First Listen // Bob Dylan, The Witmark Demos 1962-1964

This past Tuesday (October 19) saw the release of an anticipated album of demos from Bob Dylan which contains many of his iconic tunes in their rough draft infancy. Below is an excerpt from NPR's First Listen column where Bob Boilen reflects on the new album and Dylan's enduring significance. Enjoy! -- Leif

Full Article Here // Excerpt Below

After listening to the nearly 50 songs on The Witmark Demos 1962-1964, it slayed me to think that Bob Dylan wrote and recorded these songs before he was even 24. It's one thing to write "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" or "Blowin' in the Wind" by that age, but add "Ballad of Hollis Brown," "Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues," "Boots of Spanish Leather," "Mr. Tambourine Man" and other bits of genius to the list, and it really hits hard what a phenomenal talent Dylan was at such a young age.