Bob Dylan – Minneapolis Coffee House Review

One of the more mysterious bootlegs available to Bob Dylan fans, Minneapolis Coffee House is a bit of a dark horse. It is not the infamous performances but a collection of party tapes, coffee shop recordings and the like which are pulled from a time well before the boom of Dylan’s studio presence. He was whittling away that folk charm and gearing up for something bigger, something which would evolve well beyond the expectations of the time. Covering his favourites is no surprise, what is a treat is how fully fleshed-out and intense these performances are at such an early age. Bonnie, Why’d You Cut My Hair? serves as one of the earliest recordings out there of Dylan. Brace your ears for some rough harmonica. No great amount of work from any sound engineer could dampen that sharpness. Minneapolis Coffee House is a fascinating listen of Dylan at his earliest.  

Important are the notes he hits throughout this piece, the quieter tone, and the somewhat shy parts of his performance in the likes of Woody Guthrie covers like Ramblin’ Round or This Train is Bound for Glory. These are the performances which feel appropriate, telling even, of the self-titled debut around the corner. Guthrie is the clear influence in all those early moments but no more is it clearer than Minneapolis Coffee House. A brief cut of George Davis’ Death Don’t Have No Mercy makes that Guthrie vocal tone clear. These are the moments which shaped the man we still listen to. The fundamentals of a singer-songwriter are put to the test with Minneapolis Coffee House, more an exercise in toning those live expectations than anything else. Good fun to be had, too, as most Dylan live performances are.  

Dylan has not at this time found the confidence in his voice and instead relays the constant American spirit, this chance to hear the movement of a people through song. Covers, covers and more covers are what makes it here and for the most part, they are of exceptional quality. Pastures of Plenty is a standout here, or at least it is for those who read Of Mice and Men growing up and link it through to that desire many Americans had for their slice of land. This Land is Your Land following it up is a rather apt and excellent performance. A bit stuffy in his vocal performance but an ultimately sound and respectful cover, a young performer trying to figure out where he can stand out in the overwhelming folk genre. Car, Car, is certainly where the humour of those post-debut performances comes from, swiftly dropped at the turn of electric and a serious edge presented instead. It beats Dylan making car engine noises, at least. 

Enjoy those early moments, though. They serve as insightful and opportune moments to look into the life of Dylan at a time when he did not have to hold some mystique or intrigue to his appearance. He was just there, playing away at covers of his favourite artists and trying to make a splash. That he would, but while he got himself there, the frustrations and self-doubt we cannot conceive of a man of his talent, are clear. Devilish Mary and the latter songs of Minneapolis Coffee House hear out those moments of instrumental brilliance but there is yet to come a lyrical jab, a chance to hear the real side of Dylan. He performs well as a traditional cover artist but there was something more to him which, just a few years after these recordings were made, would thankfully reveal themselves.