The Bootleg Sessions -Volumes 1-3

 

2025 Charity Shop Purchases #5 - Bob Dylan -The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3

Bought on the same charity shop expedition as Boz Scaggs and The Staple Singers this was easily the pick of the the bunch

A 3 CD set on Columbia from 1991 to give it its full name The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3 (Rare & Unreleased)1961 -1991. 58 tracks for £3.99 pretty good on the back of the success of the A Complete Unknown film and from Oxfam to boot!

I was so excited I had to go for a pint!

It joins Volumes 4,7 and 9 on the shelves. It includes a number of absolute bangers but I'm limiting myself, and you, to one from each disc.

The bar for Charity find of the year has been well and truly set

Bob Dylan - When the Ship Comes In (1962)

Bob Dylan - Idiot Wind (16/09/74)

Bob Dylan - Every Grain of Sand (23/09/80)

That was the prog that was. 4.

George writes:

The sharp-eyed reader will realise that today’s photograph is of a souvenir booklet; I have no idea what match at Tynecastle I saw when I bought it. Unfortunately I have no nice memories of this game, it was one Dave and I were dragged along to when staying in Edinburgh at our Aunt and Uncle’s flat - our Dad lived about 50 feet from the ground as a child so unsurprisingly was a Hearts fan. The last time I was there, in 1990, a few friends met up (were you there, CC?) full of hope only to see Dundee United get thrashed 4 - 0 by Aberdeen. I have a feeling I left after the 3rd goal went in at 58 mins (second o.g. of the game) and went to The Diggers for a pint.

As a team the Hearts were bumbling and stumbling along in 1974, drifting to a  first-ever relegation a couple of years later.  A far cry from the team of the late 1950s much revered by our Dad (not surprising, they won the 1957-58 league scoring an astounding 132 goals in 34 games, and again 2 years later, scoring a measly 102 goals). The manager in 1974, Bobby Seith, after leaving Hearts a year later, ended up in that delightful east coast town Broughty Ferry, working there as a chiropodist.

Looking at the Hearts squad for 1973-74 here there are no players that achieved much general recognition. I wondered if my booklet was much sought-after……..alas it’s not (£4 on ebay).

Can the Top Ten best selling singles of 1974 offer more cheer? ABSOLUTELY! Here are three in that All Important Top Ten:

The Rubettes - Sugar Baby Love

Ken Boothe - Everything I Own

And we can all remember this man gracing our screens

Thanks for reading, and thanks to Mr. CC for hosting this piece.

CC writes:

Thanks George. I've been at Tynecastle a few times but can't remember that one. Doesn't mean I wasn't there though!

Uncloudy Sunday

 

2025 Charity Shop Purchases #4 - The Staple Singers - Uncloudy Day.

Although the Staple Singers can (and indeed should) be played every day of the week there is something extra special about giving them an airing of  a Sunday.

As you can see from the picture above Uncloudy Day is part of the Gospel Greats Series released on the budget Charly label in 1995. It seems to me that it features  8 the original 12 tracks from the album of the same name released by Vee- Jay in 1959 featuring recordings from 1956 - 1959.

This CD features a further 12 tracks including Will The Circle Be Unbroken which should be obligatory on every Staple Singers albums and which should also be played in schools.

Praise the Lord.

The Staple Singers - Uncloudy Day

The Staple Singers - I Know I Got Religion

The Staple Singers - Will The Circle Be Unbroken

Saturday Shuffle 86

 

We start this week's shuffle with a song from the rather dapper group pictured above.

They are none other than Michigan band Tommy James and the Shondells who had a big hit in 1968 with Crimson and Clover.Yet another song from Jon Savage's 1968: The Year the World Burned. I'm guessing that is Tommy in the double breasted yellow jacket and with the impressive barnet.

We cross the pond to my home country for the next two acts.

The Muldoons are a band from Paisley who released the album Made for Each Other on Last Night From Glasgow in 2020. Here is the title track and a review from the GInger Quiff . They followed this one up recently with the rather excellent We Saw The View.

Can anyone out there remember who won the Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award in 2017. No? I'll put you out your misery then. It was none other than Sacred Paws with Strike a Light from which the song Nothing is taken.

More award winning shuffling next Saturday.

Tommy James & the Shondells - Crimson and Clover

The Muldoons - Made For Each Other

Sacred Paws - Nothing

Music From Big Pink

 

I'm a big fan of John Niven the Irvine born, American based author.

I recently got out from the library  a  2018 re-issue of his 2005 debut novella Music From the Big Pink timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the  debut album of the same name by The Band.

Described by Bloomsbury as  a heady blend of drugs, music, sixties counter-culture and intoxicating youth it centres on a young drug dealer and wannabee musician Greg Keltner who hangs out with the band in Woodstock as The Band are recording their album and supplies drugs in particular to Richard Manuel and Rick Danko. Topically Bob Dylan makes a brief appearance.

It's only 187 pages and can easily be read in one or two sittings. and if hedonism is your thing I would recommend it.

I only have The Band and The Last Waltz so will keep an eye of for this one. I do, however have a couple of songs from it (one a Dylan cover you should all be familiar with) and a relevant song by the Drive-By Truckers

The Band - Chest Fever

The Band - I Shall be Released

Drive-By Truckers - Danko/Manuel

Silk Degrees

 

2025 Charity Shop Purchases #3 - Boz Scaggs - Silk Degrees.

I know next to nothing about Boz Scaggs with the exception of the fact that he had a song called Lido Shuffle.

I picked up a vinyl copy of his 7th studio album Silk Degrees, from 1976 and on Columbia, in a charity shop after confirming that Lido Shuffle appeared on it.

I subsequently discovered that he was not actually christened Boz Scaggs and that his real name is actually William Royce Scaggs. I also discovered that he had been a member of the Steve Miller Band .Had I  known that I may have approached the album with a degree of trepidation.

It is very much a middle of the road album and also quite possibly veers towards Yacht Rock. For example the final track, and the only other one that I recognised, is We're All Alone a ballad that became a top 10 hit for Rita Coolidge. It was also covered by Frankie Valli. 

It was originally the b-side to Lido Shuffle but probably made him considerably more money than the for superior a-side.

Boz Scaggs - Lido Shuffle

Boz Scaggs - We're All Alone

Saturday Shuffle 85

 

Three artists this week who have all appeared before on this series suggesting that we will have to wait for at least another week for some of the recently added ones to feature.

We start with Glasgow band Savage Mansion with the song Night School taken for their most recent album The Shakes. They previously made an appearance on SS49.

It is no surprise that Bob Marley and the Wailers have graced  this series before - SS25 since you ask. Today they give us the peerless Redemption Song from the equally peerless Uprising album.

We conclude with a collaboration between two legendary artists namely Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore from their debut duo album Downey to Lubbock (their respective home towns) The song selected from the album is Lawdy Miss Clawdy. They also graced SS57.

More selections, new or otherwise, next Saturday

Savage Mansion - Night School

Bob Marley & the Wailers - Redemption Song

Dave Alvin & Jimmie Dale Gilmore - Lawdy Miss Clawdy