Bob Dylan All the Songs
Page 45
Copper Kettle (The Pale Moonlight)
Alfred Frank Beddoe / 3:36
Musicians (New York): Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar; David Bromberg: guitar, dobro; Al Kooper: organ / Musicians (Nashville): Charlie Daniels: guitar (?); Charlie McCoy: vibes (?); Bob Moore: bass (For details on orchestra musicians, see entry for “All the Tired Horses,” page 326. Note there are only strings and chorus on this song; there is no brass.) / Recording Studios: Columbia Recording Studios / Studio B, New York: March 3, 1970; Columbia Recording Studios, Nashville: March 13, 17, and 30, 1970 / Producer: Bob Johnston / Sound Engineer (New York): Don Puluse / Sound Engineer (Nashville): Neil Wilburn
Genesis and Lyrics
There are different opinions about the origins of this song. Albert Frank Beddoe says that he wrote it in 1953 as part of the folk opera Go Lightly, Stranger. According to Pete Seeger, however, it is a folk song dating back to the California gold rush of 1849. Others call it a Mexican tune from the early nineteenth century or even a German song. “Copper Kettle” refers specifically to the whiskey tax imposed by the US federal government in 1791 and the resultant “whiskey rebellion” that followed. The precious beverage was distilled in a copper kettle, which came to symbolize rebellion against President George Washington and his tax inspectors. It is a humorous song in which the narrator says that his father and his grandfather distilled whiskey and have not paid tax on it since 1792.
Production
Dylan gives us an extraordinary interpretation. The song is clearly one of his favorites. His voice gains in intensity and emotion. Regrettably, he has some difficulty staying in key. Once again the original New York version, released on The Bootleg Series Volume 10: Another Self Portrait, is much better than the rearranged Nashville version. The female backup vocalists and lush arrangements with strings do not contribute anything to the song. This is unfortunate, because Dylan invested his whole soul in the melody.
NO SINGLE
After the Johnny Cash Show, Columbia thought to release “Living the Blues” as a single. But management changed its mind and instead selected “Lay, Lady, Lay” with “Peggy Day” on the B-side.
Gotta Travel On
Paul Clayton / Larry Ehrlich / David Lazar / Tom Six / Bob Dylan / 3:09
Musicians (New York): Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar; David Bromberg: dobro; Al Kooper: guitar (?); Stu Woods: bass; Alvin Rodgers: drums; Hilda Harris, Albertine Robinson, and Maeretha Stewart: chorus; Musicians (Nashville): Charlie McCoy: (?); Kenny Buttrey: congas, tambourine / Recording Studios: Columbia Recording Studios / Studio B, New York: March 5, 1970; Columbia Recording Studios, Nashville: March 13, 1970 / Producer: Bob Johnston Sound Engineers (New York): Don Puluse and Doug Pomeroy / Sound Engineer (Nashville): Neil Wilburn
Genesis and Lyrics
The singer and guitarist Billy Wayne Grammer scored a big hit with “Gotta Travel On.” The song made it onto both the country and pop music charts, reaching, respectively, numbers 5 and 4 in 1959. The same year Grammer became a regular performer at the Grand Ole Opry. Paul Clayton, a folksinger and friend of Bob Dylan’s since the Greenwich Village years, wrote the song with Larry Ehrlich, David Lazar, and Tom Six. The lyrics were somewhat modified from the original version. In the original version, “Johnny can’t come home… cause he’s been on the chain gang too long” with the “high sheriff and police riding after me.” In Dylan’s version, the young hero simply has the soul of a traveler: “There’s a lonesome freight at 6:08 coming through the town / And I feel like I just want to travel on.”
Production
“Gotta Travel On” is a very good country-rock song, showcasing once again Dylan’s excellent vocal performance and sowing the seeds for his future albums. In addition to a very strong rhythm part, David Bromberg provides an excellent and distinctive dobro part (Bromberg was a disciple of Reverend Gary Davis and future partner of Ringo Starr, George Harrison, Willie Nelson, Carly Simon, and Jerry Garcia).
Blue Moon
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers / Bob Dylan / 2:31
Musicians: Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar; Charlie Daniels: guitar (?); Norman Blake: guitar (?); Fred F. Carter: guitar (?); Robert S. Wilson: piano; Doug Kershaw: violin; Charlie McCoy: bass; Kenny Buttrey: drums; Hilda Harris, Albertine Robinson, and Maeretha Stewart: chorus / Recording Studio: Columbia Recording Studios, Nashville: May 3, 1969 / Producer: Bob Johnston / Sound Engineer: Neil Wilburn
Genesis and Lyrics
Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart together wrote twenty-eight musicals and over five hundred songs between late 1910 and the first half of 1940. “Blue Moon” became one of their most famous songs throughout the world. Originally written for the musical comedy Hollywood Party (1934), with Jimmy Durante and the duo Laurel and Hardy, the song had undergone various transformations before being recorded by Connie Boswell in January 1935, then by Billy Eckstine (1949), Mel Tormé (1949), Elvis Presley (1956), and the Marcels (1961).
Production
Both a standard jazz song and a pop ballad, “Blue Moon” became “Dylan’s song” during the session of May 3. Is it a tongue-in-cheek reference to all those who brought him to the top? The song throws off many. Apparently, no overdubs followed this session. Besides Dylan, it is difficult to identify the other guitarists. Note the beautiful violin solo by Doug Kershaw and Charlie McCoy’s bass.
The Boxer
Paul Simon / 2:48
Musicians (New York)
Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar
David Bromberg: dobro
Stu Woods: bass
Musician (Nashville)
Fred Carter Jr.: guitar (?)
Recording Studios
Columbia Recording Studios / Studio B, New York: March 3, 1970; Columbia Recording Studios, Nashville: March 12 and April 2, 1970
Technical Team
Producer: Bob Johnston
Sound Engineer (New York): Don Puluse
Sound Engineer (Nashville): Neil Wilburn
Genesis and Lyrics
“The Boxer” appeared on the last studio album by the duo Simon & Garfunkel, Bridge over Troubled Water in 1970. It was released as a single in April 1969 and peaked at number 7 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, number 2 on the Dutch singles charts, and number 6 on the UK singles charts. Composed by Paul Simon, it was recorded by the duo at multiple locations, including Nashville, then St. Paul’s Chapel in New York City (due to the acoustics) and Columbia Studios. The first four verses take the form of a first-person lament. They tell the story of a young man who arrives in New York City, and, after struggling to find work and friends, he falls into debauchery among the prostitutes on Seventh Avenue. The fifth and final verse switches to a third-person sketch of a boxer who, despite “ev’ry glove that laid him down,” refuses to give up the fight—“But the fighter still remains.” The chorus is wordless, consisting of only three syllables, “lie-la-lie.” According to the British rock critic Chris Charlesworth, “The Boxer” represented a sustained attack on Bob Dylan, who had turned his back on folk music. It is difficult to agree with such a statement. After all, why would Dylan have chosen to record a song written as an attack on him?
Production
“The Boxer” is not an essential title in the Dylan discography. Compared to Simon & Garfunkel’s version, the songwriter’s is weak. Dylan tries for the first time to sing in harmony with his own voice, and the result is not up to his usual standard. The two vocals are not synchronous, harmonization is lacking, and there is no charm in the exercise. The musicians try to accompany Dylan as best they can, but it is not enough. The acoustic guitarist playing solo in Nashville is misidentified. Studio records indicate Fred Carter Jr., but it could be Charlie Daniels or Charlie McCoy. “The Boxer” appears on Dylan’s concert setlists for only seven shows.
FOR DYLANOLOGISTS
Although it is uncertain whether guitarist Fred Carter Jr. accompanied Dylan, he irrefutably played on the original version of “The Boxer” by Simon & Garfunkel, including the famous introduct
ion to the song.
Take Me As I Am (Or Let Me Go)
Boudleaux Bryant / 3:04
Musicians: Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar; Charlie Daniels: guitar; Norman Blake: guitar; Fred F. Carter: guitar; Pete Drake: pedal steel guitar; Bob Wilson: piano; Charlie McCoy: bass; Kenny Buttrey: drums; Hilda Harris, Albertine Robinson, and Maeretha Stewart: chorus / Recording Studio: Columbia Recording Studios, Nashville: April 26, 1969 / Producer: Bob Johnston / Sound Engineer: Neil Wilburn
Genesis and Lyrics
Based in Nashville, Felice and Boudleaux Bryant were among the most prolific songwriters in country music throughout the 1950s. The duo helped Little Jimmy Dickens and the Everly Brothers move up the hit parade. The story of this song is summarized by its title, “Take Me As I Am (Or Let Me Go).”
Production
A little Nashville romance, “Take Me As I Am (Or Let Me Go)” was recorded by countless artists, from Little Jimmy Dickens to Carly Simon. Bob Dylan’s version could hardly sound more “Nashville,” with his crooning voice and Pete Drake’s omnipresent pedal steel guitar. The arrangement is generally quite similar to those recorded by Dottie West, and millions of light-years from productions of 1969, including albums by the Beatles (Abbey Road), King Crimson (In the Court of the Crimson King), the Who (Tommy), the Velvet Underground, Nick Drake (Five Leaves Left), Led Zeppelin (I and II), the Rolling Stones (Let It Bleed), and many other examples.
Take A Message To Mary
Felice Bryant / Boudleaux Bryant / 2:47
Musicians: Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar; Fred F. Carter: guitar; Norman Blake: guitar; Charlie Daniels: guitar; Pete Drake: pedal steel guitar; Bob Wilson: piano; Charlie McCoy: bass; Kenny Buttrey: drums; Hilda Harris, Albertine Robinson, and Maeretha Stewart: chorus / Recording Studio: Columbia Recording Studios, Nashville: May 3, 1969 / Producer: Bob Johnston / Sound Engineer: Neil Wilburn
Genesis and Lyrics
This composition by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant has many versions, including one by the Everly Brothers that reached number 16 in 1959. The song tells a story about a man from the West who loses his lover after attacking a stagecoach. He asks someone to take a message to the woman he loves, Mary, to tell her he wants to postpone their marriage, but, above all, not to reveal that he is in jail.
Production
“Take a Message to Mary” was recorded in Nashville on May 3, 1969, two days after Dylan appeared on the Johnny Cash Show. Hence a very country atmosphere suffuses the session. The success of this piece lies once again in Dylan’s crooning voice, which comes in just after the chorus and is supported by a fairly strong orchestration. Bob Wilson at the piano plays a vital role. Once again, the parallel with Elvis Presley is strong.
It Hurts Me Too
Bob Dylan / 3:15
Musicians
Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar
David Bromberg: guitar, bass (?)
Al Kooper: bass, guitar (?)
Recording Studio
Columbia Recording Studios / Studio B, New York: March 3, 1970
Technical Team
Producer: Bob Johnston
Sound Engineer: Don Puluse
Genesis and Lyrics
“It Hurts Me Too” is rooted in several blues songs recorded in the late 1920s and the early 1930s: “How Long, How Long Blues” (1928) and “You Got to Reap What You Sow” (1929) by the tandem Leroy Carr and Scrapper Blackwell, “Sitting on the Top of the World” (1930) by the Mississippi Sheiks, and especially “Things ’Bout Coming My Way” (1931) by Chicago blues musician Tampa Red. Tampa Red gained the confidence of the Chicago record producer Lester Melrose, and during the 1930s and 1940s he recorded many songs under the RCA Victor label Bluebird, including “When Things Go Wrong with You” (or “It Hurts Me Too”). The tune was another major R&B hit, abundantly covered by Big Bill Broonzy and Elmore James (accompanied by the orchestra of Tampa Red when he was in Chicago).
Yet Dylan has partly appropriated the copyright of the song, although Tampa Red (aka Hudson Whittaker) or Elmore James appear as authors of “It Hurts Me Too.” Except for the refrain, “When things go wrong, so wrong with you / It hurts me too,” the lyrics are entirely Dylan’s, and the music is rather far from the Tampa Red hit in style. In fact, Dylan has just adapted a blues grid, as did thousands of other musicians. And the origin of the song still falls in the public domain.
Production
Listening to Self Portrait, it seems regrettable that Dylan has not interpreted more blues songs. The songwriter excels in the genre. This recording, accompanied by just two guitars (including Bromberg’s impressive solo) and a bass, has a strength and character lacking in many tunes on the album. But who was playing bass? Al Kooper is mentioned in studio records, but is it really him? Bromberg by overdub? Charlie McCoy? It is a mystery.
COVERS
“It Hurts Me Too” is one of the most performed blues songs by African-American artists. The tune has become a blues-rock standard. It has been recorded by, among other notable artists, John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers (A Hard Road, 1967), Savoy Brown (Blue Matter, 1968), the Grateful Dead (Europe ’72, 1972), Eric Clapton (From the Cradle, 1994), and Gov’t Mule (Mulennium, 2010).
Minstrel Boy
Bob Dylan / 3:32
Musicians
Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar
Robbie Robertson: guitar
Richard Manuel: piano, vocals
Garth Hudson: organ
Rick Danko: bass, vocals
Levon Helm: drums, vocals
Recording Studio
Recorded live during the Isle of Wight Festival, August 31, 1969
Technical Team
Producer: Bob Johnston
Sound Engineer: Glynn Johns
Genesis and Lyrics
Dylan appropriated a famous Irish patriotic song originally written by Thomas Moore. But in Dylan’s version, the troubadour was not killed during the war. Dylan wonders, “Who’s gonna throw that minstrel boy a coin?” so that he can continue his path and compares him to the mockingbird, known as one of the most prominent songbirds of American forests.
“Minstrel Boy” was actually written during sessions for The Basement Tapes in 1967. Fans were wondering for over forty years if it had been recorded in the basement of Big Pink. When The Bootleg Series Volume 10: Another Self Portrait was released in 2013, the veil was lifted: the answer was yes!
Production
There are two versions of “Minstrel Boy.” The studio version, which dates from the legendary summer of 1967 in Woodstock, was not chosen for the first version of The Basement Tapes in 1975. It was only released on The Bootleg Series Volume 10: Another Self Portrait in 2013 and on The Bootleg Series Volume 11: The Basement Tapes Complete in 2014. However, a live version from the Isle of Wight Festival, August 31, 1969, appears on Self Portrait.
The live version, where Dylan was accompanied by the Band, does not showcase the group’s talent. The vocal harmonies are off, and it all sounds a bit too short winded. Regrettably, this song deserved better treatment, and its presence on the album is not really justified. The Basement Tapes version is clearly better, fresh and spontaneous, but reinforces the feeling that Dylan had neglected his “Minstrel Boy.”
Wigwam
Bob Dylan / 3:10
Musicians (New York)
Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar
David Bromberg: guitar
Al Kooper: piano
Musicians (Nashville)
Charlie McCoy: bass (?)
Kenny Buttrey: drums (?)
(For details on orchestra musicians, see entry for “All the Tired Horses,” page 326. Note there is only brass on this song; there are no strings or chorus.)
Recording Studios
Columbia Recording Studios / Studio A, New York: March 4, 1970; Columbia Recording Studios, Nashville: March 17, 1970 (?)
Technical Team
Producer: Bob Johnston
Sound Engineer (New York): Don Puluse
Sound Engineer (Na
shville): Neil Wilburn
Genesis and Lyrics
A wigwam is a round, domed dwelling built by certain Native American tribes, especially in the Northeast United States (Mi’kmaq and Algonquin). Bob Dylan used the name, which evokes the history of Native Americans in the United States, to write one of the most distinctive songs on Self Portrait. Indeed, “Wigwam” has no lyrics. Throughout the more than three minutes of the song, Dylan merely sings “la la la.” The melody is no less beautiful for the lack of text, and the orchestration, which has been called mariachi-like and Western, is among the most successful of the double album.
Production
“Wigwam” was recorded on March 4, 1970, at Columbia Studio A in New York City, under the working title “New Song.” Dylan provided vocals and acoustic guitar. David Bromberg was on lead guitar and Al Kooper on piano. It is possible that Stu Woods and Alvin Rogers later added a bass line (not very audible) and drum by overdub (in New York), but the early version released on The Bootleg Series Volume 10: Another Self Portrait (1969–1971) does not have either. Most likely, Charlie McCoy and Kenny Buttrey added drums in Nashville. On March 17, at Columbia in Nashville, the brass overdubs were added, with the orchestra conducted by Bill Walker. Unfortunately, the studio record sheets are imprecise.