Come all without, come all within, you’ll not see nothing like The Basement Tapes, Complete.  On November 4, Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings will grant an official release to perhaps the most coveted collection of songs in Bob Dylan’s storied catalogue.  The eleventh installment of Dylan’s acclaimed Bootleg Series presents, for the very first time, six discs of The Basement Tapes – as recorded in the summer of 1967 by Dylan and the group that would later become The Band, and per the label, including “every salvageable recording from the tapes, including recently discovered early gems recorded in the ‘Red Room’ of Dylan's home in upstate New York.”  In addition, this set – meticulously restored by The Band’s Garth Hudson and Canadian music archivist Jan Haust – is being presented “as intact as possible.  Also, unlike the official 1975 release, these performances are presented as close as possible to the way they were originally recorded and sounded back in the summer of 1967.  The tracks on The Basement Tapes Complete run in mostly chronological order based on Garth Hudson's numbering system.”

In addition to the 6-CD, 138-song box set, a 2-CD, 38-song highlights version of The Bootleg Series Volume 11 will be released as The Basement Tapes Raw.  This iteration will also be presented as a 3-LP vinyl set.  All versions are due on November 4.

After the jump: a look further into the world of The Basement Tapes, plus the full track listing and pre-order links!

When Bob Dylan suffered the most famous motorcycle crash in rock and roll history on July 29, 1966, just a couple of months after the release of Blonde on Blonde, he was at a commercial and artistic peak.  The crash near his Woodstock, New York home sidelined the superstar troubadour in one sense, but in another, gave him the freedom to come to terms with his skyrocketing career and its punishing pace.  In early 1967, Dylan reconvened with Robbie Robertson, Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel and Garth Hudson – who, as The Hawks, had backed him on his famous (infamous?) 1966 world tour including the Manchester Free Trade Hall stop with its immortalized cry of “Judas!” to the newly-electrified folk singer.   Dylan and the Four Hawks began their casual recording explorations in the Red Room of Dylan’s Woodstock home, soon moving to the basement of Big Pink, the West Saugerties home that would give its name to The Band’s 1968 debut Music from Big Pink.

Dylan and the future Band blended traditionals and covers with some of the most inspired songs of Dylan’s still-young career – songs that were pouring forth from him like “Quinn the Eskimo,” “I Shall Be Released,” “This Wheel’s on Fire,” “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere” and “Tears of Rage.”  Some of these Basement songs were co-written with Band members, and all were deeply entrenched in the lo-fi, homespun sound that set them apart from the increasingly elaborate productions being spearheaded by the likes of The Beatles and The Beach Boys.  This fertile period of musical activity came to an end in October 1967 when Dylan decamped for Nashville to record his commercial comeback, John Wesley Harding, but not before Hawks/Band drummer Levon Helm had returned to the band’s fold in Woodstock.

Word of The Basement Tapes spread quickly with the release of a 14-song demo tape circulated by Dylan and manager Albert Grossman via their Dwarf Music company.  Soon, the songs took on lives of their own.  Folk and pop artists alike swarmed to these new Dylan compositions.  Peter, Paul and Mary, managed by Grossman, had the first hit with a Basement Tapes song when "Too Much of Nothing" reached number 35 on the Billboard chart in late 1967.  The Grossman-managed duo Ian and Sylvia recorded "Tears of Rage", "Quinn the Eskimo" and "This Wheel's on Fire".  Manfred Mann went all the way to No. 1 U.K./No. 10 U.S. in early 1968 with “The Mighty Quinn” (a.k.a. “Quinn the Eskimo”) The Byrds released “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere” as a single in April 1968, the same month that Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger and The Trinity took “This Wheel’s on Fire” to the U.K. Top Five.  The Byrds also tackled “Nothing Was Delivered,” and when The Hawks emerged on Capitol Records as The Band with July 1968’s Music from Big Pink, the album contained "This Wheel's on Fire", "I Shall Be Released" and "Tears of Rage.”  Just one month earlier, Jann Wenner had insisted in the pages of Rolling Stone, “Dylan’s Basement Should Be Released!”

A 1969 bootleg entitled Great White Wonder had further stoked the legend of The Basement Tapes, containing seven of the tracks alongside other Dylan material, but it wasn’t until 1975 when Dylan and Columbia Records officially gave the green light to The Basement Tapes.  The release immediately courted controversy, however.  The Band had overdubbed some of the recordings, and eight of the double album’s 24 tracks didn’t feature Dylan at all.  “Dylanologists” opined that several of the tracks were actually recorded after The Basement Tapes sessions.  Yet, such was the strength of the music that the album went to the Top 10 on both sides of the Atlantic, and received its fair share of critical acclaim.

Now, Columbia and Legacy are poised to offer the unexpurgated Basement Tapes, free of overdubs and in mainly chronological order beginning with the Red Room sessions.  In addition to the familiar, oft-covered songs – many of which are presented in multiple takes - listeners will also hear covers of Johnny Cash (“Belshazzar,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” “Big River”), The Carter Family (“Will the Circle Be Unbroken”) and Hank Williams (“You Win Again”) tunes, Dylan’s own “oldies” (“Blowin’ in the Wind,” “One Too Many Mornings”) and more unexpected fare like Tim Hardin’s “If I Were a Carpenter,” Curtis Mayfield’s “People Get Ready” and The Rays’ doo-wop “Silhouettes.”  This heady “roots music” blended blues, country, rockabilly, folk, pop and soul into a heady brew that was uniquely American, and uniquely Dylan and The Band.

Word should also be made of another recently-announced release.  One week following the release of The Basement Tapes, Complete, Harvest Records will unveil Lost on the River: The New Basement Tapes, a T Bone Burnett-produced project featuring Elvis Costello, My Morning Jacket's Jim James, Carolina Chocolate Drops' Rhiannon Giddens, Dawes' Taylor Goldsmith and Mumford and Sons' Marcus Mumford.  Burnett's collective set melodies to "lost" Dylan lyrics handwritten during The Basement Tapes period, and recorded the new, completed compositions earlier this year a long way from Big Pink, at Hollywood's Capitol Studios.  Burnett promised that the group recorded many more songs than the 20 included on the deluxe edition of Lost on the River, so future volumes might be forthcoming.

The three versions of The Bootleg Series Volume 11: The Basement Tapes – 6-CD “Complete”, 2-CD “Raw” and 3-LP “Raw” – arrive on November 4.  Full details on each release can be found below, along with order links!

Bob Dylan and The Band, The Basement Tapes Complete: The Bootleg Series Volume 11 (Columbia/Legacy, 2014)

Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

(all songs written by Bob Dylan unless otherwise noted)

CD 1

1. Edge of the Ocean
2. My Bucket's Got a Hole in It (written by Clarence Williams)
3. Roll on Train
4. Mr. Blue (written by Dewayne Blackwell)
5. Belshazzar (written by Johnny Cash)
6. I Forgot to Remember to Forget (written by Charlie A Feathers and Stanley A Kesler)
7. You Win Again (written by Hank Williams)
8. Still in Town (written by Hank Cochran and Harlan Howard)
9. Waltzing with Sin (written by Sonny Burns and Red Hayes)
10. Big River (Take 1) (written by Johnny Cash)
11. Big River (Take 2) (written by Johnny Cash)
12. Folsom Prison Blues (written by Johnny Cash)
13. Bells of Rhymney (written by Idris Davies and Peter Seeger)
14. Spanish is the Loving Tongue
15. Under Control
16. Ol' Roison the Beau (Traditional, arranged by Bob Dylan)
17. I'm Guilty of Loving You
18. Cool Water (written by Bob Nolan)
19. The Auld Triangle (written by Brendan Francis Behan)
20. Po' Lazarus (Traditional, arranged by Bob Dylan)
21. I'm a Fool for You (Take 1)
22. I'm a Fool for You (Take 2)

CD 2

1. Johnny Todd (Traditional, arranged by Bob Dylan)
2. Tupelo (written by John Lee Hooker)
3. Kickin' My Dog Around (Traditional, arranged by Bob Dylan)
4. See You Later Allen Ginsberg (Take 1)
5. See You Later Allen Ginsberg (Take 2)
6. Tiny Montgomery
7. Big Dog
8. I'm Your Teenage Prayer
9. Four Strong Winds (written by Ian Tyson)
10. The French Girl (Take 1) (written by Ian Tyson and Sylvia Tyson)
11. The French Girl (Take 2) (written by Ian Tyson and Sylvia Tyson)
12. Joshua Gone Barbados (written by Eric Von Schmidt)
13. I'm in the Mood (written by Bernard Besman and John Lee Hooker)
14. Baby Ain't That Fine (written by Dallas Frazier)
15. Rock, Salt and Nails (written by Bruce Phillips)
16. A Fool Such As I (written by William Marvin Trader)
17. Song for Canada (written by Pete Gzowski and Ian Tyson)
18. People Get Ready (written by Curtis L Mayfield)
19. I Don't Hurt Anymore (written By Donald I Robertson and Walter E Rollins)
20. Be Careful of Stones That You Throw (written by Benjamin Lee Blankenship)
21. One Man's Loss
22. Lock Your Door
23. Baby, Won't You be My Baby
24. Try Me Little Girl
25. I Can't Make it Alone
26. Don't You Try Me Now

CD 3

1. Young but Daily Growing (Traditional, arranged by Bob Dylan)
2. Bonnie Ship the Diamond (Traditional, arranged by Bob Dylan)
3. The Hills of Mexico (Traditional, arranged by Bob Dylan)
4. Down on Me (Traditional, arranged by Bob Dylan)
5. One for the Road
6. I'm Alright
7. Million Dollar Bash (Take 1)
8. Million Dollar Bash (Take 2)
9. Yea! Heavy and a Bottle of Bread (Take 1)
10. Yea! Heavy and a Bottle of Bread (Take 2)
11. I'm Not There
12. Please Mrs. Henry
13. Crash on the Levee (Take 1)
14. Crash on the Levee (Take 2)
15. Lo and Behold! (Take 1)
16. Lo and Behold! (Take 2)
17. You Ain't Goin' Nowhere (Take 1)
18. You Ain't Goin' Nowhere (Take 2)
19. I Shall be Released (Take 1)
20. I Shall be Released (Take 2)
21. This Wheel's on Fire (written by Bob Dylan and Rick Danko)
22. Too Much of Nothing (Take 1)
23. Too Much of Nothing (Take 2)

CD 4

1. Tears of Rage (Take 1) (written by Bob Dylan and Richard Manuel)
2. Tears of Rage (Take 2) (written by Bob Dylan and Richard Manuel)
3. Tears of Rage (Take 3) (written by Bob Dylan and Richard Manuel)
4. Quinn the Eskimo (Take 1)
5. Quinn the Eskimo (Take 2)
6. Open the Door Homer (Take 1)
7. Open the Door Homer (Take 2)
8. Open the Door Homer (Take 3)
9. Nothing Was Delivered (Take 1)
10. Nothing Was Delivered (Take 2)
11. Nothing Was Delivered (Take 3)
12. All American Boy (written by Bobby Bare)
13. Sign on the Cross
14. Odds and Ends (Take 1)
15. Odds and Ends (Take 2)
16. Get Your Rocks Off
17. Clothes Line Saga
18. Apple Suckling Tree (Take 1)
19. Apple Suckling Tree (Take 2)
20. Don't Ya Tell Henry
21. Bourbon Street

CD 5

1. Blowin' in the Wind
2. One Too Many Mornings
3. A Satisfied Mind (written by Joe Hayes and Jack Rhodes)
4. It Ain't Me, Babe
5. Ain't No More Cane (Take 1) (Traditional, arranged by Bob Dylan)
6. Ain't No More Cane (Take 2) (Traditional, arranged by Bob Dylan)
7. My Woman She's A-Leavin'
8. Santa-Fe
9. Mary Lou, I Love You Too
10. Dress it up, Better Have it All
11. Minstrel Boy
12. Silent Weekend
13. What's it Gonna be When it Comes Up
14. 900 Miles from My Home (Traditional, arranged by Bob Dylan)
15. Wildwood Flower (written by A.P. Carter)
16. One Kind Favor (Traditional, arranged by Bob Dylan)
17. She'll be Coming Round the Mountain (Traditional, arranged by Bob Dylan)
18. It's the Flight of the Bumblebee
19. Wild Wolf
20. Goin' to Acapulco
21. Gonna Get You Now
22. If I Were A Carpenter (written by James Timothy Hardin)
23. Confidential (written by Dorina Morgan)
24. All You Have to do is Dream (Take 1)
25. All You Have to do is Dream (Take 2)

CD 6

1. 2 Dollars and 99 Cents
2. Jelly Bean
3. Any Time
4. Down by the Station
5. Hallelujah, I've Just Been Moved (Traditional, arranged by Bob Dylan)
6. That's the Breaks
7. Pretty Mary
8. Will the Circle be Unbroken (written by A.P. Carter)
9. King of France
10. She's on My Mind Again
11. Goin' Down the Road Feeling Bad (Traditional, arranged by Bob Dylan)
12. On a Rainy Afternoon
13. I Can't Come in with a Broken Heart
14. Next Time on the Highway
15. Northern Claim
16. Love is Only Mine
17. Silhouettes (written by Bob Crewe and Frank C Slay Jr.)
18. Bring it on Home
19. Come All Ye Fair and Tender Ladies (Traditional, arranged by Bob Dylan)
20. The Spanish Song (Take 1)
21. The Spanish Song (Take 2)

Bob Dylan and The Band, The Basement Tapes Raw: The Bootleg Series Volume 11 (Columbia/Legacy, 2014)

CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

Vinyl: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

(all songs written by Bob Dylan unless otherwise noted)

CD 1

1. Open the Door, Homer (Restored version)
2. Odds and Ends (Alternate version)
3. Million Dollar Bash (Alternate version)
4. One Too Many Mornings (Unreleased)
5. I Don't Hurt Anymore (Unreleased) (written by Donald I Robertson and Walter E Rollins)
6. Ain't No More Cane (Alternate version) (Traditional, arranged by Bob Dylan)
7. Crash on the Levee (Restored version)
8. Tears of Rage (Without overdubs) (written by Bob Dylan and Richard Manuel)
9. Dress it up, Better Have it All (Unreleased)
10. I'm Not There (Previously released)
11. Johnny Todd (Unreleased) (Traditional, arranged by Bob Dylan)
12. Too Much of Nothing (Alternate version)
13. Quinn the Eskimo (Restored version)
14. Get Your Rocks Off (Unreleased)
15. Santa-Fe (Previously released)
16. Silent Weekend (Unreleased)
17. Clothes Line Saga (Restored version)
18. Please, Mrs. Henry (Restored version)
19. I Shall be Released (Restored version)

CD 2

1. You Ain't Goin' Nowhere (Alternate version)
2. Lo and Behold! (Alternate version)
3. Minstrel Boy (Previously released)
4. Tiny Montgomery (Without overdubs)
5. All You Have to do is Dream (Unreleased)
6. Goin' to Acapulco (Without overdubs)
7. 900 Miles from My Home (Unreleased) (Traditional, arranged by Bob Dylan)
8. One for the Road (Unreleased)
9. I'm Alright (Unreleased)
10. Blowin' in the Wind (Unreleased)
11. Apple Suckling Tree (Restored version)
12. Nothing Was Delivered (Restored version)
13. Folsom Prison Blues (Unreleased) (written by Johnny Cash)
14. This Wheel's on Fire (Without overdubs) (written by Bob Dylan and Rick Danko)
15. Yea! Heavy and a Bottle of Bread (Restored version)
16. Don't Ya Tell Henry (Alternate version)
17. Baby, Won't You be My Baby (Unreleased)
18. Sign on the Cross (Unreleased)
19. You Ain't Goin' Nowhere (Without overdubs)

Musicians:

Bob Dylan

Robbie Robertson

Rick Danko

Richard Manuel

Garth Hudson

Levon Helm

(Lead vocals are sung by Bob Dylan. Harmony and instrumentation are unknown because all involved were multi-instrumentalists and vocalists, and no records remain.)