Bob Dylan : Bob Dylan (Expanded Edition)

MY HEART STOPPED BEATING

AND MY HANDS

 TURNED COLD

NOW I BELIEVE

WHAT THE BIBLE TOLD

 Bob Dylan

 is the debut 

studio album

 by the

 American

 singer-songwriter

 Bob Dylan

 released on

 March 19, 1962

by Columbia Records. 

The album was

 produced by 

Columbia talent scout

 John H. Hammond, 

who had earlier signed 

Dylan to the label, 

a controversial 

decision at the time. 

The album primarily

 features folk standards

 but also includes 

two original compositions, 

"Talkin' New York" 

and

 "Song to Woody".

 The latter 

was an ode to 

Woody Guthrie,

 a significant influence 

in Dylan's early career.

The album received

 little attention at first,

but began to sell as 

Dylan's career progressed.

 Three years after its release,

 it charted in the UK,

 reaching No. 13

.Recording Dylan met

 John Hammond

 at a rehearsal session

 for Carolyn Hester on

 September 14, 1961, 

at the apartment shared by

 Hester and her 

then-husband, 

Richard Fariña. 

Hester had invited Dylan

 to the session as 

a harmonica player, 

and Hammond approved him 

as a session player 

after hearing him rehearse, 

with recommendations

 from his son,

 musician

 John P. Hammond, 

and from 

Liam Clancy.

Hammond later told

 Robert Shelton 

that he decided to sign Dylan

 "on the spot" 

and invited him

 to the Columbia offices

 for a more formal

 audition recording. 

No record of that recording

 has turned up in 

Columbia's files,

 but Hammond, 

Dylan, 

and Columbia's 

A&R director 

Mitch Miller 

have all confirmed

 that an audition occurred.

On September 26, 

Dylan began a

 two-week run

 at Gerde's Folk City,

 second on the bill

 to 

The Greenbriar Boys. 

On September 29,

 an exceptionally

 favorable review 

of Dylan's performance

 appeared in the New York Times, 

written by

 Robert Shelton.

 The same day, 

Dylan played harmonica

 at Hester's recording session

 at Columbia's Manhattan studio.

 After the session, 

Hammond brought Dylan

 to his offices 

and presented him with

 Columbia's standard

 five-year contract 

for previously unrecorded artists, 

and Dylan signed immediately.

That night at Gerdes, 

Dylan told Shelton

 about Hammond's offer 

but asked him to 

"keep it quiet" 

until the contract's

 final approval

 had worked through

 the Columbia hierarchy. 

The label's official approvals 

came quickly.

Studio time was scheduled

 for late November. 

During the weeks leading up

 to those sessions, 

Dylan began searching

 for new material even though

 he was already familiar

 with many songs. 

According to Dylan's friend 

Carla Rotolo

 (sister of his girlfriend Suze Rotolo),

 "He spent most of his time

 listening to my records,

 days and nights. 

He studied the Folkways 

Anthology of American Folk Music,

 the singing of 

Ewan MacColl 

and

 A. L. Lloyd, 

Rabbit Brown's guitar,

 Guthrie,

 of course, and blues … 

his record was in the

 planning stages. 

We were all concerned about 

what songs Dylan 

was going to do.

 I remember clearly 

talking about it.

"The album was ultimately recorded

 in three short afternoon sessions

 on 

November 20 and 22 

at Columbia's 7th Avenue studio. 

Hammond later joked

 that Columbia spent 

"about $402"

 to record it, 

and the figure has

 entered the Dylan legend 

as its actual cost.

 Despite the low cost 

and short amount of time, 

Dylan was still 

difficult to record, 

according to Hammond.

 "Bobby popped every p, 

hissed every s, 

and habitually

 wandered off mike," 

recalls Hammond.

"Even more frustrating,

 he refused to learn 

from his mistakes.

 It occurred to me

 at the time that

 I'd never worked with

 anyone so undisciplined before."

Seventeen songs were recorded,

 and five of the album's 

chosen tracks 

were actually cut

 in single takes 

"Baby, Let Me Follow You Down",

 "In My Time of Dyin'",

 "Gospel Plow", 

"Highway 51 Blues", 

and

 "Freight Train Blues" 

while the master take of 

"Song to Woody" 

was recorded after

 one false start. 

The album's four outtakes

 were also cut

 in single takes. 

During the sessions, 

Dylan refused requests

 to do second takes.

 "I said no. 

I can't see myself singing

 the same song twice 

in a row. 

That's terrible.

"The album cover

 features a reversed photo

 of Dylan holding his

 acoustic guitar.

 This was done

 to prevent the neck

 of the guitar

 from obscuring

 Columbia's logo.

TRACKLIST

You're No Good

Talkin' New York

In My Time Of Dyin'

Man Of Constant Sorrow

Fixin' To Die

Pretty Peggy-O

Highway 51

Gospel Plow

Baby, Let Me Follow You Down

House Of The Risin' Sun

Freight Train Blues

Song To Woody

See That My Grave Is Kept Clean

BONUS OUTTAKES

He Was A Friend Of Mine

Man On The Street

House Carpenter

Ramblin' Round

Mixed-Up Confusion

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