More Bootleg Dylan! First Listen "Blind Willie McTell" 

He's creating a scene of slavery and oppression that all leads up to the need for and the creation of the blues. Willie McTell releases all that pain and sorrow over centuries through his music.

No one can sing the blues .. like Bob Dylan. #theMaster

Please never stop reacting to Dylan, dude. I live for these videos, tremendous stuff.

Perhaps he's suggesting that Willie McTell's blues - his voice, etc.- simply embodies the entire history of the African-American experience in the American South, i.e., each of the things Dylan sings about in the verses.

And that was an outtake 😮

Lord Protect My Child is another unreleased song with amazing vocals

I'm pretty sure that's Dylan on the piano. Thanks for all you do SY

Have to agree with you regarding his vocals on this one. There's a subtle vulnerbaility that his voice exudes around the infidels era that just really compliments his songwriting style around the time. On a side note, one song you NEED to check out is Desolation Row from highway 61 Revisited. It's an 11-minute series of surreal vignettes laced with cultural allusions and humorous metaphors. Quite probably his magnum opus.

This is a really cool vocal from Dylan.🖖🏼

You have to cover his Blood on the Tracks Outtake song: Up To Me. It's magnificent.

This is beautiful; and yes, it's Dylan's best vocals. As you noted, Blind Willie McTell was a blues player from early 20th century, known for his unique fingerpicking style. He's known to have used the 12 string guitar almost exclusively and was adept at the slide guitar. The Jim Crow Laws of the time made it almost impossible for an African American to prosper or find a wide audience. Dylan repeating 'no one can sing like Blind Willie McTell' sounds like 'how many other's voices were stifled/stilled by slavery and later segregation. How much culture was lost to the inhumanity of it all. In the end, I think Blind Willie influenced many,, Bob Dylan of course; and The Allman Brother's Band covered one of Blind Willie's songs "Statesboro Blues".

The music is really very close to “The St. James Infirmary Blues” which is an old song about going to identify the body of a lover or spouse. Really adds to this amazing song. Great selection and reaction.

Nobody is left who can, ya know, sing the tale. Blind Willie McTell is gone. Sic transit gloria mundi, kinda thing. There more blues in the heart of the world than ever but there's no one now adequate to the task of singing it. That's how I've always heard it.

It's an aural painting. Still get shivers. .

This song is one of the greatest Dylan songs ever. I first heard it in 1985, when I was living in San Diego. A friend of mine had the bootleg recording, and he played it for my brother and I. We were stunned at how brilliant it was. Over 40 years later, it has lost none of its power.

This is another master piece from the Master ( music and lyrics )

Apparently he quit smoking cigarettes leading up to Nashville Skyline; probably his purest, most fluid vocals...

Gone with the wind condensed into 5 verses. Beautiful.

V cool..always like to see the lyrics!

Your Dylan videos are the best.

I almost can’t believe you found this track - almost no one knows this one and it’s my all time favorite Dylan song. It shows exactly why he was awarded a Nobel. This is hallucinatory, dreamlike, melancholy, envisioning and feeling the tragic histories over centuries on the same land. So very, very much to engender the blues.

Great song, just Dylan on piano and singing, accompanied by Mark Knopfler on 12 string guitar, perfect.

dylan on piano and mark knopfler on acoustic guitar ... dylan singing on this one is at is pinnacle !!!

Just about my favorite Dylan song, just behind my favorite of any music, Mr Tambourine Man. God, I love your Dylan videos! ❤❤

awesome evocative song. despite God, evil is ever present.

Honestly, the line about Mctell is very simple. Dylan is a huge fan, as he should be. Willie McTell was fantastic. He's covered his songs on tour and on the album World Gone Wrong. The subject of the song certainly seems to be what Dylan sees as the background and imagery that made McTell's music. It's fitting that, by paying homage to McTell, Dylan has created a completely original and haunting blues song of his own. The electric versions of this song are even better. Great reaction.

Dylan first really sang melody on his album Nashville Skyline, released, if memory serves, summer of 1969. Listen to Lay, Lady, Lay…..people were truly shocked by this album…..a huge departure from previous works.

Yep this is it 👍🙏❤️

If you listen to a song called St James Infirmary, you'll see the basis for the tune to this song. I've not heard this before but it's among Dylan's best. (I've been listening to him since 1965) Goodness knows how this never got released. And yes, nobody can sing the blues like Blind Willie McTell. A true blues legend

Another bootleg series track that I dearly love is Seven Curses.

This is my favorite reaction from all yours. Keep up your great work. A fantastic song, I see today more clearly. Many thanks.

Thanks so much for playing Bob❤️

This album is amazing

These little vignettes are improving. Congrats.

That entire bootleg series (vol 1-3) is phenomenal. But my favourite track is Idiot Wind. Another great reaction Syed.

I know this is late but the thing about Dylan is he's so different than other singers and bands. I could listen to The Stones or the Beatles all day and love it. That goes for a lot of bands and songwriters I love. But when many of those songs are done, they are done and you just remember you had a good time. Many times with Bob songs, you can be thinking about what he was singing for days. Just trying to understand what he is trying to tell us. And you may not ever really figure it out. It's like Bob writes songs and he expects you to figure out what it all means. One of the many reasons he is my favorite singer-songwriter.

Dylan left better songs off his albums than other artist's very best they put out.

The pain may go deeper in Willie McTell than what horrors went before him....Isolation cuts deep. How great of Dylan to recognize him in this song. Man, l love Dylan

I have been a fan of Blind Willie McTell for many years now. He is pretty well known amongst blues folks. I have listened to a lot of his recordings over the years. Some of his songs have some pretty funny lyrics. He is also more on the folk side of blues, so more connected with Dylan. Check out his "Statesboro Blues" as start, I think there is a pretty good chance you will actually like it, though maybe not playlist worthy. There are some good collections of his many great songs (I have some on CD), along with several here on RU-vid.

This might be when he gave up smoking. This is in my top 10 of Dylan. Love everything about it.

I was impressed enough with the piano playing that I looked it up and was surprised it was Dylan on the keyboard.

🔥🔥🔥What a BRILLIANT song!!!! Dylan was never on my radar. Not sure when in the 60's Dylan hit the scene but i think when I got into music early 70's Dylan was not on my radar the pop of BCR and what was being played on the pop stations at the time. So glad to have been exposed to this gem!!!!

If I remember right ,mark knopfler is playing the guitar on this with Dylan playing the piano.

One of the astonishing things about the "Infidels" sessions is the tracks that did not make it onto the album. The supporting musicians strongly urged the inclusion of "Blind Willy McTell" on the album but Dylan said the track was "uncompleted". I think the main message of the song is the breadth of America's dark history and the material it afforded to their great blues singers - the greatest of whom Dylan judges to be Blind Willy McTell. I think it is also a song of self-doubt by Dylan; when he says "Nobody sings the blues like Blind Willy McTell", Dylan means he cannot match Blind Willy. Mark Knopfler on acoustic guitar by the way.

excellent song, great voice.

A fantastic cover of this is from "The Band" on their "Jericho" album

Imagine! Hearing this for the first time!

So glad you noted how good Dylan's vocals are here; I agree! The Infidels-era is where his vocals are the best for me. Maybe the Rolling Thunder Revue live album is better, I can never decide. You should check out "Isis" from Rolling Thunder Revue. That's a wild ride lyrically, with an incredibly complex meter.

Heard of Blind Willie Johnson, but not McTell. I’ll have to look him up. Fantastic channel, Syed! Thank you! PLEASE continue with your Dylan reactions…….they’re marvelous

My favorite Dylan song. Another song (like All Around the Watchtower) where the last verse is the beginning of the song. He's gazing out the window, of the St James Hotel.... It's like the entire song is a vision of what he's seeing when he looks out that window. Dylan is honoring Blind Willie McTell's music here, but in capturing that essence, he has become that, himself. Nobody can sing the blues, like Bob Dylan.

Blues sung by Blind Willie McTell is grounded in all of this history and remain mostly forgotten and unspeakable.

When I heard this song for the first time it blew my mind

An Amazing song, I just froze in my tracks, when I first played this CD.

Usually with reactors I've already been there and enjoy others discoveries. Of course, I've heard a lot of Bob Dylan before but with Syed covering him I've learned how truly great Bob Dylan is. A true genius.

Amazing tribute to Blind Willie who, like Woody Guthrie, took their music and messages on the road. This resonates with Dylan's endless touring, keeping the 'on the road' mantra alive.

One thing I absolutely agree with you about is the brilliance of Dylan's highly individualistic, often unexpected phrasing, cadence and melodic invention and choices. Bravo 👏 👏 👏 dood. 😎🤓🥸

I like this as well.

Great video! You should check out the Blind Willie Mctell song 'Searching The Desert For The Blues'. It'll give you a great sense of his voice and style. He almost had an early "rap" cadence when he sang.

I've had the privilege of seeing so many great acts in my life, but there were 2 that I wanted to see before I die, Bob Dylan and Pink Floyd. In 2002 I saw Dylan with Paul Simon, a dream come true. Floyd won't happen, so I got the Dark Side of the Moon prism tattooed on my forearm. Every time I look at it I feel happy. I'll carry the memory of seeing Dylan for the rest of my life!

EPIC !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Some of Dylan's very best work doesn't make it on his albums. This is one of his very best songs. A postmodern lament about being disconnect from the true source, Dylan becoming a bluesman himself, bemoaning how none exist who can properly sing the blues to capture the essence of these times. There are some wonderful live concert bootlegs of him performing this. Its style changes, but it is a great song, regardless of how he plays/sings it. This is still my favorite rendition, utterly haunting and perfectly understated. Blind Willie McTell was a real bluesman and Dylan loves those old, more obscure/early bluesmen.

Great take on the lyrics. First time I'd heard such.

The true blues. Suffering.

Dylan's imagery is insane his phrasing and delivery & voice is so unique. You don't have to have a good voice to be an amazing singer Dylan is an amazing singer.

Brilliant song

Absolutely love your channel and you do such a good break down of Dylan songs in particular. Very good at locating the finer details and nuance in songs. This is my favourite and one I've been hoping you would do for some time.

In the verse, there's a woman by the river with some fine young handsome man, this refers to a photo on an Indian reservation with a finely dressed woman with a native American wearing a top hat and holding a bottle of whisky.

The melody comes from St. James Infirmary an old traditional blues song done by artists such as Louie Armstrong and countless others

Dylan recomposed a traditional New Orleans folk song, Saint James Infirmary. In his genius, he takes us on a journey through Civil War era history, apocalyptic imagery, and reverence for the blues of Blind Willie McTell. This song was withheld from release for years. It was most definitely worth the wait. It stands among the finest of his compositions.

They actually did an electric version of this tune, equally as outstanding. Love the period when Dylan and Knopfler collaborated. Slow Train and Infidels are great social commentary with a bit of prophecy and philosophy mixed in.

Every verse pictures human beings in a certain predicament involving other humans. The choice of words is a minimal way to make the picture clear, but the very choice of words creates the atmosphere of that verse, of the moment in time. When you try to capture the scene in words, the emotions escape, maybe even change. The blues, the spirit, the pain, the expectations, the lost dreams are best sung by Blind Willy McTell. All the verses have a sort of fleeting lightness of events in human lives. You may hope that somebody like Blind Willy McTell immortalizes the moment in its own fading manner.

I my mind, Time the Revelator is where to start listening to Blind Willie.

i love the live version he did for martin scorsese in 2012. totally different vibe and energy and of course voice

Please listen to the other bootleg version of Blind Willie Mctell just released in 2021 on the Springtime in New York bootleg v 16. I believe it may have been recorded in the same session but man totally rocking like a different song. Blew our minds when we listened to it! Don’t miss it

Great piece and great breakdown. I keep coming back to the fact that Willie is blind.

The song is clearly referencing the history of slavery in the US and how that's the source of Blind Willie McTells blues. I agree that Dylan's singing is fantastic on this song. The same goes for his piano playing. Very simple and moving. The only other musician playing was Mark Knopfler on guitar. I think this was meant as a demo for the song.

And I think he's a great pianist.

Nobody can create imagery in a song like Dylan, you can reach out and touch it it's 3D.

Statesboro blues, Travelling blues ~ Blind Willie McTell, lovely laconic witty blues singer

I think he's expressing all the things that come to him while he's listening to Blind Wilie McTell sing the blues. He can hear the tribes moaning, hear the cracking of the whips, smell the magnolia... That's how good a blues singer Blind Willie McTell was. At the end he's just gazing out the window thinking about how different things are now from then and that still nobody sings the blues like Willie McTell.

Every verse is a reference to where the blues come from. And nobody can sing the blues like Blind Willy McTell.

maybe not my FAVORITE Dylan tune (who can choose?) but if i were making a playlist for someone who didn't know him this would be on it.

My love for Dylan grows💥

It's another masterpiece song by Bob Dylan. God knows why he did not include it on the tracks of "Infidels", but we have the outtakes of the song, so that's okay. And he's been doing it in some live performances too. Dylan has a way of somehow capturing the entire length and breadth of a whole historical era and expressing its deepest tragedies in just a few verses. Blind Willie McTell had his own unique sound, which was wonderful, so it's literally true that no one else could sing the Blues in the particular way he did. And no one else can sing the Blues the way Bob does either. He wrote an immense, majestic song about the American Civil War (War Between the States). It's called " 'Cross the Green Mountain". See if you can find that one and give it a review. 'Cross the Green Mountain I crossed the green mountain I slept by the stream Heaven blazing in my head I dreamt a monstrous dream Something came up Out of the sea Swept through the land of The rich and the free I look into the eyes Of my merciful friend And then I ask myself Is this the end? Memories linger Sad yet sweet And I think of the souls In heaven who will meet Alters are burning The flames far and wide The foe has crossed over From the other side They tip their caps From the top of the hill You can feel them coming More brave blood to spill Along the dim Atlantic line The ravaged land Lies for miles behind The lights coming forward And the streets are broad All must yield To the avenging God The world is old The world is grey Lessons of life Can't be learned in a day I watch and I wait And I listen while I stand To the music that comes From a far better land Close the eyes of our captain Peace may he know His long night is done The great leader is laid low He was ready to fall He was quick to defend Killed outright he was By his own men It's the last day's last hour Of the last happy year I feel that the unknown world is so near Pride will vanish And glory will rot But virtue lives And cannot be forgot The bells Of evening have rung There's blasphemy on every tongue Let them say that I walked In fair nature's light And that I was loyal To truth and to right Serve God and be cheerful Look upward beyond Beyond the darkness that masks The surprises of dawn In the deep green grasses And the blood stained woods They never dreamed of surrendering They fell where they stood Stars fell over Alabama I saw each star You're walking in dreams Whoever you are Chilled are the skies Keen is the frost The ground's froze hard And the morning is lost A letter to mother Came today Gunshot wound to the breast Is what it did say But he'll be better soon He's in a hospital bed But he'll never be better He's already dead I'm ten miles outside the city And I'm lifted away In an ancient light That is not of day They were calm, they were blunt We knew them all too well We loved each other more than We ever dared to tell

So much better than any of the tracks that made it on to Infidels but still he left it off. You are right, one of his best

Only Dylan could write a song this good and never put it on an actual album.

Dylan and Joni Mitchell are the two very best. Because of them we got Jackson Browne, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and Neil Young.

Man..hope you read this!!!Yo bro. You are the man.... I like the way you are into Bob...!! True he sings good on this one... I'm a long time fan of Dylan:: you MUST hear..'Street Legal' album.... Changing' of the Guard is a classic.. but I like...Where are you tonight?? and No time to think....BUT..,on ... Senor..!! OMG his singing is So Good..( better than ' Blind Willie ..)..lol.. P.s..'Desire' album... check out .Black Diamond Bay.. Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts (should be made into a movie).. P.p.s..Bob's song...SARA.. to me is GREAT rhyming..pure poetry .. Bob is G.O.A.T..

The melody line was appropriated from St. James Infirmary which does not detract from the song. It's called the "folk tradition."

The repetition of single lines at the end of verses is from the folk tradition and Dylan’s folk roots. It’s a simpler form that uses repetition for emphasis and functions as the hook or replaces the full chorus.

The 2012 live performance of this song that honours martin scorsese is also great

Never heard this. Wow, just wow!

I can't believe you haven't done these 2 yet - License To Kill and Masters Of War. You would LOVE them both!! Love your insightful reactions and the respect that you give the artists.

Hi there. I don't know if you know , but Dylan is a excellent piano player. At least from the recording of "Bring it all back home ". I think that's him playing the electric piano on this one ✌

Dylan is an amazing pianist

Love and appreciate your focus on lyrics. Two of the best lyricists today- Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley- both play in the Drive By Truckers, a southern rock band with a definite modern outlook. Hood’s Used to be a Cop and Cooley’s Zip City are both character driven masterpieces, the latter containing one of the greatest lyrics ever. Would love to see you react to either (or both). Thanks for all you do.

And Dylan is playing the piano on this too. If you want a really complex song to figure out .. try Dylans Joker Man

The vocals on the first two albums were excellent. He changed them after that a hundred times to change things up. And I don't think he ever cared what anyone said about, much like when he switched to electric blues in England and was booed for it He told the band to turn up and play longer.

Wow! Loved this song. Why wasn't it popular? What album was it from? Or did you say it was tossed off of an album? 😮

The vocals here remind me of the Highway 61 album. It Takes A Lot To Laugh and Desolation Row have a very similar sound to this, in terms of Dylan's voice.