Bob Dylan: Brandeis University 1963  

 

Picture if you will – it is May 1963.  The Red Scare is still in full effect, John F. Kennedy is still president, only the hippest American music nerds have any idea who The Beatles are, and Bob Dylan is still virtually unknown to anyone outside Greenwich Village.  Weird, huh?

At this point, Dylan’s debut album had been on shelves for less than a year and, as most of them were still sitting on the shelves, it was a relative bomb.  All of the above would soon change but, at this point, no one saw any of it coming.  While Dylan’s first album helped establish him in the folk community as, at the very least, a capable interpreter of old folk and blues numbers, it did little, with its two original compositions, to let the world in on his big secret – that he would soon become known as the greatest American songwriter of his time.  As he was in the midst of recording his landmark second album, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, while at the same time his classic, “Blowin’ In The Wind”, was being recorded by Peter Paul & Mary and the Chad Mitchell Trio, this too would soon change.

However, on this evening in May 1963, Bob Dylan was just one of many on the bill for the very-small-time Brandeis University Folk Festival, with his appearance only a casual mention in the program, among other names like Pete Seeger and Jean Redpath.  That night, Dylan came out and performed two very short sets, showcasing original material and completely owning the stage.  This evening, however, was soon forgotten with all that happened soon after, and there was no known recording of the night until a poorly labeled tape was found buried among the possessions of the late jazz columnist, Ralph Gleason, just last year.

And what a recording it is!  Only seven songs exist on the tape – it’s unknown how many he played that night – and these seven performances reveal a seasoned artist on the cusp of greatness.  All of the songs presented here had been recorded for his second album though three of them would not see wide release until decades later.  

Kicking off with “Honey Just Allow Me One More Chance”, already in progress, Dylan is in fine voice.  What is also remarkable is the quality of this recording, which is every bit as crisp and clear as his studio recordings, if not even better.  Dylan then moves through the witty and sarcastic “Talkin’ John Birch Paranoid Blues”, which parodies the anti-communist sentiment of the time, especially that of the John Birch Society, with Dylan talking about looking everywhere and finding nothing but “reds”, including perhaps even himself, before casually mentioning that there are red stripes on the American flag (“better call Betsy Ross…”).  From there, Bob tackles “Ballad Of Hollis Brown”, which later showed up on his third album, The Times They Are A-Changin’, and does justice to the stark themes expressed in this Depression-era story.  Rounding out the first set (and the first side of the vinyl) is one of Dylan’s all-time classics, “Masters Of War”.  The song was still new and had yet to reach the levels of intensity it later would but this performance is still hair-raising.

Set two kicks off with “Talkin’ World War III Blues”, which is one of Dylan’s lesser-known songs but is still a very relevant ramble, one that rings just as true today as it did during the height of the Cold War.  “Bob Dylan’s Dream” is one of Dylan’s first forays into less folk-oriented themes, instead finding himself in a more reflective mood, thinking back to his childhood days in Minnesota and the friends he had there while growing up.  However, this pensive mood doesn’t last long as the set closes out with “Talkin’ Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues”, a whimsical story about a near-riot on a riverboat, torn from recent newspaper headlines.  

Along with the spot-on performance there is a good deal of banter, nothing revelatory but still fun to hear Dylan clearly having a good time.  Which is the whole spirit of this recording and is highly recommended for even the most casual fan.

This set was released as a limited-edition bonus disc with 2010’s “Witmark Demos” set but has just been re-released this month on both CD and vinyl.  The vinyl is pressed on 180-gram vinyl and is such an impressive item that it is worth the price of a turntable just to hear it correctly.  

Radio Caroline: Willing And Able

There have been countless times that CDs by local artists have ended up in my hands.  Often, they are quite good, while sometimes they are very much not.  Luckily, this release from Baltimore-based Americana soul band Radio Caroline – named after the legendary British pirate radio station -  falls firmly into the former category.  Motion seems to be the prevalent theme on this record, many of the songs addressing travel and the lifestyles of a hard-working band on the road, especially in the opener, “Carolina”, the album-closer, “State Of Mind”, and the should-be-classic, “Weed & Caffeine”.  You listen to these songs and you can’t help but imagine barreling down the highway in the middle of the night, pumped up on adrenaline (and, perhaps, various other helpers), trying to make your way to Point B, despite whatever obstacles and misadventures that come your way.  Musically, these guys are reminiscent of bands like Whiskeytown and earlier outfits like the True Believers, though a little less gritty, though there is a certain darkness in these tracks that recall some of Bruce Springsteen’s best work, and a bit of the Blue Eyed Soul of artists like Van Morrison.  It is clear from these tracks that these guys put on one hell of a show and I highly recommend you check them out now before they hit the big time.  This album is available on iTunes and more info can be found at radiocarolineband.com.

Publishers Note: For a complete look into Radio Caroline, please read this months Gigs & Digs column.

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