Dylan "Halloween" Bootleg Due

Bob Dylan's early years will be the focus of Live 1964: Concert at Philharmonic Hall, The Bootleg Series Volume 6, the latest in Legacy's line of authorized Dylan concert recordings. The set, the first to completely focus on the singer-songwriter's revered acoustic period, will be released on March 23rd.

Known as the Halloween Concert, the set finds the twenty-three-year-old Dylan performing just after the release of Another Side of Bob Dylan and balancing the pointed and political ("Talkin' World War III Blues," "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall") with the obtuse and arcane ("Mr. Tambourine Man"). Four of the songs feature guest vocals by Joan Baez.

Weeks after the performance Dylan would begin work on Bringing It All Back Home, a divisive release that found him beginning to drift away from the folk music that he had cut his teeth playing and towards a more rock & roll-based sound.

Live 1964 is the third live release in the Bootleg series (the first three volumes consisted of unreleased studio material), following 2002's fully electric Live 1975: The Rolling Thunder Revue and the controversial Live 1966: The Royal Albert Hall Concert, where Dylan served up a seven-song acoustic set before plugging in with a full band to enthusiasm, dismay and a famous cry of "Judas!" from a British audience.

Track listing for The Bootleg Series Volume 6:

DISC ONE

The Times They Are a-Changin'
Spanish Harlem Incident
Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues
To Ramona
Who Killed Davey Moore?
Gate of Eden
If You Gotta Go, Go Now
It's Alright Ma
I Don't Believe You
Mr. Tambourine Man
A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall

DISC TWO

Talkin' World War III Blues
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
Mama, You Been on My Mind
Silver Dagger
With God on Our Side
It Ain't Me Babe
All I Really Want to Do

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Song Stories

“Tonight's the Night”

The Shirelles | 1960

The lead cut and title track from this girl group's debut album, "Tonight's the Night" was written by 19-year-old bandmember Shirley Owens, who sings lead, and producer Luther Dixon. The band from Passaic, New Jersey met in high school, first calling themselves the Pequellos. The song's frank thoughts about sexual and emotional surrender was racy for the time, but that didn't stop the Chiffons from cutting a similar version immediately after the original came out. "We were the first female group to write some of our own material," band member Beverly Lee recalls. "We did have some say-so in our writing."

More Song Stories entries »

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