BOB DYLAN : THE MINNESOTA TAPES

 

Disc One (60:12)

  1. Ramblin' Round

  2. Death Don't Have No Mercy

  3. It's Hard To Be Blind 

  4. This Train Is Bound For Glory

  5. Harmonica Solo 

  6. Talkin' Fish Blues

  7. Pastures Of Plenty

  8. Railroad Bill

  9. Will The Circle Be Unbroken

  10. Man Of Constant Sorrow

  11. Pretty Polly

  12. Railroad Boy

  13. James Alley Blues

  14. Bonnie, Why'd You Cut My Hair

  15. This Land Is Your Land

  16. Two Trains Running

  17. Wild Mountain Thyme

Disc Two (50:57)

  1. Howdido

  2. Car Car

  3. Don't You Push Me Down

  4. Come See

  5. I Want It Now (I Want My Milk)

  6. San Francisco Bay Blues

  7. A Long Time A-Growin'

  8. Devilish Mary

  9. Candy Man

  10. Baby Please Don't Go

  11. Hard Times In New York Town

  12. Stealin'

  13. Poor Lazarus

  14. I Ain't Got No Home

  15. It's Hard To Be Blind

  16. Dink's Song

  17. Man Of Constant Sorrow

  18. East Orange

Disc Three (50:00)

  1. Naomi Wise

  2. Wade In The Water

  3. I Was Young When I Left Home

  4. In The Evening

  5. Baby Let Me Follow You Down

  6. Sally Gal

  7. Gospel Plow

  8. Long John

  9. Cocaine Blues

  10. VD Blues

  11. VD Waltz

  12. VD City

  13. VD Gunner's Blues

  14. See My Grave's Kept Clean

  15. Ramblin' Round

  16. Black Cross

Label : Wanted Man Music

Venue : Minnesota Party Tape II (Bonnie Beecher Tape) + Minnesota Hotel Tape (Tony Glover Tape) 

Date : CD1 + CD2 (Tracks 1-8) : May 1961 / CD2 (Tracks 9-18) + CD 3 : December 22, 1961

Quality : Bonnie Beecher Tape (B+) / Tony Glover Tape (A-)

Comments (Bobsboots) : The December tape has been in wide circulation for many years. It was actually the first bootleg ever produced. It was released on a 2 LP set in 1969, and went by the title 'Great White Wonder'. It has been available under various titles a countless number of times in the decades that followed. The quality has generally been very good, and the performance tells the story of a fresh faced boy just out of high school, who had the energy and natural 'world-traveled weariness' quality that would forever change the world. It is absolutely required material for even the smallest collection. The May tape has never enjoyed the same popularity. Partly because of the low quality of the original recording, and partly due to a remarkably uninspired performance. One of the first times that a young Bob would hear himself on tape, nerves, inexperience, and limited repertoire would result in, at best, this mediocre offering. The tape is significant, however, not only for its historical importance, but also as a standard to compare the December tape. A short seven months that separate the two. A lifetime that separate the two. The interim shows the explosive growth from a kid with a guitar to a Folk Phenomenon. This unique package from Wanted Man presents the two tapes together. As is with most titles from this label, the package is minimal, but the cover photo is priceless. 

Comments (Wikipedia) : There are three tapes that are commonly referred as the "Minnesota Tapes": the Minnesota party tape, and the two Minnesota hotel tapes. The first was recorded sometime in May 1961, while the last two were recorded in December of that same year. The earliest tape was recorded by Dylan's girlfriend at the time, Bonnie Beecher, while the other two were recorded by friend Tony Glover. Several songs from these tapes appeared on the original Great White Wonder. They have forever been distributed across various bootlegs throughout the years, but the most complete collection was released in 1994 as The Minnesota Tapes. This collection includes both tapes in their entirety, spread across three CDs.