The Basement Tapes - Dylan, Bob (CD 1988)

This is one of those legendary releases with a long history and many rumors and myths surrounding it. It is also music that was not even originally intended for release. It was merely six musicians banding together in a basement to make music together. The original sessions were done for their own benefit only. And yet somehow this has become one of the more interesting recordings in American music.

The sessions with Bob Dylan and The Band were done in the basement at Big Pink. This was a home in Saugerties, NY rented by members of the Band. The recordings were made from June through October in 1967 and were quickly pirated and bootlegged in numerous forms. It was not in 1975 that Columbia released the two record set The Basement Tapes. It consisted of 24 songs from these sessions. Each record featured 12 songs.

Sadly the CD release does not include any bonus material. The original two records could have been fitted onto a single CD. I have read in Greil Marcus book The Old Weird America that a five disc bootleg does exist. That would likely include some real gems. Maybe Dylan could release the complete sessions as part of his ongoing bootleg series. It would make a lot of people like me very happy.

The Basement Tapes is essential for Dylan fanatics and lovers of Americana. I have learned a lot about the songs and the inspiration for the songs from the Marcus book. I will cite the book several times in the review. This is music that calls on many traditional music styles although it is bound by none. It shows how rock and roll, country, Appalachian music, blues and other styles are all part of a lineage. All but one of the songs are original but many seem like they could have been written in the late 19th Century or the early decades of the 20th Century. Many songs would fit in well at any folk festival.

But Dylan and the Band were not reluctant to use electric instruments. Dylan was one of the first people to recognize the Big Picture. Rock and roll could be a part of the ongoing traditions of American music. That is one of the compelling aspects of this recording. Dylan was able to embrace traditions while still moving forward. He stood his ground against the boos and continued to sculpt his own legend. This is really good old fashion rock & roll. The Band plays inspired and Dylan seems to be having a great time with the music. In spite some crude recording quality and mistakes this album really proves his point in a resounding manner.

The Basement Tapes is an obviously flawed recording. It becomes difficult to evaluate since this there was no intention of releasing this music. There are moments when Dylan starts to crack up while singing lyrics. Other mistakes also appear throughout the songs. Part of what makes this a great recording is that human aspect. By seeing the flaws I feel the listener can tap into the creative process more readily.

There are sixteen songs sung by Dylan and eight songs performed by The Band alone. Since there are a lot of songs I will try to focus on some of the highlights of this set. There are a lot of songs that stand out. There are a couple songs that would become staples of The Band s future sets: Tears of Rage and This Wheel s On Fire. You Ain t Goin Nowhere was later popularized by Joan Baez. Then there are a lot of strange but oddly wonderful songs that really make this set special.

Goin to Acapulco is one of the best songs on the first disc. This song has a mournful sound with poignant vocals. The music never really becomes a blues track. It has a slow rock and roll feel. Songs like Clothes Line Saga, Apple Suckling Tree and Please Mrs Henry really sound like ancient wonders. They have a feel of songs written many decades before their origin (also several decades ago). On Please Mrs Henry, Dylan almost cracks up singing the vocals. He reveals a deep understanding of traditional styles. He also shows how rock and roll has become a part of that tradition.

As Marcus pointed out in his book Dylan grasped the mystery and the purity of expression that lay beneath American music traditions. Bessie Smith also captures this old feeling. I often wonder if the title was meant as tribute to the great blues singer of the same name. (Note, this song was written by Rick Danko and Robbie Robertson not Dylan) Lo and Behold! almost has a religious feel to it. Perhaps it is a realization of the spiritual undertow that existed in much traditional music. There are among the highlights from the first disc. The version of Tears of Rage is also very nice. It s a bit more rudimentary than the more polished version The Band would do later on.

The second disc starts off with a rocker called Too Much of Nothing. This song has more of a classic Dylan feel to it. The lyrics have a poetic quality that reflects some of his classic works from the mid to late 60s. It is one of my favorites from the second disc. Songs like Yea! Heavy and a Bottle of Bread, Ruben Remus (written by Robertson and Manuel) and Tiny Montgomery all seem like songs written in the 1920s. Ain t No More Cane is the one traditional song in the set. You wouldn t know it without reading the notes though. Dylan reveals a deep ability to write tradition oriented songs. If I didn t know better I would swear he was covering old traditional songs. They work well in a rock and roll style. I think a lot of old timey and traditional music could well stand up to this treatment.

The versions of You Ain t Goin Nowhere and This Wheel s On Fire are both pretty raw. Both would become classics in later years. This Wheel s On Fire is an early song that reveals the potential held by The Band. They were still known as The Hawks before these sessions. Their ability to play together or back Dylan grew in these sessions. Perhaps these sessions provided the courage to adopt the audacious name of The Band.

Also check out my review of The Old Weird America for more indepth analysis of this album.

The track listing is:

disc one:

1. Odds and Ends
2. Orange Juice Blues (Blues For Breakfast)
3. Million Dollar Bash
4. Yazoo Street Scandal
5. Goin To Acapulco
6. Katie s Been Gone
7. Lo And Behold!
8. Bessie Smith
9. Clothesline Saga
10. Apple Suckling Tree
11. Please, Mrs Henry
12. Tears of Rage

disc two:

1. Too Much of Nothing
2. Yea! Heavy and a Bottle of Bread
3. Ain t No More Cane
4. Crash on the Levee (Down In the Flood)
5. Ruben Remus
6. Tiny Montgomery
7. You Ain t Goin Nowhere
8. Don t Ya Tell Henry
9. Nothing Was Delivered
10. Open the Door, Homer
11. Long Distance Operator
12. This Wheel s On Fire