While preparing the soundtrack for Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid, back in 1973, Bob Dylan recorded a number of songs that, along with all the rehearsals, remained in the vaults.
Now, Dylan has decided to secretly release these outtakes, as the CD version of this music was briefly available in Europe (before selling out almost immediately).
As The Line of Best Fit notes, a stipulation in European copyrights states that all sound recordings will be sent into the public domain if they aren’t released 50 years after their creation, which means that it has become a tradition for artists to share studio rarities such as these. Dylan combined his first three albums into a box-set when their outtakes were nearing the copyright deadline, and he is known for pressing a small batch of CDs and sending them to European record stores with no notice.
The 50th Anniversary Collection features an alternative rendition of “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” and multiple takes of songs such as “Billy Surrenders,” “And He Killed Me Too,” and “Final Theme”.
At the same time, an unreleased Bob Dylan song is set to feature in a new box set compilation chronicling The Waterboys’ album This Is The Sea. The track, an instrumental titled “Meridian West,” came about in 1985 when the British-Irish folk rock band was invited to play with Dylan at a session in North London recording studio Church Studios.
Dylan had been working on the piece with the musician Dave Stewart when The Waterboys joined in, and the band’s frontman Mike Scott happened to record the jam session. When compiling the upcoming re-release project, Scott contacted Dylan and received his authorization to include the track on the box set.
