Bob Dylan All the Songs
Page 47
Although a new side of Dylan was seen in New Morning, this eleventh studio album stood in sharp contrast to Self Portrait, not so much with the major works of the sixties, but in terms of the lyrics and music.
As literature, “Day of the Locusts” brings the listener back directly to the surrealism of Blonde on Blonde, or even some hallucinogenic experience. “If Dogs Run Free” was another expression of the Beat influence on the songwriter. Not to mention the numerous references to scripture, such as in the last two songs of the record.
As music, it was an album of folk rock. While acoustic guitars are omnipresent, the overall record includes remarkably beautiful piano playing by Dylan himself, as well as a real interest in gospel music, especially in the use of the organ and the presence of a three-member chorus (in “Three Angels,” more specifically).
The Cover
The cover photo was taken by Len Siegler, the house photographer at Columbia, who produced a sepia-tone portrait of a bearded Dylan—an image of a serene and somewhat determined gentleman farmer. On the back cover, the songwriter was beside the “Queen of the Blues,” Victoria Spivey, in a snapshot also taken by Len Siegler—but in 1962. Note that, as on Self Portrait, neither Dylan’s name nor the name of the album appears on the cover.
As for the title, Dylan wrote in Chronicles, “Johnston had asked me earlier, ‘What do you think you’ll call this record?’ Titles! Everybody likes titles. There’s a lot to be said in a title. I didn’t know, though, and hadn’t thought about it.”1 Dylan first thought of the title “Down and Out on the Scene.” But he thought better of it. “I had just heard the song ‘New Morning’ on the playback and thought it had come out pretty good. New Morning might make a good title, I thought and then said it to Johnston. ‘Man, you were reading my mind. That’ll put ’em in the palm of your hand—they’ll have to take one of them mind-training courses that you do while you sleep to get the meaning of that.”1
The Recording
Some songs on New Morning had been worked on during the first session on May 1 with the participation of the great George Harrison. Only one month later, however, on June 1 and 2, at Columbia’s Studio E, the recording of the new album really took off. The sessions were spread over nine days from May 1 to August 12, 1970, during which around fifty songs were recorded (including those played with George Harrison). Dylan was accompanied by Al Kooper on keyboards, Charlie Daniels on bass, and Russ Kunkel on drums, as well as three chorus singers, Hilda Harris, Albertine Robinson, and Maeretha Stewart. Al Kooper brought along other musicians, who were unfortunately wrongly identified for the sessions in which they participated: Buzzy Feiten on guitar; David Bromberg, another guitar player who had already been present on Self Portrait; Harvey Brooks, Dylan’s bass-player friend who performed on Highway 61 Revisited; and Billy Mundi, an excellent drummer who had a long career with Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention.
New Morning had a real production problem. Bob Johnston, the registered producer, gradually left the musicians behind. Al Kooper remembered, “[A]fter about two or three sessions, Johnston stopped showing up. Just like that.”42 Why? The disastrous critiques of Self Portrait? A disagreement between him and Dylan? “I was producing because I felt I was helping the artist,”94 said Johnston. Did he feel useless from that point on? In Chronicles, Dylan said Johnston always found everything fantastic. But the songwriter was not fooled; his songs were leading nowhere.
Whatever the reason, Bob Johnston disappeared from Dylan’s world. Faced with this situation, Dylan let Al Kooper take over unofficially. Kooper assumed the responsibility of recruiting other musicians, rearranging certain songs, and organizing the recording sessions. He even successfully recorded a string and brass orchestra on two songs. Then Dylan would change his mind. Day after day, he went over the track listing and the arrangements, always questioning the results. Finally, Kooper got frustrated and gave up. Some time later, he received a phone call from the songwriter, who asked, “What credit do you want on the album? It can’t be producer because of a contractual hitch with Johnston and CBS.” Kooper replied, “How about Special Thanks?” “That sounds fine,” Dylan said.42 Three days later, unfortunately, Dylan told him that because of a mistake, his name would not appear in the credits. In order to correct this mistake, they would have to postpone the record’s release. The result was that there were no thanks on the cover. Furious, Kooper never again handled production for Dylan, but they remained friends nevertheless. As Kooper wrote in 1998, “I’ve played on many [other Dylan records] and… we’re still friends today.” The “Special Thanks” mention did appear on later versions of New Morning.
The record came out on October 21, 1970, and had a much better reception than the preceding album. We’ve Got Dylan Back Again! ran the headline for Ralph Gleason’s review in Rolling Stone. The entire public agreed. It appreciated the new songs, and even more the nasal voice of Dylan, the one of his sixties masterpieces, no longer the crooner of Self Portrait. The record reached sixth place on the American charts before becoming a gold record. It rose to number 1 in the United Kingdom.
Technical Details
Dylan reconnected with the New York studios after recording his previous four albums in Nashville (except for The Basement Tapes). But this time he did not record in Columbia’s Studio A where he had started, but in Studios B and E located at 49 East Fifty-Second Street, on the second and sixth floors of the building, respectively. The equipment included Ampex MM100 two-inch sixteen-track recorders, as well as the famous house mix consoles.
The Instruments
Dylan still kept his Martin 0-18, as many studio photos showed. However, he played electric guitar on “One More Weekend,” probably on a Fender Telecaster. Only “If Not for You” included a harmonica, tuned in E.
FOR DYLANOLOGISTS
When Dylan played the harmonica on March 2, 1962, on the album Three Kings and the Queen with Victoria Spivey, he played it on a tune sung by Big Joe Williams, “Sittin’ on Top of the World.” Dylan included this once again in 1992 on his album Good As I Been to You.
If Not For You
Bob Dylan / 2:42
Musicians
Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar, harmonica
David Bromberg: guitar (?)
Ron Cornelius: guitar
Buzzy Feiten: guitar
Al Kooper: organ
(?): glockenspiel
Charlie Daniels: bass (?), guitar (?)
Charlie McCoy: bass (?)
Harvey Brooks: bass (?)
Norman Keith: violin
Russ Kunkel: drums (?), percussion (?)
Billy Mundi: drums (?), percussion (?)
Recording Studios
Columbia Recording Studios / Studio E, New York: June 2 and August 12, 1970
Columbia Recording Studios / Nashville: July 23, 1970 (?)
Technical Team
Producer: Bob Johnston
Sound Engineers (New York): Don Puluse and Ted Brosnan
Sound Engineer (Nashville): Neil Wilburn (?)
Genesis and Lyrics
In the Biograph liner notes, Bob Dylan said he wrote “If Not for You” “thinking about my wife.” Dylan described his new cut as follows: “It seemed simple enough, a sort of tex-mex. I would never explore all the possibilities of instrumentation in the studio, add parts and so forth, change the beat around, so it came off kind of folky.”12 When did he write the tune? Before or during the sessions of Self Portrait, it seems, and before George Harrison’s visit to Woodstock in November 1968.
“If Not for You” is a love song dedicated to Sara, without whom the songwriter admits “I couldn’t find the door” and “I’d be sad and blue.” The lyrics, like the melody, are simple and catchy. He willingly follows the path started by John Wesley Harding, namely savoring domestic tranquility and the pleasures of nature.
Production
Dylan must have liked “If Not for You,” since the song opens New Morning. He spent no less than four studio sessio
ns on it, the first on May 1, 1970, accompanied by George Harrison. This version is marked by the Beatles style. The guitar sound is instantly recognizable (see The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3). Harrison recorded the tune for his triple album All Things Must Pass, which was released in November 1970. This is not surprising. “If Not for You” is one of Dylan’s songs with the strongest connection to the Fab Four.
The true studio work began a month later, on June 2, in Columbia’s Studio E. Two versions were recorded that day. One of them appears on The Bootleg Series Volume 10: Another Self Portrait, with Bob on vocals and piano and accompanied only by an unidentified violinist. The result is as attractive as it is surprising, but was not strong enough to be selected. The other version was probably the one used as the basis for future overdubs, with Charlie Daniels on bass, David Bromberg on acoustic guitar, Ron Cornelius on the electric, Al Kooper on organ, and Russ Kunkel on drums. On July 23, the first overdub session began in Nashville with Charlie McCoy on bass, Norman Keith Spicher on violin, Lloyd Green on pedal steel guitar, and Charlie Daniels on guitar. But Dylan was dissatisfied with what he heard, and a month later he returned one last time to his song on August 12 in New York, accompanied by unidentified musicians with the exception of guitarist Buzzy Feiten. Five takes were performed; the fifth was satisfactory.
Even if it is difficult to identify the players backing Dylan, “If Not for You” is an excellent song, with one of Dylan’s best rhythmic parts to date. The drum part, recorded for the first time in stereo, is just perfect, especially in the intro where it is accompanied by a percussion-type shaker or maracas and backed by an impressive bass part. The entire piece is impeccable, which has not always been the case with Dylan. The electric guitar part is outstanding—the playing fluid and similar to that of a pedal steel guitar, thanks to a “phrasing” effect added to the sound. For the first time a glockenspiel appears—sacrilege to some, but certainly more pleasant than some of the tracks on Self Portrait. Finally, there is Dylan’s voice, this time with a nice patina. However, it is regrettable that the sound recording is missing some treble.
“If Not for You” was released as a single with “New Morning” on the B-side. The song entered the Dutch charts only at number 30. Bob Dylan and George Harrison rehearsed a version for the historic Concert for Bangladesh at Madison Square Garden in New York City in August 1971. However, Dylan performed the song live for the first time onstage on April 14, 1992, in Sydney, with a great harmonica intro.
COVERS
Olivia Newton-John recorded her own version of “If Not for You,” reaching number 1 on the US Easy Listening charts.
FOR DYLANOLOGISTS
George Harrison not only recorded a cover of “If Not for You” for his album All Things Must Pass, but Harrison’s triple album also opens with “I’d Have You Anytime,” a composition credited to “Harrison-Dylan”.
Day Of The Locusts
Bob Dylan / 3:59
Musicians
Bob Dylan: vocals, piano
Ron Cornelius: guitar (?)
Buzzy Feiten: guitar
David Bromberg: guitar (?)
Harvey Brooks: bass (?)
Charlie Daniels: bass (?)
Al Kooper: organ
Russ Kunkel: drums (?)
Billy Mundi: drums (?)
Recording Studio
Columbia Recording Studios / Studio E, New York: August 12, 1970
Technical Team
Producer: Bob Johnston
Sound Engineer: Don Puluse
Genesis and Lyrics
The song “Day of the Locusts” takes its title from Nathanael West’s 1939 novel, a ruthless satire of human relationships and the pretenses and broken dreams of Hollywood. It is also an opportunity for Dylan to discuss the “strange day” he spent at Princeton University on June 9, 1970, when he was presented with an honorary doctorate. Dylan’s wife Sara and his friend David Crosby of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young worked hard to convince Bob to go to Princeton University to accept this honor. After hesitating a long time, due to the respected institution’s very conservative image, he finally agreed to go to New Jersey. In Chronicles, he recalls, “In short time the officials led me into a crowded room and put me in a robe, and soon I was looking out over a crowd of well-dressed people in the sun.”1 Things went wrong when the speaker introduced the songwriter as “the authentic expression of the disturbed and concerned conscience of Young America.” Dylan continues in Chronicles, “Oh sweet Jesus! It was like a jolt. It shuddered and trembled but remained expressionless… I couldn’t believe it! Tricked once more… After whispering and mumbling my way through the ceremony, I was handed the scroll. We piled back into the big Buick and drove away. It had been a strange day.”1 The locusts singing off in the distance recall the book of Isaiah in the Old Testament. As for the Black Hills, where the narrator wants to take his beloved, they are a place sacred to the Lakota people (Sioux tribes) in the Dakotas, and may be seen as an evocation of the superiority of mysticism over materialism, one of the main themes of this album.
Production
There were seven takes and just one session devoted to “Day of the Locusts” on August 12, the last recording day dedicated to New Morning. The last take was selected. Dylan plays piano and provides a very good vocal performance. He has made obvious progress at the keyboard. The other musicians are unidentified, except for Buzzy Feiten on the guitar and, perhaps, Billy Mundi on drums. Note that locusts are heard in the introduction and at several points during the song! Dylan has never performed the song live.
FOR DYLANOLOGISTS
A bit of natural science: Dylan speaks about locusts in this song, but on June 9, 1970, in Princeton, what he heard in the background was not locusts, but the powerful song of a species of cicada that had just emerged from the ground after a long gestation period of up to seventeen years. Once free in the air, they burst forth in song.
Time Passes Slowly
Bob Dylan / 2:36
Musicians
Bob Dylan: vocals, piano
Buzzy Feiten: guitar (?)
Russ Kunkel: drums (?)
Billy Mundi: drums (?)
Recording Studio
Columbia Recording Studios / Studio E, New York: August 12, 1970
Technical Team
Producer: Bob Johnston
Sound Engineer: Don Puluse
Genesis and Lyrics
Back in Woodstock, after his father’s funeral (he died May 29, 1968), Dylan was asked by the playwright Archibald MacLeish to write songs for his play Scratch.12 This was a musical version of The Devil and Daniel Webster by Stephen Vincent Benet, which was itself a Faust adaptation. Thus Dylan wrote “Time Passes Slowly,” “New Morning,” and “Father of Night” for the production. In Chronicles, he describes his meeting with Archibald MacLeish: “The play for which he wanted me to write songs was laying on his reading desk. He wanted songs in it that made some comment to go along with the scenes, and he began reading out loud some of the speeches and suggested some song titles—‘Father of Night,’ ‘Red Hands,’ ‘Lower World’ were a few of them. After listening intently, I intuitively realized that I didn’t think this was for me. After hearing a few lines from the script, I didn’t see how our destinies could be intermixed.”1 Dylan was not on the same wavelength as MacLeish and withdrew from the project. In the Biograph liner notes he writes, “It was nothing really, kind of like a misunderstanding I suppose.”12
Instead of being musical illustrations for MacLeish’s play, the three songs mentioned were recorded for Dylan’s new album New Morning. “Time Passes Slowly” is a superb evocation of the simple pleasures of nature. In the first verse Dylan sings, “Time passes slowly up here in the mountains / We sit beside bridges and walk beside fountains.” The message is clear: there is no reason to go elsewhere, no need to be seduced by the distorting and blinding lights of the city.
Production
“Lost in a Dream,” the working title for “Time Passes Sl
owly,” allows us to appreciate Bob Dylan’s excellent piano playing, the result of hard work since his 1966 motorcycle accident. His voice, slightly reverberated, is very convincing. Although he had already recorded the song during the sessions for Self Portrait on March 4 and 5, 1970, and cut another fourteen takes on June 2, the version on New Morning is dated August 12 and was probably completely redone at that time. Out of eight takes, the third was the right one. Apart from Dylan, only a drum part played with brushes provides the rhythm, curiously without the support of any bass. An electric guitar lead (Buzzy Feiten?) is heard in the chorus (around 1:30), accompanied by another soloist, presumably played by overdubbing the same guitarist. There is another version on The Bootleg Series Volume 10: Another Self Portrait by Dylan and George Harrison that was recorded on May 1. The two friends sing “la la la”—very Beatles.
FOR DYLANOLOGISTS
Dylan did not collaborate with Archibald MacLeish, but this did not prevent him from admiring the playwright who won three Pulitzer Prizes. Dylan wrote in Chronicles, “He possessed more knowledge of mankind and its vagaries than most men acquire in a lifetime.”1
Went To See The Gypsy
Bob Dylan / 2:52
Musicians
Bob Dylan: vocals, piano
Ron Cornelius: guitar
Al Kooper: organ
Charlie Daniels: bass
Russ Kunkel: drums