All clip art images used throughout the site Copyright © TASK FORCE ImageGALLERY by NVTech, Inc.
All clip art images used throughout the site Copyright © TASK FORCE ImageGALLERY by NVTech,
Inc.
[The Official Rarities Yearly Lists] [Traveling Wilburys] [Online Performances (bobdylan.com)] [Online Performances (Other)] [Interviews with Bob] [VHS & DVD] [International Mono Releases] [International Promotional Releases] [International Stereo Releases] [Released Rarities] [Questionable Releases]
[News] [Updates] [Red Herrings] [Trading] [Other Pages] [Go back to bobdylan.com]
Mission
The prime mission of this site is to promote awareness within the
Bob Dylan fan community of all the officially released material that is NOT CURRENTLY
AVAILABLE on a Columbia Bob Dylan album on CD for fans to purchase (for these see
bobdylan.com
).
Also, see the Site Privacy Policy.
Therefore this site documents all official releases of Bob Dylan performances of songs from his albums and others, including guest appearances. The list includes releases from recognised labels (e.g. Columbia, Warner Brothers, Vanguard or Smithsonian Folkways), radio station/video releases, and promotional items that were not made available to the general public at the time, but which are now in legal circulation. I have also included magazine cover discs because they are listed in record collector magazines or offered for sale by specialist dealers, who do not trade in pirate or bootleg items. Pirate, bootleg and counterfeit items are not listed knowingly on this web-site, which aims to conform to all applicable regulations concerning Intellectual Property Rights.
A "rarity" is something that is no longer on catalogue, and can only be found at a specialist dealer (many of whom are now online, see the Trading page) or a record fair, or by trading with other Dylan collectors. An "obscurity" is a track not on a current Dylan album but which is available on CD - you should be able to go into a record store and buy it readily (any good store should be able to order an item for you if they haven't got it in stock), so it doesn't qualify as a rarity. Please also note that an entry in these listings is not a guarantee that an item has a scarcity value or can command a high price.
I have omitted Bob's appearances on TV and radio shows that have not been officially released on audio albums or videos, or cannot be obtained as officially created radio station discs/tapes in legal circulation.
All rarities and obscurities included in Searching For A Gem are listed chronologically (as far as possible) by release date. It is my aim to include every occurrence of each item (or in some cases, to point the reader to where a listing of every occurrence of it can be found elsewhere on the Internet). Each item is allocated a unique "R-" number, e.g. "R-0002", and the same "R-" number is then used for each occurrence of the item, with a suffix, e.g. "R-0002-2", "R-0002-3", etc. To eliminate the tedious renumbering required when I first started this site, any new item released or discovered by/notified to me is allocated the next available "R-" number, regardless of where it is to be placed in the list. Because of this, and because some items were originally misdated and had to be moved in the list, the "R-" number sequence now looks a bit crazy, especially in the Sixties, so I've provided the Google search facility on the home page and a cross-references list by song title. Because of its length, this alphabetic list has expanded to five parts. To remove some confusion I have stopped using separate R-numbers for mono and stereo versions of the same rarity - the mono version now has the same R-number as the stereo version with an "M" suffix, e.g. the mono version of "R-0001" is "R-0001M".
Radio station discs: I haven't allocated R- numbers to slightly faded Dylan tracks or very short excerpts from Dylan album tracks that occur on radio station discs. Tracks on radio station discs are often faded or talked over. Because every occurrence is unique I don't give these R-numbers either.
Page changes: All page changes on the site are done with the aim of keeping pages below 50Kb if possible. The site structure is complicated, but I've tried to compensate for this by adding a Google search facility to the home page. I have now combined every instance that an album or other item is reissued in the same artistic form as one entry for the year of first release. This avoids multiple entries, as well as reducing cross-references and reader navigation. This means I no longer have separate entries in the audio chronology for an album's release on LP, on cassette, and then as a CD. In the video chronology this applies to VHS tapes, laserdiscs and DVDs. If you have instances of rarities in other commercial formats, e.g. reel-to-reel tapes, 8-track cartridges, compact cassettes or MiniDiscs, please let me have details.
Mono Releases: All Mono LPs are eligible for inclusion on this site because the mono versions of Dylan songs are now unavailable on CD, and have their own pages on International Mono Releases. Mono LPs with rare tracks (e.g. mono versions with significant differences from the album tracks, such as different mixes, edits or fades) are listed in the Rarities pages. Mono 7" Singles & EPs are now on several pages on International Mono Releases.
Promotional Releases: exclusive stereo promotional albums and singles are now listed in chronological pages on International Promotional Releases. Promo versions of albums and singles that were also released commercially are on the International Stereo Releases pages.
Other Stereo Releases: International releases which don't qualify for the main list but are nevertheless very collectable are now on International Stereo Releases (Living In Another Country). This is expanding rapidly and is being developed into a separate general discographical site, as is the other "Flying Pig" Production - Bob Dylan’s Unreleased Songs (Starlight In The East). Tracks from official albums that appear on "Various Artist" compilation albums are now listed in International Stereo Releases. Alan Hoaksey has prepared a complete list of these that will eventually be added to these pages.
Online Performances: the Performances page of
bobdylan.com was discontinued in the site revamp of Aug
2006, but there is now a Video page, see here
. The Online
Performances page of this site will remain as a record of
bobdylan.com's previous valuable service for fans.
Questionable Releases: Items formerly on the main list that have been challenged by contributors because of their legality are now on Questionable Releases.
Released Rarities: Items formerly on the main list that have been disqualified because they are now available on a currently available Bob Dylan CD in the USA are now on Released Rarities.
How new items are added
The policy of the site is this: if it's not on a current stereo Bob Dylan CD
on the bobdylan.com albums page
,
it's a rarity (obscurities
are rarities that are on current in-print CDs that aren't listed on
the bobdylan.com albums page). Rarities not only include new songs
(titles in red), but also live performances, alternate takes, alternate mixes,
edits and
mono versions of Dylan album tracks. For mono tracks, I don't give a
separate R- number to the tracks that appeared on 1960s mono Dylan LPs (up to and
including Nashville Skyline) unless the mono mix was significantly
different from its current stereo form, but I do give their own R- number
to mono versions of tracks from albums that appeared only in stereo. The mono
and stereo versions of rarities from the 1960s and early 1970s are now listed
separately with an "M" suffix for the mono rarity.
Any new item will go into the highest category that it qualifies for, for example a mono promotional item goes into the appropriate Mono LP page or Mono Singles page, not onto a Promo Albums or Promo Singles page.
1 The Rarities listings (Parts 1-5, "Traveling Wilburys", "Online Performances", "Interviews with Bob", "Video & DVD"):
[The Official Rarities Yearly Lists] [Traveling Wilburys] [Online Performances (bobdylan.com)] [Online Performances (Other)] [Interviews with Bob] [VHS & DVD]
2 Mono Items: Singles without rarities are now split into chorological Mono pages up to 1976; Mono regular albums have their own pages and there are also pages for mono Dylan-only compilations and mono Various Artist compilations with Dylan tracks, see:
3 Promotional Items The "Promotional Items" sections that were previously on the yearly pages have now been moved to International Promotional Releases and redefined to contain only stereo items that were produced exclusively for promotional use and also for broadcast by radio stations. Promo copies of regular albums and commercially released singles have now been moved to the appropriate page in International Stereo Releases. Promo singles and promo albums with unique selections of tracks now have their own Promo Albums and Promo Singles pages in International Promotional Releases. (Radio station LPs/CDs often contain faded Bob Dylan tracks or excerpts from them, often talked over. Because these excerpts vary in length considerably and are unique to individual records, they are no longer listed with R-numbers.)
[International Promotional Releases]
4 International Releases (all stereo): "Regular LPs" (one page per album), "Compilation LPs" (multiple pages), "Stereo Singles" (all formats, multiple pages):
[International Stereo Releases]
5 Honourable Mentions (any other items of interest):
6 Questionable Releases
Items that have been challenged by contributors are here: Note I don't add new items directly to the Questionable Releases page, it's reserved for items that were formerly on the Rarities listing! Otherwise this could expand into a whole separate site, and there are already several web-sites covering these releases.
Removals:
The first removal from the Rarities list occurred in late November 2002 when The Bootleg Series Vol. 5 - Bob Dylan Live 1975: The Rolling Thunder Revue was released including It Ain't Me, Babe (R-0137).
If a performance currently listed as a rarity is officially released on a US Columbia CD it will be removed from this list. I have now created a new page for Released Rarities listing all the items that contained it. If any of these still contain other rarities, they'll also remain in the main listing.
Red Herrings:
For records that have been reported to me but that are wrongly associated with Bob, see:
Under Construction...
 |
bobdylan.com calls this site a "list-in-progress", and that's exactly right! A major expansion of the site is ongoing, thanks to the generous provision of LP and label scans from Hans Seegers, many of which are of completely new items that cannot be found elsewhere on the Internet, plus much extra information about existing items. There are currently around 250 pages and 10,000 pictures (including thumbnails). In answer to queries about making the pages "printer-friendly", the volatility of the site means I strongly discourage people printing out these pages. A printed page would soon be out-of-date! For proof of this, see the Updates page link below. For details of recent updates, go here. For news of upcoming releases, go here. |
If you know of any OFFICIALLY RELEASED item not on this list, please let me know!
Email:
If you have an item that you think warrants inclusion, please let me have just the title and a brief description at first. I have received some very lengthy descriptions (including large cover scans) of items which are not eligible for these pages because they are bootlegs - something that is not always obvious from their appearance. I don't like to see you wasting all that careful work! I am also very grateful for corrections, catalogue numbers, matrix numbers, precise release dates, cover scans, and any other information about the item that you think readers will find interesting. If there is no picture sleeve, please scan the label (and the generic sleeve if it's not shown on my Sleeves page). I can also make reasonably good scans of colour photocopies. Sadly, digital photos are usually disappointing with unrealistic colours, unwanted reflections and badly distorted geometrically, so I prefer not to use them. Taking digital photos and sending them to me is usually a waste of your time! Please note that because of the huge number of submissions to this site I would be very grateful if you could submit pictures 100% ready to be added to a page. That means all pictures should be aligned so they're exactly horizontal and vertical, especially label pictures, and cropped to be exactly square (or 2:1 if gatefold). I add pictures to the site at 320x320 (640x320 for gatefold) but I like submissions to be 300 dpi so I can show details if necessary. Pictures of details you submit should be either 1:1, 2:1 or 3:1, I can't easily use pictures with different width/height ratios as they spoil the look of the pages. Scan LP sleeves in four sections on a flatbed scanner and "stitch" them together in a program like Adobe PhotoShop or Paint Shop Pro to show the whole sleeve. (It's easy!) For 2008 I shall be introducing a new policy of no more than three or four pictures per entry in order to reduce both web space and the time required to add an entry. I shall be editing all existing pages over a period of time to remove pictures which don't "add value" to an entry, which I'm hoping will allow me to combine some pages to make navigation easier for visitors.
There is now space on the site for rare/collectable Dylan and Dylan-related
officially-released items that don't qualify for the main Rarities list. These are now listed on the
International Promotional Releases and International Stereo Releases
sections shown above. Alan Hoaksey
is compiling an extensive directory of every officially-released Dylan item that
will eventually be available online.
Acknowledgements
The list of people who've contributed to the site is now long enough to merit its own Thanks page!
1. Sorry, but I can't make copies of these for you!
Repeat: I cannot copy Dylan rarities for you!
"Sorry!" to those who continue to write to me asking for copies of rarities, despite this clear statement. It would be impossible for me to find the time to make CD-R, MP3 or DVD-R copies of rarities for requesters. Also, I could be getting myself into legal hot water. The purpose of this site is to provide discographical information for collectors of official releases, namely people who want to own the actual artefacts. I can't help people who want copies or compilations of these tracks in any way. Where material isn't currently available, I would like to see Columbia and the other recording companies represented here release it officially on CD. Time is way overdue for a Columbia Dylan Rarities collection! I am told there is a multi-CD set in unofficial circulation entitled Official Rarities - Searching For A Gem - please be aware that this set has been produced without the knowledge or consent of this site and the material it contains is pirated. You are recommended to have nothing to do with it.
2. Sorry, but I can't value or find a buyer for your rare items!
Repeat: I cannot value your Dylan rarities!
A second "Sorry!" to those who continue to write
to me asking for valuations, despite this clear statement. Again, it would be impossible for me to find the time to keep track of the values of all these
rarities. Prices are very dependent upon condition and location. I could
also incur legal problems here too. If I give you
an estimated price that is too high then you'll be disappointed if you can't realise
that price, and if I give you a price that's too low then you may let the item
go too cheaply and lose money. Therefore I don't even try! "Goldmine"
magazine publishes an annual Price Guide
,
and I'm told it's a very good reference source.
If you are willing to value rarities for our visitors, please
contact me
(especially if you're based in the USA, which is where most of the queries come
from). I'll put your address on the Trading page so they can contact you directly.
I have also been asked to indicate how many copies of a rarity were actually produced by the record companies (as a way of assessing relative scarcity). I will indicate this information when it's provided to me, but time constraints mean I cannot make it a general principle.
3. Sorry, but I can't find rarities for you!
I'm a collector, not a dealer, and this is not a commercial site. None of these rarities (many more than in my own personal collection) are either priced or for sale. Unbelievably, people have emailed me ordering items from the list - please don't, it wastes your precious time and mine! For help on finding Dylan rarities, see below.
4. Sorry, but I can't help you contact Bob Dylan!
You
can't do it through me! This is a fan site with no connection to Bob or his
office.
I used to have a postal address that I thought was
correct, but I have now been informed by someone who wrote to that address that
their mail was returned. I have never had an email address. I can only suggest
you contact Bob's publisher Simon & Schuster
or use the contact address at bobdylan.com
.
However, it is almost certain you will be disappointed. Bob is a very private man who keeps a wide distance between himself and
his fans or the general public, so he is very unlikely to respond to any request
you may have. This includes requests for autographs - Bob hardly ever gives
autographs, so items with his signature offered for sale are phenomenally
expensive!
There's no easy answer to the question of how you can get hold of these rarities, but even today you must be prepared to spend more time looking in the "real world" than online! People like me spend more time (and money) than we should in used record stores and at record fairs looking for anything by Bob Dylan that might turn up. However, there are now more and more web-based dealers in rare records, vinyl, etc. If you are a dealer in Dylan rarities and you would like your email or web-page details included on my Trading page, which I would like to expand. Please let me know also if you run regular record fairs. If you're a collector and have items to trade, I'll also put your contact details here. Because this is not a commercial site there's no charge or commission expected for having a trader entry added there.
Many of the rarities in my collection that I didn't buy at the
time have been bought at Esprit International (eil.com)
.Esprit are very
expensive, but their stock is in good condition and they go way
over the top with their packaging to make sure it reaches you as
it left them. They also have buyers in the UK and the USA who will make you an
offer for your rarity. Try here
.
Alternatively, look at the on-line auction house eBay
to
see the prices similar items fetch and try to sell your rarity there.
For
general Dylan queries, Bill Pagel's Bob Links site
,
John Howell's Bringing It All Back Homepage
and Karl Erik Andersen's Expecting Rain site
will almost certainly have, or have links to, the information you're looking
for.
[The Official Rarities Yearly Lists] [Traveling Wilburys] [Online Performances] [Interviews with Bob] [VHS & DVD] [International Mono Releases] [International Promotional Releases] [International Stereo Releases] [Released Rarities] [Questionable Releases]
[News] [Updates] [Red Herrings] [Trading] [Other Pages] [Go back to bobdylan.com]
A Flying Pig production
Listings © 1998-2008
The rights to material from all quoted contributors remain
with them.
Copyright of all included cover art remains with the various record
and audiovisual companies and artists.
Since 18 Jun 2002 you are Visitor No.
(That was when I started using a new counter - I estimate that around 700,000 people previously visited the site since its set-up in mid-1998.)
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