This week’s theme marks my first official repeat of an artist I’ve already covered in my Songs of the Day, and I’ve given that honor to the worthiest of performers. Today through Friday I will highlight tracks from Bob Dylan’s Bootleg Series.
Dylan was the first widely bootlegged rock artist and 30 years after those first bootlegs showed up he decided to release many of the hidden gems officially. The Bootleg Series started with three extraordinary volumes in 1991 covering that entire 30-year span. The next three volumes chronicle live shows throughout the years, including the famous “Judas” concert in Manchester. Volume Seven is the companion soundtrack to Martin Scorsese’s seminal Dylan documentary No Direction Home. And Volume Eight, released just two weeks ago, covers outtakes and unreleased material from the last 20 years. I’ll pull this week’s selections from the lot of them.
Today’s track, ‘Moonshiner,’ is one of the earliest recordings in the series. It’s a weepy old drinking song that Dylan recorded when he was all of 22 years old. He already had a mastery of the guitar and harmonica and the controversial instrument that is Bob Dylan’s voice. Love it or hate it (and I know plenty of people on both sides), it’s hard to argue that he has influenced scores of folk and rock-n-roll musicians with his delivery and phrasing (not to mention his lyrics).
This is a soft, sad little number that jumped out at me immediately when I bought the first Bootleg Series 17 years ago.
I’ve spent all my money on whiskey and beer
I go to some hollow and sit at my still
And if whiskey don’t kill me then I don’t know what will
I go to some bar room and drink with my friends
Where the women can’t follow and see what I spend
God bless them pretty women, I wish they was mine
Their breath is as sweet as the dew on the vine
Let me eat when I am hungry, let me drink when I am dry
A dollar when I am hard up, religion when I die
The whole world’s a bottle and life’s but a dram
When the bottle gets empty, it sure ain’t worth a damn
Meet Me In Montauk 
Yeah, Dylan’s good, but he’s no John Mayer!:)
And no Sting either!
As I’m playing a few John Mayer songs for Mom, I’m once again shocked at yesterday’s exchange. Still, Dylan deserves a comment all his own 🙂
I like the song you chose for today very much, and I look forward to the week’s selections, as I imagine the songs I’m most familiar with won’t make an appearance and I’ll be introduced to some Dylan gems (such as this one) I’ve never heard before. Glad to see you featuring a golden oldie.
Please remember the Mayer exchanges next time I say something about James Taylor!
I don’t understand your last comment, Clay.
I’m assuming Amy is shocked at yesterday’s exchange because she finds Mayer vastly inferior to Sting (see comment #3 above).
But let’s not sully Master Dylan’s thread with such discussion any longer!