Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II'', also known as ''More Bob Dylan Greatest Hits'', is the second compilation album by American singer-songwriter
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
, released on November 17, 1971 by Columbia Records. With Dylan not expected to release any new material for an extended period of time,
CBS Records CBS Records may refer to: * CBS Records or CBS/Sony, former name of Sony Music, a global record company * CBS Records International, label for Columbia Records recordings released outside North America from 1962 to 1990 * CBS Records (2006), founde ...
president Clive Davis proposed issuing a double LP compilation of older material. Dylan agreed, compiling it himself and suggesting that the package include a full side of unreleased tracks from his archives. After submitting a set of excerpts from ''
The Basement Tapes ''The Basement Tapes'' is the sixteenth album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan and his second with the Band. It was released on June 26, 1975, by Columbia Records. Two-thirds of the album's 24 tracks feature Dylan on lead vocals backed b ...
'' that Davis found unsatisfactory, Dylan returned to the studio in September 1971 to recut several ''Basement'' songs, with
Happy Traum Happy Traum (born Harry Peter Traum, May 9, 1938, The Bronx, New York) is an American folk musician who started playing music in the 1950s and became a stalwart of the Greenwich Village music scene of the 1960s and the Woodstock music scene of t ...
providing backup. The final package included one previously uncollected single, "
Watching the River Flow "Watching the River Flow" is a blues rock song by American singer Bob Dylan. Produced by Leon Russell, it was written and recorded during a session in March 1971 at the Blue Rock Studio in New York City. The collaboration with Russell formed ...
", an outtake from the same sessions, "When I Paint My Masterpiece"; one song from Dylan's April 12, 1963 Town Hall concert, "
Tomorrow Is a Long Time "Tomorrow Is a Long Time" is a song written and recorded by Bob Dylan. Dylan's version first appeared on the album ''Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II'' compilation, released in 1971. It was subsequently included in the triple LP compilation '' Ma ...
", and three songs from the September sessions, " I Shall Be Released", "
You Ain't Goin' Nowhere "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" is a song written by American musician Bob Dylan in 1967 in Woodstock, New York, during the self-imposed exile from public appearances that followed his July 29, 1966 motorcycle accident. A recording of Dylan performin ...
", and "
Down in the Flood "Down in the Flood" is a song by Bob Dylan, originally recorded by Dylan in 1967 with the Band, and copyrighted that autumn. One of the 1967 recordings was released on the 1975 album ''The Basement Tapes'' and re-released in 2014 on '' The Bootle ...
". The remaining tracks were drawn from existing releases. In 2003, this album was released along with Dylan's two other Greatest Hits compilations in one four-disc set, as ''Greatest Hits Volumes I–III''. As with ''
The Basement Tapes ''The Basement Tapes'' is the sixteenth album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan and his second with the Band. It was released on June 26, 1975, by Columbia Records. Two-thirds of the album's 24 tracks feature Dylan on lead vocals backed b ...
'' and the Beatles' ''
1962-1966 Year 196 ( CXCVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Dexter and Messalla (or, less frequently, year 949 ''Ab urbe condit ...
'', all the selections could fit on a single 80-minute CD, but were nevertheless released on two CDs to match the LP.


Artwork

The album package was designed to capitalize on the publicity surrounding George Harrison's
Concert for Bangladesh The Concert for Bangladesh (or Bangla Desh, as the country's name was originally spelt)Harry, p. 135. was a pair of benefit concerts organised by former Beatles guitarist George Harrison and Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar. The shows were he ...
, about to be released as a film and
album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...
. The photograph on the album cover is a cropped version of a photo taken during Dylan's performance at the concert by the film's still photographer, Barry Feinstein. The uncropped photo, which appeared as a two-page spread in the booklet included in the album ''Concert for Bangla Desh'' (
sic The Latin adverb ''sic'' (; "thus", "just as"; in full: , "thus was it written") inserted after a quoted word or passage indicates that the quoted matter has been transcribed or translated exactly as found in the source text, complete with any e ...
), also contained George Harrison, who was standing to Dylan's right. The album cover is similar to the previous volume, ''
Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits ''Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits'' is a 1967 compilation album of songs by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. Released on March 27, 1967, by Columbia Records, it was a stopgap between Dylan's studio albums '' Blonde on Blonde'' and ''John Wesley H ...
'', which utilized Rowland Scherman's 1965 photo. Reaching #14 in the US and #12 in the UK, ''Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II'' is now certified five times platinum in the US, making it one of Dylan's best-selling albums.


Songs previously unreleased on LP

"In one sense, 1971 and 1972 might both be considered 'lost' years," writes Dylan biographer
Clinton Heylin Clinton Heylin (born 8 April 1960) is an English author who has written extensively about popular music and the work of Bob Dylan. Education Heylin attended Manchester Grammar School. He read history at Bedford College, University of London, ...
. Neither year would produce an album, at least not an album entirely composed of newly recorded material. Between March 16 and 19, 1971, Dylan reserved three days at Blue Rock Studios, a small studio in New York's
Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...
. According to Heylin, "These sessions were produced by Leon Russell of '' Mad Dogs and Englishmen'' fame. Only two originals were recorded—'Watching the River Flow' and 'When I Paint My Masterpiece'—but both confronted the same subject matter, a continuing dearth of inspiration, in a refreshingly honest fashion." "When I Paint My Masterpiece" was also recorded by The Band, who would release their version first on '' Cahoots''. Dylan's recording from Blue Rock would only see release on ''Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II''. "Watching the River Flow" was issued as a single in June 1971, backed by "Spanish Is the Loving Tongue", which had been recorded during the ''
New Morning New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
'' sessions. Months later, Dylan would agree to release a second "greatest hits" compilation, provided he could compile it himself, issue it as a double album, and include several older compositions which he had written but never issued himself. To accommodate this last condition, Dylan took it upon himself to hold a recording session at Columbia's Recording Studios in New York. On September 24, 1971, in Columbia's Studio B, Dylan recorded four songs with his friend, Happy Traum. "He felt there were some songs that he had written that had become hits of sorts for other people, that he didn't actually perform himself," recalls Traum, "and he wanted to fit those on the record as well...So we just went in one afternoon and did it, it was just the two of us and the engineer, and it was very simple...we chose three ongson the spot and mixed them...in the space of an afternoon...Sometimes I wasn't even sure if it was a final take until we would just finish and Bob would say, 'Okay, let's go and mix it.'" "Crash On The Levee (Down In The Flood)", "You Ain't Going Nowhere" and "I Shall Be Released" were recorded and selected for the compilation. "Only a Hobo", an early composition dating back to 1963, was also considered for inclusion but ultimately was left unreleased until 2013's ''
The Bootleg Series Vol. 10 – Another Self Portrait (1969–1971) ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
''. A few lyrical revisions were made on "You Ain't Going Nowhere", the most notable being a reference to
Roger McGuinn James Roger McGuinn (born James Joseph McGuinn III; July 13, 1942) is an American musician. He is best known for being the frontman and leader of the Byrds. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his work with the Byrds. As a ...
. "Pack up your money, pull up your tent McGuinn, you ain't going nowhere". McGuinn's band,
The Byrds The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole cons ...
, had successfully recorded "You Ain't Going Nowhere" on their landmark album, ''
Sweetheart of the Rodeo ''Sweetheart of the Rodeo'' is the sixth album by American rock band the Byrds and was released in August 1968 on Columbia Records. Recorded with the addition of country rock pioneer Gram Parsons, it became the first album widely recognized as ...
'', and they even issued their recording as a single. Country musician Marty Stuart has also recorded this song. According to McGuinn in the liner notes to the 1997 reissue of ''Sweetheart of the Rodeo'', Dylan singled him out in these lyrics for bungling Dylan's original '' Basement Tapes'' lyrics on the
Byrds The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole cons ...
version of the song in which McGuinn sings "Pack up your money / Pick up your tent" instead of "Pick up your money / Pack up your tent" as Dylan had.


Other notable releases recorded in 1971

In addition to the material added to ''Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II'', Dylan recorded a single, "George Jackson." An incarcerated black activist, George Jackson died on August 21, 1971. After reading a newspaper article about his death, Dylan quickly wrote an elegy for Jackson and rushed a small band into Blue Rock Studios to record it the following day. He recorded two versions, one following a simple acoustic arrangement, another with a full-band arrangement. Dylan also recorded another original composition, the country-flavored "
Wallflower ''Erysimum'', or wallflower, is a genus of flowering plants in the cabbage family, Brassicaceae. It includes more than 150 species, both popular garden plants and many wild forms. The genus ''Cheiranthus'' is sometimes included here in whole o ...
". Both versions of "George Jackson" were issued on the two sides of a single released on November 12, 1971. The single penetrated the Top 40, peaking at #33 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The "Wallflower" recording was set aside and would later be released on ''
The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961-1991 ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'', but was recorded, with Dylan's backing vocal, for
Doug Sahm Douglas Wayne Sahm (November 6, 1941 – November 18, 1999) was an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist born in San Antonio, Texas. Sahm is regarded as one of the main figures of Tex-Mex music, and as an important per ...
's 1973 recording ''
Doug Sahm and Band ''Doug Sahm and Band'' is the debut solo album of American singer-songwriter Doug Sahm. In 1972, after leaving the Sir Douglas Quintet, Sahm moved to Austin, Texas. He was signed by Jerry Wexler to the newly opened country music division of Atlant ...
''. Dylan gave three significant concert performances in 1971, which were professionally recorded and eventually released. The first two came on August 1, at Madison Square Garden for a
benefit concert A benefit concert or charity concert is a type of musical benefit performance (e.g., concert, show, or gala) featuring musicians, comedians, or other performers that is held for a charitable purpose, often directed at a specific and immediate hu ...
organized by George Harrison. Dylan was not scheduled to perform, but Harrison convinced him to make a surprise appearance. Dylan performed a set at both the afternoon and evening shows, backed by Harrison on lead guitar, Leon Russell on bass, and Ringo Starr on tambourine. A selection of his performances was issued on the Grammy-winning ''The Concert for Bangladesh'', issued on December 20, 1971. The third and final performance actually came during the first hour of 1972, when he made a surprise appearance at The Band's New Year's Eve concert at New York's Academy of Music. Dylan appeared sometime after midnight and performed four songs backed by The Band: "Crash on the Levee (Down in the Flood)", "When I Paint My Masterpiece", "Don't Ya Tell Henry" and "Like a Rolling Stone". Clinton Heylin would later describe Dylan's appearance as "a return to some approximation of peak performing powers." The concert was recorded by
Phil Ramone Philip Ramone (né Rabinowitz, January 5, 1934March 30, 2013) was a South African-born American recording engineer, record producer, violinist and composer, who in 1958 co-founded A & R Recording, Inc., a recording studio with business pa ...
and later mixed and compiled as The Band's ''
Rock of Ages Rock of Ages may refer to: Films * ''Rock of Ages'' (1918 film), a British silent film by Bertram Phillips * ''Rock of Ages'' (2012 film), a film adaptation of the jukebox musical (see below) Music * ''Rock of Ages'' (musical), a 2006 rock ...
''. However, Dylan's set would have to wait until May 2001 for official release, when it was included as part of an expanded, remastered CD edition of ''Rock of Ages''.


Track listing

The UK edition has a different tracklist from that given below. "
Positively 4th Street "Positively 4th Street" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan, first recorded in New York City on July 29, 1965. It was released as a single by Columbia Records on September 7, 1965, reaching on Canada's '' RPM'' chart, on the U.S. ''B ...
" replaces "
She Belongs to Me "She Belongs to Me" is a song by Bob Dylan, and was first released as the second track on his 1965 album ''Bringing It All Back Home''. The song is often thought to be a metaphor for America. Recording The version of the song that appears on ''B ...
" as the first track on disc two. ("Positively 4th Street" was missing from the 1967 UK ''
Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits ''Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits'' is a 1967 compilation album of songs by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. Released on March 27, 1967, by Columbia Records, it was a stopgap between Dylan's studio albums '' Blonde on Blonde'' and ''John Wesley H ...
'', where "She Belongs to Me" replaced it.) On side four, "
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan and featured on his '' Bringing It All Back Home'' album, released on March 22, 1965, by Columbia Records. The song was recorded on January 15, 1965, with Dylan's acousti ...
", which had also appeared on the 1967 UK ''Greatest Hits'' album as one of the two extra tracks, is replaced by "
New Morning New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
" as track 2.Searching for A Gem website
/ref>


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. Ii 1971 greatest hits albums Albums produced by Bob Johnston Albums produced by John Hammond (producer) Albums produced by Tom Wilson (record producer) Bob Dylan compilation albums Columbia Records compilation albums Albums produced by Leon Russell