Bob Dylan played only acoustic, certainly a Martin 0-18, as can be seen in some photos. He also played a 12-string guitar. He may have borrowed it from Robbie Robertson or another musician. It is the first time he did not play harmonica. For the musicians of the Band, there is no list of instruments used, except the extraordinary acoustic Gibson Style O of 1920 that Robbie Robertson has in his hands on the album cover. He gave a good overview on how each of the Band’s musicians played: “Everybody would play different instruments… I’d come down and somebody else would be playing guitar, so I’d pick up the bass or play drums, something like that—somebody would pick up a horn or a riffle or a mandolin, whatever, and just try their best to handle it! It wasn’t like anybody had a real idea for something, they would just look around, see an instrument sitting there, and start doodling around on it until something started happen.”24
FOR DYLANOLOGISTS
Dylan’s friend David Blue can be identified in the cover art. He is in the background, in drag, wearing a woman’s hat. But contrary to what has been said, Neil Young is not in the picture.
The famous Revox A77 shown on the cover of the album is displayed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland. The Ampex 602 used to record The Basement Tapes was lost in a fire.
The Band:
A Dylan Quintet
The formation of the Band dates back to the late 1950s, when Canadians Robbie Robertson (guitar, vocals), Rick Danko (bass, violin, trombone, vocals), Garth Hudson (keyboards, trumpet, saxophone), Richard Manuel (piano, drums, saxophone, vocals), and American Levon Helm (drums, mandolin, guitar, vocals) were backing the pioneer singer of rock ’n’ roll Ronnie Hawkins of the Hawks. In 1964, the Band separated from Hawkins and renamed itself Levon and the Hawks. They toured clubs in Canada and the United States. During the summer of 1965, they met Bob Dylan at the suggestion of bluesman John Hammond Jr., son of the illustrious producer John H. Hammond, and Mary Martin, secretary to Dylan’s manager Albert Grossman. Both convinced Dylan to visit the quintet in a club in Toronto. Bob Dylan first hired Robertson and Helm, then Danko, Hudson, and Manuel for his US tour and then his world tour from September 1965 to May 1966. Robertson attended sessions for the album Blonde on Blonde.
If the connection with Bob Dylan during the 1965–1966 tour made the Canadian-American rock group renowned worldwide, the albums recorded during the second half of the sixties enshrined them among the major groups in the history of rock. After the legendary recordings of The Basement Tapes, Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel, and Levon Helm made their debut album Music from Big Pink, released on July 1, 1968. The title is a reference to the pink house they shared near Woodstock, New York. Their first album was widely acclaimed as a masterpiece. Dylan’s shadow is everywhere, since the album included three songs written or co-written by him: “Tears of Rage,” “This Wheel’s on Fire,” and “I Shall Be Released.” In addition Dylan designed the cover. This first album fused many musical elements, including rock, folk, country, and R&B, characterizing the musical approach that became the trademark of the group.
The Band, released on September 22, 1969, is another masterpiece, especially with “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” “Up on Cripple Creek,” and “King Harvest,” all written by Robertson. Stage Fright (1970) is much darker than the previous two albums, while Cahoots (1971) is important for the interpretation of “When I Paint My Masterpiece” by Dylan. The Band’s subsequent recordings include Northern Lights–Southern Cross (1975) and Islands (1977), as well as the live album Rock of Ages (1972).
In 1976, Robertson, extremely weary of life on the road, convinced the other members of the group to stop touring. A farewell concert was held on November 25, 1976, at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. The concert included guests Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, and Eric Clapton, among others. The concert was recorded as a “rockumentary” by Martin Scorsese under the title The Last Waltz and released in 1978, along with a triple LP soundtrack.
The Band resumed touring without Robbie Robertson and later Richard Manuel, who committed suicide after a performance in Florida on March 4, 1986, at the age of fourty-two, in his hotel room. In the 1990s, the Band appeared at Bob Dylan’s thirtieth anniversary concert celebration in New York City in October 1992. They released the album Jericho in 1993, High on the Hog in 1996, and Jubilation in 1998.
In 1994, they performed at Woodstock ’94. In 1999, the group recorded a cover of Bob Dylan’s “One Too Many Mornings,” which they contributed to the Dylan tribute album Tangled Up in Blues: Songs of Bob Dylan. Rick Danko died on December 10, 1999, and Levon Helm on April 19, 2012, marking the end of the adventure for the Band. On February 9, 2008, the Band received a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award. The Band influenced numerous artists, from the Grateful Dead and George Harrison to Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and Eric Clapton.
Odds And Ends
Bob Dylan / 1:47
Musicians
Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar (?)
Robbie Robertson: guitar
Garth Hudson: organ, piano (?)
Rick Danko: bass, vocal harmonies
Richard Manuel: drums
Recording Studio
Big Pink, West Saugerties, New York: Summer/Fall 1967
Technical Team
Producers: Bob Dylan and the Band
Sound Engineer: Garth Hudson
Genesis and Lyrics
“Odds and Ends” is the first track on The Basement Tapes, released in 1975. The title gives a good idea of the nature of Bob Dylan and the Band’s rehearsals and recordings in the basement of Stoll Road. These were a series of jam sessions, resulting in some of the most exhilarating music in the history of rock.
In “Odds and Ends” the narrator complains to his girlfriend that she has kept none of her promises and not behaved at all like a loving woman. “Now, you take your file and you bend my head,” he sings ironically.
Production
“Odds and Ends” plunges us into the atmosphere of this basement studio. The sound is that of a garage band: both rough and warm sound with a “soul.” The recording skill of Garth Hudson is clear. Despite a lack of space between each musician and relatively rudimentary equipment, the result is alive. “Odds and Ends” is a rock song in the tradition of Chuck Berry and Fats Domino. Robertson’s guitar and Hudson’s piano part convince us. Levon Helm described “Odds and Ends” as a “great rock ’n’ roll song.” The drummer of the Band was not present during this recording, and Richard Manuel played drums instead. In Helm’s autobiography, published in 1993, Helm said that he only participated in the recording sessions in November 1967, and then only for a few songs.71 It seems that Bob Dylan did not play guitar but only provided vocals. His voice seems more relaxed and less tense than in the past.
There were two takes for “Lost Time Is Not Found Again,” the working title of “Odds and Ends.” The second cut was selected for The Basement Tapes. The recording of “Odds and Ends” probably dates from September or October of 1967.
FOR DYLANOLOGISTS
The organ and the piano parts for “Odds and Ends” were probably added by later overdubbing. Garth Hudson could not have played both keyboards live. The piano part is especially good.
Million Dollar Bash
Bob Dylan / 2:33
Musicians
Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar
Richard Manuel: piano, backup vocals
Rick Danko: bass, backup vocals
Garth Hudson: organ
Recording Studio
Big Pink, West Saugerties, New York: Summer 1967
Technical Team
Producers: Bob Dylan and the Band
Sound Engineer: Garth Hudson
Genesis and Lyrics
“Million Dollar Bash,” written by Bob Dylan in 1967, evokes the famous events organized by Andy Warhol at the Factory in the 1960s, in which Dylan participated regularly. In the first verse, “big dumb blonde” could refer
to Edie Sedgwick, Warhol’s muse and with whom Dylan had a brief affair. The friend “with his checks all forged / And his cheeks in a chunk” could be the pop-art master himself.
Beyond the obvious derision of the lyrics, Dylan’s tone exudes a certain measure of optimism, even contentment, probably due to his recovery from his motorcycle accident on July 29, 1966. He does not have to work with those he calls “leeches.” He can produce the music he likes, surrounded by his friends. There is certainly in this song a lot of humor and numerous beautiful surreal fantasies, which Dylan uses just for the sake of style, unlike many of his hallucinatory insights on Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde.
Production
According to Sid Griffin, “Million Dollar Bash” was recorded in August 1967 just after Dylan and his wife returned from Hibbing. There are some uncertainties about the identities of the musicians. Dylan was certainly accompanied by Manuel, Danko, and Hudson. Robbie Robertson and Levon Helm were not present. There is no electric guitar or drums, which gives the song a singular sound, recalling Elvis Presley’s first single for Sun records with Scotty Moore on guitar and Bill Black on bass. It is a folk song with country accents and constant references to doo-wop, notably to the Coasters. The line “Then along came Jones / Emptied the trash” refers to the Coasters’ 1959 hit “Along Came Jones.” It is also surely a reference to “Yakety Yak,” released in 1958, which included the line “Take out the papers and the trash.” These two songs were written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. The atmosphere is soft and relaxed; Dylan’s reverberated voice is serene. He has fun singing. He played acoustic (perhaps the Martin 0-18?), backed lightly by his bandmates. Rick Danko’s bass gives momentum to the piece in the absence of other rhythm instruments.
Dylan has played “Million Dollar Bash” only once onstage, during a concert at the Brixton Academy in London on November 21, 2005. Note that Fairport Convention recorded this song in 1969 for the album Unhalfbricking.
Goin’ To Acapulco
Bob Dylan / 5:28
Musicians
Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar
Robbie Robertson: guitar
Garth Hudson: organ
Rick Danko: bass, backup vocals
Richard Manuel: drums, backup vocals
Recording Studio
Big Pink, West Saugerties, New York: Fall 1967
Technical Team
Producers: Bob Dylan and the Band
Sound Engineer: Garth Hudson
Genesis and Lyrics
In this song, Bob Dylan may have only wanted to sing about a trip to Mexico and an unexpected encounter with a mysterious Rose Marie. However, there may be a bit more in the lyrics. In the second verse, Dylan writes, “The stars ain’t falling down,” a line that may refer to the book of Revelation (6:13). There is a reference to the Taj Mahal in the following lines (“I’m standing outside the Taj Mahal / I don’t see no one around”). Some Dylan scholars see a link here to the 1958 novel Candy by Maxwell Kenton (the pseudonym of Terry Southern and Mason Hoffenberg, two of Dylan’s friends), which tells the story of an eighteen-year-old girl who has many sexual experiences and undertakes a journey to India. In the chorus, the narrator leaves and is on his way to Acapulco to “have some fun.” Indeed, this journey to Acapulco may be an escape (in both the literal and the figurative sense) to the country of lust. Or did Dylan just want to refer to Elvis Presley’s film Fun in Acapulco (1963)?
Production
According to Sid Griffin, “Goin’ to Acapulco” was recorded in the basement of Big Pink before the death of Woody Guthrie on October 3, 1967. The musical atmosphere is quite close to the one on the album John Wesley Harding, the sessions for which began on October 17. The melodic line is also reminiscent of “I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine,” which would appear on that album. But in “Goin’ to Acapulco,” Dylan sings a slow blues song with some gospel accents, emphasized by Hudson’s soulful organ. His voice, wrapped in delay, resonates with empathy and feeling. Although it is difficult to hear, Dylan accompanied himself on acoustic guitar (around 1:39). Robertson’s guitar, however, is easily heard and effective. Finally, the rhythm is backed by a “Charleston” beat, played by Richard Manuel (except at the end) and picked up by Dylan’s mic, which gives it the same delay. “Goin’ to Acapulco” is another example of perfect cohesion within the band.
FOR DYLANOLOGISTS
The film I’m Not There, directed by Todd Haynes in 2007, chronicles the life of Bob Dylan as played by six actors. The soundtrack includes a great version of “Goin’ to Acapulco” by Jim James (leader of My Morning Jacket) and Calexico.
Lo And Behold!
Bob Dylan / 2:47
Musicians
Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar
Richard Manuel: piano, backup vocals
Garth Hudson: organ
Rick Danko: bass, backup vocals
Recording Studio
Big Pink, West Saugerties, New York: Summer 1967
Technical Team
Producers: Bob Dylan and the Band
Sound Engineer: Garth Hudson
Genesis and Lyrics
“Lo and Behold!” tells the story of the incredible adventures of a hobo, or perhaps a pilgrim: he leaves “San Anton’” and runs back to meet his wife before being hit in the face by the coachman. Later he arrives in Pittsburgh at six-thirty in the morning, where he starts a surreal dialogue with strong sexual connotations with Molly. He then brings a herd of moose to his beloved, before taking the road to Tennessee and returning to Pittsburgh.
This improbable journey in the heart of Middle America has given rise to many theories from various authors. Some see a search for identity in the tribulations of the central characters. Others, a reference to one of the key phrases of the Old Testament prophets in the King James Bible: “Lo and behold.” Yet another explanation is that the line “Get me out of here, my dear man” refers to the moment in Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra when Mark Antony commits suicide and petitions Diomedes to end his agony, and further that “Count up to thirty” refers to the death of Mark Antony and Cleopatra in 30 BCE. The field of possibilities is vast.
Production
There are two versions of “Lo and Behold!” with significantly different lyrics. In the first version, Dylan tries to keep himself from laughing and confuses the text. The second take was selected for The Basement Tapes. The musical style is quite surprising, a mix of pop, blues, gospel, and folk, with an excellent organ part emphasizing the strange and comic side of the lyrics. Dylan accompanies himself on a nylon-string guitar and adopts a rather unusual tone of voice, whispering the verses as in a talking blues song. Danko and Manuel sing the choruses in harmony, “prefigur[ing] the famous harmonies which would become one of the hallmarks of the Band’s music.” But contrary to what is often stated, “Lo and Behold!” is not the precursor of this style. The first two tracks of the album use similar chorus harmonies.
Clothes Line Saga
Bob Dylan / 2:58
Musicians
Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar
Robbie Robertson: guitar
Richard Manuel: piano
Garth Hudson: organ
Rick Danko: bass
Recording Studio
Big Pink, West Saugerties, New York: October 1967
Technical Team
Producers: Bob Dylan and the Band
Sound Engineer: Garth Hudson
Genesis and Lyrics
Clinton Heylin, who worked with the archival copy of The Basement Tapes, found that one of the boxes containing the original recordings listed the working title as “Answer to Ode.” With this in mind, rereading the lyrics it becomes clear that the song is a parody of “Ode to Billie Joe” by Bobbie Gentry, a number 1 hit on the US charts in August 1967.
The main character of “Ode to Billie Joe” is a young girl from the Mississippi Delta who learns during a family dinner that a young man named Billie Joe MacAllister has committed suicide by jumping off the Tallaha
tchie Bridge. The lyrics suggest that Billie Joe and the narrator may have had a secret affair.
The theme of “Ode to Billie Joe” has double meaning: there is, of course, the tragic news, the suicide of a teenager, as told by the narrator’s family members in a lighthearted voice that portrays the generation gap between mother and daughter. This generation gap was what interested Bob Dylan. He took from Bobbie Gentry just as he mimicked John Lennon—or rather John Lennon mimicked Bob Dylan—in “4th Time Around.” Dylan’s “Clothes Line Saga” follows the same dramatic development as Gentry’s song, the same interaction between the various characters, but it is based on a trivial story concerning clothes, old shirts and pants, to be taken in from the clothesline to protect them from the January rain. The absurdity and humor are at their zenith when a neighbor says, “Have you heard the news?… / The Vice-President’s gone mad!” Is this a reference to Hubert Humphrey, vice president under Lyndon Johnson at the time “Clothes Line Saga” was recorded?
This is certainly the only point of controversy about “Clothes Line Saga.” Everything else is very clear. Some scholars see an evocation of Dylan’s peaceful life after his motorcycle accident, and after his years of hard work, successes, and excesses of all kinds. Only the presence of his parents is not realistic, given the distance he seemed to keep from them. Bob Dylan has written a song with no hidden meaning. Onstage at the Royal Albert Hall, he said, “I’m sick of people asking ‘what does it mean?’ It means nothing.” “Clothes Line Saga” is an answer to all those nonstop questions.
Bob Dylan All the Songs Page 34
