Gems from Dylan’s Basement Tapes
Just a Few of the Great Songs from “The Basement Tapes Complete.”
These are some good tracks to start with. More recommendations to come.
Folsom Prison Blues
Who knew a song about imprisonment could be so much fun? “Folsom Prison Blues” is strangely sexy, a sound you can dance to — vertically or otherwise. One of the most crowd-pleasing tracks, basement tapes unbelievers should test their convictions with this song first.
Minstrel Boy
The visceral vulnerability found inside “Minstrel Boy” causes time to stop. Dylan and the Band have never played a song with such sincerity. It is a more than adequate apology for the Self Portrait take of “Minstrel Boy,” which was inappropriately upbeat and hokey.
Satisfied Mind
Dylan covered this gorgeous Johnny Cash song on Saved, but that version was… well, it was creepy. The backup singers added nothing to Dylan’s then-decaying voice, and the charmless arrangement gets in the way of the lyrics. The basement cut is immeasurably better. Dylan’s vocals are flawless, and the words are worthy of the man singing them.
Fool For You (Take 1)
Dylan roars into “Fool For You” with an intensity found nowhere else on the album. Be warned that the melody and chorus will most likely follow you throughout your day. The gentle guitar and optimistic piano induces a feeling rarely found in any song: It makes you want to dance and cry at the same time.
Next: “‘Too Many Mornings’ Finds the Right Sound: Inside a New Basement Tape’s Track”
Read more of the “Bob Dylan” collection here.
Alex Marshi is an American writer and nomad. His bylines include Rolling Stone and Port magazine.
