Bob Dylan – Anthems of Camelot Review

What little is known about Anthems of Camelot, a Bob Dylan bootleg of mysterious, German origin, can be found in the description of the upload to YouTube. A collection of songs from the early years of Dylan, a title which may serve as a nod to the so-called Camelot days of the John F. Kennedy assassination. Whether the bootleg refers to the Kennedy and King Arthur overlap coined in the press through the 1960s is unknowable, but it is perhaps a better explanation than suggesting Dylan is a member of the Round Table. Songs of New York, but not written in the Big Apple, as Dylan notes on the second track, are what feature on Anthems of Camelot. Spoken word and autobiographical thrills, early years works where Dylan adapts himself into the mould of covers, too.  

Talkin’ New York on this compilation bootleg is worth a listen, that is for sure. A reciprocative crowd that reacts well to those hillbilly comparisons, the hanging around with union-paying lines featured. Grounded in the streets he performs on, Dylan sounds, at this point, like he is displaying his untapped potential to an ever-growing audience. Corrina, Corrina serves as an articulate, early version of a song which would catapult Dylan into the folk mainstream. He already sounds far too advanced for what the genre can offer at this stage. The simplicity of the premise, a live performance where just one man and his guitar are on show, is what gives Anthems of Camelot its thrilling edge. This may be an untraceable bootleg, but it is one with plenty of interesting live performances, wherever they may be pulled from. Though it may be tricky to place where these live versions come from, Dylan helpfully introduces each, be it an original or a cover.  

Deep Elm Blues is of the old-style folk noise, and it suits his voice, whiny and unrefined at this point, well. A sense of pre-war gutsiness, the blues which inspired him, pushed him into folk music in the first place, are present in these early recordings. Anthems of Camelot is of a fine quality, too, which may come as a surprise to those who continue to sift through the crackles and cries of blistering harmonica volumes. A glance at a Discogs listing and little information can be lifted from that, other than that this compilation features twenty-three songs. You can gauge as much by listening in and counting on four and a half hands. Lend this compilation your ear, though, it is quite fun to pick this up with the expectation of quality, but without the chance to note where in time it comes from.  

Simulate the experience of hearing Dylan perform at the time, then. There is little more to it than stumbling across live versions of songs which were played time and again, often recorded and featured on those early works. These are songs “for somebody, by somebody,” as Dylan describes an early version of Blowin’ in the Wind. That charming depth, the mysterious figurehead who has charmed audiences in the decades to follow these performances, is heard right at the core of Anthems of Camelot. He could not be closer to the truth of his music. These are songs written with the intent of a response, though who from and at what time, is up for debate. It keeps conversation thriving. Anthems of Camelot is a mighty log for the burning fire of these early-year recordings.