2014 Harvest Records
Kommt im klappbaren Digifile
16-seitiges Booklet mit Texten
Deluxe Edition: normal hat die CD 15 Tracks, hier gibt es 5 Bonustracks, also 20 total.
sehr guter Zustand
The New Basement Tapes ist eine britisch-amerikanische Folk-Rock-Supergroup, die 2014 unter der Leitung der Produzentenlegende T Bone Burnett zusammengestellt wurde, um unveröffentlichte, handschriftliche Songtexte von Bob Dylan aus dem Jahr 1967 vertonen.
Das Kollektiv formierte sich, nachdem Dylans Management eine Kiste mit verstaubten Songtexten wiederentdeckte. Diese stammten aus der legendären Ära von 1967, in der Dylan zusammen mit The Band im Keller des „Big Pink“-Hauses in Woodstock die originalen Basement Tapes einspielte.
Die renommierte Besetzung des Projekts teilt sich das Songwriting und den Gesang auf:
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Elvis Costello
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Marcus Mumford (Mumford & Sons)
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Rhiannon Giddens (Carolina Chocolate Drops)
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Jim James (My Morning Jacket)
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Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes)
Im März 2014 nahm die Band in den Capitol Studios in Hollywood innerhalb von zwei Wochen rund zwei Dutzend Songs auf, die auf dem am 21. November 2014 erschienenen Album Lost on the River: The New Basement Tapes veröffentlicht wurden. Da die Künstler unabhängig voneinander Melodien für dieselben Dylan-Texte komponierten, existieren auf der Deluxe-Version des Albums teilweise verschiedene musikalische Interpretationen desselben Textes (z.B. Hidee Hidee Ho).
„Last summer, legendary producer and musician T-Bone Burnett barnstormed through the Twin Cities to talk about his latest project, and it was a real thrill to meet this behind-the-scenes legend. Burnett's old Rolling Thunder Revue boss, Bob Dylan, offered him song lyrics — out of the blue — from a recently discovered scrapbook that Dylan wrote forty-something years ago. One thing Burnett mentioned at the listening party at The Graves Hotel in Minneapolis caught my ear: "Random words don't look like anything till somebody sings them."
That's why Burnett opened his impressive Rolodex and made a few calls. The next thing you know, The New Basement Tapes were born. The group features a kind of rootsy cast of musicians, including Elvis Costello, Marcus Mumford, Jim James from My Morning Jacket, Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes and Rhiannon Giddens of the Carolina Chocolate Drops. I asked Burnett if anybody said "no" to the project, and he quickly responded, "No, they were all in!" So I think you can safely call this a supergroup!
The lyrics Burnett was handed were written by Dylan around 1967, during the same timeframe that generated the infamous Basement Tapes album, which is probably the biggest bootleg in the history of rock. This was a fruitful period of Dylan's career; due to a motorcycle accident, he was holed up in Woodstock, N.Y., writing songs and recording with The Band at the house affectionately know as "big pink." Dylan allegedly wrote more songs in 1967 than any other year of his career, and that excited T-Bone Burnett about the project. "The chance to work with a 27-year-old Bob Dylan, now with 50 years of hindsight, was interesting," he said.
To create what became Lost On the River, Burnett sent the lyrics to the selected artists and booked two weeks at Capitol Studios in Hollywood to turn 'em into songs. All the artists tried their hands at the same lyrics, and the best versions of each song made it onto the album. In a way, Lost On the River reminds me of Mermaid Avenue, the album by Billy Bragg and Wilco, where they were given a bunch a lyrics penned by Dylan's hero, Woody Guthrie, and turned those into songs. And like Mermaid Avenue, Lost on the River: The New Basement Tapes largely succeeds.
The album starts with a vengeance with "Down on the Bottom," which features Jim James channeling Dylan's vocal style of the Nashville Skyline era, and some great fuzzed guitar from James and from Elvis Costello. Another standout is "Kansas City," which features Marcus Mumford on the vocal. This one soars like a good Mumford and Sons tune, but it's electrified! This might be the album's standout track.
A couple of lesser-known artists made key contributions to the project. Rhiannon Giddens of Carolina Chocolate Drops, who may be the star of the album, adds her gorgeous vocals to "Spanish Mary." I love this one's haunting, dark vibe. Taylor Goldsmith really shows his knack for personalizing lyrics on the track "Liberty Street," which sounds like a track he could have written himself. Goldsmith also chimes in with "Florida Key," where he sings, "My only darling is gone / took everything and put it out on the lawn". Listening to that made me wonder if Dylan was going through a breakup at the time he originally wrote those words.
Elvis Costello nails the title track, "Lost on the River"; this one really showcases Costello's vocal prowess. He is a fantastic interpreter of songs, and shows it on this lovely slow waltz. Giddens closes the album with her own spare and soulful rendition, named "Lost On the River #20."
It's unlikely that anything more will come of The New Basement Tapes. All these artists have careers of their own to tend to. But it's interesting to hear these Dylan lyrics come to life — even his castoffs made some really good songs!“ (The Current)
