BOB DYLAN - THE WITMARK DEMOS 1962-1964: THE BOOTLEG SERIES VOLUME 9 (2CD)

Bob Dylan The Witmark Demos 1962-1964: The Bootleg Series Volume 9 on 2CD

Seeing their first commercial release nearly five decades after they were first recorded, The Witmark Demos feature 47 Bob Dylan songs accompanied only by his acoustic guitar, harmonica and occasionally piano. Recorded for his first music publishers between 1962 and 1964, these recordings trace Dylan’s dramatic growth as a songwriter from early traditionally-styled songs through social commentaries and ultimately to groundbreaking lyrical genius.

While many of these early songs on The Witmark Demos found their way onto Bob Dylan’s own albums, 15 have never before been officially released and several more were made famous by other artists, including Peter, Paul and Mary and Stevie Wonder (“Blowin’ In The Wind”), Judy Collins (“Tomorrow Is A Long Time”) and The Byrds (“Mr. Tambourine Man”). The Witmark Demos also feature a deluxe booklet with in-depth liner notes by noted music historian Colin Escott, as well as rare photographs of Bob Dylan captured during the same period as these early recordings.

Together with The Original Mono Recordings, The Witmark Demos provide a wide-ranging view of Bob Dylan’s work during the 1960s, and chronicle his amazing evolution from fledgling songwriter to one of the world’s most inventive and singular recording artists.

"The Witmark Demos is at its core the soundtrack of the moment when singers/musicians became artists and the separation between performers and writers shrank. It’s a colossal shift, and it's no surprise that Dylan and his manager, Albert Grossman, were behind it all. Due to this greater context and historical import, this set claims a consistency, focus, and reach that several other Bootleg volumes lack. From a strictly musical perspective, Dylan is incredibly focused, as the presence of certain exchanges and artifacts reveal his seriousness."
--Bob Gendron, TONE Audio, Issue 32

Bob Dylan The Witmark Demos 1962-1964: The Bootleg Series Volume 9:

CD1
1.  Man On The Street (Fragment)
2.  Hard Times In New York Town
3.  Poor Boy Blues
4.  Ballad For A Friend
5.  Rambling, Gambling Willie
6.  Talking Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues
7.  Standing On The Highway
8.  Man On The Street
9.  Blowin’ In The Wind
10. Long Ago, Far Away
11. A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall
12. Tomorrow Is A Long Time
13. The Death of Emmett Till
14. Let Me Die In My Footsteps
15. Ballad Of Hollis Brown
16. Quit Your Low Down Ways
17. Baby, I’m In The Mood For You
18. Bound To Lose, Bound To Win
19. All Over You
20. I’d Hate To Be You On That Dreadful Day
21. Long Time Gone
22. Talkin’ John Birch Paranoid Blues
23. Masters Of War
24. Oxford Town
25. Farewell

CD2
1.  Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right
2.  Walkin’ Down The Line
3.  I Shall Be Free
4.  Bob Dylan’s Blues
5.  Bob Dylan’s Dream
6.  Boots Of Spanish Leather
7.  Walls of Red Wing
8.  Girl From The North Country
9.  Seven Curses
10. Hero Blues
11. Whatcha Gonna Do?
12. Gypsy Lou
13. Ain’t Gonna Grieve
14. John Brown
15. Only A Hobo
16. When The Ship Comes In
17. The Times They Are A-Changin’
18. Paths Of Victory
19. Guess I’m Doing Fine
20. Baby Let Me Follow You Down
21. Mama, You Been On My Mind
22. Mr. Tambourine Man
23. I’ll Keep It With Mine