Last week saw the release of two monumental Bob Dylan releases – his first eight albums re-released in mono on The Original Mono Recordings and the famed Witmark Demos, some of the revolutionary musician’s first-ever recordings.

The Bootleg Series Volume 9 – The Witmark Demos

First up is Dylan’s infamous Witmark Demos, available for the first time nearly 50 years after they were recorded.

The Witmark Demos features 47 songs recorded by Dylan on guitar, harmonica and piano for his first music publisher, Leeds Music, in January 1962, and his second publisher, M. Witmark & Songs, between 1962 and 1964.

Most notable for hardcore fans: The collection features 15 songs exclusive to these sessions that have never before been released to the public. The two-disc set also highlights Dylan classics including “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “Masters of War” and “Hey Mr. Tambourine Man.”

The Witmark Demos also features a deluxe booklet with in-depth liner notes by noted music historian Colin Escott, as well as photographs of Dylan captured during the same period as these early recordings.

The complete tracklisting for The Witmark Demos is as follows:

Disc 1:
1. Man On The Street (Fragment)
2. Hard Times In New York Town
3. Poor Boy Blues
4. Ballad For A Friend
5. Rambling, Gambling Willie
6. Talking Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues
7. Standing On The Highway
8. Man On The Street
9. Blowin’ In The Wind
10. Long Ago, Far Away
11. A Hard Rain’ s A-Gonna Fall
12. Tomorrow Is A Long Time
13. The Death of Emmett Till
14. Let Me Die In My Footsteps
15. Ballad Of Hollis Brown
16. Quit Your Low Down Ways
17. Baby, I’ m In The Mood For You
18. Bound To Lose, Bound To Win
19. All Over You
20. I’ d Hate To Be You On That Dreadful Day
21. Long Time Gone
22. Talkin’ John Birch Paranoid Blues
23. Masters Of War
24. Oxford Town
25. Farewell

Disc 2
1. Don’ t Think Twice, It’ s All Right
2. Walkin’ Down The Line
3. I Shall Be Free
4. Bob Dylan’ s Blues
5. Bob Dylan’ s Dream
6. Boots Of Spanish Leather
7. Walls of Red Wing
8. Girl From The North Country
9. Seven Curses
10. Hero Blues
11. Whatcha Gonna Do?
12. Gypsy Lou
13. Ain’ t Gonna Grieve
14. John Brown
15. Only A Hobo
16. When The Ship Comes In
17. The Times They Are A-Changin’
18. Paths Of Victory
19. Guess I’ m Doing Fine
20. Baby Let Me Follow You Down
21. Mama, You Been On My Mind
22. Mr. Tambourine Man
23. I’ ll Keep It With Mine

The Original Mono Recordings

Next up is The Original Mono Recordings, featuring Dylan’s first eight records re-released “as the artist intended them to be heard: One channel of powerful sound, both direct and immediate.”

Check out the video below to get a sense of just what “mono” means:

The Original Mono Recordings also includes a deluxe booklet with an expansive essay from author, critic and longtime Dylan aficionado Greil Marcus. Each disc in the set comes in its own individual jacket which faithfully replicates the original album artwork, complete with labels and stickers that were found on the original 1960s releases.

The eight albums in The Complete Mono Recordings are as follows:

Bob Dylan – 1962
The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan – 1963
The Times They Are A-Changin’ – 1964
Another Side Of Bob Dylan – 1964
Bringing It All Back Home – 1965
Highway 61 Revisited – 1965
Blonde on Blonde – 1966
John Wesley Harding – 1967