Whatever You Do, Take Care Of Your Shoes

Good news for the avid music memorabilia collector.  Got a couple hundred thousand dollars to spare?  If so, read on…

Sotheby’s will auction off Bob Dylan’s hand written original lyrics to “The Times They Are A-Changin” on December 10.  The lyrics were written sometime in 1963 on a piece of long, white paper.  The reverse side contains lyrics to another song, “North Country Blues,” which also began with “Come gather ‘round…”

For the last 47 years or so, few folks have actually seen the sheet, which are part of a collection of documents that Clinton Heylin, a Dylan historian, dubs the “The MacKenzie-Krown Papers.”  Mac and Eve MacKenzie had housed the young Dylan when he first arrived in New York City in 1961.  The MacKenzie’s eventually obtained (through unknown circumstances) roughly a dozen early Dylan songs; some typed with chords noted and some hand-written.  A private collector bought the lyrics to “The Times They Are A-Changin” from the MacKenzie’s son, Peter, ten years ago.

Sotheby’s estimates that the lyrics will fetch between $200,000 to $300,000.  There’s a holiday gift idea…

Good news for Dylan fans (I know I’m excited).  Isis, the Bob Dylan Fansite, is claiming the prolific artist will release his latest installment of the Bootleg Series (Vol. 9) in October.  This release will focus on early studio recordings from 1962-64, known to fans as the Whitmark Demos and Leeds Demos, both named after the NYC studios these tracks were cut.  Rolling Stone has gone so far as to list a track list for the collection, but nothing is definite until it appears on Dylan’s site.  For the curious:

Leeds Music Demos
New York City, New York
February 1962
1. Hard Times In New York Town
2. Poor Boy Blues
3. Ballad For A Friend
4. Rambling, Gambling Willie
5. Man On The Street
6. Talking Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues
7. Standing On The Highway

Witmark & Sons Demos
New York City, New York
December 1962
1. A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall
2. Tomorrow Is A Long Time
3.The Death Of Emmett Till
4.Let Me Die In My Footsteps
5. Ballad Of Hollis Brown
6.Quit Your Low Down Ways
7.Baby, I’m In The Mood For You

Witmark Studio
New York City, New York
Winter 1963
1. Bound To Lose, Bound To Win
2. All Over You
3. I’d Hate To Be You On That Dreadful Day
4. Talking John Birch Paranoid Blues

Witmark Studio
New York City, New York
March 1963
1. Long Time Gone
2. Masters Of War
3. Farewell
4. Oxford Town
5. Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right
6. Walkin’ Down The Line

Witmark Studio
New York City, New York
April 1963
1. I Shall Be Free
2.Bob Dylan’s Blues
3.Bob Dylan’s Dream
4. Boots Of Spanish Leather

Witmark Studio
New York City, New York
May 1963
1. Girl From The North Country
2.Seven Curses
3.Hero Blues

Witmark Studio
New York City, New York
August 1963
1. Whatcha Gonna Do
2. Gypsy Lou
3. Ain’t Gonna Grieve
4.John Brown
5.Only A Hobo
6.When The Ship Comes In

Witmark Studio
New York City, New York
October 1963
1. The Times They Are A-Changin’

Witmark Studio
New York City, New York
December 1963
1. Paths Of Victory

Witmark Studio,
New York City, New York
January 1964
1. Guess I’m Doing Fine
2.Baby Let Me Follow You Down (Eric von Schmidt)

Unidentified Recording Studio
New York City, New York
Mid to late June 1964
1. Mr. Tambourine Man
2.Mama, You Been On My Mind
3. I’ll Keep It With Mine

In other Dylan news, his first eight albums (self titled through John Wesley Harding) will be re-released on CD in mono, which is a first for these albums.  Supposedly, these are remastered using “first issue copies of the mono LPs” in order to recreate the sound of the original LPs.

A big happy birthday to Bob Dylan, who turns 69 years old today.  The man still writes some of the greatest songs today as he did 40 years ago, and looks to have no signs of slowing down.  His last few efforts (Together Through Life, Modern Times, and Love & Theft) were packed with some of his strongest material, that in my opinion, rank up there with Blonde On Blonde and Blood On The Tracks.  Keep it up Bob, we still need you!

Dylan is the man.  Period.  In a recent interview with NASNA, he talks about his inspiration for his new Christmas In The Heart album, citing carolers going door to door and nativity plays in his home town.  Want to know his ideal Christmas dinner?  Mashed potatoes and gravy, roast turkey and collard greens, turnip greens, biscuit dressing, corn bread and cranberry sauce.  The best part of the interview is when he is asked whether he listens to rap music.  Dylan’s response - “I don’t listen to rap radio stations and I don’t play rap songs on the jukebox, and I don’t go to rap shows.  So no I guess I don’t listen to rap music all that much.”  Priceless.