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I recently read Greil Marcus' Invisible Republic -- I was hooked by the back cover blurb by mark s (hoho, though really, now I want to dig out his Wire review -- which issue was it in?) For those who haven't seen it, it's a book about, well, a lot of stuff, but the core of the thing is Bob Dylan & The Band's Basement Tapes.

I have the original Basement Tapes record and like it a lot, but naturally this book piqued my interest in the other stuff Marcus discusses. Namely, all the other Basement Tapes tracks that didn't make it on the album, and the Anthology of American Folk Music box.

So I'm wondering: Are there any Basement Tapes boots I should track down? Just how good is the Anthology...? What about the recently reissued 4th Volume...is that of comparable quality? (I recently passed over a used copy of the CD reissue of the Anthology it was still too expensive at $60...though now I regret it.) Any signposts here would be appreciated.

― Mark (MarkR), Tuesday, 18 February 2003 15:01 (twenty-three years ago)

The fourth volume is awesome. Definitely worth getting if you do or don't have the box. (Disclaimer: I don't have the box, but I've heard a lot of it, and I'll get it eventually.)

― hstencil, Tuesday, 18 February 2003 15:06 (twenty-three years ago)

The Anthology is great both vols 1-3 and the Revenant-produced 4th. I can ber foundused now and again on half.com or amazon.com.

The legit release Basement Tapes album is a slicked up version of the basement sessions that can be found is GREATLY expanded form as the 5 CD bootleg series "Original Basement Tapes." It goes under a few different names (there is also a four CD version that eliminates a few tracks, but not too many). This set can be purchased at stores that still darwe to carry bootlegs, or (much more likely) can be traded for with a willing Dylan collector. Check out bootleg trading e-mail lists or websites for more info....

― Joe Gross, Tuesday, 18 February 2003 15:19 (twenty-three years ago)

The original Anthology is fantastic, esp. the first two discs (I've never quite cottoned to the instrumental/dance music volumes). Vol. 4 maybe had a few too many records I knew already, though that's partly because they're stone classics.

― Douglas (Douglas), Tuesday, 18 February 2003 15:36 (twenty-three years ago)

I the original Anthology 3 CDs or 6? When I glanced at the box, I though each of 3 cases was a 2CD thingy.

― Mark (MarkR), Tuesday, 18 February 2003 15:41 (twenty-three years ago)

mark i'll have to look it up: pester me

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 18 February 2003 16:35 (twenty-three years ago)

invisible republicans?

doh!
m.

― msp, Tuesday, 18 February 2003 17:02 (twenty-three years ago)

Anthology is a six-disc set.

I've seen the full Basement Tape boots here in NYC many times. Several stores always have it in stock...

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Tuesday, 18 February 2003 17:27 (twenty-three years ago)

You should've bought the box for $60, Mark. Well worth it.

― James Ball (James Ball), Tuesday, 18 February 2003 17:29 (twenty-three years ago)

the box's addenda--the booklets--are worth the extra you'll pay, and the way the discs work makes them worth having individually (at 45 mins each) rather than cramming 'em all onto four discs. yes, it's great, the box or vol. 4. I actually dig the instrumental dance stuff, but maybe that's because I tend to like instrumental dance stuff generally ;-)

― M Matos (M Matos), Tuesday, 18 February 2003 17:41 (twenty-three years ago)

FYI: Mark's review is in, I believe, issue 161-- Nurse With Wound is on the cover.

(I only know this because it happened to be the one issue of the Wire I still owned when I first started reading ILM; I opened it hoping to find more Sinker and there it was. I have been subsequently disappointed with the frequency of his submissions therein, despite the fact that he's listed as a "contributor" in every issue!)

― Possum Slimm (Possumslimm), Tuesday, 18 February 2003 20:53 (twenty-three years ago)

If you buy the Harry Smith Anthology, try not to hear the music exclusively through the "old, weird America" rubric that Marcus has latched onto in his book and the liner notes.

As for the complete "basement tapes," here's where to find it. There's a record store in Madison, Wisc. that always seems to have this in stock, but it's not cheap.

― Amateurist (amateurist), Tuesday, 18 February 2003 21:05 (twenty-three years ago)

one year passes...

I bought Old, Weird America today, but I've never heard the original Basement Tapes or the complete bootlegs. Should I wait until I've slsked and listened to some before reading, or are they irrelevant to understanding/reading the book?

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Monday, 16 August 2004 00:21 (twenty-one years ago)

he only actually talks about a handful of the songs in the book (not counting the discography), so you can download them as you read. i've got one of the complete basement tapes cds, and if the rest of it is that good they're all well worth tracking down.

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Monday, 16 August 2004 04:36 (twenty-one years ago)

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