Bob Dylan - Ceremonies Of The Horseman (Witmark Demos compilation)
Witmark Demos Recording Period: 1962-1964
Album Release Year: 1974

Further Album Information: http://www.bobsboots.com/boots/bt-c001.html

Lineage: Vinyl > Luxman PD270 turntable/Audio-Technica AT155LC cartridge > Denon preamp > Wabelab 5 processing (de-click only) > flac

What's so special about it? It contains perhaps the very best recording of "Boots of Spanish Leather" Bob ever recorded. That's my one-sided opinion, of course. 

So what else is so great about it? Perhaps nothing to a casual fan, yet a small piece of history on a 30-year-old sheet of vinyl, nevertheless. Having very lightly researched the importance and purpose of the Witmark Demos, they seem, in essence, the equivalent of someone mailing him/herself their own documented idea as the basis for establishing a time-fence around its creation (e.g. for patent purposes). I assume the recordings were made to establish "legal record" (no pun intended) of the songs, in advance of more "formally" recording them for purposes of release. There are a bunch of folks out there who can confirm or correct this, and I hope they do...In any case, it's among dozens of "unreleased" Dylan records I've had for many years, and this is one I haven't seen surface yet through the trading community.        

Final Note: Per a listen to track 13 (when the ship comes in) via "the bootleg series, vol 1, it's evident that the album recording is lower in pitch (slower) than the released versiion. From this, I expect the entire record is the same. Folks who wish to speed-correct this content are welcome to do so on their own; I've preserved the integrity of the album, as recorded, which is my overall intent here. Thanks for listening!  

Side 1:
01 only a hobo
02 if i could do it all over, i'd do it all over you
03 boots of spanish leather
04 girl from the north country
05 bob dylan's dream
06 i shall be free
07 tomorrow is a long time

Side 2:
08 hero blues
09 don't think twice
10 oxford town
11 the rise and fall of hollis brown
12 blowin' in the wind
13 when the ship comes in (removed: available in Bob Dylan the bootleg series volume 1)
14 the times they are a changin'

Transferred and uploaded to Zomb Torrents by Acefactory 
Feb 2008