![]() ![]() Some seem to have been recorded on a lark, some to keep the creative juices flowing.įor Dylan, the music made at Big Pink and environs represented a rejection not just of the prevailing sounds of the day, but of the aggressive "rock" direction his own work had been taking, most recently on the searing Blonde on Blonde. What was the raison d'etre behind these recordings? Some were clearly made for copyright purposes, to be included on a publishing demo and sent to other artists. These loose, informal and freewheeling sessions were a musical potpourri of folk songs, classic country-and-western, R&B, rock-and-roll, gospel, sea shanties, spirituals, tossed-off ditties, sly parodies, and some of the most stunningly original songs Bob Dylan had ever penned. Upon Dylan's return, recording continued through, it's believed, February 1968. Robbie Robertson recalled sessions "here and there," including in Rick Danko's house.) Levon Helm would rejoin his bandmates in October, the same month Dylan traveled to Nashville to record the album called John Wesley Harding. (The basement refers to the basement of famous Band house Big Pink, but these loose, informal sessions began in the Red Room of Dylan's home. (For expediency's sake, we'll refer to them from this point on as The Band.) Free of interference from outsiders or record companies, this group recorded some nine reels of tape in various locations around West Saugerties, New York, and these tapes would collectively become known as The Basement Tapes. 11: The Basement Tapes: Complete, over six CDs, should quickly become the cornerstone of many a musical library and the key to a deeper understanding of not only its artists - who pushed the envelope by looking back as well as forward - but of an entire period of popular music and culture.ĭive into The Basement Tapes cache after the jump!īetween March and September 1967, Bob Dylan, recovering from a much-publicized motorcycle accident, joined with musicians Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel and Garth Hudson - formerly The Hawks, soon to be not just a band, but The Band. The new Columbia/Legacy release of The Bootleg Series Vol. Would a full commercial release of this "cosmic American music" (to steal from Gram Parsons) diminish its mystique? The answer, happily, is no. Just how these recordings became more influential than most platinum-selling hit records is one of music's enduring mysteries. Yet, The Basement Tapes - en toto, the whole enchilada - have remained largely unreleased, until now. But neither Big Pink and Sweetheart - nor countless albums that followed in their footsteps - would likely have existed, at least as they're now known, if not for The Basement Tapes.īig Pink introduced the world to "I Shall Be Released" and "Tears of Rage," and included "This Wheel's on Fire." Rodeo began with "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" and ended with "Nothing Was Delivered." All of those songs were composed and first recorded by Bob Dylan and the group that would become The Band in a fertile period of recording from March 1967 to February 1968 (with some breaks in that period). The next month, in August, The Byrds unveil Sweetheart of the Rodeo, arguably the first major country-rock album by an established band. The ripples of its influence would be felt in the ranks of The Beatles and Pink Floyd. Reportedly, hearing the album convinces Eric Clapton to leave Cream. ![]() In July, The Band releases Music from Big Pink. 1967: Jimi Hendrix asks, "Are You Experienced?" The Beatles plead, "Let me take you down" to "Strawberry Fields Forever." Brian Wilson spins a yarn of "Heroes and Villains." The Summer of Love is in full swing, and psychedelia is in the air. ![]()
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