The Witmark Demos: 1962-1964 - Bob Dylan
The Witmark Demos: 1962-1964 Image
Metascore
88 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 13 Critics What's this?

User Score
7.8 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 11 Ratings

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  • Summary: The ninth volume from Bob Dylan's Bootleg Series contains the 47 songs he recorded in 1962-64.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
  1. Austin Chronicle
    Jan 3, 2011
    100
    At its core, this constitutes a hearty glimpse of young Bob Dylan changing the music business, and the world, one note at a time.
  2. Uncut
    80
    In the jigsaw puzzle that is Bob Dylan, The Whitmark Demos are crucial pieces, and it's easy to get lost in the depths, the sheer audacity and beauty, of this music. [Nov 2010, p.107]
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  3. Tiny Mix Tapes
    Dec 22, 2010
    80
    These songs, nearly half a century old, are as relevant as ever. They should have never been hawked to commercial singers, but delivered as broadsides to the public or as protest music to audiences (as many of them were). Active, agitated citizens should be the recipients of these songs.
  4. BBC Music
    Oct 26, 2010
    80
    Though The Witmark Demos' contents may occasionally be unkempt, the same cannot be said for its trappings. As with all Dylan Bootleg Series releases, it is beautifully and thoughtfully packaged and annotated.

See all 13 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. Einardur
    10
    A magnificent release for any serious Bob Dylan fan as the demo-recordings are greatly restored into songs with great discovery. You'll recognize most of the tunes, but it's the atmosphere and importance of them that comes through in another way that makes this seventh instalment of Bob Dylan's Bootleg Series essential.… Expand
  2. peter_l_roots
    10
    We rediscover classics and discover the young master at his best. Listen this album it's like to attend to the born of an icon. The sound give us the feeling of being here during the records. It's just magical.… Expand
  3. jethibea
    9
    Most of the fun here is listening to the unreleased material, which is, as you would expect, fantastic. And who can tire of hearing more versions of 'Don't think Twice', 'Masters of War', a piano backed 'Mr Tambourine Man'. And damn, do you get a lot of songs!

    But the one thing really bringing this purchase home was the extra live disk you got if you ordered it from Amazon (Brandeis 1963). It's short and the audio isn't consistently good (it's not consistently good in the regular 2-disk set either) but the show is equal parts playful and serious, lots of energy in the performances, and it's always a good thing to have another document of early Dylan live. If only he injected this much fun into his performances nowadays.    … Expand

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