I don’t know what it means either: an index to the current series appearing on this website.
Once or twice: A review of some of the songs that Bob has performed just once or twice on stage, selecting those of which we have a genuine recording (and “genuine” is important here since I have found a few sites that seem to suggest they are a recording of a live version, but I have my doubts.) Text and video selection by Tony Attwood.
Seven Curses was, according to the official site, performed by Bob Dylan twice, once in April and once in October 1963. But it seems that although several sites have a recording of the song live they are always from the New York City Town Hall in April that year. As far as I can find, the other time he performed it, there was no recording.
What we do also have is the studio version however, which is in a slightly lower key. I do wonder quite a lot about why Bob changes keys like this. Is it just his feeling on the day, how his voice is, pure chance, or for some deeper musical reason? No one ever seems to have considered it – or if they have, they’ve not written about it. So maybe there is no reason – he just does it.
Here’s the studio version…
It sounds to me that we have the second guitar playing in the Bootleg studio version, but maybe I am misjudging Bob and he was more adept at picking the guitar than I have thought. It could of course be Bob playing over the original recording which just the few extra notes the second guitar sounds to me to be playing.
But anyway, that in itself is not important for it is an absolutely wonderful sound from the accompaniment and perfect singing of a haunting song.
And I think that this series is maybe coming to an end. Not because I am fed up with it – actually I really enjoy finding these oddities, but rather because the number of songs that have been played just once or twice, and for which we have a recording, and which is a song of some particular interest, is not that great. If you know of one such song, which I have not covered, please do drop me a line. You could of course write the article and provide the link as well – if so that would be great, but if not, just tell me the song and the link to the recording. Tony@schools.co.uk
- A satisfied mind
- All over you
- Blood in my eyes
- Buckets of Rain
- Caribbean Wind
- Corina Corina
- From a Buick 6 – see “Meet me in the Morining” below
- The Girl on the Greenbriar Shore
- He was a friend of mine
- Highway 51 revisited
- Lay Down your weary tune
- Lily, Rosemary and Stage Fright
- Long Time Gone
- Meet me in the morning and From a Buick 6
- North Country Blues
- Only a hobo
- Oxford Town
- Restless Farewell
- Roll on John
- Sally Sue Brown
- Spanish Harlem Incident
- Stage Fright
- Talking New York
- You Angel You