Christopher - 1/28/2011

This, the ninth volume in Bob Dylan's bootleg series, brings together the first official release of forty-seven demos recorded for music publishers Witmark & Sons between 1962 and 1964.

It is said to have been an adage in the music industry at the time that singers come and go but songs are forever, and it is due to the belief in this adage that these demos came to be recorded. Never intended for public release, they were created as a guideline for other artists of the time from which they would create and record their own cover versions, hence the countless covers of early Dylan material including The Byrds version of Mr. Tambourine Man released in 1965, and included here as a Dylan demo.

Other songs include previously unreleased versions of 'Blowin' In The Wind,' 'A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall,' 'Tomorrow Is A Long Time,' 'Girl From The North Country,' 'When The Ship Comes In,' and 'The Times They Are A-Changin.' Together with fifteen songs previously unreleased in any form including 'Ballad For A Friend' and 'The Death Of Emmett Till.'

Collectively these demos portray a young Dylan (all songs were recorded before he had turned 24) still raw and still growing into himself but with moments of the sheer brilliance that would ensure his place in the pantheon of great contemporary musicians which he holds today. There exists, however, a doubt that this is an album for those who do not have an ardent interest in Bob Dylan and his music. But for those that do, this album is certainly a must.