19 year-old University of Minnesota student Robert Zimmerman recorded in his college apartment in 1960 - tape donated to the Minnesota Historical Society.
- Known to Dylan bootleg collectors as the "Minnesota Party Tape," the 12-song recording was donated to the Historical Society last week by Cleve Pettersen, who kept it at the back of a drawer for many years.
"I listened to it a couple times and forgot about it," Pettersen said.
As of Thursday, everyone can now hear the tape. The Historical Society announced that the recording is available for public listening in the library at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul.
Bonnie Wilson, curator of sound and visual collections at the center, described the recording as "the perfect artifact representing Dylan's time in the Twin Cities."
The tape was made by Pettersen on a $50 reel-to-reel machine in the Dinkytown area of Minneapolis, when Dylan was not, yet, Dylan. He would not make a formal recording until two years later.
Not yet an original songwriter, young Bobby sang traditional folk and country songs in Dinkytown-area coffeehouses at the time. Pettersen's tape captures him singing tunes such as Jimmie Rodgers' "Blue Yodel No. 8 (Muleskinner Blues)."
Other songs include Woody Guthrie's "Jesus Christ" and "Talkin' Merchant Marine."
Both Pettersen and Wilson confess that Dylan's performance on the recording and its sound quality are "no great shakes," as Pettersen put it.
"If he didn't go on to be that famous guy, I doubt anybody would have any interest in hearing it," Pettersen said.
....Only 15 at the time, he said, he was "just a kid who hung around" the burgeoning Dinkytown folk scene. Through a friend, he got Dylan to agree to sit for the recording at an apartment where the singer lived on 15th Avenue SE.
Some of Dylan's friends, including then-girlfriend Bonnie Beecher, were in the room for the recording. A bottle of wine was passed around and lots of cigarettes were smoked — hence the "Party Tape" moniker.
"It was all pretty innocent," Pettersen recalled, denying rumors that marijuana was smoked.
....Why didn't he go for the money?
"[Dylan] was nice enough to let some kid he didn't know record him one night, and then he went on and became famous," he said. "It just didn't seem right to turn around and exploit it."
The History Center has CD and cassette copies of the recording in its library at 345 W. Kellogg Blvd., which has free admission and is open Tuesdays through Saturdays. [StarTribune]
Article comments
1 - Eric Olsen
anyone heard it yet?
2 - ClubhouseCancer
I have the tapes called the "Minnesota Party Tapes," but they're from another hotel room party, in Dec. 61. It has a pretty extraordinary "Dink's Song" and good versions of "Cocaine Blues" and "Man of Constant Sorrow." It's widely available on the bootleg called "Great White Wonder" and various other sources. "GWW" is the famous 1969 3-LP bootleg (sort of the first famous bootleg recording). The other two LPs of it are made up of material later called "The Basement Tapes."
I also have the one from May 61, also in Minneapolis and also made up of covers and folk songs.
This new one has always been just a rumor to me. When can we hear it for free on the 'Net, I wonder?
3 - Eric Olsen
CC, you Dylanhead
I looked around a bit and couldn't find it
4 - ClubhouseCancer
I mean it about that "Dink's Song." But I know you like a combo, Eric, so this stuff probably ain't for you. There's so much good Dylan that I advise anyone not to spend one second on any Dylan you don't like or that has sound so bad you just can't take it.
5 - george
i have abob dylan album.double LP blank lables on records, and white jacket with dylan written across front and songs hand printed on inside. please help!!