Dylan Revisited: Bootleg Vol. 9 - Witmark Demos (1962-64)

This collection of demos unearths more songs from those astonishingly productive first years of Bob Dylan's songwriting career.

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

In my revisits to Bob Dylan’s first four studio records, early live sets and the first Bootleg volume, I’ve covered 55 original compositions, all written between 1961-64. But The Bootleg Series Vol. 9 - The Witmark Demos: 1962-64 unearths 15 new songs from that time.

When I revisited Bootleg vol. 1, I was impressed by the quality of the album outtakes and songs he only ever performed live. Bob Dylan’s cast offs are often superior to the best material of other artists. Does the same apply to his demos?

While Poor Boy Blues is credited as a Dylan original, it’s largely based on a Bo Weavil Jackson song of the same name from 1926. The jaunty guitar playing is quite different from Dylan’s usual style around this time.

Ballad for a Friend is a poignant song about the death of a friend. It’s set in the North County so has a sense of being autobiographical and Dy…