With constant changes to his style and range as a vocalist, Bob Dylan continues to impress well past the perceived heyday of his career. Much of this comes from his attention to tempo and detail, how implementing slight changes to the tone and variety can bring a song together. There is plenty of evidence of this creative process on the various Bootleg Series releases though digging a little deeper and finding the likes of Great White Wonder or this Blood on the Tracks Test Pressing is an eye-opener. Flat, moody and a far cry away from what would be released a year later, these New York test pressing are cold and lack the bells and whistles which craft the massive and dense work found on the finished release.
Hear it all unfold on Tangled Up in Blue. Just Dylan and his guitar with some barely audible bass string pluck. Though it may not work as well as the punchy and almost volatile proper release, the cobbled-together and barebones structure of this test pressing sees Dylan fall in line with his past releases. There is a sense of his early years to this, a one-man and his guitar appeal. Simple Twist of Fate figures it out best of all. Perhaps the test pressing gets off on the wrong foot, then. Tangled Up in Blue is etched in the mind as this stomping and defiant track because every listen of Blood on the Tracks begins with it. Warm to the idea of stripped-back sessions and by the time wistful melodies and harmonica charms are playing out on You’re a Big Girl Now, the warm embrace is clear to hear.
Falling in absolute love for a handful of these recordings is inevitable. Simple Twist of Fate is galvanising and a clear example of why we must continue to dig away at bootlegs and test pressings. Those rare glimmers of perfection are mesmerising experiences. For those with their hands on this session, settle back and hear the likes of Idiot Wind take form. Dylan sounds slightly distracted; some real fury follows through as it does on the Hard Rain live release. Shorter cuts of You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go are also on hand but do not sway too far away from what was released. The slower tones and the promises of the American Dream can be heard crushed under the thick realities of Meet Me in the Morning.
There is something extra to these recordings being from the New York sessions. What a place to lose yourself and though Dylan spent plenty of time writing strong material in the Big Apple, none of it felt truly moved by the city. He has, of course, referenced the city in the likes of Talkin’ New York, but they are not hailed as the all-time greats of his career. No, it is down to the likes of Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts or the twangs and shimmer of Meet Me in the Morning to kindle the deep love and respect Dylan appears to have for the city. It filters through nicely, the love and loss of Blood on the Tracks sounds raw and unrefined, an emotional cluster of a test pressing which lingers on as a tremendous relic of what could have been.
