A look into some of the songs Bob Dylan performed just once or twice but then set aside for ever more…
By Tony Attwood
It has often been noted that the song was a response to an open invite from Broadside for songs about contemporary events, and Dylan’s song was printed in the December 1962 Broadside magazine. But as many have pointed out the song doesn’t specifically mention the events. Dylan in a comment on the song highlighted the line, “Somebody better investigate soon,” perhaps suggesting that is the central meaning of the song, rather than it being specifically about events.
A version was released on Bootleg Series 9, but is not available on the internet – at least not as far as I can find in the UK. Dylan performed it once on October 25, 1990, when Dylan appeared in Oxford.
Now what does happen is that other recordings are put up as being live from the same event, but clearly they are not the same recording – being sung for example in a different key. For example…
So it certainly sounds as if the first one above is very much live, but not the second. And that is not just a case of there being no audience sound – rather it being in another key. That recording above has turned up on other sites too…
So what is this second recording? Is it the same show as the Bob Dylan live recording above but with the audience sound removed? Perhaps that is possible (remembering when the recording was made) – if you know please do write in. Or is it something different? Not for the first time I am confused.
Here are the other articles from this series
- A satisfied mind
- Caribbean Wind
- Corina Corina
- The Girl on the Greenbriar Shore
- Highway 61 revisited
- Lay Down your weary tune
- Lily, Rosemary and Stage Fright
- Meet me in the morning and From a Buick 6
- North Country Blues
- Only a hobo
- Restless Farewell
- Roll on John
- Sally Sue Brown
- Spanish Harlem Incident
- Stage Fright
- Talking New York
- You Angel You