Bob Dylan is not stupid. The poet laureate of rock sees gold in his archives. Now he’s releasing– through Columbia Records– a $600, 18 CD collection of bootlegs and outtakes from his three greatest albums: “Bringing it All Back Home.” “Blonde on Blonde,” and “Highway 61 Revisited.” They’re saying only 5000 copies are available, but if it takes off, who knows?
“The Cutting Edge” will come in all kinds of formats. There’s a 6CD set for $150. There are smaller versions, too, and they come as LPs, CDs, digital downloads. Maybe they even come as 78s.
An entire CD is devoted to 20 different takes of “Like a Rolling Stone,” Dylan’s masterpiece track from 1965.
“Normal” Dylan fans who don’t have a room devoted to him will probably be interested in the 2 CD set. That track list is as follows.
PS There’s an exciting all new edition of DA Pennebaker’s landmark film “Don’t Look Back,” also coming this fall on Blu Ray as part of the Criterion Collection.
DISC 1
1. Love Minus Zero/No Limit – Take 2 (1/13/1965) acoustic
2. I’ll Keep It with Mine – Take 1 (1/13/1965) piano demo
3. Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream – Take 2 (1/13/1965) solo acoustic
4. She Belongs to Me – Take 1 (1/13/1965) solo acoustic
5. Subterranean Homesick Blues – Take 1 (1/14/1965) alternate take
6. Outlaw Blues – Take 2 (1/13/1965) alternate take
7. On the Road Again – Take 4 (1/14/1965) alternate take
8. Farewell, Angelina – Take 1 (1/13/1965) solo acoustic
9. If You Gotta Go, Go Now – Take 2 (1/15/1965) alternate take
10. You Don’t Have to Do That – Take 1 (1/13/1965) solo acoustic
11. California – Take 1 (1/13/1965) solo acoustic
12. Mr. Tambourine Man – Take 3 (1/15/1965) with band, incomplete
13. It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry – Take 8 (6/15/1965) alternate take
14. Like a Rolling Stone – Take 5 (6/15/1965) rehearsal
15. Like a Rolling Stone – Take 11 (6/16/1965) alternate take
16. Sitting on a Barbed Wire Fence – Take 2 (6/15/1965) unreleased take
17. Medicine Sunday – Take 1 (10/5/1965) early version of Temporary Like Achilles
18. Desolation Row – Take 2 (8/4/1965) piano demo
19. Desolation Row – Take 1 (8/4/1965) alternate take
DISC 2
1. Tombstone Blues – Take 1 (7/29/1965) alternate take
2. Positively 4th Street – Take 5 (7/29/1965) alternate take
3. Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window – Take 1 (7/30/1965) alternate take
4. Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues – Take 3 (8/2/1965) rehearsal
5. Highway 61 Revisited – Take 3 (8/2/1965) alternate take
6. Queen Jane Approximately – Take 5 (8/2/1965) alternate take
7. Visions of Johanna – Take 5 (11/30/1965) rehearsal
8. She’s Your Lover Now – Take 6 (1/21/1966) rehearsal
9. Lunatic Princess – Take 1 (1/27/1966)
10. Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat – Take 8 (2/14/1966) alternate take
11. One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later) – Take 19 (1/25/1966) alternate take
12. Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again – Take 13 (2/17/1966) alternate take
13. Absolutely Sweet Marie – Take 1 (3/7/1966) alternate take
14. Just Like a Woman – Take 4 (3/8/1966) alternate take
15. Pledging My Time – Take 1 (3/8/1966) alternate take
16. I Want You – Take 4 (3/10/1966) alternate take
17. Highway 61 Revisited – Take 7 (8/2/1965) false start
