FAR BETWEEN SUNDOWN'S FINISH
AND MIDNIGHT'S BROKEN TOLL
WE DUCKED INSIDE A DOORWAY
AS THUNDER WENT CRASHING
Another Side of Bob Dylan
is the fourth
studio album
by the American
singer and songwriter
released on
August 8, 1964,
by Columbia Records.
The album deviates
from the more
socially conscious style
which Dylan
had developed with his
previous LP,
The Times They Are A-Changin'
(1964).
The change prompted criticism
from some influential figures
in the folk community
Sing Out!
editor
Irwin Silber
complained that
Dylan had
"somehow lost touch
with people"
and was caught up in
"the paraphernalia of fame".
Despite the album's
thematic shift,
Dylan performed
the entirety of
Another Side of Bob Dylan
as he had previous records
solo.
In addition to his
usual acoustic
guitar and harmonica,
Dylan provides piano
on one track,
"Black Crow Blues".
Another Side of Bob Dylan
reached No. 43
in the United States
(although it eventually went gold),
and peaked at No. 8
on the
UK charts in 1965
Recording
With Dylan's
commercial profile
on the rise,
Columbia was now urging
Dylan to release
a steady stream
of recordings.
Upon Dylan's return
to New York,
studio time was
quickly scheduled,
with Tom Wilson
back as producer.
The first
(and only)
recording session
was held June 9
at Columbia's Studio A,
located at
799 Seventh Avenue
in New York City.
According to Heylin,
"while polishing off a
couple of bottles of Beaujolais",
Dylan recorded
14 original compositions,
in a single
three-hour session
between 7pm and 10pm
that night,
11 of which were chosen
for the final album.
The three that were
ultimately rejected were
"Denise Denise",
"Mr. Tambourine Man",
and
"Mama, You Been on My Mind".
Nat Hentoff's article on
Dylan for The New Yorker,
published in
late October 1964,
includes remarkable descriptions
of the June 9 session.
Hentoff describes in
considerable detail
the atmosphere in
the CBS recording studio
and Dylan's own
asides and banter
with his friends
in the studio,
with the
session's producers,
and Hentoff himself.
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
was present during
part of this session,
and Dylan asked him to
perform on
"Mr. Tambourine Man". "
He invited me to sing on it with him," r
ecalls Elliott,
"but I didn't know the words
'cept for the chorus,
so I just harmonized
with him on the chorus."
Only one complete take
was recorded,
with Dylan stumbling on some
of the lyrics.
Though the recording was
ultimately rejected,
Dylan would return
to the song for
his next album.
By the time Dylan
recorded what was
ultimately the master take of
"My Back Pages",
it was 1:30 in the morning.
Master takes were selected,
and after some minor editing,
a final album was
soon sequenced.
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