Archive-name: music/dylan-faq/part2 Frequency: twice monthly ************************************************************************ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), part 2 of 2 for newsgroup rec.music.dylan Please email corrections and suggestions to: akp1@midway.uchicago.edu (Adam K. Powers) Last update: 28 February 1994 ************************************************************************ CONTENTS: Part 1 - What is available on Internet? (previous article): 0. What has been changed since the previous posting of the FAQ? 1. What is rec.music.dylan, anyway? 2. Glossary of terms and acronyms common to this newsgroup. 3. Is there a Bob Dylan discography available online, or some way to order Dylan CDs via Internet? 4. Where can I find lyrics, tablature and other Bob Dylan information via Internet? 5. Is there some way that I can get lists of Bob Dylan concert tapes and unreleased recordings from past years? 6. When and where will Bob Dylan be performing next? 7. What is EDLIS? 8. What if I want to talk about Dylan on-line at all hours? Part 2 - Where else can I get information, off-line? (this article): 9. Where can I buy Bob Dylan collectors' items? 10. What books about Dylan's life and music are available? a. Bob Dylan biographies b. Studies of Dylan as a performer, lyricist, etc, and related works. c. Reference books 11. Are there magazines about Dylan to which I could subscribe? 12. I just read an article about Bob Dylan in my newspaper... 13. What are bootlegs, and how do I find them? 14. Where can I get a copy of...? ************************************************************************ 9. Where can I buy Bob Dylan collectors' items? Some of us have the good fortune to live in places that have an adequate supply of record stores, well informed collectors with the latest gab on your favorite artists, and record shows; if you aren't in such a location, you may feel out of touch. Don't fret! Even the most avid record hounds use mail-order as a reliable way to purchase books, posters, and memorabilia (not to mention information regarding new records, tours, etc...) Here are a few recommended sources: U.S.: Rolling Tomes - P.O. Box 1943, Grand Junction, Colorado 81502. Phone: 303-245-4315 Monday through Friday 10-6 Mountain time, 24 hr. fax: 303-243-8025. They accept Mastercard, Visa, checks, money orders, and international money orders drawn from a U.S. bank in U.S. funds. This is an essential source for Dylan fans in the United States and across the world - their inventory covers everything from back issues of fan magazines to books to records and videotapes. Rolling Tomes is also the distributor for several Dylan magazines, namely Homer, Isis, Look Back, On the Tracks, Rolling Thunder, and Telegraph [see question 11 for details and subscription rates]. U.S.: Goldmine Magazine - 700 E. State St., Iola, WI 54990-0001. This is a collectors forum with advertising from record dealers all over the world, published biweekly. They will send a free trial issue to you if you request one... Goldmine contains loads of mail-order information, so you'll need a few hours poring over an issue (often with a magnifying glass) to sort it all out. U.K.: My Back Pages - P.O. Box 117, Carlisle CA1 2UL. Accepts pounds sterling or US dollars by check, postal money order, or international money order. Another good source for books, and also distributes the magazine Isis. U.K.: Wanted Man - P.O. Box 22, Romford, Essex RM1 2RF. Distributes The Telegraph magazine. 10. What books about Dylan's life and music are available? The number of publications about Bob Dylan continues to grow rapidly: Here is a three-part overview of some of the better-known books, divided by subject material. This is only the tip of the iceberg - better to check a catalog or your local libraries and bookstores for greater detail. If you read the following list and think you might want to read many of these books but could never afford them, do not despair! Inform your local library of the vast, untapped multitude of popular music resources by recommending some of these titles to them. Do not be afraid; most librarians do not bite. After all, what good is a public library that does not take suggestions from its public? These books are, for the most part, well-written commentary on the life and music of one of the most significant popular songwriters of this century, and are a worthy addition to a library collection... Also, library catalogues will help you get an overview of published monographs related to Bob Dylan. A good first catalogue to check is found in California, and access is easy if you already have full Internet access. telnet melvyl.ucop.edu If this union catalogue proves inadequate investigate the "use" command by typing in "help use" from within melvyl. If the hundreds of free online public access catalogues available on the Internet are not enough for you there are more sophisticated sources such as CURL, OCLC, First Search, RLIN, UTLAS, NACSIS and the like... But you will need a password and someone must pay the bill! 10a. Bob Dylan biographies Bob Dylan has never been accused of over-publicizing his private life. Consequently, you will find that most of the biographies concerning him are rather spotty for large periods of time, and often contradict one another on important details. Most of the older biographies focus heavily on the years up to 1966, and are pretty thin from there onward. _Bob Dylan: An Intimate Biography_ by Anthony Scaduto, New York: New American Library, 1979 [originally published 1972]. 366 p. ISBN: 0451086090 LCCN: 4040-7214 79-316819 /MN [Good basic coverage of the sixties Dylan, not without errors] _No Direction Home: The Life and Music of Bob Dylan_ by Robert Shelton. New York: Ballantine Books, 1987 [reprint of 1986 edition]. 661 p. ISBN: 0345347218 LCCN: 85-26781 [a good overview of the early years, but many errors have been cited by other writers] _Dylan: A Biography_ by Bob Spitz. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1991 [update of 1989 edition]. 639 p. ISBN: 0070603308 LCCN: 88-12912 [Probably the least-loved of the biographies - Spitz tends to be both mean-spirited and inaccurate in his reporting] _Behind the Shades: A Biography_ by Clinton Heylin, New York: Summit Books, 1991. 498 p. ISBN: 0671738941 LCCN: 91-8858 /MN [The only biography to provide good, detailed coverage of Dylan's career through the 1970's and 1980's] _Hard Rain: A Dylan Commentary_ by Tim Riley, New York: Knopf, 1992. 356 p. ISBN: 0394578899 LCCN: 91-52808 [Riley provides a decent overview through 1976, but dismisses Dylan's more recent career] _Song and Dance Man_ by Michael Gray ISBN: 052520685-X [currently out of print in the USA, but a new, updated edition will be published soon] _Blood on the Tracks: The Story of Bob Dylan_, Chris Rowley. Proteus Publishing, New York, 1984. ISBN: 0862761271 10b. Studies of Dylan as a performer, lyricist, etc, and related works. _Performing Artist, Vols. 1 & 2_ by Paul Williams. Vol. 1 (1960-1973) - Novato, CA: Underwood-Miller, 1991. 310 p. ISBN: 0887331319 LCCN: 89-20527 Vol. 2 (1974-1986) - Novato, CA: Underwood-Miller, 1992. 334 p. ISBN: 0887331432 LCCN: 92-1769 /MN [Probably the best general studies of Dylan that have yet appeared. Williams largely eschews lyric analysis and biography in favor of an admittedly nebulous look at Dylan the "performer:" singer, songwriter, movie maker, song and dance man. You might not agree with everything Williams says, but there's no better survey of his output] _Dylan_ by Jonathan Cott. Garden City, NJ: Doubleday, 1984. 244 p. ISBN: 0385191618 LCCN: 84-4049 _A Man Called Alias_ by Richard Williams. New York: Holt, 1992. 192 p. ISBN: 0805022554 LCCN: 92-14992 [Both are good picture books, with adequate looks at Dylan's opus] _On the Road with Bob Dylan_ by Larry Sloman. 1978, out of print. [Highly recommended by readers of this newsgroup for its excellent coverage of the 1975 Rolling Thunder tour and its avoidance of the usual rock journalism cliches. Out of print, but a new printing is possible within the next year or so] _The Rolling Thunder Logbook_ by Sam Shepard. New York: Limelight Editions, 1987 [reprint of 1977 ed.]. 184 p. ISBN: 0879100699 LCCN: 86-27366 [Contains great photos of the 1975 tour] _Wanted Man - In Search of Bob Dylan_ edited by John Bauldie. New York: Citadel Press, 1991. 224 p. ISBN: 0806512660 LCCN: [A collection of interviews with other performers and personalities who have worked with Dylan over the years. Many of these interviews have been quoted in part by the major biographers, and give an interesting, scattershot but effective portrait of Dylan as seen through the eyes of his collaborators] _A Darker Shade of Pale: a Backdrop to Bob Dylan_ by Wilfrid Mellers. New York, Oxford Univ. Press, 1985. 255 p. ISBN: 0195036220 LCCN: 85-272 /MN [Serious musical analysis of Dylan through 1970 - recommended for fans with a strong background in music theory and history] _Across the Great Divide: The Band and America_ by Barney Hoskyns. New York: Hyperion Press, 1993. 439 p. ISBN: 1562828363 LCCN: 93-17243 [A bio of long-time Dylan collaborators, The Band; contains a good deal of information on Dylan's work with them, especially on the 1966 and 1974 tours] _Alias Bob Dylan_ by Steven Scobie. Red Deer, Alberta: Red Deer College Press, 1991. 192 p. ISBN: 0889950695 LCCN: 91-188326 /MN [Lyric analysis] _Voice Without Restraint: A Study of Bob Dylan's Lyrics and Their Background_ by John Herdman, New York: Delilah Books, 1982, 164 p. ISBN: 0933328184 LCCN: 81-69870 [Lyric analysis, with a discography & bibliography] _Jokerman: Reading the Lyrics of Bob Dylan_, Aidan Day. Oxford: B. Blackwell, 1988, 189 p. ISBN: 0631158731 LCCN: 88-6104 [Lyric anaylsis] _Performed Literature: Words and Music by Bob Dylan_ Betsy Bowden. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1982, 239 p. ISBN: 025334347X LCCN: 81-7217 [Lyric analysis, with a discography & bibliography] Songbooks: (if you know of other Dylan songbooks, please tell us!) ========== The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. New York: Warner Bros. Inc., 1963 The Times They Are A-Changin'. New York: Warner Bros. Inc., 1964 Bringing It All Back Home. New York: Warner Bros. Inc., 1965 Highway 61 Revisited. New York: Warner Bros. Inc., 1965 Bob Dylan Songbook. New York: Warner Bros. Inc., 1965 Blonde on Blonde. New York: Music Sales Corp., 1966 Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits. New York: Warner Bros. Inc., 1967 John Wesley Harding. New York: Music Sales Corp., 1967 Bob Dylan: A Collection. New York: Warner Bros. Publications, 1968 Bob Dylan: A Retrospective. New York: Warner Bros. Publications, 1968 Nashville Skyline. New York: Music Sales Corp., 1969 Song Book. New York: Warner Bros. Inc., 1970 Self Portrait. New York: Music Sales Corp., 1970 New Morning. New York: Music Sales Corp., 1970 Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. Berlin: Rolfe Budde Musikverlag, 1973 Planet Waves. New York: Music Sales Corp., 1974 Blood on the Tracks. New York: Music Sales Corp., 1975 The Basement Tapes. New York: Music Sales Corp., 1975 Desire. New York: Music Sales Corp., 1976 The Songs Of Bob Dylan, 1966 through 1975. New York: Knopf, 1976 Street Legal. New York: Music Sales Corp., 1978 Slow Train Coming. New York: Music Sales Corp., 1979 Saved. New York: Music Sales Corp., 1980 Shot of Love. New York: Music Sales Corp., 1981 Infidels. New York: Music Sales Corp., 1983 Empire Burlesque. New York: Music Sales Corp., 1985 Knocked Out Loaded. New York: Music Sales Corp., 1985 Down In The Groove. New York: Music Sales Corp., 1988 Oh Mercy. New York: Music Sales Corp., 1989 Bob Dylan: An Anthology. New York: Music Sales Corp., 1990 Rock Score. New York: Music Sales Corp., 1990 Under The Red Sky. New York: Music Sales Corp., 1990 Good As I Been To You. New York: Music Sales Corp., 1992 10c. Reference books _Lyrics 1962-1985_ by Bob Dylan. New York: Knopf, 1990 [reprint of 1985 revision of _Writings and Drawings_]. 527 p. ISBN: 039454278-9 LCCN: 85-40408 [The official lyric book, covering *most* of Dylan's songs - but the printed lyrics sometimes don't match the recordings, and there are many songs omitted...] _Positively Bob Dylan: A Thirty Year Discography, Concert & Recording Session Guide, 1960-1991_ by Michael Krogsgaard. Ann Arbor, MI: Popular Culture, 1991. 498 p. ISBN: 1560750006 LCCN: 89-92336 [The most frequently quoted reference guide on rec.music.dylan, and a truly massive undertaking - this book provides an exhaustive list of every Bob Dylan recording in circulation. There are minor errors throughout, and new tapes surface regularly, but this is an essential guide for any serious collector...] _Stolen Moments: The Essential Bob Dylan Reference Book_ by Clinton Heylin. [Another guide to Dylan sessions & so on...] _Tangled Up in Tapes_ by Glen Dundas. [ditto, preferred over Krogsgaard by some, although the format is quite different] _Strangers and Prophets_ by Phill Townsend, 1992-. [A guide to compact disc bootlegs, provides photos and detailed information. Essential to serious collectors...] _The Bob Dylan Concordance_ by Steve Michel, 1993. [Provides a comprehensive index to Dylan's songs by the lyrics. If you ever wonder what song that line stuck in your head came from, this book is for you. An excellent companion to the 'official' lyric book, and a great resources for fans of Dylan's writing] _I Just Write 'Em As They Come: An Annotated Guide to the Writings of Bob Dylan_ by Tim Dunn. ["The Dylan song encyclopedia"] _The Bible in the Lyrics of Bob Dylan_ by Bert Cartwright, 1993. [A good look at Dylan's use of biblical references in his lyrics. Flawed but fascinating] _The Dylan Companion_ edited by Elizabeth Thomson & David Gutman, Delta Press, May 1991. [At the back it has a 20 page bibliography, listing tons of books and articles about Dylan from the very beginning forward] 11. Are there magazines about Dylan to which I could subscribe? There are several highly regarded periodicals devoted to Dylan's career - again, this is not a complete listing, but merely a guide: The Telegraph (UK - Wanted Man, P.O. Box 22, Romford, Essex RM1 2RF, 3 times a year, subscriptions currently $45/year via Rolling Tomes) is the oldest and perhaps best known Dylan fan magazine. Isis (UK - P.O. Box 132, Coventry, West Midlands CV3 5RE, bi-monthly, subscriptions currently $64.95/yr. via Rolling Tomes) is excellent for information regarding bootleg audio & video material plus a comprehensive guide to Dylan's constant touring. ICE (US, P.O. Box 3043, Santa Monica, CA 90408, monthly, subscribe directly for $30/yr in North America, $40/yr elsewhere) is a newsletter that provides information on new CDs, re-issued CDs, underground CDs, and planned releases, all from reliable sources. Again, not a Dylan magazine, but usually contains something regarding Dylan CDs... Goldmine (US, 700 E. State St, Iola, WI 54990, (715) 445-2214, FAX (715) 445-4087. Subscriptions $35/yr.) This is a record and CD collectors' publication, published twice a month, known for being a forum for bootleg buyers and sellers. Goldmine has phased out detailed advertisements from all but the largest dealers, including a crackdown on classified ads. This includes tapes and videos, but *not* CD's. Subscriptions are $35 for a year; you can call and order by Visa/MC, or mail them a check or money order. If you call them they will send you a free sample copy. On The Tracks: The Unauthorized Bob Dylan Magazine (US - published by Rolling Tomes [address above], quarterly, US subscriptions currently $24.95/yr, or $39.95/yr to also receive the monthly newsletter, Series of Dreams) Features interviews, columns by well-known Dylan commentators, such as Paul Williams, and importantly, includes the Rolling Tomes catalog within its pages. The companion newsletter covers the gritty details such as concert dates, setlists, news events and rumors. Who Threw the Glass (Australia - quarterly, AUS$12 for subscription, contact Shane Youl for more information) contains analysis & discussion of Dylan's ongoing works... The Famous Etiquette Book (UK, available from PO Box 2935, Solihull, West Midlands, B91 2LQ, UK. Subscription is 5 pounds sterling for 5 issues, payable to Phill Townsend) TFEQ is a news-sheet produced by Phill Townsend (Crazy Joe in ISIS) that gives updates on Dylan CD boots as they become available. This information later becomes available in ISIS and Series of Dreams, and eventually in Townsend's book(s). Why A Pig? (UK, subscriptions are for 4 issues, c/o PO Box 3239, London SW6, UK. Cheques/POs/IMO should be made payable to "Why A Pig?" UK subs: 10 pounds; Europe subs: 12 pounds; USA subs: $15 sea, $20 air) Devoted to covering the 'underground' CD market regarding many performers. Rolling Thunder (Italy - three times a year, issues $12 each through Rolling Tomes) Described in the Rolling Tomes catalog as "large format, nice layout and photos. Mostly Italian text." There are a number of discontinued magazines that are still in print or available as back orders, such as Homer the Slut (UK) and Look Back (US). For more information, contact Rolling Tomes. 12. I just read an article about Bob Dylan in my newspaper... Mark Carter provides a cutting service to which everyone should contribute. If you see something in a newspaper, magazine or journal of even the remotest relevance to Bob Dylan and his work then you should send it to him. If it is something you would throw away then send the original, otherwise send a photocopy. Include all relevant information of the date, publication, place, page numbers, etc. Send your contributions to: Mark Carter, 25 Marlborourgh Road Norwich Norfolk NR3 7AP England Just because the article appeared in the New York Times doesn't mean that someone else has already sent it! Duplications are trivial, but omissions are glaring errors :-). Submissions from publications with limited circulation and non-English newspapers are especially encouraged, since the rest of the world will probably never know of these articles unless you clip them! 13. What are bootlegs, and how do I find them? A bootleg is any recording, live or studio, which is not officially sanctioned by the artist's recording company for sale or distribution. In the U.S., it is legal to tape a radio show or television special for your own personal use, but it is illegal to sell or rebroadcast such a recording. It is also illegal to record concerts without the artist's consent, and anyone who makes or distributes bootleg recordings can be subject to prosecution. A pirated recording, however, is an illegal copy of an official release by an artist. Anyone who tapes a legally available CD or record and then tries to sell you a copy is violating the copyright on that recording and is knowingly depriving the artist of royalties. The record industry does its best to search out pirates and prosecute them. Pirated recordings (often made in countries like Thailand or Indonesia, where authorities are easy to bribe or too busy to notice) do deprive the company and artist of money, and are thus far worse than bootlegs - the record industry claims that it loses hundreds of millions of dollars every year to record pirates. These are usually the cheapo tapes with blurry covers (or no jacket at all) that are sold in flea markets and the like. Avoid like the plague. On the other hand, counterfeit recordings are generally very professional in appearance (supposedly there are thousands of pirated copies of the Beatles' _Let It Be_ album in circulation that are nearly indistinguishable from the official Apple Records release). A counterfeit recording is an exact copy of a legitimate recording (often with a few distinguishing flaws) that is illegally distributed as the real thing. Nevertheless, there are literally thousands of bootleg recordings of Dylan performances and even studio sessions that are widely circulated among collectors, and certain countries (such as Italy) have lenient copyright laws which allow many of these recordings to be pressed on compact disc. These discs are usually distributed as expensive "live/rare" material and can only be found through record specialty stores (usually the same places that sell used records) and individual dealers, some of whom do mailorder business. It is not within proper Internet/Usenet etiquette to make the sources of such black-market operations available publicly, so the only way that you will find bootlegs is by finding a store that sells them or posting a request for information and waiting for someone to respond via email. That is one FAQ that can't be answered publicly. Many people obtain 'live/rare' material by trading DAT or cassette tapes. This is obviously a lot cheaper than searching for profit-seeking dealers of CD bootlegs (most of these are mastered from cassettes, anyway), and is far less condemnable, so long as there is no payment involved. Rec.music.gdead, the newsgroup for the Grateful Dead, is one place where live tapes are traded legally - this is because the Grateful Dead allow their concerts to be taped from a special section of the audience and distributed for non-profit listening. If you follow the newsgroup for a while, you will invariably see discussions of unreleased Bob Dylan material. A friendly email response will often help locate someone with whom you can trade live Dylan tapes... If you do come across a Dylan CD and want to tell the newsgroup about it, simply imitate the format of other listings you have seen, or ask for help. Of importance are the songs included and their length, the title and manufacturer of the disc, the matrix number (printed in tiny characters on the inner ring of the disc), and the supposed origin of the recording. 14. Where can I get a copy of...? There are certain Bob Dylan items that are frequently referred to by writers, critics and fans, but are simply not available to the general public except as bootlegs [see item 13...]. Here are a few such items: The movie Renaldo and Clara - this four-hour movie (and a two-hour, edited version) was shown at a few theaters in 1978, received generally dismal reviews, and disappeared from sight. It will probably not be given official release on any format any time in the near future. It does, however, contain some great live footage from the 1975 Rolling Thunder tour, during which this movie was recorded. Circulating videotape copies probably originated from a mid-1980's late-night television broadcast of this movie in Britain. The Hard Rain television special - filmed in concert in Fort Collins, Colorado, May 1976, this footage was broadcast on NBC, but has not seen official release on videocassette. Some, but not all, of the performances from this set are on the live album _Hard Rain_... There is an 'alternate' version of the Hard Rain special, with a very different song selection, from Clearwater, Florida, April 1976 that was never released but also circulates in the underground. The movie Eat the Document - a one-hour film shot by D.A. Pennebaker during the landmark 1966 'electric' tour of England. Again, this film was shown at a few theaters in 1971, and has had a rare television airing or two since, but is not in print. A short tape of outtakes from the movie was assembled by Pennebaker and circulates on videotape. The Royal Albert Hall concert - one of the most famous bootlegs of all time, also from the 1966 tour of England (many believe that this recording is really from Manchester or elsewhere). Contains some truly amazing live performances; the 'electric' set was received very poorly by the audience at hand. Near the end of the show, an irritated audience member yells out "Judas!" Dylan responds by saying: "I don't believe you... You're a liar!" before launching into a truly overpowering version of "Like a Rolling Stone," obviously directed at that same audience member... This audio bootleg is one of many fragments of of soundboard tapes circulating from the 1966 tour, and the origin of these tapes is a frequent topic of discussion among Dylan fans everywhere. Please note that the D.A. Pennebaker film of the 1965 British tour *is* in print on videocassette; it's called "Don't Look Back." Also in print on videocassette is an in concert videotape of Dylan with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers from 1986, titled "Hard to Handle." There is also a movie titled "Festival" which covers several of the Newport Folk Festivals during the 1960's, including Dylan's infamous 1965 appearance with the Butterfield Blues Band. In short, the easiest way to find a particular out-of-print or rare item is to latch onto a discussion of that item, or to bring up the topic yourself. Most Bob Dylan fans are quite willing to share their addiction with others... (end part 2 of 2) ************************************************************************ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Area # 2120 news.answers 03-14-94 15:08 Message # 8041 From : AKP1@MIDWAY.UCHICAGO.EDU To : ALL Subj : FAQ: rec.music.dylan Fre ÿ@SUBJECT:FAQ: rec.music.dylan Frequently Asked Questions (1 of 2) ÿ@PACKOUT:03-18-94øFr Message-ID: <1994Mar14.200853.28444@midway.uchicago.edu> Newsgroup: rec.music.dylan,rec.music.info,rec.answers,news.answers Organization: University of Chicago Archive-name: music/dylan-faq/part1 Frequency: twice monthly ************************************************************************ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), part 1 of 2 for newsgroup rec.music.dylan Please email corrections and suggestions to: akp1@midway.uchicago.edu (Adam K. Powers) Last update: 28 February 1994 ************************************************************************ CONTENTS: Part 1 - What is available on Internet? (this article): 0. What has been changed since the previous posting of the FAQ? 1. What is rec.music.dylan, anyway? 2. Glossary of terms and acronyms common to this newsgroup. 3. Is there a Bob Dylan discography available online, or some way to order Dylan CDs via Internet? 4. Where can I find lyrics, tablature and other Bob Dylan information via Internet? 5. Is there some way that I can get lists of Bob Dylan concert tapes and unreleased recordings from past years? 6. When and where will Bob Dylan be performing next? 7. What is EDLIS? 8. What if I want to talk about Dylan on-line at all hours? Part 2 - Where else can I get information, off-line? (next article): 9. Where can I buy Bob Dylan collectors' items? 10. What books about Dylan's life and music are available? a. Bob Dylan biographies b. Studies of Dylan as a performer, lyricist, etc. c. Reference books 11. Are there magazines about Dylan to which I could subscribe? 12. I just read an article about Bob Dylan in my newspaper... 13. What are bootlegs, and how do I find them? 14. Where can I get a copy of...? ************************************************************************ 0. What has been changed since the previous posting of the FAQ? Information changed since the previous posting (28 Feb): [no significant changes, just spot-checking] 1. What is rec.music.dylan, anyway? Welcome! This Usenet newsgroup is devoted to the discussion of Bob Dylan, his music, and things Dylan-related. We welcome your comments on nearly any issue, even if it's only tangentially associated with Bob Dylan. This newsgroup is not moderated, so anything goes; but certain subjects are generally frowned upon, such as tirades against other readers of the newsgroup for their opinions... Bob Dylan is a singer, a guitar player, a song writer and a recording artist. Born Robert Allen Zimmerman in Hibbing Minnesota in 1941, his earliest circulating recordings date from 1958! His earliest recordings on an unofficial bootleg LP date from 1960, his first commercial release dates from 1962. He continues to write, record and perform to this day. There is no official Dylan fan club, so small packs of Dylan fans band together to stay informed and carry on general discussion. This particular Usenet newsgroup was founded mid-1989 by Tom Buckley. Sometimes it seems that all we're interested in are upcoming tour dates and clarification of fact regarding old recordings, but there is often very interesting discussion of Dylan's lyrics themselves, a reason that no doubt many of you read this newsgroup. If you don't see the sort of discussion you want, you're encouraged to bring it up yourself! If you have no access to Usenet News but you do have Internet access then you could join a FreeNet in order to make use of free Usenet News access. For example: telnet yfn.ysu.edu username: visitor follow the instructions for becoming a registered user and then read rec.music.dylan whenever you please. The majority of readers access this group through a newsreader (such as rn on Unix systems), but there is also a digestified format that is sent to many others via email. If you'd rather read in that format (a long email sent to you once or twice daily), read this: ************************ ** FOR YOUR REFERENCE ** (Highway 61 Digest) The service addresses, to which questions about the list itself and requests to be added to or deleted from it should be directed, are as follows: Internet: Highway61-Request@fuggles.acc.Virginia.EDU Highway61-Request@uvaarpa.Virginia.EDU BITNET: HW61-Req@Virginia UUCP: ...!uunet!virginia!highway61-request You can send mail to the entire list (and rec.music.dylan) via one of these addresses: Internet: Highway61@uvaarpa.Virginia.EDU BITNET: HW61@Virginia UUCP: ...!uunet!virginia!highway61 ************************ The Highway 61 Digest is maintained by Doug Poulin If you lack Usenet news access and want to post, simply e-mail your posting to: rec-music-dylan@cs.utexas.edu ^ ^ N.B. - NOT . or _ / hyphens not full stops or underscores! 2. Glossary of terms and acronyms common to this newsgroup. All areas of knowledge develop jargon and acronyms which inevitably serve to keep outsiders out and to confuse newcomers. Medical doctors complicate the simplest things with needlessly difficult terms and abbreviations, computer experts often make the easy inaccessible to newcomers with obscure terms and abbreviations by trying to 'simplify' communications, management consultants... Well, you get the picture. People with a serious and debilitating Dylan habit can also develop these tendencies. Watch for the following obscure terms... #Dylan = The name of the Dylan channel on irc. BoB = Blonde on Blonde [1966] [not a typo for "Bob"!] BotT = Blood on the Tracks [1974] BIABH = Bringing It All Back Home [1965] boot = bootleg bootleg = circulating copy of officially unreleased material in any form. The term is probably derived from 'bootleg' liquor, which was sometimes smuggled in bottles strapped to one's leg during Prohibition in the United States, 1918-1933. Bootleg Series = The Bootleg Series 1961-1991, Rare and Unreleased, Volumes 1-3 [1991] - not to be confused with 'bootleg' above, this is an official release that reveals many songs and performances from throughout Dylan's career that were previously available only on bootleg media. The liner notes of this boxed set mention that further volumes would be released, but no reliable source has been able to determine if and when this might actually happen... BTW = By the way... EDLIS = Exchange of Dylan Lyrics - Internet Service [see question 7, below, for more information on EDLIS] GAIBTY = Good As I Been To You [1992] H61R = Highway 61 Revisited [1965] Hurricane = The lead-off single from Desire [1976], which tells Dylan's rather loose interpretation of the murder trial of boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter; Carter is today a free man in Canada after having endured a convoluted series of mistrials and legal wrangling. IMO = In my opinion... IMHO = In my humble opinion... irc = Internet Relay Chat, an international live real-time conferencing system with a channel called #Dylan. [see question #8, below] JWH = John Wesley Harding [1967] This album (and its title track) were mis-named after outlaw John Wesley Hardin. Dylan's song has very little to do with the story of the real Hardin; instead, it's basically just a spin-off of Woody Guthrie's "Pretty Boy Floyd." Some Dylan fans note the religious bent of this album and claim that the initials 'JWH' really refer to the Judeo-Christian deity... Krogsgaard = Krogsgaard's 1991 reference book, Positively Bob Dylan [listed below in question 10c]. A Krogsgaard number would be in a form such as [7/201]. This refers to item seven in the Krogsgaard listing for event 201. Badly addicted rec.music.dylan readers can be told such a number and then immediately sing the relevant item without reference to the Krogsgaard book itself! pirate = Illegal copy of officially released material. smiley = An unusual punctuation device, presumably employed only by computer-users, which looks like a sideways smiley-face: :-) A smiley usually means that a comment or article has been written in jest, and should be read accordingly. A common variant is ;-) with the 'winking' eye. There are many, many variants on the smiley, and most are used to represent the flairs of spoken language that are often hard to perceive in text. :-( tape tree = A 'pyramid' method of distributing tapes organized by someone with a good or unusual tape that begs to be circulated. That person posts an announcement to the newsgroup, asking people to send email to him to sign up. He collects the names of those interested, and creates a 'tree' such that no one has to make an excessive number of copies, and people with better tape decks make copies for those without, etc. The original tape is the 'seed'. Those who receive copies from the seed and make further copies are 'branches', and those who receive copies from branches but don't copy for anyone else are the 'leaves'. Sometimes a person who make copies is called a 'parent' and one who receives copies is a 'child'. Each person who receives tapes is expected to send tapes of other events in return to his/her branch. If blanks are sent in lieu of recorded tapes, the person sending blanks is expected to pay postage for both the tapes that he sends and the ones he will receive; another method is to send double the number of blank tapes to recorded tapes... T-999 = Numbers like these are Townsend numbers. Townsend number = A three figure number identifying a specific bootleg CD as cited by Phill Townsend in his Strangers And Prophets [listed above], or as cited in Isis [listed above]. UTRS = Under The Red Sky [1990] WGW = World Gone Wrong [1993] ZZ = someone used to the vi editor in Unix posting from a different and unfamiliar editor trying to end their posting... 3. Is there a Bob Dylan discography available online, or some way to order Dylan CDs via Internet? It is beyond the scope of this document to give a true discography for Bob Dylan, but here is a list of the standard U.S. release full-length Bob Dylan albums: Title Released CD Order # ----- -------- ---------- Bob Dylan March 1962 CK 8579 The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan May 1963 CK 8786 The Times They Are A-Changin' January 1964 CK 8905 Another Side of Bob Dylan August 1964 CK 8993 Bringing it All Back Home March 1965 CK 9128 Highway 61 Revisited August 1965 CK 9189 Blonde on Blonde May 1966 CK 841 Greatest Hits March 1967# CK 9463 John Wesley Harding December 1967 CK 9604 Nashville Skyline April 1969 CK 9825 Self-Portrait June 1970 C2K 30050 New Morning October 1970 CK 30290 Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 November 1971# C2K 31120 Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid July 1973 CK 32460 Dylan November 1973^ CK 32747 Planet Waves January 1974 CK 37637 Before the Flood June 1974' C2K 37661 Blood on the Tracks January 1975 CK 33235 The Basement Tapes June 1975* C2K 33682 Desire January 1976 CK 33893 Hard Rain September 1976 CK 34349 Street Legal June 1978 CK 35453 At Budokan July 1978'~ C2K 36067 Slow Train Coming August 1979 CK 36120 Saved June 1980 CK 36553 Shot of Love August 1981 CK 37496 Infidels November 1983 CK 38819 Real Live December 1984' CK 39944 Empire Burlesque June 1985 CK 40110 Biograph October 1985# C3K 38830 Knocked Out Loaded August 1986 CK 40439 Down in the Groove May 1988 CK 40957 Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 October 1988 Warner Bros. 9 25796-1 Dylan and the Dead February 1989' CK 45056 Oh Mercy September 1989 CK 45281 Under the Red Sky September 1990 CK 46794 Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 October 1990 Warner Bros. 9 26324-1 Bootleg Series Vols. 1-3 March 1991@ C3T 47382 Good As I Been to You October 1992 CK 53200 World Gone Wrong October 1993 CK 57590 This is NOT intended to be a complete discography by any means. Check the discography file at ftp.cs.pdx.edu for more details on Bob Dylan releases available on compact disc. [see question 4 for help]. Notes: ' Live album # 'Greatest Hits' collection - *most* songs previously released ^ Recorded in 1970, outtakes from Self-Portrait * Recorded in 1967! ~ This is the Japanese release date - U.S. release was December 1978 @ Collection of previously unreleased material spanning 1961-1991... Also of interest are the 30th Anniversary Tribute Concert double-CD set; and Masterpieces, a triple-CD import collection that contains a few songs not available elsewhere on CD. To actually order CDs online, you can try the Compact Disc Connection, a California-based mail-order company. telnet holonet.net username: cdc Once you're logged in as cdc, the menus are fairly self-explanatory, and you can make purchases with your credit card. There have been several 'best album' polls done on the music newsgroups - the most comprehensive were the 'Usenet Artist Polls' and are available by anonymous FTP from ftp.uwp.edu in /pub/music/uap (many polls done on individual artists, not just Dylan). The Dylan albums most frequently recommended by readers of r.m.d are _Highway 61 Revisited_, _Blonde on Blonde_, _Blood on the Tracks_, and _The Bootleg Series, Vols. 1-3_, although you'll find staunch fans of nearly every album... The Dylan you might like depends more on you than on the opinions of others. You could describe in reasonable detail your musical, political, religious and sexual tastes, post that on rec.music.dylan, and ask for advice... Additional material may be found at the various FTP archives [see question 4, below]. 4. Where can I find lyrics, tablature and other Bob Dylan information via Internet? There are three archive sites from which information regarding Bob Dylan may be obtained by FTP [If the term "ftp" is meaningless to you then ask a local computer guru to show you what to do...]: ftp.cs.pdx.edu (Portland State University) ftp.uwp.edu (University of Wisconsin, Parkside) ftp.nevada.edu (University of Nevada) Olof's yearly summaries of Bob Dylan concerts and recordings, plus a number of transcribed interviews, concert/tape reviews, and similar documents are available by anonymous FTP from ftp.cs.pdx.edu, in the directory /pub/dylan, and are maintained by Trent Fisher. This site originated as a replacement to Anthony Kapolka's archives from the early days of rec.music.dylan, but now includes all of Olof's archives and other recent files. Lyrics to a limited number of Bob Dylan songs, plus some guitar tabs and other information by be found by anonymous FTP from ftp.uwp.edu, in pub/music/artists/d/dylan.bob. Guitar tablature to many of Dylan's songs is available by anonymous FTP from the alt.guitar.tab archives at ftp.nevada.edu, in /pub/guitar/d/Dylan.Bob, and also /pub/guitar/d/Bob.Dylan (the separate directories are probably due to an oversight or change). An anonymous FTP session begins like this - at your prompt, type: ftp ftp.uwp.edu [or whatever site you'll be getting files from] Enter 'anonymous' (without the quotes) when prompted for a login name, give your computer address as the password. Use either 'ls' or 'dir' and 'cd' to find your way to the proper directory. If you cannot find transcribed music online, you should be able to find music to all the released albums from good music stores and suppliers. For example, the book for Good As I Been to You is available from Special Rider Music Sales, 8/9 Frith St., London W1V 5TZ. [Thanks to Frank for that info.] 5. Is there some way that I can get lists of Bob Dylan concert tapes and recordings from past years? There is one electronic document that makes a good reference guide, plus one essential book: #1 - If you've got a little disk space to spare [approx. 1.5 megabytes], you can download Olof's year-by-year Bob Dylan archive - which lists Dylan's public appearances and recordings, gives handy reference tables of songs played on tour, and even lists recommended tapes by tour! The best part is that it's free for your own personal use. Don't try printing it out unless you've got the time & ribbons - the combined total of all the files would be on the order of 600 pages... How do you get it? ftp ftp.cs.pdx.edu, in the /pub/dylan directory, the 1960.Z through 1993.Z files (they are compressed). #2 - There is a book called "Positively Bob Dylan" by Michael Krogsgaard (this book is frequently referred to simply as 'Krogsgaard' on this newsgroup). This tome numbers Dylan's various performances and lists the songs performed at each and every known Bob Dylan recording through early 1991. There are always gaps and changes as new tapes surface, but this book is essential to the serious collector! It provides a fast, easy reference for identifying tapes and so on. The main disadvantage of such a serious book is that it costs about US$55. See item 10c below for more information. 6. When and where will Bob Dylan be performing next? Since official announcements from Dylan's publicity office regarding tour dates are rare, we have to rely on local people to look for advertisements or call ticket agencies and then to inform the rest of us. If you hear of an upcoming concert in your area, please tell us! Set-lists from shows that you have seen recently are also appreciated, even if you don't know the titles of all the songs that were played. Tour dates are usually posted piece-meal to the newsgroup, and sometimes these postings will contain conflicting or confusing information. If your local ticket agency has no knowledge of a concert date that you saw announced here, don't give up hope. Agencies such as TicketMaster frequently do not know about particular shows until a few days before they are authorized to sell tickets for that show. Some concert dates start out as rumors and never materialize, but many rumors do become fact. Be patient. There is no mail-order for Bob Dylan concert tickets. There are also Dylan hotlines you can ring on the telephone for the latest information on Bob Dylan events: USA: 303-243-8025 (The Rolling Tomes Hotline - the operator will ask you to enter the "hotline access number" located in the lower right corner of the back cover of the current Rolling Tomes catalogue. So you must either have seen the catalogue or have contact with someone who has... See question 9, below. A touch-tone telephone is required. The recording is updated at least weekly, more often when news warrants it.) UK: 071 385 1114 (The Homer 'warmline', maintained by Andrew Muir.) UK: Wanted Man offers a hotline service to Telegraph subscribers [see question 9 for subscription details]. 7. What is EDLIS? The Exchange Dylan Lyrics - Internet Service is an Internet wide conspiracy to make available Dylan lyrics for the purposes of research and/or private study. Lyrics available are restricted to a reasonable proportion. Any copying to evade purchase is wrong. EDLIS consists of a number of loosely affiliated individuals who have chosen to horde and distribute Bob Dylan information. This service includes, but is not limited to, information regarding: Bob Dylan song lyrics, versions of Bob Dylan songs performed by other artists, bootleg compact discs, and tape trees. If you post a request for specific lyrics (or for detailed boot CD information) on rec.music.dylan you might find an EDLIS agent answers your needs magically in your e-mail box. In return, EDLIS is always in need of transcribed lyrics and information on compact discs, old and new. If you are able to type in or scan Dylan lyrics not presently available on the Internet, please do so - the only reason that EDLIS sends you anything is because others have contributed in the past! 8. What if I want to talk about Dylan on-line at all hours? If no one in the same room as you wants to chat about Dylan 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year you might think you have an insatiable desire. But there is relief! IRC! Internet Relay Chat. On Internet Relay Chat there is always an international live real-time Dylan conference - usually in English - waiting for you to join it. At your Unix prompt type: irc and once irc is up and running type: /join #Dylan and what you type after that will be seen by all the others on that channel. If all is quiet simply wait until the lull ends or learn how to invite others in (/invite), change the topic (/topic) and so on. Many arrange to meet at #dylan by prior arrangement through e-mail, setting a time to rendezvous. Bear in mind the time zones - discussion tends to ebb and flow with New Zealanders and Australians starting the day, as they begin to flag Europeans join, and Americans are last to come in, though some #dylan people keep very odd hours indeed. Treat #dylan like a Paris street cafe. If you want to be certain that stimulating, interesting people are there when you are there, bring them with you. If Bob Dylan is performing in a country you can try to see who is on from that country, such as Japan: /who *.jp And then use /invite to invite in unsuspecting irc-ers and ask them about media coverage, whether they are going to the concerts or know anyone who is, will they be taking a DAT recorder with them, etc etc etc. As with all esoteric computer matters, if the command irc is not available on your computer, simply ask a local computer guru how to ftp and compile what you need. You could also logon by telnet to a limited version of irc: telnet sci.dixie.edu 6668 So long as you have full Internet access something should be possible, and you can join in on the Dylan discussion via irc... (end part 1 of 2) ************************************************************************ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------