Dylan Revisited: Bootleg Vol. 1 (1961-63)

Returning to the first volume of The Bootleg Series, that was originally released in 1991 and features dozens of songs from the first three years of Dylan's recording career.

This is a series by DylanRevisited based on former Twitter threads, now available here in an easier to read and longer lasting format.

Between April 1962 and January 1964, Bob Dylan released three albums containing 25 original songs, plus the non-album single, Mixed-Up Confusion. But that represents less than half of what he wrote and recorded or played live during this period of 22 months.

Vol. 1 of The Bootleg Series collects much of that unreleased material.

The collection opens with Hard Times in New York Town. This excellent recording is taken from the Minnesota tapes, made by Dylan’s friend and mainstay of the Minneapolis folk scene, Tony Glover at the apartment of Dylan's sometimes girlfriend, Bonnie Beecher.

The song covers the same territory as Talkin’ New York from Dylan’s debut album, though with fewer jokes. Dylan had been away from Minneapolis f…