Three “grey market” Dylan albums available online from top Spanish retailer

After The Dylan Daily wrote about an unofficial disc, Midnight Train, encountered in El Corte Ingles, the leading Spanish department store chain, reader Andrew Kelly ordered it and some other interesting looking Dylan product online from El Corte Ingles.

Thanks to Andrew for this report on his purchases, and especially for his detailed detective work:

“The discs arrived earlier this week as promised by ECI. Two doubles and one single (Midnight Train), mostly cut-and-paste compilations of varying sound quality, which appear to have been burned privately from vinyl.

'Midnight Train' is the only one that remotely approaches sine qua non status. Track listing hereunder, provenances/attributions as per Clinton Heylin's listings in "Behind closed doors"

* Midnight Train
1. Midnight train
2. Can you please crawl out your window
3. I wanna be your lover (Biograph version)
4. Number one
5. Visions of Johanna(Nightingale's code version)
6. She's your lover now (Bootleg series Vol 1-3 version)
7. Jet pilot (Biograph version - see note below)
8. If you gotta go (European single version)
9. One too many mornings (Bootleg Series Vol 4, Live 1966 version)
10. Like a rolling stone (Bootleg Series Vol 4, Live 1966 version)

I had not come across 1, 2 and 4 before, but from the instrumentation and vocal timbre I would place them in the mid-‘60s. All three unexceptional, and perhaps 3 - a trudging instrumental warm-up - might be better titled Number 2. Track 7 is the Biograph version but at 1m 34s has a longer instrumental fade.



* Bob Dylan Vol 1, John Birch Society Blues (Exit Records CDX 2504 S)
1. Talking John Birch Society blues (Bootleg Series Vols 1-3 version)
2. Corrinna, Corrinna (sic) (B-side of Mixed up confusion single)
3. East Laredo (Times they are a-changin out-take)
4. In the evening (Minneapolis tape 22.12.61)
5. I'll keep it with mine (Biograph version)
6. Ramblin' gamblin' Willie (Bootleg Series Vols 1-3 version)
7. Mixed up confusion (Single version)
8. Who killed Davey Moore? (Bootleg Series Vols 1-3 version)
9. Long John (Minneapolis tape 22.12.61)
10. Percy's song (Biograph version)

* Bob Dylan Vol 2, Cocaine Blues
1. Cocaine blues (Minneapolis tape 22.12.61)
2. Candy man (Minneapolis tape 22.12.61)
3. Who you really are (Minneapolis tape 22.12.61)
4. Wade in the water (Minneapolis tape 22.12.61)
5. Fare thee well (Minneapolis May 1961, see below)
6. Only a hobo (Blind Boy Grunt/ Whitmark demo version)
7. California (Bringing it all back home out-take)
8. Stealin' (Minneapolis 22.12.61)
9. V.D. blues (Minneapolis 22.12.61)
10. Let me follow you down (sic) (Minneapolis 22.12.61)
11. Hard times in New York (Bootleg series vols 1-3)
12. Man of constant sorrow (Minneapolis 22.12.61)

5 is wrongly listed on the case as "Farewell Angelina"



* Bob Dylan - OK Records CD 5302
1. Blowin' in the wind (Concert for Bangladesh version)
2. All I really want to do (Another Side of version)
3. One too many mornings (Times they are a-changin' version)
4. California (As Vol 2, track 7, above)
5. She belongs to me (Bringing it all back home version)
6. Ballad of a thin man (Bootleg Series Vol 4, Live 1966 version)
7. Lay, lady, lay (Before the flood version)
8. I want you (Blonde on blonde version)
9. Baby, let me follow you down (Bootleg series Vol 4, Live 1966 v)
10. Only a hobo (As above)
11. I don't believe you (Bootleg series Vol 4, Live 1966 version)
12. Outlaw blues (Bringing it all back home version, listed on case as "Love minus zero")

* Bob Dylan - OK records, CD 5303
1. A hard rain's gonna fall (Bangladesh version)
2. The times they are a-changin (official LP version)
3. Tell me, mama (Bootleg Series 4, Live 1966, listed on case as "Tell me that it isn't true")
4. Maggie's farm (Bringing it all back home version)
5. Leopard-skin pillbox hat (Live 1966 version)
6. Positively 4th Street (Official single version)
7. Rainy day women nos. 12 + 35 (Before the flood version)
8. Spanish Harlem incident (Another side of version)
9. Knockin' on heaven's door (See below)
10. Man of constant sorrow (As 3.12 above)
11. On the road again (Bringing it all back home version)
12. Just like Tom Thumb's blues (See below)

Tracks 9 and 12 are live recordings that I can't place. Possibly from 'Real live' of which I have no copy and have not heard for a long time. They have the sound and feel of the late 80s early 90s (ie a bit formulaic).


Hope all that is of help to anyone considering buying the discs.

“All the best and enjoy the spring tour.”


Crispin