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Bob Dylan has travelled to many locales, but few have inspired him as powerfully as Nashville, Tennessee. On November 1, Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings will chronicle Dylan's 1967-1969 recordings in Music City - including those made with a very special guest - on the latest volume of the artist's long-running Bootleg Series. Bob Dylan (featuring Johnny Cash) - Travelin' Thru: 1967-1969: The Bootleg Series Vol. 15 will be released in 3CD, 3LP, and digital configurations, all of which boast dozens of previously unreleased recordings from this halcyon period.
The first disc of the upcoming collection takes listeners to Columbia's Studio A in Nashville on October 17 and November 6, 1967 for a glimpse into the John Wesley Harding sessions including alternate takes of "All Along the Watchtower," "Drifter's Escape," and "I Am a Lonesome Hobo." It then jumps to February 13 and 14, 1969 for the Nashville Skyline sessions in which Dylan was joined by the two same musicians who had accompanied him in 1967, famed "Nashville Cats" Charlie McCoy and Kenneth Buttrey, plus other greats like Pete Drake, Charlie Daniels, Wayne Moss, Kelton D. Herston, Bob Wilson, and Norman Blake. Among the alternate takes heard here are versions of "Lay Lady Lay," "To Be Alone with You," and "I Threw It All Away" as well as the outtake "Western Road."
The second and third disc mark the first official release of the oft-bootlegged Studio A sessions of February 17 and 18 in which Dylan came face to face with another hero of American song: Johnny Cash, as well as Carl Perkins and The Tennessee Three (Bob Wootton, Marshall Grant, and W.S. Holland). The Dylan-Cash Sessions boasts 25 tracks across two CDs (including the rehearsal and Take 1 of the one song eventually released from the sessions, "Girl from the North Country," Dylan's only vocal performance of "Wanted Man," and covers of "I Walk the Line," "I Still Miss Someone," Perkins' "Matchbox," and many more) from those two dates in Nashville. One highlight will surely be "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright/Understand Your Man" on which Dylan and Cash paid tribute to one another.
The Dylan-Cash Sessions continues with the pair's live performances from the historic Ryman Auditorium on May 1, 1969 for the premiere episode of The Johnny Cash Show including the previously unreleased "Living the Blues." The appearance was Dylan's first on television in five years. Finally, two tracks from the Self Portrait sessions make appropriate additions here: Dylan and band's renditions of "Ring of Fire" and "Folsom Prison Blues," recorded on May 3. Disc Three is rounded out with a handful of tracks recorded on May 17, 1970 with bluegrass legend Earl Scruggs for the PBS special Earl Scruggs: His Family and Friends.
This treasure trove from a country-flavored, crooning Bob Dylan and the legendary Man in Black is due from Columbia/Legacy on November 1. You'll find the complete track listing and pre-order links for - Travelin' Thru: 1967-1969: The Bootleg Series Vol. 15 below!
Bob Dylan (featuring Johnny Cash), Travelin' Thru, 1967-1969: The Bootleg Series Vol. 15 (Columbia/Legacy, 2019)
3CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
3LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. TBD / Amazon Canada
All tracks previously unreleased except where noted
Disc 1
- Drifter's Escape - Take 1 (Alternate Version)
- I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine - Take 2 (Alternate Version)
- All Along the Watchtower - Take 3 (Alternate Version)
- John Wesley Harding - Take 1 (Alternate Version)
- As I Went Out One Morning - Take 1 (Alternate Version)
- I Pity the Poor Immigrant - Take 4 (Alternate Version)
- I Am a Lonesome Hobo - Take 4 (Alternate Version)
- I Threw It All Away - Take 1 (Alternate Version) (from Another Self Portrait 1969-1971: The Bootleg Series Vol. 10 - Columbia/Legacy 88883 73487 2, 2013)
- To Be Alone with You - Take 1 (Alternate Version)
- Lay Lady Lay - Take 2 (Alternate Version) (from digital download with iTunes pre-orders of Together Through Life - Columbia, 2009)
- One More Night - Take 2 (Alternate Version)
- Western Road - Take 1 (Outtake)
- Peggy Day - Take 1 (Alternate Version)
- Tell Me That It Isn't True - Take 2 (Alternate Version)
- Country Pie - Take 2 (Alternate Version)
Tracks 1-2 October 17, 1967 Columbia Studio A, Nashville, TN - John Wesley Harding sessions
Tracks 3-7 November 6, 1967 Columbia Studio A, Nashville, TN - John Wesley Harding sessions
Personnel:
Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar, harmonica
Charlie McCoy: bass
Kenneth Buttrey: drums
Tracks 8-12 February 13, 1969 Columbia Studio A, Nashville, TN - Nashville Skyline sessions
Tracks 13-15 February 14, 1969 Columbia Studio A, Nashville, TN - Nashville Skyline sessions
Personnel:
Bob Dylan - vocals, guitar, piano, harmonica
Kelton D. Herston, Norman Blake, Charlie Daniels, Wayne Moss (Disc 1, Tracks 10 & 12): guitars
Bob Wilson: piano, organ
Peter Drake: steel guitar (Disc 1, Tracks 13-15)
Charlie McCoy: bass
Kenneth Buttrey: drums
Disc 2: The Dylan-Cash Sessions
- I Still Miss Someone - Take 5
- Don't Think Twice, It's All Right/Understand Your Man - Rehearsal
- One Too Many Mornings - Take 3
- Mountain Dew - Take 1
- Mountain Dew - Take 2
- I Still Miss Someone - Take 2
- Careless Love - Take 1
- Matchbox - Take 1
- That's All Right, Mama - Take 1
- Mystery Train/This Train Is Bound for Glory - Take 1
- Big River - Take 1
- Girl from the North Country - Rehearsal
- Girl from the North Country - Take 1
- I Walk the Line - Take 2
- Guess Things Happen That Way - Rehearsal
- Guess Things Happen That Way - Take 3
- Five Feet High and Rising - Take 1
- You Are My Sunshine - Take 1
- Ring of Fire - Take 1
Disc 3: The Dylan-Cash Sessions Continued and More
- Studio Chatter
- Wanted Man - Take 1
- Amen - Rehearsal
- Just a Closer Walk with Thee - Take 1
- Jimmie Rodgers Medley No. 1 - Take 1
- Jimmie Rodgers Medley No. 2 - Take 2
- I Threw It All Away (Live On The Johnny Cash Show) (from The Best Of The Johnny Cash TV Show 1969-1971 DVD - Columbia/Legacy 88697 04026 9, 2007)
- Living the Blues (Live On The Johnny Cash Show)
- Girl from the North Country (Live On The Johnny Cash Show) (from The Best Of The Johnny Cash TV Show 1969-1971 DVD - Columbia/Legacy 88697 04026 9, 2007)
- Ring Of Fire (Outtake)
- Folsom Prison Blues (Outtake)
- Earl Scruggs Interview
- East Virginia Blues (Included in 1971 documentary Earl Scruggs: His Family and Friends)
- To Be Alone with You
- Honey, Just Allow Me One More Chance
- Nashville Skyline Rag (from Earl Scruggs Performing With His Family and Friends - Columbia C 30584, 1971)
Disc 2, Tracks 1-2 February 17, 1969 Columbia Studio A, Nashville, TN
Disc 2, Tracks 3-19 and Disc 3, Tracks 1-6 February 18, 1969 Columbia Studio A, Nashville, TN
Personnel:
Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar
Johnny Cash: vocals, guitar
Carl Perkins: guitar (Disc 2, Tracks 8 and 10; Disc 3, Tracks 2 and 4-6)
Bob Wootton: guitar
Marshall Grant: bass
W.S. Holland: drums
Disc 3, Tracks 7-9 May 1, 1969 Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN - Originally broadcast on ABC-TV, June 7, 1969
Personnel:
Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar
Johnny Cash: vocals, guitar (Disc 3, Track 9)
Norman Blake and Charlie Daniels: guitars
Peter Drake: steel guitar
Bob Wilson: piano
Charlie McCoy: bass
Kenneth Buttrey: drums
Disc 3, Tracks 10-11 May 3, 1969 Columbia Studio A, Nashville, TN - Self Portrait sessions
Personnel:
Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar
Fred F. Carter, Norman Blake: guitars
Charlie Daniels: guitar (Disc 3, Track 11), bass (Disc 3, Track 10)
Bob Wilson: piano
Peter Drake: steel guitar
Charlie McCoy: harmonica (Disc 3, Track 10), bass (Disc 3, Track 11)
Kenneth Buttrey: drums
Delores Edgin and Dottie Dillard: background vocals
Disc 3, Tracks 12-16 May 17, 1970 The Home of Thomas B. Allen, Carmel, New York
Personnel:
Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar
Earl Scruggs: banjo
Randy Scruggs: acoustic guitar
Gary Scruggs: electric bass
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looks like a great release. have to say the artwork quality seems to have gone downhill with recent Bob catalog releases. or maybe that's just a matter of personal taste…
I haven't bought a Bootleg Series release since the first one. This looks AMAZING since especially I never owned any of the bootlegs of the Dylan-Cash stuff. Can't wait!
Not all of them are essential, IMO, but you’ve missed a number of really good ones in between the first BS set and this new one.
Live 1966, Live 1975, Tell Tale Signs, and last year’s More Blood, More Tracks are my favorites.
Anyhow, I am very much looking forward to this new one! Just like last Xmas, it’ll be new Beatles and Dylan boxes for me!
Thanks Shaun. I've heard them all. I love Live 1966 but I just never bought it. Also I was disappointed in Another Self Portrait. My favorite album of his is New Morning, so I thought that one would be better. I'll probably get Tell Tale Signs eventually but this next one is a definite purchase for me.
Maybe it's me, but I feel the decisions of some aspects of the recent archival releases are a little off. I seem to keep going on about CD running times recently and here, again, it looks like too few tracks are included. The original Bootleg Series 1-3 had full discs of almost 80 minutes each but most of the tracks on this set are between 2 and 4 minutes long, so Disc 1 for example looks to be no more than 40 minutes long. I understand the desire to make a vinyl equivalent, but the great advantage of still buying CDs is the running length. There could be roughly twice as many alternate takes included here - why hold them back when there's space? Another issue is the decision to release so much of the Johnny Cash session: the Nashville Skyline track they released is classic, but the rest is 'interesting' at best. I've had the recordings for years and, although certainly of historic value, I would personally place any Dylan studio outtakes above them. I will be buying this release however; the outtake of I Pity The Poor Immigrant is SO good that I'm genuinely excited to hear what other alternates were recorded. I just wish there were more included in this package. We've already had multiple takes of the 1965-66 album songs; JWH is just as good an album and should be given the same treatment. Nashville Skyline may not be as important an album but the sound is gorgeous; we should be getting more than 8 tracks, especially as 2 of them have already been released. The albums are so short that the entire sessions would surely fit on 2-3 discs?? PS: I agree that the artwork isn't great - it looks like a dodgy knock-off release.