The Basement Tapes - Dylan, Bob (CD 1988)

In the mid-1960s, Bob Dylan was at the peak of his musical prowess as he went from folk music to electric. While courting controversy with his move to play rock n' roll from fans of folk music, the albums Dylan was putting out at the time were considered to be landmarks, most notably Blonde on Blonde in 1966. During that time when he went electric from 1965-1966, he went on the road backed by a band then known as the Hawks that consisted of guitarist Robbie Robertson, bassist Rick Danko, pianist Richard Manuel, organist Garth Hudson, and drummer Levon Helm. Though Helm left early in the tour due to the response from fans who hated Dylan's move from folk to electric, the music that Dylan made with the Hawks proved to be inspirational. Then following Dylan's motorcycle crash in 1966, he went into seclusion in Woodstock, New York.

While making songs for John Wesley Harding, he invited the Hawks to kill time for some jam sessions in his basement where the Hawks were recording their own album as they would later be christened as simply, the Band. When the Band hit it big in the late 60s with their fresh blend of Americana, Dylan remained in seclusion as many songs from the basement sessions were recorded and became legendary. Music critics and fans of Dylan were hoping for official releases of these tapes as a bootleg entitled The Great White Wonder was released in 1969. Yet at that time, Dylan and the Band were already making waves in music, separately.

By the early 1970s, both acts had their commercial fortunes dwindle as Dylan continued his reclusive period after making country-inspired records and a widely-panned album called Self Portrait. The Band meanwhile, were going through tension as well as substance abuse. In 1974, Dylan and the Band reunited for a new album entitled Planet Waves that was followed by a double-live album called Before the Flood later that year. By 1975, Dylan made a comeback with Blood on the Tracks released that January while six-months later, Dylan and Robbie Robertson released a double album of their legendary sessions from Dylan's Woodstock home in the mid-1960s simply entitled The Basement Tapes.

The Basement Tapes is a double album of 24 songs compiling some of the music that was recorded during those sessions in the late 1960s at Bob Dylan's home at Woodstock along with additional overdubs made in early 1975 by Dylan and Robbie Robertson. The album is essentially a collection of songs that were recorded at those times. Though it's not a complete collection of those songs made in the legendary sessions, the result is truly marveling that showed Dylan and the Band making music that mixed with their love of Americana, soul, rock, folk, and country. The result isn't just truly one of Bob Dylan's most essential albums but also one of those most legendary records ever recorded.

The album opens with the rollicking Odds & Ends led by the jangly guitars of Robbie Robertson, pounding rhythms from drummer Levon Helm and bassist Rick Danko, crashing pianos from Richard Manuel and Garth Hudson as Bob Dylan leads the way in this old-school rocker. With an up tempo back-beat, Dylan jams as Robertson wails on a guitar solo as Hudson swoons with an organ accompaniment. Next is Orange Juice Blues (Blues For Breakfast) penned by Richard Manuel in this wonderful, slow yet smooth blues-driven rocker as Rick Danko sings the song as it features a wonderful rhythm by Helm's drums, blues riffs by Robertson, and Manuel leading the way with his piano that includes a wonderful saxophone solo by Hudson. Danko's lovely vocals truly shines in this blues rocker.

Million Dollar Bash is a wonderful, washy folk-driven track led by Dylan as he sings strange, abstract lyrics about women and such as he is accompanied by the Band in this great, surreal song that has a memorable chorus where Dylan revels in this swooning, acoustic-driven demeanor that features a wonderful organ by Garth Hudson.

Yazoo Street Scandal by Robbie Robertson that is led by the pounding, warbling bass lines of Rick Danko as Richard Manuel's growling vocals lead the way. With Robertson's guitar channeling its energy with Helm's fierce drumming and Hudson's wailing organs, it's a raw, rocking number that has the band being a true rock n' roll band. Goin To Acapulco is a wonderful, dreamy ballad led by Dylan's graveling, swooning vocals that is accompanied by the dream-guitar washes of Dylan and Robertson along with Hudson's ethereal organ as it later includes Robertson belting out some great guitar solos. Dylan's wonderful, narrative approach to the lyrics that includes a great chorus sung by Dylan and the Band.

Katie's Been Gone is a heart-wrenching ballad written by Robertson and Manuel where Manuel sings the song with his hypnotic, blues-driven vocals as he leads the song with its piano as the band joins him in the chorus. With Hudson's organs and Helm's mid-tempo beats, it's truly one of the best tracks on the album that owes to the vocals and talents of the late Richard Manuel.

Lo & Behold is a washy, dirty track with washy guitars, slow yet rollicking pianos, and Dylan's graveling vocals as he goes into the nitty gritty of Americana. Dylan's cosmic lyrics with wonderful imagery is the highlight as in the third verse, he's accompanied by a wonderful, swooning organ by Garth Hudson, who is definitely the best musician of the Band. Bessie Smith is the Band playing with a smooth yet ethereal presentation as the song's co-writer Rick Danko leads the way with his dreamy vocals as him and Helm create a slow yet seductive rhythm with Manuel's piano and Hudson's organ that wails throughout the song. Clothesline Saga is a wonderful ballad that features dirty, washy acoustic guitar and Dylan's obtuse lyrical style that includes blues-like organs, guitars, and pianos as Dylan brings his sense of humor as he sings as if he's engaging in a conversation.

Apple Suckling Tree is another blues-inspired song led by Manuel's blues-pounding piano, Hudson's wailing organs, Helm's hard-hitting drums, and Dylan going into the blues with its melody as it leads into a jam between piano and organ in this rollicking blues-inspired number. Please, Mrs. Henry is another bluesy track with folk-leanings of acoustic track with Dylan singing in his graveling vocals with Robertson belting out great blues licks and Manuel putting on a rollicking piano track. Dylan's lyrics are once-again abstract as every with image-driven lyrics as he turns it into a blues-inspired number. Tears Of Rage is a great, dreamy ballad with Dylan's vocals shine with its graveling yet swooning style as Robertson's guitar pops up with licks as it is carried by Hudson's ethereal organs.

The second half of the album opens with Too Much Of Nothing is another, hollow-sounding track with washy acoustic guitar, Robertson's blues-licks, a smooth rhythm by Helm and Danko, and a swooning organ by Hudson. Dylan leads the way singing his usual style of strange lyrics as he is joined by Robertson, Danko, Manuel, and Helm on the song's melodic chorus. Yea Heavy & A Bottle Of Bread is a folk-like jam with Dylan and the Band smoothing things out as Dylan rambles through the song with imagery-led lyrics as he's accompanied by Manuel's melodic piano and Hudson's swooning organ as Dylan and the Band sing altogether in the song's nonsensical yet abstract lyrics. Ain't No More Cane is a traditional number done with wonderful style by the Band reveling in several musical genres of zydeco, blues, and country with Levon Helm leading the way with his graveling, country vocals as Hudson plays an accordion. With Danko and Manuel singing verses on the song, it's a wonderful take on a song reveling in the Band's approach to mixing genres.

Crash On The Levee (Down In The Flood) is a wonderful song that features some very haunting lyrics that is song in a more upbeat yet mid-tempo presentation with Dylan's guitar and Hudson's organ playing. Dylan's lyrics are true to the blues as it's again told in a narrative that is only done better by Dylan. Ruben Remus is a wonderful song done in a mid-tempo style led by its co-writer Richard Manuel as he sings through his great, enchanting vocals as he rollicks on the piano with Hudson's organ swooning and a shimmering guitar solo from Robertson after the solo.

Tiny Montgomery is a dirty yet washy acoustic-driven track with Dylan graveling to the song as he is joined by the Band for this folk-inspired song filled with nonsensical lyrics. Next is a version of You Ain't Going Nowhere where Dylan's original was a swift, folk-inspired song with Dylan singing some of his most personal and abstract lyrics. This version is more of a full-band sound with mid-tempo rhythms, Hudson's swooning organ, and organic string instruments in the background with Helm's cadence-like percussion work.

Don't Ya Tell Henry is a rollicking blues-inspired number that has the Band in full form led by Levon Helm singing the song with his Southern drawl as Robertson wails on the guitar as Manuel and Hudson pound on the keyboards. Nothing Was Delivered is a wonderful folk-inspired ballad by Dylan as he is accompanied by Manuel's bar-blues piano, a thumping bass line by Danko, Hudson's ethereal organ and Robertson's swooning blues-driven guitar. With Dylan leaning towards the blues, the song is Dylan going into his narrative-driven style of lyrics. Open The Door, Homer is a lovely, washy track with swooning guitar rhythms, shimmering organs, and Dylan's imagery-laden lyrics as he sings with his graveling vocals as he's later joined by Danko and Manuel in the chorus.

Long Distance Operator is a wonderful, mid-tempo song with Helm's gymnastic-like drumming, wailing blues licks from Robertson's guitar, pounding pianos and organs from Manuel and Hudson, respectively. With Danko providing a thumping bass line, he sings the song as he growls through the song as he sings Dylan's descriptive, confrontational lyrics. The album's closer is a variation of the Dylan-Danko penned This Wheel's On Fire that is led by Dylan's washy guitar and a slow, smooth rhythm by the Band including an eerie organ from Garth Hudson. Dylan's eerie vocals shine through the song's dark tone as it intensifies in its chorus with the Band joining in on vocals as Dylan provides a haunting close to the entire album.

Following its release, The Basement Tapes was a critical hit as well as a hit with both fans of Dylan and the Band who have been waiting for these legendary tracks to be released. Though over the years, it's been known that there was plenty more from those sessions that haven't been out officially. Even after the Band's break-up in 1977 and Dylan's conversion to Christianity in the late 1970s, The Basement Tapes proved to be legendary while many hardcore fans were dying for more.

Throughout the years through various box set of Dylan's work including his Bootleg series, tracks that didn't make it to the final cut of The Basement Tapes were officially released in those box sets including the Bootleg series. Meanwhile, in the world of bootlegs, various versions that features more than five albums worth of material from The Basement Tapes have appeared. Most notably a bootleg known as The Genuine Basement Tapes which was a five-CD compilation of material that expanded The Basement Tapes though it's been said that it isn't a complete version.

Then in 2007, another song from those legendary sessions which some said is to be Dylan's most famous bootlegged song ever was finally released officially to a film soundtrack for a film about Bob Dylan. The song called I'm Not There would eventually be the title to Todd Haynes' anti bio-pic on Dylan as Dylan's original song with the Band along with Sonic Youth's cover was widely praised.

The Basement Tapes is truly a marvelous collection of music that isn't just essential to both the works of Bob Dylan and the Band. It's also a must-have for anyone that's into the world of Americana. Though the album is basically a sampler-of-sorts to what isn't released, officially, to the public from Dylan and the Band. It's a record that conjures up anything that is purely American. Especially a Jewish guy from Minnesota, a Southerner, and four Canadians. The Basement Tapes, in the end, is an album that purely conjures what is great about Bob Dylan and the Band.

Related Review:

I'm Not There (2007):

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