Dylan's back pages - The 1992 Chicago Bob Dylan-David Bromberg sessions

David Bromberg, "It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry".

In early June, 1992, Bob Dylan went into Acme Recording in Chicago with David Bromberg. Most of the recordings remain unreleased, although two tracks were included in 2008's Tell Tale Signs.

Acme Recording; Chicago, Illinois
3-5 June 1992
Produced by David Bromberg.

1. I'll Rise Again (trad.)
2. Nobody's Fault But Mine (Blind Willie Johnson)
3. Lady From Baltimore (trad.)
4. Polly Vaughan (trad.)
5. Casey Jones (trad.)
6. Duncan And Brady (trad.)
7. Kaatskil Serenade (David Bromberg)
8. World Of Fools (David Bromberg)
9. Miss The Mississippi (Jimmie Rodgers)

10. Sloppy Drunk (Jimmie Rodgers)

1-2, 4-10 Bob Dylan (vocal & guitar) backed by David Bromberg (guitar) and his band: Peter Ecklund (trumpet), John Firmin (tenor saxophone & clarinet), Curtis Linberg (trombone), Glen Lowe (guitar), Dick Fegy (fiddle & mandolin), Jeff Wisor (fiddle & mandolin), Christopher Cameron (keyboards), Robert Amiot (bass), Richard Crooks (drums).

2 Bob Dylan (vocal) and David Bromberg (acoustic guitar).

1-2 Chicago South Side Gospel Choir

There has been conflicting information about these sessions over the years. This is meant as an overview, mostly based on writings by Ryan Cormier and Clinton Heylin.

Bob Dylan and David Bromberg go way back. In 1970, Bromberg played on Dylan's Self Portrait and New Morning sessions. Dylan returned the favor by playing harmonica on Bromberg's 1971 eponymous album.
 

Bromberg and Dylan's paths crossed throughout the years, but they never really worked on a project together until 18 years ago. In the winter of 1992, Bromberg was playing the Bottom Line in New York City, and Dylan and Neil Young went to see him perform. At that time, Young allegedly suggested to Dylan that he work with Bromberg.

Dylan was looking for inspiration at this point. Aside from Traveling Wilburys Vol. One and Oh Mercy from the late 1980's, Dylan had not lived up to his artistic or commercial potential for almost a decade. He was looking to go back to his roots, and figured kindred spirit Bromberg was the man to help him do it.

Bromberg, like Dylan, was into what is now called "Americana"- a mix of various folk, blues, country, and other forms of American traditional music. He was living in Chicago at the time, and invited Dylan to join him and his band at Acme Recording. Heylin originally said that Dylan worked the album for weeks, and recorded 26 songs, and 15 of these were mixed by Bromberg while Dylan went on tour, according to Acme engineer Blaise Barton. It is now generally believed that Dylan was only there from June 3 to 5. based on the liner notes from Tell Tale Signs.  Barton also said that there were a few different musical line-ups used at the sessions, from bluegrass to rock to gospel.

There were reports that Dylan was unhappy during the recording sessions, and told Bromberg to erase the tapes, but it is unlikely that this ever happened. According to Bromberg, Dylan wasn't dissatisfied unti lhe heard the mixes:

"(Dylan) left me to mix things and he told me before he left, 'I've usually been on every mix I've done, but I trust you. Go ahead and mix it,' and I think I did a bad job. I didn't understand what he wanted. When he came back and listened to it, he said, 'That's awful. Go back and listen to the roughs.' I went back and listened to the rough mix and I saw what he was talking about, but he had lost interest. It's unfortunate that we didn't get to mix it together because it might have come out."

Dylan instead went on to record two solo acoustic albums of traditional material in 1992-3, Good As I Been To You and World Gone Wrong.

Two songs from the Bromberg sessions have been officially released on Tell Tale Signs: The Bootleg Series Vol.. 8 - Rare and Unreleased 1989-2006: Jimmie Rodgers' "Miss The Mississippi" on the second disc,and "Duncan and Brady" on the third, available only on the deluxe edition.

Bromberg said that only the echoes of the horns can be heard on "Miss The Mississippi", which "gives it a spooky feel."

Dylan added "Duncan and Brady" to his regular live repertoire in 2000, where it appeared in the set list, on-and-off, for a couple of years.

Bromberg was reluctant to discuss the details of the sessions in Cormier's article, but did say the decision to record two Bromberg compositions was Dylan's idea, that "he wanted to do those tunes and I was very flattered."

According to this 2006 post via Michael Gray's Bob Dylan Encyclopedia, here's a list of songs from the sessions:

1. Hey Joe (maybe a warm up/fragment, or not recorded at all?)
2. Mobile Line
3. Just Because
4. Field Of Stone (Would You Lay With Me)
5. Annie's Song
6. Jugband Song
7. Rock Me Baby
8. Send Me To The 'lectric Chair
9. Gotta Do My Time
10. Su Su's Got A Mohawk
11. Northeast Texas Woman
12. Sail On
13. Can't Lose What You Never Had
14. World Of Fools
15. Everybody's Crying Mercy
16. Tennessee Blues
17. Summer Wages
18. Casey Jones
19. Morning Blues
20. Young Westley
21. The Lady Came From Baltimore
22. New Lee Highway Blues
23. Rise Again
24. Duncan & Brady
25. The Main Street Moan
26. Nobody's Fault But Mine
27. Miss The Mississippi & You (currently circulating)
28. Sloppy Drunk (currently circulating)
29. Kaatskill Serenade (currently circulating)
30. Polly Vaughn (currently circulating)
 

Here's hoping the rest of the sessions see the light of day.

Bromberg covering Dylan's "Wallflower"

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