This particular collection of songs is some Dylans most raw work. This is album is a real treat for fans of his first 3 albums, or those that are more interested in his folk roots than his later rock and roll pop songs. Recorded live at the Gaslight Cafe in late 1962, this album has been available for years as a bootleg, and a semi-legit european LP. The general sound quality is clear, but has a very real, raw sound to it. You can hear glasses and plates clattering in the background that add to the 'realness' of the overall sound.
1) Hard Rain - Possibly Dylan's best song. He once said that every line in the song was enough to write another song about. You can hear Dylan make a few slips on the chordings, but its still a fairly good performance of this timeless classic. 5/5
2) Dont Think Twice, Its Alright - Another classic Dylan song, a catchy love song, but not much to say about it. 4/5
3)Black Cross (Hezekia Jones) - This song is really interesting, I like it. Its a spoken word story about a black man that was hanged for having books. Not typical Dylan, but still worth a listen. 5/5
4) Nore More Auction Block - If you listen closely to the melody of this traditional song, you can hear where Dylan got the melody for Blowin in Wind. Dylans singing fits the song well but it can get a repetitive sounding, and is easy to lose interest in. 3/5
5) Rocks and Gravel - a nice bluesy song. The reveiw of track 4 basically applies to this song aswell, although the singing is more interesting. 3.5/5
6) Barbera Allen - This song is very laid back and has a nice melody but can also be easy to lose interest in, since it nearly lasts 7 minutes. 3.5/5
7) Moonshine Blues - The subject of this traditional song is fairly obvious. Nice melody, although its a little dreary sounding. 3.5/5
8) Motherlass Children - A very strong sounding song. Sounds similar to alot of his work off of his first album. I have a softspot for Dylans blues covers similar to this song, but others may be turned off by its raw intensity. 4/5
9) John Brown - One of the few originals on the album. Sounds like it would fit in nicely with the sound on The Times They Are a Changin. 4/5
10) Ballad of Hollis Brown - An upbeat, raw sounding song. This is fairly well performed, definitly does the song justice. 4/5
11) Kind Hearted Woman - although Dylan changes alot of the lyrics of this classic piece by Robert Johnson, he does a pretty good job. The guitar playing is interesting, different from his normal playing. 4/5
12) See That My Grave is Kept Clean - Again, I generally enjoy Dylans blues covers, but some listeners may not appreciate the raw sound. 3.5/5
13) Ain No More Cane - Not on of the albums strong points, but still enjoyable. 3/5
14) Cocaine Blues - An alright song, nothing special here. Not Bad, but there are much better songs on this album. 3/5
15) West Texas - Upbeat and raw, reminds of Highway 51 off of his first album. 4/5
