“IT’S LIVING HISTORY…”
Steve Berkowitz, the producer of More Blood, More Tracks, lifts the lid on missing tapes, mono reels and “more button”…
“We started to do tape research on More Blood, More Tracks a number of years ago, probably in 2015. the tapes were in excellent shape. the multi-tracks, for the most part, had not been touched since the original mix in 1974.
“We’ll be talking about the new york tapes mostly because there are so many more of them. the only tapes that surfaced from the Minneapolis sessions are the five tracks that were included on the original released record and those are the five multi-tracks we had access to for this set.
“this box is a very different set from The Cutting Edge, which unfolds right in front of us. When you listen to that, you realise that take 1 isn’t necessarily how it ends – many of those songs develop/evolve as he records them. or you hear one, two, three, eight, 12 or 15 takes of “stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again” and around take 18 it starts to get he feel and become the song that was released. But in this case, on september 16, 1974, he walks in with these songs written – completed – really beautiful.
“Blood On The Tracks was originally recorded on 16-track, 2in analogue tape. From the very first track on the first day, ‘If you see her, say hello’, there was a safety-room mic set up, two mics on the guitar and a vocal mic. It’s early in the afternoon, around noon or one o’clock. there are 11 or 12 takes with just Bob, then after ‘lily, rosemary And the Jack of hearts’ there’s a break and the next thing, a band are brought in. then there are another 20 takes. this is a long day. to record 32 takes in one day, that’s some stamina. then the next couple of days, it’s back to him and [bass player] tony Brown with some keyboards from Paul griffin. What’s remarkable is Mr Dylan’s focus in the studio. It seems as if Bob Dylan is never not ‘on’: every take is serious. his ability to focus and be in that moment is incredible to hear.
“It was common recording practice that in parallel to the multi-track tape, they would have a mono quarter-inch tape running all the time. We went through all the multi-tracks and the quarter inches and realised there were additional versions and takes that were not on the multi-tracks — they only now lived on these mono reels. they’re in mono, and that’s why they have the heavy reverb because that’s the way Phil ramone tracked them. CD2 tracks 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 16 only exist in mono; they do not exist in multi-track. there are some other really interesting versions on those mono tapes. In a couple of places Dylan says, ‘let’s do it again.’ then you hear the sound of the multitracked tape rolling backwards. that’s why they are not on the multitrack reels!
“If you listen closely to CD 5 track 1 [‘Tangled Up In Blue’ (Rehearsal And Take 1, Remake 2)], you’ll hear lots of, ‘Button!’ For CD 1 track 7 [‘you’re A Big girl now’ (take 3)], more, clean “button”. sounds like Mr Dylan was wearing a shirt with long sleeves and had it unbuttoned, and it creates a percussive sound – the button clicking on the wood of the guitar. since it is mostly voice and guitar, you hear the button on the up-strum of what he’s playing. It’s just real — true — well recorded!
“Mr Dylan named the box More Blood, More Tracks. In presenting these recordings again for this box, [Dylan’s manager] Jeff rosen and I wanted to focus on Dylan’s voice and the songs and make it more intimate – like you’re in the room rather than a full album production. With the big box, you’re able to go backstage on the original recordings. It’s living history; it’s a thrill to be a part of it.”