Wow, this is something of a disappointment.
It is like watching lesbian porn and the girls don’t french kiss -not quite real.
I was expecting a teenage pre-Dylanish Dylan in his Chelsea Hotel with a tape recorder. Well, he is 22 years old here and a completed Dylan figure, and these are demos. But the songs are essentially complete, they are demos so the songs can be sold to a third party. Like the acoustic Marley numbers on Songs Of Freedom. With this difference. When eventually released Marley’s were orchestrated for a full band, Dylan’s remained harp and acoustic. So big fucking whoop at the demos.
Every song I have heard before I have heard better. especially a “Hard Times In New York Town” -taken faster and slighter than the version on Bootleg Volume 1 and a “I’ll Keep it with Mine” where the melody is not completed on the verses (it is off only one note but it is the worse for it) and much superior on Biograph.
This is only a first listen and as a Dylan fanatic I am more than happy to add it to the collection but I am still disappointed.
I’ll write more after living with it for awhile.