Bob Dylan :: Yesterday (CBS Studios: Nashville/NYC Outtakes)

As nice as the official ‘bootleg series’ releases have been over the past 10+ years, it’s the unofficial stacks I regularly find myself turning to when looking for an off-kilter Dylan fix. Long available in trading circles (at times known as the Yesterday bootleg) the following two sessions were cut in ’69 and ’70 at CBS studios in Nashville and New York City respectively. George Harrison guests on the NYC session, and it would not surprise me if this, or a session like it, were not the impetus for the inclusion of “If Not For You” on his 1970 solo debut All Things Must Pass.

43 thoughts on “Bob Dylan :: Yesterday (CBS Studios: Nashville/NYC Outtakes)

  1. first Nighthawks Tom Waits and now Bob Dylan bootlegs with George Harrison. great start to 2010.
    Thanks!

  2. Awesome post. Keep this type of thing coming. The quality of the recordings is even great. It amazes me that I can get more information from a free blog than I could ever get from a paid subscription to a music magazine like SPIN or Rolling Stone.

  3. Heidiho, this is what I love about Aquarium Drunkard. Thanks for all the audible love. Hey, did you know Bob Dylan’s real name is “Robert Allen Zimmerman”? It’s not that surprising, but a fun fact. Happy New Decade, AD!

  4. Hey these are awesome! I could only download like half of them though. Now I have a problem accessing the links. Anyone else having problems?

  5. Outstanding stuff.

    For the completists:
    “True Love” should be “Your True Love”…another Perkins cover.

  6. A fantastic post. Borderline public-service. I’ve always thought Nashville Skyline was an underrated effort, and always loved the Bootleg Series version of “If Not for You” featuring George on slide.

  7. thank you thank you thank you. an unheard bootleg from my favorite dylan era. the drunkard delivers again!

  8. Some interesting/dull facts (depeniding on your persuasion) on the Dylan/Harrison connection:

    Harrison’s impetus for a version of “If Not For You” on ‘All Things Must Pass’ may well have come from this session. However they did also meet up in 1968 in Woodstock at Bob’s home a few times, I have recording from one meeting of them playing an early version of “I’d Have You Any Time” a co-compostion of which Harrison’s version is the opening song on All Things Must Pass. Also on the tape is “Nowhere To Go” (sometimes called “Everybody Somebody Comes To Town”) which I don;t think ever made it to an album for either Dylan or Harrison.

    “Behind That Locked Door” a beautiful song from All Things Must Pass is thought to have been written about Dylan by Harrison.

  9. i think the link is broken. i would love to hear these sessions. please please fix the link. thanx.

  10. Thanks for the great post and download. The versionof “If Not For You” is definitely the basis for the Harrison recording on “All Things Must Pass” – particularly George’s guitar coda. Compare the quicker tempo and church organ on Dylan’s studio version from “New Morning.”

  11. Thanks Drunkard! That’s Carl Perkins pickin’ it on the Nashville stuff BTW… From bobsboots.com: “Produced by Bob Johnson, this session was three days after the ‘Nashville Skyline’ LP was recorded in the same studio, with different musicians.
    The 1970 material … was produced by Bob Johnson as well. This session also produced the “If Not For You” version that was released on the official CBS LP ‘The Bootleg Series 1-3″ The musicians include George Harrison (guitar), Charlie Daniels (bass & backing vocals), Billy Mundi (drums) & Bob Johnson (piano)

  12. also, alot of the info on “bobsboots.com” is bogus and sometimes completely incorrect as in this case. thanks for the tracks though, this album is great.

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