It was supposed to be the start of the recording sessions for Bob Dylan’s “New Morning” album featuring George Harrison, fresh from the Beatles breakup.
On May 1, 1970, Dylan was joined by drummer Russ Kunkel, bassist Charlie Daniels (yes, the later-famous Southern rock fiddler) and guitarist Harrison. The session took place in Columbia Records’ Studio B in New York City.
The entirety of that session and others from that year have not been released until now. However, “Bob Dylan — 50th Anniversary Collection 1970” is only a limited-run triple album sold last Sunday at the U.K. store Badlands.
The oft-bootlegged work became available under European copyright laws that say recordings enter the public domain if they aren’t released 50 years after they were created.
The package contains a handful of “New Morning” songs (including “If Not for You”), Dylan oldies (“Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right,” “It Ain’t Me Babe”), covers (“Cupid,” “All I Do Is Dream”) and a noteworthy version of the Beatles’ “Yesterday.”
The three-disc set features material recorded between March 3 and Aug. 12, 1970. There are multiple takes of some tunes, including “Went to See the Gypsy,” “Sign on the Window” and “Alligator Man” (a rock version and a country version).
Only a handful of the songs from this package had been previously released in Dylan’s official bootleg series.
Dylan’s official website usually touts his latest endeavors, but bobdylan.com makes no mention of this collection.
