CD Review: Alias - The Sideman Story Vol . 1 - 5

Subject: CD Review: Alias - The Sideman Story Vol . 1 - 5
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Approved-By: Jeff <DrJibe@MSN.COM>
Date: Mon, 10 Mar 1997 10:48:40 UT
From: Jeff <DrJibe@msn.com>

The following 5 bootleg cds are on the "Diamonds in Your Ear" label. Recording quality is excellent as most of this was commercially available at one time and some still is.

My understanding is that Volumes 1 to 3 were released separately and then Volumes 1 to 4 were released in a box set titled "Alias - The Complete Sideman Story". Then Volume 5 was released. The box set comes with possibly a T-shirt with the CD title printed on it and a a nicely done almost Biograph size 32 page booklet with color reprints of album and single covers, photos, and some narrative background of the sessions which may help one identify and find the source album.

This series purpose is to capture Bob as a sideman to other musicians and also where early in his career Bob recorded under an alias to avoid recording contract conflicts. Many of these have Bob contributing only harmonica, guitar, or piano. Occasionally Bob has vocals and there are a few where he is not a sideman. Some of this series overlaps with the Hard to Find bootleg CD series.

On Volume 3 as you are listening to the 7/3/75 Bottom Line show you wonder why Abandoned Love with Bob on lead vocal is left off and guess maybe he is not a sideman here anymore. Volume 4 seems to have been hastily added maybe for the Box Set and does not include all the Johnny Cash sessions available elsewhere as it is missing Just a Closer Walk With Thee. The Volume 4 CD track listing is also mislabled leaving off I Still Miss Someone but including People Get Ready which then actually later appears on Volume 5. Volume 4 is also not described in the Box set booklet.

Dates listed may be approximate.

Volume 1

Midnight Special 6/1/61 - Harry Belafonte
Mean Old Railroad 7/29/61 - Danny Kalb
Acne 7/29/61 - Jack Elliot
I'll Fly Away 9/29/61 - Carolyn Hester
Swing And Turn Jubilee 9/29/61 - Carolyn Hester
Come Back, Baby 9/29/61 - Carolyn Hester
Sitting On Top Of The World 3/2/62 - Victoria Spivey
Wichita 3/2/62 - Victoria Spivey
Big Joe, Dylan And Victoria 3/2/62 - Victoria Spivey
It's Dangerous 3/2/62 - Victoria Spivey
Glory Glory 1/10/63 - Dick Farina & Eric von Schmidt
Overseas Stomp 1/10/63 - Dick Farina & Eric von Schmidt
You Can Always Tell 1/10/63 - Dick Farina & Eric von Schmidt
Xmas Island 1/10/63 - Dick Farina & Eric von Schmidt
Cocaine 1/10/63 - Dick Farina & Eric von Schmidt
London Waltz 1/10/63 - Dick Farina & Eric von Schmidt
Will The Circle Be Unbroken 6/1/63 - Jack Elliot
Playboys And Playgirls 7/28/63 - Pete Seeger
With God On Our Side 7/28/63 - Joan Baez
Only A Pawn In Their Game 8/28/63 - Floyd McKissek & John Lewis
Down Town Blues 1/1/64 - Geoff Muldaur
Nashville Skyline Rag 12/1/70 - Earl Scruggs & family
Election Year Rag 9/1/72 - Steve Goodman
Somebodys Else's Troubles 9/1/72 - Steve Goodman

Volume 2

(Is Anybody Going To) San Antone 10/1/72 - Doug Sahm
Wallflower 10/1/72 - Doug Sahm
Blues Stay Away From Me 10/1/72 - Doug Sahm
Me And Paul 10/1/72 - Doug Sahm
Faded Love 10/1/72 - Doug Sahm
I'm So Restless 10/1/72 - Roger McGuinn
The Crippled Cow 2/1/73 - Booker & Pricilla Jones
Stormy Weather Cowboy 8/1/73 - Barry Goldberg
It's Not The Spotlight 8/1/73 - Barry Goldberg
Silver Moon 8/1/73 - Barry Goldberg
Minstrel Show 8/1/73 - Barry Goldberg
Big City Woman 8/1/73 - Barry Goldberg
Who Love (If Not You Love) 6/1/75 - David Blue
Pretty Boy Floyd 7/3/75 - Jack Elliot
How Long 7/3/75 - Jack Elliot
Pretty Boy Floyd 4/1/87- Jack Elliot
Buckets Of Rain 10/1/75 - Bette Midler
Sold American 5/23/76 - Kinky Friedman
Don't Go Home With Your Hard On 3/1/77 - Leonard Cohen
Hazel 11/25/76 - The Band
Sign Language 3/1/76 - Eric Clapton

Volume 3

Pledge My Head To Heaven 3/1/80 - Keith Green
A Pirate Looks At Forty 6/6/82 - Joan Baez
We Are The World 1/28/85 - USA for Africa
No Name On The Bullet 8/5/85 - Sly Dunbar & Robbie Shakespeare
Sun City 12/1/85 - Artists United VS Apartheid
Street Rock 4/1/86 - Kurtis Blow
Band Of The Hand 2/8/86 - Tom Petty
The Factory 2/1/87 - Warren Zevon
Love Rescue Me 5/1/87 - U2
Crazy Love 6/27/89 - Van Morrison
Foreign Window 6/27/89 - Van Morrison
One Irish Rover 6/27/89 - Van Morrison
Nobody's Child 4/1/90 - Traveling Wilburys
Spirit Of Rock And Roll 1/1/91 - Brian Wilson
Heartland 10/19/92 - Willie Nelson
Sammys Song 1/1/70 - David Bromberg
Boots Of Spanish Leather 6/1/92 - Nancy Griffith

Volume 4

One Too Many Mornings 2/18/69 - Johnny Cash
Good Old Mountain Dew 2/18/69 - Johnny Cash
I Still Miss Someone 2/18/69 - Johnny Cash
Careless Love 2/18/69 - Johnny Cash
Matchbox 2/18/69 - Johnny Cash
That's All Right Mama 2/18/69 - Johnny Cash
Big River 2/18/69 - Johnny Cash
I Walk The Line 2/18/69 - Johnny Cash
You Are My Sunshine 2/18/69 - Johnny Cash
Guess Things Happen That Way 2/18/69 - Johnny Cash
Blues Yodel No. 1 (T for Texas) 2/18/69 - Johnny Cash
Blues Yodel No. 5 2/18/69 - Johnny Cash
Girl From The North Country 2/18/69 - Johnny Cash
Ring Of Fire 2/18/69 - Johnny Cash
Vomit Express 11/17/71 - Allen Ginsberg
Going To San Deigo 11/17/71 - Allen Ginsberg
September On Jessore Road 11/20/71 - Allen Ginsberg
Jimmy Berman 11/17/71 - Allen Ginsberg
This Old Man 1/1/91 - Disney for Children

Volume 5

A Dream 11/17/71 - Allen Ginsberg
Vomit Express 11/17/71 - Allen Ginsberg
Airplane Blues 2/23/82 - Allen Ginsberg
September On Jessore Road 11/20/71 - Allen Ginsberg
I'll Fly Away 9/29/61 - Carolyn Hester
Come Back, Baby 9/29/61 - Carolyn Hester
I Ain't Got No Home 1/20/68 - Woodie Guthrie Tribute with The Band
Dear Mrs Roosevelt 1/20/68 - Woodie Guthrie Tribute with The Band
Great Grand Coulee Dam 1/20/68 - Woodie Guthrie Tribute with The Band
Tennessee Blues 10/1/72 - Doug Sahm
Mr. Tambourine Man 2/24/90 - Rob Orbison Tribute with The Byrds
People Get Ready 11/20/89 - Flashback movie
Trust Yourself 1/1/94 - Carlene Carter
Ballad Of Hollis Brown 5/19/93 - Mike Seeger
Just Like A Woman 1/1/94 - Stevie Nicks
You Belong To Me 5/1/93 - Natural Born Killers movie
Boogie Woogie Country Girl 5/9/94 - Doc Pomus tribute

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