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|rev2 = ''[[Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies|Christgau's Record Guide]]''
|rev2 = ''[[Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies|Christgau's Record Guide]]''
|rev2score = A<ref>[http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist2.php?id=169 Robert Christgau review]</ref>
|rev2score = A<ref>[http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist2.php?id=169 Robert Christgau review]</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[MusicHound|MusicHound Rock]]''
| rev3 = ''[[The Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]''
| rev3Score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite book|last=Larkin|first=Colin|author-link=Colin Larkin|title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music|year=2007|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|edition=4th|isbn=978-0195313734|title-link=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music}}</ref>
| rev3Score = 3/5<ref>{{cite book|last1=Graff|first1=Gary|last2=Durchholz|first2=Daniel (eds)|title=MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide|edition=2nd|publisher=Visible Ink Press|location=Farmington Hills, MI|year=1999|isbn=1-57859-061-2|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781578590612/page/371 371]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781578590612/page/371}}</ref>
|rev4 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
| rev4 = ''[[MusicHound|MusicHound Rock]]''
|rev4score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t9eocwUfoSoC&pg=PA262 |last1=Brackett|first1=Nathan|last2=with Hoard|first2=Christian (eds) |title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide |publisher=Fireside|location=New York, NY |year=2004 |access-date=August 22, 2015|page=262|isbn=0-7432-0169-8}}</ref>
| rev4Score = 3/5<ref>{{cite book|editor-last1=Graff|editor-first1=Gary|editor-last2=Durchholz|editor-first2=Daniel|title=MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide|edition=2nd|publisher=Visible Ink Press|location=Farmington Hills, MI|year=1999|isbn=1-57859-061-2|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781578590612/page/371 371]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781578590612/page/371}}</ref>
| rev7 = [[Tom Hull (critic)|Tom Hull]]
|rev5 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
|rev5score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t9eocwUfoSoC&pg=PA262 |editor-last1=Brackett|editor-first1=Nathan|editor-last2=Hoard|editor-first2=Christian |title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide |publisher=Fireside|location=New York, NY |year=2004 |access-date=August 22, 2015|page=262|isbn=0-7432-0169-8}}</ref>
⚫
| rev7Score = A–<ref>{{cite web|last=Hull|first=Tom|author-link=Tom Hull (critic)|date=June 21, 2014|url=http://www.tomhull.com/ocston/arch/rhap/rh1406-1.php|title=Rhapsody Streamnotes: June 21, 2014|website=tomhull.com|access-date=March 1, 2020}}</ref>
| rev6 = [[Tom Hull (critic)|Tom Hull]]
⚫
| rev6Score = A−<ref>{{cite web|last=Hull|first=Tom|author-link=Tom Hull (critic)|date=June 21, 2014|url=http://www.tomhull.com/ocston/arch/rhap/rh1406-1.php|title=Rhapsody Streamnotes: June 21, 2014|website=tomhull.com|access-date=March 1, 2020}}</ref>
}}
}}
'''''Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II''''', also known as '''''More Bob Dylan Greatest Hits''''', is the second compilation album by American singer-songwriter [[Bob Dylan]], released on November 17, 1971 by [[Columbia Records]]. With Dylan not expected to release any new material for an extended period of time, [[Sony Music|CBS Records]] president [[Clive Davis]] proposed issuing a double [[LP album|LP]] compilation of older material. Dylan agreed, compiling it himself and suggesting that the package include a full side of unreleased tracks from his archives. After submitting a set of excerpts from ''[[The Basement Tapes]]'' that Davis found unsatisfactory, Dylan returned to the studio in September 1971 to recut several ''Basement'' songs, with [[Happy Traum]] providing backup.
'''''Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II''''', also known as '''''More Bob Dylan Greatest Hits''''', is the second compilation album by American singer-songwriter [[Bob Dylan]], released on November 17, 1971 by [[Columbia Records]]. With Dylan not expected to release any new material for an extended period of time, [[Sony Music|CBS Records]] president [[Clive Davis]] proposed issuing a double [[LP album|LP]] compilation of older material. Dylan agreed, compiling it himself and suggesting that the package include a full side of unreleased tracks from his archives. After submitting a set of excerpts from ''[[The Basement Tapes]]'' that Davis found unsatisfactory, Dylan returned to the studio in September 1971 to recut several ''Basement'' songs, with [[Happy Traum]] providing backup.
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== Artwork ==
== Artwork ==
The album package was designed to capitalize on the publicity surrounding [[George Harrison]]'s [[The Concert for Bangladesh|Concert for Bangladesh]], about to be released as [[The Concert for Bangladesh (film)|a film]] and [[The Concert for Bangladesh|album]]. The photograph on the album cover is a cropped version of a photo taken during Dylan's performance at the concert by the film's still photographer, Barry Feinstein.<ref>''The Concert for Bangladesh Revisited with George Harrison and Friends'', 2005, DVD.</ref> The uncropped photo, which appeared as a two-page spread in the booklet included in the album ''Concert for Bangla Desh'' ([[sic]]), also contained George Harrison, who was standing to Dylan's right. The album cover is similar to the previous volume, ''[[Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits]]'', which utilized [[Rowland Scherman]]'s 1965 photo. Reaching #14 the US and #12 in the UK, ''Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II'' is now certified five times platinum in the US, making it one of Dylan's best-selling albums.
The album package was designed to capitalize on the publicity surrounding [[George Harrison]]'s [[The Concert for Bangladesh|Concert for Bangladesh]], about to be released as [[The Concert for Bangladesh (film)|a film]] and [[The Concert for Bangladesh|album]]. The photograph on the album cover is a cropped version of a photo taken during Dylan's performance at the concert by the film's still photographer, Barry Feinstein.<ref>''The Concert for Bangladesh Revisited with George Harrison and Friends'', 2005, DVD.</ref> The uncropped photo, which appeared as a two-page spread in the booklet included in the album ''Concert for Bangla Desh'' ([[sic]]), also contained George Harrison, who was standing to Dylan's right. The album cover is similar to the previous volume, ''[[Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits]]'', which utilized [[Rowland Scherman]]'s 1965 photo. Reaching #14 in the US and #12 in the UK, ''Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II'' is now certified five times platinum in the US, making it one of Dylan's best-selling albums.


== Songs previously unreleased on LP ==
== Songs previously unreleased on LP ==


"In one sense, 1971 and 1972 might both be considered 'lost' years,"{{citation needed|date=August 2012}} writes Dylan biographer [[Clinton Heylin]]. Neither year would produce an album, at least not an album entirely composed of newly recorded material.
"In one sense, 1971 and 1972 might both be considered 'lost' years," writes Dylan biographer [[Clinton Heylin]].<ref name=heylin-2000>{{cite book |last1=Heylin |first1=Clinton |title=Bob Dylan: Behind the Shades: Take Two |date=2000 |publisher=Viking |location=London |pages=326-327 |ol=26819265M}}</ref> Neither year would produce an album, at least not an album entirely composed of newly recorded material.<ref name=heylin-2000/>


Between March 16 and 19, 1971, Dylan reserved three days at Blue Rock Studios, a small studio in New York's [[Greenwich Village]]. According to Heylin, "These sessions were produced by [[Leon Russell]] of ''[[Mad Dogs and Englishmen (album)|Mad Dogs and Englishmen]]'' fame. Only two originals were recorded—'Watching the River Flow' and 'When I Paint My Masterpiece'—but both confronted the same subject matter, a continuing dearth of inspiration, in a refreshingly honest fashion."
Between March 16 and 19, 1971, Dylan reserved three days at [[Blue Rock Studio|Blue Rock Studios]], a small studio in New York's [[Greenwich Village]]. According to Heylin, "These sessions were to be produced by [[Leon Russell]] of ''[[Mad Dogs and Englishmen (album)|Mad Dogs and Englishmen]]'' fame. Only two originals were recorded—'[[Watching the River Flow]]' and '[[When I Paint My Masterpiece]]'—but both confronted the same subject matter, a continuing dearth of inspiration, in a refreshingly honest fashion."<ref name=heylin-2000/>


"When I Paint My Masterpiece" was also recorded by [[The Band]], who would release their version first on ''[[Cahoots (album)|Cahoots]]''. Dylan's recording from Blue Rock would only see release on ''Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II''.
"When I Paint My Masterpiece" was also recorded by [[The Band]], who would release their version first on ''[[Cahoots (album)|Cahoots]]''. Dylan's recording from Blue Rock would only see release on ''Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II''.


"Watching the River Flow" was issued as a single in June 1971, backed by "Spanish Is the Loving Tongue", which had been recorded during the ''[[New Morning]]'' sessions.
"Watching the River Flow" was issued as a single in June 1971, backed by "[[Spanish Is the Loving Tongue]]", which had been recorded during the ''[[New Morning]]'' sessions.


Months later, Dylan would agree to release a second "greatest hits" compilation, provided he could compile it himself, issue it as a double album, and include several older compositions which he had written but never issued himself. To accommodate this last condition, Dylan took it upon himself to hold a recording session at Columbia's Recording Studios in New York. On September 24, 1971, in Columbia's Studio B, Dylan recorded four songs with his friend, Happy Traum.
Months later, Dylan would agree to release a second "greatest hits" compilation, provided he could compile it himself, issue it as a double album, and include several older compositions which he had written but never issued himself. To accommodate this last condition, Dylan took it upon himself to hold a recording session at Columbia's Recording Studios in New York. On September 24, 1971, in Columbia's Studio B, Dylan recorded four songs with his friend, [[Happy Traum]].


"He felt there were some songs that he had written that had become hits of sorts for other people, that he didn't actually perform himself," recalls Traum, "and he wanted to fit those on the record as well...So we just went in one afternoon and did it, it was just the two of us and the engineer, and it was very simple...we chose three [songs] on the spot and mixed them...in the space of an afternoon...Sometimes I wasn't even sure if it was a final take until we would just finish and Bob would say, 'Okay, let's go and mix it.'"
"He felt there were some songs that he had written that had become hits of sorts for other people, that he didn't actually perform himself," recalls Traum, "and he wanted to fit those on the record as well...So we just went in one afternoon and did it, it was just the two of us and the engineer, and it was very simple...we chose three [songs] on the spot and mixed them...in the space of an afternoon...Sometimes I wasn't even sure if it was a final take until we would just finish and Bob would say, 'Okay, let's go and mix it.'"


"Crash On The Levee (Down In The Flood)", "You Ain't Going Nowhere" and "I Shall Be Released" were recorded and selected for the compilation. "Only a Hobo", an early composition dating back to 1963, was also considered for inclusion but ultimately was left unreleased until 2013's ''[[The Bootleg Series Vol. 10 – Another Self Portrait (1969–1971)]]''.
"Crash On The Levee (Down In The Flood)", "[[You Ain't Goin' Nowhere|You Ain't Going Nowhere]]" and "[[I Shall Be Released]]" were recorded and selected for the compilation. "Only a Hobo", an early composition dating back to 1963, was also considered for inclusion but ultimately was left unreleased until 2013's ''[[The Bootleg Series Vol. 10 – Another Self Portrait (1969–1971)]]''.


A few lyrical revisions were made on "You Ain't Going Nowhere", the most notable being a reference to [[Roger McGuinn]]. "Pack up your money, pull up your tent McGuinn, you ain't going nowhere". McGuinn's band, [[The Byrds]], had successfully recorded "You Ain't Going Nowhere" on their landmark album, ''[[Sweetheart of the Rodeo]]'', and they even issued their recording as a single. Country musician Marty Stuart has also recorded this song. According to McGuinn in the liner notes to the 1997 reissue of ''Sweetheart of the Rodeo'', Dylan singled him out in these lyrics for bungling Dylan's original ''[[The Basement Tapes|Basement Tapes]]'' lyrics on the [[Byrds]] version of the song in which McGuinn sings "Pack up your money / Pick up your tent" instead of "Pick up your money / Pack up your tent" as Dylan had.
A few lyrical revisions were made on "You Ain't Going Nowhere", the most notable being a reference to [[Roger McGuinn]]. "Pack up your money, pull up your tent McGuinn, you ain't going nowhere". McGuinn's band, [[The Byrds]], had successfully recorded "You Ain't Going Nowhere" on their landmark album, ''[[Sweetheart of the Rodeo]]'', and they even issued their recording as a single. Country musician [[Marty Stuart]] has also recorded this song. According to McGuinn in the liner notes to the 1997 reissue of ''Sweetheart of the Rodeo'', Dylan singled him out in these lyrics for bungling Dylan's original ''[[The Basement Tapes|Basement Tapes]]'' lyrics on the [[Byrds]] version of the song in which McGuinn sings "Pack up your money / Pick up your tent" instead of "Pick up your money / Pack up your tent" as Dylan had.

The previously unreleased "[[Tomorrow Is a Long Time]]" was also included, with the track taken from a recording of Dylan's April 12, 1963 [[The Town Hall (New York City)|Town Hall]] concert.


== Other notable releases recorded in 1971 ==
== Other notable releases recorded in 1971 ==
{{Off topic|date=March 2023}}
In addition to the material added to ''Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II'', Dylan recorded a single, [[George Jackson (song)|"George Jackson."]] An incarcerated black activist, [[George Jackson (Black Panther)|George Jackson]] died on August 21, 1971. After reading a newspaper article about his death, Dylan quickly wrote an elegy for Jackson and rushed a small band into Blue Rock Studios to record it the following day. He recorded two versions, one following a simple acoustic arrangement, another with a full-band arrangement. Dylan also recorded another original composition, the country-flavored "[[Wallflower (Bob Dylan song)|Wallflower]]". Both versions of "George Jackson" were issued on the two sides of a single released on November 12, 1971. The single penetrated the Top 40, peaking at #33 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]]. The "Wallflower" recording was set aside and would later be released on ''[[The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961-1991]]'', but was recorded, with Dylan's backing vocal, for [[Doug Sahm]]'s 1973 recording ''[[Doug Sahm and Band]]''.
In addition to the material added to ''Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II'', Dylan recorded a single, [[George Jackson (song)|"George Jackson."]] An incarcerated black activist, [[George Jackson (Black Panther)|George Jackson]] died on August 21, 1971. After reading a newspaper article about his death, Dylan quickly wrote an elegy for Jackson and rushed a small band into Blue Rock Studios to record it the following day. He recorded two versions, one following a simple acoustic arrangement, another with a full-band arrangement. Dylan also recorded another original composition, the country-flavored "[[Wallflower (Bob Dylan song)|Wallflower]]". Both versions of "George Jackson" were issued on the two sides of a single released on November 12, 1971. The single penetrated the Top 40, peaking at #33 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]]. The "Wallflower" recording was set aside and would later be released on ''[[The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961-1991]]'', but was recorded, with Dylan's backing vocal, for [[Doug Sahm]]'s 1973 recording ''[[Doug Sahm and Band]]''.


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The first two came on August 1, at [[Madison Square Garden]] for a [[benefit concert]] organized by [[George Harrison]]. Dylan was not scheduled to perform, but Harrison convinced him to make a surprise appearance. Dylan performed a set at both the afternoon and evening shows, backed by Harrison on lead guitar, [[Leon Russell]] on bass, and [[Ringo Starr]] on tambourine. A selection of his performances was issued on the Grammy-winning ''The Concert for Bangladesh'', issued on December 20, 1971.
The first two came on August 1, at [[Madison Square Garden]] for a [[benefit concert]] organized by [[George Harrison]]. Dylan was not scheduled to perform, but Harrison convinced him to make a surprise appearance. Dylan performed a set at both the afternoon and evening shows, backed by Harrison on lead guitar, [[Leon Russell]] on bass, and [[Ringo Starr]] on tambourine. A selection of his performances was issued on the Grammy-winning ''The Concert for Bangladesh'', issued on December 20, 1971.


The third and final performance actually came during the first hour of 1972, when he made a surprise appearance at [[The Band]]'s [[New Year's Eve]] concert at New York's [[Academy of Music (New York City)|Academy of Music]]. Dylan appeared sometime after midnight and performed four songs backed by The Band: "Crash on the Levee (Down in the Flood)", "When I Paint My Masterpiece", "Don't Ya Tell Henry" and "Like a Rolling Stone". Clinton Heylin would later describe Dylan's appearance as "a return to some approximation of peak performing powers." The concert was recorded by [[Phil Ramone]] and later mixed and compiled as The Band's ''[[Rock of Ages (album)|Rock of Ages]]''. However, Dylan's set would have to wait until May 2001 for official release, when it was included as part of an expanded, remastered CD edition of ''Rock of Ages''.
The third and final performance actually came during the first hour of 1972, when he made a surprise appearance at [[The Band]]'s [[New Year's Eve]] concert at New York's [[Academy of Music (New York City)|Academy of Music]]. Dylan appeared sometime after midnight and performed four songs backed by The Band: "Crash on the Levee (Down in the Flood)", "When I Paint My Masterpiece", "Don't Ya Tell Henry" and "Like a Rolling Stone". Clinton Heylin would later describe Dylan's appearance as "a return to some approximation of peak performing powers."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Heylin |first1=Clinton |title=Bob Dylan: Behind the Shades: Take Two |date=2000 |publisher=Viking |location=London |page=330 |ol=26819265M}}</ref> The concert was recorded by [[Phil Ramone]] and later mixed and compiled as The Band's ''[[Rock of Ages (The Band album)|Rock of Ages]]''. However, Dylan's set would have to wait until May 2001 for official release, when it was included as part of an expanded, remastered CD edition of ''Rock of Ages''.


==Track listing==
==Track listing==
The UK edition has a different track list from that given below. "[[Positively 4th Street]]" replaces "[[She Belongs to Me]]" as the first track on disc two. ("Positively 4th Street" was missing from the 1967 UK ''[[Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits]]'', where "She Belongs to Me" replaced it.) On side four, "[[It's All Over Now, Baby Blue]]", which had also appeared on the 1967 UK ''Greatest Hits'' album as one of the two extra tracks, is replaced by "[[New Morning#track_list|New Morning]]" as track 2.<ref>[http://www.searchingforagem.com/1970s/InternationalCompilationsDylan_1970s.htm Searching for A Gem website]</ref>
The UK edition has a different tracklist from that given below. "[[Positively 4th Street]]" replaces "[[She Belongs to Me]]" as the first track on disc two. ("Positively 4th Street" was missing from the 1967 UK ''[[Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits]]'', where "She Belongs to Me" replaced it.) On side four, "[[It's All Over Now, Baby Blue]]", which had also appeared on the 1967 UK ''Greatest Hits'' album as one of the two extra tracks, is replaced by "[[New Morning#Track listing|New Morning]]" as track 2.<ref>[http://www.searchingforagem.com/1970s/InternationalCompilationsDylan_1970s.htm Searching for A Gem website]</ref>


===Side one===
{{tracklist
{{tracklist
| headline = Side one
| extra_column = Source
| extra_column = Source
| title1 = [[Watching the River Flow]]
| title1 = [[Watching the River Flow]]
Line 95: Line 100:
| extra4 = ''[[Blonde on Blonde]]'' (1966)
| extra4 = ''[[Blonde on Blonde]]'' (1966)
| length4 = 7:06
| length4 = 7:06
| total_length = 17:28
}}
}}


===Side two===
{{tracklist
{{tracklist
| headline = Side two
| extra_column = Source
| extra_column = Source
| title1 = [[I'll Be Your Baby Tonight]]
| title1 = [[I'll Be Your Baby Tonight]]
Line 107: Line 113:
| length2 = 4:02
| length2 = 4:02
| title3 = [[My Back Pages]]
| title3 = [[My Back Pages]]
| extra3 = ''Another Side of Bob Dylan'' (1964)
| extra3 = ''[[Another Side of Bob Dylan]]'' (1964)
| length3 = 4:21
| length3 = 4:21
| title4 = [[Maggie's Farm]]
| title4 = [[Maggie's Farm]]
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| length4 = 3:49
| length4 = 3:49
| title5 = [[Tonight I'll Be Staying Here with You]]
| title5 = [[Tonight I'll Be Staying Here with You]]
| extra5 = ''Nashville Skyline''
| extra5 = ''[[Nashville Skyline]]''
| length5 = 3:21
| length5 = 3:21
| total_length = 18:10
}}
}}


⚫
===Side three===
{{tracklist
{{tracklist
⚫
| headline = Side three
| extra_column = Source
| extra_column = Source
| title1 = [[She Belongs to Me]]
| title1 = [[She Belongs to Me]]
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| length1 = 2:46
| length1 = 2:46
| title2 = [[All Along the Watchtower]]
| title2 = [[All Along the Watchtower]]
| extra2 = ''John Wesley Harding''
| extra2 = ''[[John Wesley Harding]]''
| length2 = 2:30
| length2 = 2:30
| title3 = [[Quinn the Eskimo (Mighty Quinn)|The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo)]]
| title3 = [[Quinn the Eskimo (Mighty Quinn)|The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo)]]
Line 133: Line 140:
| length4 = 5:25
| length4 = 5:25
| title5 = [[A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall]]
| title5 = [[A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall]]
| extra5 = ''The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan''
| extra5 = ''[[The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan]]''
| length5 = 6:47
| length5 = 6:47
| total_length = 20:11
}}
}}


===Side four===
{{tracklist
{{tracklist
| headline = Side four
| extra_column = Source
| extra_column = Source
| title1 = [[If Not for You]]
| title1 = [[If Not for You]]
Line 144: Line 152:
| length1 = 2:38
| length1 = 2:38
| title2 = [[It's All Over Now, Baby Blue]]
| title2 = [[It's All Over Now, Baby Blue]]
| extra2 = ''Bringing It All Back Home''
| extra2 = ''[[Bringing It All Back Home]]''
| length2 = 4:13
| length2 = 4:13
| title3 = [[Tomorrow Is a Long Time]]
| title3 = [[Tomorrow Is a Long Time]]
| extra3 = Previously unreleased (live at Town Hall, New York City, April 12, 1963)
| extra3 = Previously unreleased (live at [[The Town Hall (New York City)#Notable performances|Town Hall]], [[New York City]], April 12, 1963)
| length3 = 3:01
| length3 = 3:01
| title4 = [[When I Paint My Masterpiece]]
| title4 = [[When I Paint My Masterpiece]]
| extra4 = Previously unreleased (recorded March 16–19, 1971)
| extra4 = Previously unreleased (recorded March 16–18, 1971)<ref>{{cite book |last1=Heylin |first1=Clinton |title=Bob Dylan: The Recording Sessions 1960-1994 |date=1995 |publisher=St. Martin's Griffin |location=New York |isbn=0-312-15067-9 |page=85}}</ref>
| length4 = 3:22
| length4 = 3:22
| title5 = [[I Shall Be Released]]
| title5 = [[I Shall Be Released]]
Line 161: Line 169:
| extra7 = Previously unreleased (recorded September 24, 1971)
| extra7 = Previously unreleased (recorded September 24, 1971)
| length7 = 2:46
| length7 = 2:46
| total_length = 21:42
}}
}}

==Charts==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"|Year
! style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"|Chart
! style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"|Position
|-
|rowspan="3"|1971
||[[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Bob Dylan – Chart history|url=http://www.billboard.com/artist/293235/bob-dylan/chart?f=305|website=www.billboard.com|access-date=October 9, 2023|archive-date=August 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180814080019/https://www.billboard.com/artist/293235/bob-dylan/chart?f=305|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|14
|-
||UK Top 75<ref>{{cite web|title=Official Chart History|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/28513/bob-dylan/|website=www.officialcharts.com|access-date=July 18, 2017}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|12
|-
|[[Productores de Música de España|Spanish Albums Chart]]<ref>{{Cite book|last=Salaverri|first=Fernando|title=Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002|publisher=Fundación Autor-SGAE|year=2005|isbn=84-8048-639-2|location=|pages=}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|21
|}


== References ==
== References ==

Latest revision as of 04:12, 26 August 2024

For the UK album Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits 2, see Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits.
Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II
A photograph of the back of Dylan's head as he turns toward the camera
Greatest hits album by
Bob Dylan
ReleasedNovember 17, 1971 (1971-11-17)
Recorded1962–1971
Genre
Length77:31
LabelColumbia
Producer
Bob Dylan chronology
New Morning
(1970) 		Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II
(1971) 		Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid
(1973)
Singles from Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II
  1. "Watching the River Flow"
    Released: 3 June 1971
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Christgau's Record GuideA[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[3]
MusicHound Rock3/5[4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[5]
Tom HullA−[6]

Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II, also known as More Bob Dylan Greatest Hits, is the second compilation album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on November 17, 1971 by Columbia Records. With Dylan not expected to release any new material for an extended period of time, CBS Records president Clive Davis proposed issuing a double LP compilation of older material. Dylan agreed, compiling it himself and suggesting that the package include a full side of unreleased tracks from his archives. After submitting a set of excerpts from The Basement Tapes that Davis found unsatisfactory, Dylan returned to the studio in September 1971 to recut several Basement songs, with Happy Traum providing backup.

The final package included one previously uncollected single, "Watching the River Flow", an outtake from the same sessions, "When I Paint My Masterpiece"; one song from Dylan's April 12, 1963 Town Hall concert, "Tomorrow Is a Long Time", and three songs from the September sessions, "I Shall Be Released", "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere", and "Down in the Flood". The remaining tracks were drawn from existing releases.

In 2003, this album was released along with Dylan's two other Greatest Hits compilations in one four-disc set, as Greatest Hits Volumes I–III.

As with The Basement Tapes and the Beatles' 1962-1966, all the selections could fit on a single 80-minute CD, but were nevertheless released on two CDs to match the LP.

Artwork

[edit]

The album package was designed to capitalize on the publicity surrounding George Harrison's Concert for Bangladesh, about to be released as a film and album. The photograph on the album cover is a cropped version of a photo taken during Dylan's performance at the concert by the film's still photographer, Barry Feinstein.[7] The uncropped photo, which appeared as a two-page spread in the booklet included in the album Concert for Bangla Desh (sic), also contained George Harrison, who was standing to Dylan's right. The album cover is similar to the previous volume, Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits, which utilized Rowland Scherman's 1965 photo. Reaching #14 in the US and #12 in the UK, Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II is now certified five times platinum in the US, making it one of Dylan's best-selling albums.

Songs previously unreleased on LP

[edit]

"In one sense, 1971 and 1972 might both be considered 'lost' years," writes Dylan biographer Clinton Heylin.[8] Neither year would produce an album, at least not an album entirely composed of newly recorded material.[8]

Between March 16 and 19, 1971, Dylan reserved three days at Blue Rock Studios, a small studio in New York's Greenwich Village. According to Heylin, "These sessions were to be produced by Leon Russell of Mad Dogs and Englishmen fame. Only two originals were recorded—'Watching the River Flow' and 'When I Paint My Masterpiece'—but both confronted the same subject matter, a continuing dearth of inspiration, in a refreshingly honest fashion."[8]

"When I Paint My Masterpiece" was also recorded by The Band, who would release their version first on Cahoots. Dylan's recording from Blue Rock would only see release on Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II.

"Watching the River Flow" was issued as a single in June 1971, backed by "Spanish Is the Loving Tongue", which had been recorded during the New Morning sessions.

Months later, Dylan would agree to release a second "greatest hits" compilation, provided he could compile it himself, issue it as a double album, and include several older compositions which he had written but never issued himself. To accommodate this last condition, Dylan took it upon himself to hold a recording session at Columbia's Recording Studios in New York. On September 24, 1971, in Columbia's Studio B, Dylan recorded four songs with his friend, Happy Traum.

"He felt there were some songs that he had written that had become hits of sorts for other people, that he didn't actually perform himself," recalls Traum, "and he wanted to fit those on the record as well...So we just went in one afternoon and did it, it was just the two of us and the engineer, and it was very simple...we chose three [songs] on the spot and mixed them...in the space of an afternoon...Sometimes I wasn't even sure if it was a final take until we would just finish and Bob would say, 'Okay, let's go and mix it.'"

"Crash On The Levee (Down In The Flood)", "You Ain't Going Nowhere" and "I Shall Be Released" were recorded and selected for the compilation. "Only a Hobo", an early composition dating back to 1963, was also considered for inclusion but ultimately was left unreleased until 2013's The Bootleg Series Vol. 10 – Another Self Portrait (1969–1971).

A few lyrical revisions were made on "You Ain't Going Nowhere", the most notable being a reference to Roger McGuinn. "Pack up your money, pull up your tent McGuinn, you ain't going nowhere". McGuinn's band, The Byrds, had successfully recorded "You Ain't Going Nowhere" on their landmark album, Sweetheart of the Rodeo, and they even issued their recording as a single. Country musician Marty Stuart has also recorded this song. According to McGuinn in the liner notes to the 1997 reissue of Sweetheart of the Rodeo, Dylan singled him out in these lyrics for bungling Dylan's original Basement Tapes lyrics on the Byrds version of the song in which McGuinn sings "Pack up your money / Pick up your tent" instead of "Pick up your money / Pack up your tent" as Dylan had.

The previously unreleased "Tomorrow Is a Long Time" was also included, with the track taken from a recording of Dylan's April 12, 1963 Town Hall concert.

Other notable releases recorded in 1971

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In addition to the material added to Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II, Dylan recorded a single, "George Jackson." An incarcerated black activist, George Jackson died on August 21, 1971. After reading a newspaper article about his death, Dylan quickly wrote an elegy for Jackson and rushed a small band into Blue Rock Studios to record it the following day. He recorded two versions, one following a simple acoustic arrangement, another with a full-band arrangement. Dylan also recorded another original composition, the country-flavored "Wallflower". Both versions of "George Jackson" were issued on the two sides of a single released on November 12, 1971. The single penetrated the Top 40, peaking at #33 on the Billboard Hot 100. The "Wallflower" recording was set aside and would later be released on The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961-1991, but was recorded, with Dylan's backing vocal, for Doug Sahm's 1973 recording Doug Sahm and Band.

Dylan gave three significant concert performances in 1971, which were professionally recorded and eventually released.

The first two came on August 1, at Madison Square Garden for a benefit concert organized by George Harrison. Dylan was not scheduled to perform, but Harrison convinced him to make a surprise appearance. Dylan performed a set at both the afternoon and evening shows, backed by Harrison on lead guitar, Leon Russell on bass, and Ringo Starr on tambourine. A selection of his performances was issued on the Grammy-winning The Concert for Bangladesh, issued on December 20, 1971.

The third and final performance actually came during the first hour of 1972, when he made a surprise appearance at The Band's New Year's Eve concert at New York's Academy of Music. Dylan appeared sometime after midnight and performed four songs backed by The Band: "Crash on the Levee (Down in the Flood)", "When I Paint My Masterpiece", "Don't Ya Tell Henry" and "Like a Rolling Stone". Clinton Heylin would later describe Dylan's appearance as "a return to some approximation of peak performing powers."[9] The concert was recorded by Phil Ramone and later mixed and compiled as The Band's Rock of Ages. However, Dylan's set would have to wait until May 2001 for official release, when it was included as part of an expanded, remastered CD edition of Rock of Ages.

Track listing

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The UK edition has a different tracklist from that given below. "Positively 4th Street" replaces "She Belongs to Me" as the first track on disc two. ("Positively 4th Street" was missing from the 1967 UK Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits, where "She Belongs to Me" replaced it.) On side four, "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue", which had also appeared on the 1967 UK Greatest Hits album as one of the two extra tracks, is replaced by "New Morning" as track 2.[10]

Side one
No.TitleSourceLength
1."Watching the River Flow"A-side single (June 1971)3:32
2."Don't Think Twice, It's All Right"The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1963)3:36
3."Lay Lady Lay"Nashville Skyline (1969)3:14
4."Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again"Blonde on Blonde (1966)7:06
Total length:17:28
Side two
No.TitleSourceLength
1."I'll Be Your Baby Tonight"John Wesley Harding (1967)2:37
2."All I Really Want to Do"Another Side of Bob Dylan (1964)4:02
3."My Back Pages"Another Side of Bob Dylan (1964)4:21
4."Maggie's Farm"Bringing It All Back Home (1965)3:49
5."Tonight I'll Be Staying Here with You"Nashville Skyline3:21
Total length:18:10
Side three
No.TitleSourceLength
1."She Belongs to Me"Bringing It All Back Home2:46
2."All Along the Watchtower"John Wesley Harding2:30
3."The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo)"Self Portrait (1970)2:43
4."Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues"Highway 61 Revisited (1965)5:25
5."A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall"The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan6:47
Total length:20:11
Side four
No.TitleSourceLength
1."If Not for You"New Morning (1970)2:38
2."It's All Over Now, Baby Blue"Bringing It All Back Home4:13
3."Tomorrow Is a Long Time"Previously unreleased (live at Town Hall, New York City, April 12, 1963)3:01
4."When I Paint My Masterpiece"Previously unreleased (recorded March 16–18, 1971)[11]3:22
5."I Shall Be Released"Previously unreleased (recorded September 24, 1971)3:01
6."You Ain't Goin' Nowhere"Previously unreleased (recorded September 24, 1971)2:41
7."Down in the Flood"Previously unreleased (recorded September 24, 1971)2:46
Total length:21:42

Charts

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Year Chart Position
1971 Billboard 200[12] 14
UK Top 75[13] 12
Spanish Albums Chart[14] 21

References

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  1. ^ AllMusic review
  2. ^ Robert Christgau review
  3. ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
  4. ^ Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel, eds. (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide (2nd ed.). Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p. 371. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
  5. ^ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York, NY: Fireside. p. 262. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  6. ^ Hull, Tom (June 21, 2014). "Rhapsody Streamnotes: June 21, 2014". tomhull.com. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  7. ^ The Concert for Bangladesh Revisited with George Harrison and Friends, 2005, DVD.
  8. ^ a b c Heylin, Clinton (2000). Bob Dylan: Behind the Shades: Take Two. London: Viking. pp. 326–327. OL 26819265M.
  9. ^ Heylin, Clinton (2000). Bob Dylan: Behind the Shades: Take Two. London: Viking. p. 330. OL 26819265M.
  10. ^ Searching for A Gem website
  11. ^ Heylin, Clinton (1995). Bob Dylan: The Recording Sessions 1960-1994. New York: St. Martin's Griffin. p. 85. ISBN 0-312-15067-9.
  12. ^ "Bob Dylan – Chart history". www.billboard.com. Archived from the original on August 14, 2018. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  13. ^ "Official Chart History". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  14. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002. Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
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