Dylan's 'George Jackson' on new CD, Chieftains and Decemberists cover 'Ship'

There are a few upcoming releases that should be of interest to fans and collectors of Bob Dylan's music.

The acoustic version of Bob Dylan's rare 1971 single, "George Jackson," will be included on the upcoming compilation, Listen, Whitey: The Sounds of Black Power 1967-74 (Light In The Attic CD, 2LP set, Digital). The album artwork also includes a photograph of Huey Newton, co-founder of the Black Panther Party for Self Defense, holding a copy of Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited LP.

Here's a blurb from the label's website:

This one has been a beast. Through inhuman perseverance, our friend and fine Light In The Attic A&R man Pat Thomas brings us this phenomenal comp. Befriending key leaders of the seminal Black Power Movement, digging through Huey Newton’s archives at Stanford University, and spending his life’s fortune on eBay, Pat may have only nearly averted death by A&R, but he has skillfully painted a complicated time period when revolutionaries like Bobby Seale, Eldridge Cleaver, and Angela Davis were seen as pop culture icons and musicians like Gil Scott-Heron, The Last Poets, and Bob Dylan were seen as revolutionaries. The disc presents a unique cross-cultural overview where Dylan's 1971 single "George Jackson" sits alongside insanely rare private press 45s and the almighty Gil Scott. Interspersed are selections from the Black Forum label, Motown's early ‘70s Black Power militant imprint featuring SNCC spokesman Stokely Carmichael, poet Amiri Baraka, and Black Panther Party singer/songwriter Elaine Brown. It's safe to say that this is the definitive Black Power aural document. The comp will play as a soundtrack to Pat Thomas's 70,000-word hardcover book of the same name to be released by Fantagraphics in early 2012.

Elsewhere, the label states:

... musicians were seen as revolutionaries; Gil Scott-Heron, The Last Poets, Bob Dylan, John Lennon and others ... A cross-cultural overview that sees Bob Dylan’s out of print 1971 single “George Jackson” reissued for the first time ... Intensive hours of research led to a 16-track anthology that not only brings together Dylan and Lennon on the same compilation for the first time (via John & Yoko’s 1972 song about Angela Davis)...

These statements need clarification. The "Big Band" version of "George Jackson" appeared on Dylan's Masterpieces compilation. The acoustic version, included here, was available from Sony's defunct "Custom Mix" series circa 2003 (sort of a primitive version of iTunes). That year I compiled a limited edition (300 copies) CD for a retail store which featured the twelve Dylan rarities available at the time, including the "acoustic" version of "George Jackson" (although the "Big Band" version was mistakenly listed on the"Custom Mix" website). Coincidently, the Carolina Chocolate Drops recently recorded "George Jackson," based on the "Big Band" version, for the recent Amnesty benefit album, Chimes Of Freedom. However, their cover of "Political World" was used instead, and "George Jackson" is expected to be a digital only bonus track on their upcoming album, Leaving Eden.

Also, I'm not sure if Listen, Whitey: The Sounds of Black Power 1967-74 can claim to be the first compilation to include both Dylan and Lennon tracks. Certainly the soundtrack for The Royal Tenenbaums included Dylan's "Wigwam" and Lennon's "Look At Me." The CD is technically a soundtrack, not a compilation. However, Next Stop Is Vietnam 1961-2008, a 2010 13 CD (plus book) box set from Bear Family Records, included Dylan's "Masters Of War" and Lennon's "Give Peace A Chance" and "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)."

But I digress.

Speaking of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, they have contributed "Pretty Little Girl" to the upcoming Chieftains 50th anniversary album, Voice of Ages. It will also include a collaboration between the Chieftains and the Decemberists on Dylan's "When The Ship Comes In." According to a video interview posted on Rolling Stone's website, the melody was rewritten with a "new kick ... to lift the whole song." You can listen to the track here.

In other news, the PBS documentary, Legends of Folk: The Village Scene, with footage of Dylan singing "Blowin' In The Wind" at the 1963 Newport Folk Festival, will be released April 3 on DVD . The restored and remastered version will include the following performances:

1. “If I Had a Hammer,” Peter, Paul and Mary
2. “Blowin’ in the Wind,” Bob Dylan
3. “It Ain’t Me Babe,” Joan Baez
4. “I Ain’t Marching Anymore,” Phil Ochs
5. “Handsome Johnny,” Richie Havens
6. “I Ain’t Gonna Marry,” Jim Kweskin Jug Band
7. “Liza Jane,” The New Lost City Ramblers
8. “You’ve Got To Walk That Lonesome Valley,” Mississippi John Hurt
9. “The Last Thing on My Mind,” Tom Paxton
10. “If I Were A Carpenter,” Tim Hardin
11. “My Father,” Judy Collins
12. “Do You Believe in Magic,” The Lovin’ Spoonful
13. “The Sound of Silence,” Simon and Garfunkel
14. “Leaving on a Jet Plane,” John Denver
15. “Castles in the Air,” Don McLean
16. “Solitary Man,” Neil Diamond
17. “California Dreamin,’” The Mamas and the Papas
Bonus songs:
“Deep Blue Sea,” Peter Yarrow
“Black Jack Daisy,” John Cohen