under Control (?)

   111.  Rosin le Beau (trad.)

   112.  Guilty Of Loving You (?)

   113.  Johnny Todd (trad.)

   114.  Cool Water (Bob Nolan)

   115.  Poor Lazarus (trad.)

   116.  I'm A Fool For You (?)

   117.  Next Time On The Highway (?)

   118.  Mississippi (?)

   119.  You Gotta Quit Kickin’ My Dog Around (Every Time I Go To Town) (Gid Tanner)

   120.  See You Later Alligator (Bobby Charles)

   121.  Won't You Please Come Home? (?)

   122.  Luisa (?)

   123.  Luisa (?)

   124.  Teenage Prayer (?)

   125.  Four Strong Winds (Ian Tyser)

   126.  The French Girl (Ian Tyser & Sylvia Fricker)

   127.  The French Girl (Ian Tyser & Sylvia Fricker)

   128.  Joshua Gone Barbados (Eric von Schmidt)

   129.  I'm In The Mood For Love (John Lee Hooker)

   130.  All American Boy

   131.  Folsom Prison Blues (Johnny Cash)

   132.  Silent Weekend

   133.  Silhouttes (Frank Slay & Bob Crewe)

   134.  Bring It On Home (?)

   135.  King Of France (?)

   136.  Gonna Get You Now

   137.  The Royal Canal (Dominic Behan)

 

Notes

76 and 77 may very well be from another session (e.g. Self Portrait).

92, 105, 130, 132 are never before heard Dylan songs.

105 is not the same song as in Eat The Document

129 is not the Fiels/Hughes song performed during The Never-Ending Tour.

133 fragment only.

   

6.6        The Band's New Year's Concert 1971/1972

On new Year's Eve The band played a concert at the New York Academy of  Music. Dylan appeared as surprise guest after midnight and performed Down In The Flood, When I Paint My Masterpiece, Like A Rolling Stone and Don't Ya Tell Henry. None of these songs were included on The Band's double live album Rock of Ages. When the Basement Tapes started circulating Down In The Flood from this occasion was attached!

 

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6.7        Rehearsals before Rolling Thunder Revue II

Belleview Biltmore Hotel, Clearwater, Florida, April 1976

1-2.

I'll Be Your Baby Tonight

3.

Vincent van Gogh (Robert Friemark)

4-5.

I Pity The Poor Immigrant

6-7.

Blowin' In The Wind

8.

I Pity The Poor Immigrant

9.

Blowin' In The Wind

10.

I Pity The Poor Immigrant

11.

Blowin' In The Wind

12-16.

Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again

17.

Rita May (Bob Dylan & Jacques Levy)

18.

I Threw It All Away

19.

Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again

20.

Going, Going, Gone

21-22.

Just Like A Woman

22.

Just Like A Woman

23.

I Threw It All Away

24-29.

I'll Be Your Baby Tonight

30.

Maggie's Farm

31.

One Too Many Mornings

32.

Seven Days

33.

Going, Going, Gone

34.

Sara

35-37.

Going, Going, Gone

38-39.

One More Cup Of Coffee (Valley Below)

40.

Tomorrow Is A Long Time

41-42.

Mozambique (Bob Dylan & Jacques Levy)

43.

Lay Lady Lay

44.

Idiot Wind

45.

Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues

46.

It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry

47-48.

You Angel You

49-54.

Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again

55.

Just Like A Woman

56-57.

Tangled Up In Blue

58-61.

Just Like A Woman

62.

Tangled Up In Blue

The next biggest disappointment of the year. Apart from a few songs (Tomorrow Is A Long Time, You Angel You, One Too many Mornings) this is a tape that could well have stayed uncirculated.

Rehearsals are with the second Rolling Thunder Revue band. Joan Baez appears on 4-11. 48 is instrumental. A couple of tracks have by some collectors been attributed to a later rehearsal in Fort Collins in May.

 

6.8        Solid Rock Live Album

This is a work tape for a planned but never released live album that was to be called Solid Rock. Missing on the circulating tapes is Cover Down, Break Through. All tracks are from Massey Hall, Toronto, Canada, 19 April 1980.

Songs:

Gotta Serve Somebody

Covenant Woman

When You Gonna Wake Up

Precious Angel

Slow Train

Solid Rock

In The Garden

Bob Dylan (guitar & vocal), Fred Tackett (guitar), Spooner Oldham (keyboards), Terry Young (keyboards), Tim Drummond (bass), Jim Keltner (drums), Regina Havis, Mona Lisa Young, Clydie King, Gwen Evans and Mary Elizabeth Bridget (backup vocals).

Stereo PA recording, 40 minutes.

 

6.9        Toronto Concert Film

All the five shows in Toronto, 16-20 April 1980 were filmed and recorded for a possible concert film. The complete film from the last show 20 April has now come into general circulation. Although the filming itself is rather amateurish (it's easy to see why it was never used) it is done with professional equipment. What we get is a complete gospel show with the first gospel section, the long raps between the songs, everything. The songs are:

Gotta Serve Somebody

I Believe In You

When You Gonna Wake Up

Ain't Gonna Go To Hell

Cover Down, Break Through

Man Gave Names To All The Animals

Precious Angel

Slow Train

Do Right To Me Baby (Do Unto Others)

Solid Rock

Saving Grace

Saved

What Can I Do For You?

In The Garden

Are You Ready?

Pressing On

The sound track is very good stereo.

 

6.10    The Plugz Rehearsals

The Home Of Bob Dylan, Malibu, California 21 March 1984

This tape is the most disappointing to appear in 1992. 135 minutes of guitar riffs and mostly inaudible vocals. They are supposedly the rehearsals for "Late Night With David Letterman", but may also be early rehearsals for the European tour. The following songs are tried:

The River Of Life

We Three (My Echo, My Shadow And Me) (Robertson/Cogane/Myalls)

Jokerman

Don't Start Me To Talkin'

Shake

Saved

Baby I Do (?)

Tomorrow Is A long Time

Mary Lou (?)

Highlight is the acoustic version of We Three. Clydie King is also present.

 

6.11    Rumored tapes

Finally here's a list of rumored tapes:

·        Very early (1959) Hibbing recording.

·        1964 home tape with Dave van Ronk and Eric von Scmidt

·        1965 Woodstock rehearsals

·        1965 Carnegie hall, Oct 1

·        1975 Rehearsals

·        1978 demo tape with Helena Springs

·        1984 Empire Burlesque session tape

·        1987 Down In The Groove outtake tape

 

 

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