Bob Dylan Extracts 11th October 2019
R'n'R Unravelled Extracts
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The following extracts are taken from the pages of Rock’n’Roll Unravelled and build up to tell the story of Bob Dylan. There are only a few extracts here, to give a flavour of his story; the book has a far more comprehensive coverage.
(An * with a date indicates an associated story in Rock’n’Roll Unravelled, that story might not appear here.)

Bob Dylan Extracts taken from Rock’n’Roll Unravelled

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13 January 1963: Appeared in The Madhouse on Castle Street, UK BBC TV

BBC TV broadcasted The Madhouse on Castle Street, featuring an unknown Bob Dylan in his first appearance outside America.
Dylan’s first visit to Britain was at the invitation of BBC director Philip Saville, to appear in the TV play The Madhouse on Castle Street. Saville had previously seen Dylan performing in New York’s Greenwich Village. The play, written by Evan Jones, centred on a man in a boarding house who locked himself in his room in order to retire from the world. Dylan played Bobby, an itinerant guitar player whose songs punctuated the action, the songs were: Blowing in the Wind, Ballad of the Gliding Swan, Hang Me Oh Hang Me and The Cuckoo. This was the first-ever broadcast of Blowing in the Wind.
Sadly, the BBC wiped the tape and Dylan’s debut performance has been lost.

15 June 1965: Recorded Like a Rolling Stone

Like a Rolling Stone was a pivotal song for Bob Dylan. He was transitioning from an acoustic to an electric artist and this was his first song with an electric band to be released as a single in America. Maggie’s Farm had preceded Like a Rolling Stone as a single in Britain. The musicians working with Dylan that day included guitarist Mike Bloomfield and the organist responsible for the song’s memorable riff, Al Kooper.

Dylan’s journey to an electric backing band would not be looked on favourably by some folk purists. Six weeks later, on 25 July*, he performed at the Newport Folk Festival to a very mixed reception. This hostility was still present on his 1966 European tour, when he was famously heckled on 17 May* at a gig widely bootlegged as Live at the Royal Albert Hall (in London) but was actually recorded in Manchester.
Like a Rolling Stone was also remarkable for its six minutes duration, at a time when three minutes was the norm for a single. His record company, Columbia, was nervous about DJs not playing the song because it was too long. Accordingly, they issued it with the full version as the A-side, coupled with Gates of Eden. It was also released as a DJ copy Like a Rolling Stone Parts 1 & 2, with the song spread across both the A and B-sides. Dylan’s fans loved the song and it was a big hit on both sides of the Atlantic.

More Bob Dylan extracts to be added…