Bob Dylan’s 15th studio album ‘Blood On The Tracks’ was released 50 years ago on 20 January 1975.
‘Blood On The Tracks’ is considered one of Dylan’s finest works. The songs deal with the break-up Dylan was going through with his wife Sara. Dylan’s son Jakob has described the lyrics as “about my parents”. Dylan has said he doesn’t understand the album’s popularity. “It’s hard for me to relate to that. I mean … people enjoying that type of pain, you know?” he said in an April 1975 interview.
On song, ‘Simple Twist of Fate’ was originally titled ‘4th Street Affair’. Dylan lived at 161 W. 4th Street with Suze Rotolo, (who is called Sylvie Russo in ‘A Complete Unknown’). There is a lot of Dylan confessing about past affairs in the lyrics although years later in 2004 in ‘Chronicles Vol 1’ Dylan wrote the songs were not about him.
The songs from ‘Blood On the Tracks’ were recorded quickly together in batches. ‘Meet Me In The Morning’ was recorded 16 September 1974. ‘Shelter From The Storm’ and ‘You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go’ were recorded the next day on 17 September 1974. ‘Buckets of Rain’ and ‘Simple Twist of Fate’ came two days later on 19 September 1974. ‘You’re A Big Girl Now’ and ‘Idiot Wind’ were both recorded on 27 December 1974 and ‘Tangled Up In Blue’, ‘Lily Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts’ and ‘If You See Her Say Hello’ were all recorded in one day 30 December 1974, just weeks before the album was released.
‘Blood On the Tracks’ reached no 1 in the USA and no 4 in Australia and the UK.
Tracklisting:
1. Tangled up in Blue
2. Simple Twist of Fate
3. You’re a Big Girl Now
4. Idiot Wind
5. You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome
6. Meet Me in the Morning
7. Lily, Rosemary, and the Jack of Hearts
8. If You See Her, Say Hello
9. Shelter from the Storm
10. Buckets of Rain
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