Back in 1967, Bob Dylan, after his motorcycle accident, holed up in Woodstock, NY, with the members of The Band, and recorded lots of music. In the basement of “Big Pink,” the house where they lived, they recorded and recorded.
In 1975, a double-album was released: The Basement Tapes. (Amazon.com, Amazon UK) With only 24 songs, eight by The Band, this was only the tip of the iceberg. Bootlegs of this music have circulated for years.
Now, in the next release in the Bootleg Series, Dylan is letting us hear all 138 songs from those sessions in The Basement Tapes Complete. (Amazon.com, Amazon UK)
The price is a bit steep: $150 in the US and £110 in the UK, but it’s a six-disc set, with extensive liner notes. There’s a cheaper download version available as well: $60, the standard price for six albums. (Amazon.com, Amazon UK)
I’ve heard the bootlegs, and I’m looking forward to this official release. If you’re a Dylan fan, you won’t want to miss this.
Now, maybe the next Bootleg Series release could cover the Blood on the Tracks period…