Transmissions CD – a critical note

Thanks to Peter Mackie:

“Just to say that for me the three John Hammond Show songs plus Jokerman are really the only worthwhile things on this CD - they are good, especially Hurricane, and Simple Twist of Fate has the rewritten 1975 lyrics which are interesting to hear.

“The booklet is useless. Anyone who has read their Shelton, Heylin, Bauldie etc could have written that booklet. I didn't learn a single new thing, and I am far from a completist.

“The booklet frustratingly says nothing about the particular performances on the disc - indeed it was only by reading your site that I learned where All Along the Watchtower and Highway 61 came from.

“What are the licensing rules? Did the TV companies have a share of the copyright of these performances? It all seems a bit peculiar.”


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EARLIER, RELATED ARTICLES:


Bob Dylan Transmissions - enhanced CD & 74 page book

Thanks to Nigel Boddy:

“I've now listened to Bob Dylan Transmissions and can report that the sound quality (on a few of the tracks) could have been a lot better - no remastering carried out here! But, it's possibly better having average quality `rare and previously unreleased' material in your collection than not at all (?).

“The tracks, as far are as I can determine, come from the following sources:

1. Blowin' In The Wind,
2. Man Of Constant Sorrow
3. With God On Our Side
(Folk Songs & More Folk Songs TV Show 1963)

4. Hurricane,
5. Simple Twist Of Fate
6. Oh Sister
(The World of John Hammond TV Show 10.9.75)

7. Jokerman (Late Night With David Lettermen TV Show 22/3/84)
8. Maggie's Farm (Farm Aid 1985)
9. All Along The Watchtower (Guitar Legends 17/10/91)


10. My Back Pages
11. Knockin' On Heaven's Door
(30th Anniv. Show 18/10/02)

12. Highway 61 Revisited
13. Rainy Day Women #12&35
(Woodstock 14/8/94)

The two additional CD-ROM enhanced tracks are Girl From The North Country (With J Cash) & Forever Young (With Bruce Springsteen).

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Grey market Dylan product proliferating

If you haven’t had a good root in the Dylan racks of the music megastores for a while, you might be surprised at the recent proliferation of what’s best described as “grey market” product - CDs and (especially) DVDs.

These products aren’t official (Sony) releases, but they can’t be bootlegs (aka black market), or they wouldn’t be stocked by the mainstream music emporia. Some are also available via online retailers.

The latest product to catch my attention is Bob Dylan – Transmissions, a CD of 15 (mainly audio) tracks recorded for TV/radio across Dylan’s career, released by UK label Storming Music Company. Presumably such releases are legit because the original broadcasters have licensed performances for which they hold the copyright?

Has anyone come across this or similar CDs? Are they worth pursuing?




Gerry Smith