Bob Dylan Just Released the Ultra-Rare 1970 ‘George Harrison Sessions’ Without Warning

A tiny number of Bob Dylan fans scored a valuable collectible on Sunday when a three-disc collection of songs cut in 1970, including the legendary George Harrison sessions, was quietly put on sale via the U.K. store Badlands.

“This release is strictly limited to 1 unit per customer,” the store wrote when announcing Bob Dylan – 50th Anniversary Collection 1970. “Extremely limited release. It will sell out instantly … Thank you and best of luck.”

This collection was released in response to a European law stipulating that recordings enter the public domain 50 years after their creation if they aren’t officially released by the copyright holder. To avoid legal Bob Dylan bootlegs from flooding the market, his camp has released yearly copyright protection releases going back to 2012 when the complete 1962 recordings came out.

Many of them contain take after take of the same song and would be of interest to nobody but the most devoted Dylan scholars, but they’re become extremely valuable due to their scarcity. They often sell on the resale market for upwards of $1,000 each.

This new one likely has a broader appeal than previous ones since it features Dylan and George Harrison’s complete May 1st, 1970 session where they casually jam on Dylan oldies like “One Too Many Mornings” and “It Ain’t Me Babe” along with the Beatles’ “Yesterday” and numerous tunes from the then-in-progress New Morning. It has circulated as a bootleg for years, but the sound quality on this is presumably a significant upgrade from anything heard before.

It is rounded out by other recordings from the New Morning sessions where Dylan is joined by session pros like organist Al Kooper, bassist Charlie Daniels, drummer Russ Kunkel, guitarist David Bromberg, bassist Stu Woods and drummer Alvin Rogers.

The collection sold out in seconds, but will likely be available soon to enterprising fans familiar with the world of BitTorrent. And stay vigilant in late 2021 when the complete sessions for Greatest Hits Volume 2 are likely to hit without notice. (Things will get real interesting in 2024 when they’ll have to release every recording in the vault from Dylan’s Before The Flood tour with the Band.)

Here is the complete track listing for the Bob Dylan – 50th Anniversary Collection 1970.

Disc 1:

March 3, 1970

1. I Can’t Help but Wonder Where I’m Bound
2. Universal Soldier – Take 1
3. Spanish Is the Loving Tongue – Take 1
4. Went to See the Gypsy – Take 2
5. Went to See the Gypsy – Take 3
6. Woogie Boogie

March 4, 1970
7. Went to See the Gypsy – Take 4
8. Thirsty Boots – Take 1

March 5, 1970
9. Little Moses – Take 1
10. Alberta – Take 2
11. Come All You Fair and Tender Ladies – Take 1
12. Things About Comin’ My Way – Takes 2 & 3
13. Went to See the Gypsy – Take 6
14. Untitled 1970 Instrumental #1
15. Come a Little Bit Closer – Take 2
16. Alberta ¬– Take 5

May 1, 1970
17. Sign on the Window – Take 2
18. Sign on the Window – Takes 3, 4 & 5
19. If Not for You – Take 1
20. Time Passes Slowly – Rehearsal
21. If Not for You – Take 2
22. If Not for You – Take 3
23. Song to Woody – Take 1
24. Mama, You Been on My Mind – Take 1

25. Yesterday – Take 1

Disc 2:

1. Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues – Take 1
2. I Met Him on a Sunday (Ronde-Ronde) – Take 1
3. One Too Many Mornings – Take 1
4. Ghost Riders in the Sky – Take 1
5. Cupid – Take 1
6. All I Have to Do Is Dream – Take 1
7. Gates of Eden – Take 1
8. I Threw It All Away – Take 1
9. I Don’t Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met) – Take 1
10. Matchbox – Take 1
11. Your True Love – Take 1
12. Telephone Wire – Take 1
13. Fishing Blues – Take 1
14. Honey, Just Allow Me One More Chance – Take 1
15. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 – Take 1
16. It Ain’t Me Babe
17. If Not for You
18. Sign on the Window – Take 1
19. Sign on the Window – Take 2
20. Sign on the Window – Take 3

June 1, 1970
21. Alligator Man
22. Alligator Man [rock version]
23. Alligator Man [country version]
24. Day of the Locusts – Take 2
25. Sarah Jane 1
26. Sign on the Window
27. Sarah Jane 2

Disc 3:

June 2, 1970
1. If Not for You – Take 1
2. If Not for You – Take 2

June 3, 1970
3. Jamaica Farewell
4. Can’t Help Falling in Love
5. Long Black Veil
6. One More Weekend

June 4, 1970
7. Bring Me Little Water, Sylvie – Take 1
8. Three Angels
9. Tomorrow Is a Long Time – Take 1
10. Tomorrow Is a Long Time – Take 2
11. New Morning
12. Untitled 1970 Instrumental #2

June 5, 1970
13. Went to See the Gypsy
14. Sign on the Window – Stereo Mix
15. Winterlude
16. I Forgot to Remember to Forget 1
17. I Forgot to Remember to Forget 2
18. Lily of the West – Take 2
19. Father of Night – rehearsal
20. Lily of the West

August 12, 1970
21. If Not for You – Take 1
22. If Not for You – Take 2

Bob Dylan – vocals, guitar, harmonica
Buzzy Feiten – guitar
Other musicians unknown