Bob Dylan: The Days Before Hard Rain Townsend nr.: T-211 Released on labels Dynamite Studio, Red Robin and Wild Wolf
Dynamite Studio version 1 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Format: 1CD Label: Dynamite Studio Cat. nr.: DS 92J028 Front cover: BOB DYLAN The Days Before Hard Rain Spines: BOB DYLAN - The Days Before Hard Rain DS 92J028 Disc: Dynamite Studio DS92J028 P DYNAMITE STUDIO UN PRODUIT LUXEMBOURGEOIS The Days Before Hard Rain THE ROLLING THUNDER TOUR REHEARSALS BOB DYLAN Matrix: DS 92J028 On the back cover is printed: This is a limited edition of 473 copies only. Your copy no. X This is a genuine DYNAMITE STUDIO release. Collect `em all! in which X is a hand-written number. Some exemplars have a sticker on the case with "Made in Germany" on it.
Dynamite Studio version 2 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Format: 1CD Label: Dynamite Studio This version has not the limited edition text on the back cover. Further differences unknown. Which is the older version unknown.
Red Robin version ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Format: 1CD Label: Red Robin
Wild Wolf version ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Format: 1CD Label: Wild Wolf Cat. nr.: 7605
Track list:
| Bellevue Biltmore Hotel, Clearwater, Florida, April 1976 |
| I Threw It All Away |
| Going Going Gone |
| One More Cup Of Coffee |
| Tomorrow Is A Long Time |
| Mozambique |
| Lay Lady Lay |
| Idiot Wind |
| Maggie's Farm |
| One Too Many Mornings |
| Seven Days |
| Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues |
| It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry |
| You Angel You |
| Fort Collins, Colorado, 22 May 1976 |
| Just Like A Woman |
| Tangled Up In Blue |
| The Sun Is Shining |
| Sports Stadium, Orlando, Florida, 23 April 1976 |
| Seven Days |
On the version I (Lonesome Sparrow) have (listed above as Dynamite Studio version 1) is printed on the back cover: "recorded in April 22, 1976 at the Bellevue Biltmore Hotel in Clearwater, Florida during the rehearsals for the "Rolling Thunder" Tour." On 22 April 1976 there were two Rolling Thunder concerts. I don't think it likely they held extensive rehearsals on the same day. So I think the dates given in the track list above should be believed.
It has been reported that there are over 7 hours of April 1976 rehearsals. So this CD contains only a small collection. Another CD that contains a selection from these rehearsals is "Are You Ready For The Carnival". There is some overlap on both CDs. The sound quality of "Days" is reported to be better.
With what equipment these recordings were made I do not know, all I can say is that the sound quality is good as regards hiss and distortion. As regards to the mix, I would say some of the instruments are too far in the foreground and others too far in the background. On some of the tracks Dylan's voice is very far in the background.
Interesting tracks are "The Sun Is Shining", which was not performed during the concerts, and "Tangled Up In Blue", for which some new arrangements are tried out, which unfortunately don't come off the ground. My favorite track is "Going, Going, Gone", because it is very long and because it's quite a nice performance, which I can't say of most of the other tracks, which are, I guess, of typical rehearsal quality. Not all the tracks are complete, because they were not performed completely or because the recording is incomplete.
The last song is not from rehearsals, but from concert and has been officially released on "The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3".