Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks - Columbia Records Reference Acetate - 1974 - Unreleased Original Version

Here is one of only 3 known acetates of the original version of Bob Dylan’s 1975 masterpiece Blood on the Tracks.  Dylan originally recorded the album at A&R Studios in New York City in September 1974. When he played his brother an acetate of the record, David Zimmerman thought Bob could do better and urged him to rerecord some of the songs.  In December, Dylan went back into the studio, this time, Studio 80 in Minneapolis, with musicians recruited by his brother.  The released version of Blood on the Tracks mixed five songs from the New York sessions with five recorded in Minneapolis.

This is an extremely rare acetate of the original (and unreleased) version of Blood on the Tracks, with only versions of the songs from the New York sessions.  The versions of “Tangled Up In Blue”, “You’re A Big Girl Now”, “Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts”, “Idiot Wind”, and “If You See Her Say Hello” all differ dramatically from the final, released versions (and there are some alternate lyrics).

In the 42 years since the album’s release, only three acetates of the original version have emerged, with perhaps four or five more test pressings. An extremely rare Dylan collectible.