Album: Dylan
Recorded: April 1969 to June 1970
Released: November 1973
Songs / length: 9 / 33:22
I was tempted to exclude this from my rundown of Dylan studio albums, but sadly it can't be ignored. A collection of outtakes from various 1969 and 1970 sessions, this album was curated and released by Columbia Records, expressly against the wishes of Dylan. It was their response to his decision to leave the label for Asylum Records in 1973, enticed away by an ambitious David Geffen, who had also signed Joni Mitchell and Tom Waits. No doubt Dylan also felt like it was a time for a change, and following the success of the soundtrack to Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid (which Columbia bought the rights for and released in 1973 – it's up next on the blog), he must have felt vindicated in seeking new pastures.
Of the nine songs on the record, the last two (A Fool Such As I, Spanish Is The Loving Tongue) are from the Self-Portrait sessions, while the first seven are from the New Morning sessions. Poor mixing mars several tracks, but minor highlights for me are Dylan's surprisingly good rendition of Can't Help Falling In Love and his funky version of A Fool Such as I, both of which are songs made famous by Elvis. One of Dylan's proudest moments was his hero Elvis covering one of his own songs – Tomorrow Is A Long Time, in 1966 – with Dylan reportedly later saying: "The highlight of my career? That's easy, Elvis recording one of my songs".
Album rating: E+
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