"Them charcoal gypsy maidens
Can strut their feathers well
But nobody can sing the blues like Blind Wille McTell"
At last count I have 12 recordings of this song by Dylan, varying in length from around 4½ mins to just over 7 mins. 2 recordings are on official albums, 3 are on promo CD's and 7 are bootlegs. And now there's this. This 7" vinyl has "two previously unreleased versions" of this classic, but I'm pretty sure I already have them from 'unofficial' sources.
Even so, I just bought my first 45 r.p.m. record in .. I don't know how many years .. 20? 30? could even be 40. The listing from Third Man Records says "The recordings on this single feature a formidable line-up of session musicians, including Mark Knopfler, Mick Taylor, Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare. The A-side (take 1) is exclusive to this single, while the B-side (take 5) will be included as part of Springtime In New York: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 16 (1980-1985)."
Dylan spent a lot of time working on this song during the 'Infidels' album sessions in 1983 but it was never included on the final cut. It wasn't until 1991 when Dylan began publishing his previously unavailable material officially that it was put out on "The Bootleg Series Vol. 1-3: [Rare & Unreleased] 1961-1991". This is the Dylan and Mark Knopfler acoustic piano/guitar version. The same cut was included on the 2007 3-album Deluxe Edition compilation 'Dylan'.
As far as the man himself is concerned, Blind Willie McTell is deserving of Dylan's adulation. If you listen to nothing else by him, 'Statesboro Blues' is a must. See if you can pick the part that influenced Canned Heat. I'll give you a clue ..
"Goin' up the country, Mama, don't you want to go?".
I have the Taj Mahal recording and the Allman Brothers live performance of this song from their 1971 Filmore East show which is described as the 'definitive' version, but to be true to it's roots, play Blind Willie and enjoy.
In a betrayal to Vinyl Vault I must admit that the only recording I have of Blind Willie is on CD. Between 1993 and 1997 I bought a fortnightly magazine called 'The Blues Collection' where each issue featured a different artist and included a CD of their work. Issue 43 was the one shown here, a worthy addition to any collection in any format.
So it's been a good day. I've added to my Dylan collection, rekindled an appreciation for Blind Willie and blown the dust off the Allman Brothers - and it's not even dinner time yet !!
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