It is the stuff of legend among Bob Dylan devotees - an early recording of Dylan singing folk songs with friends in a Dinkytown apartment. But apparently only a few diehards have ever heard the so-called "Minnesota Party Tape." Until now. The tape has surfaced and is available for public listening. The Minnesota Historical Society has acquired the tape from Minnesotan Cleve Pettersen, who in 1960, thought it would be a good idea to record some local music acts in the Dinkytown area of Minneapolis on his new tape recorder.
Transcripts
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CLEVE PETTERSEN: He knew them better than I did. And he asked around, and came back and said, Dylan will do it. And I had never met Dylan. But we went over to where he was staying and it was either just before or after his dinner. And he sat down and very nicely played a few songs for me and hung out with his friends who were there.
SPEAKER 1: Yeah, yeah. Do Talking Lobbyist. That's a good song.
BOB DYLAN: It's not that good. I can't do it. I can't do it. I can't do a talking blues over a tape recorder without-- it has to be Woody Guthrie.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
(SINGING) Was down Fulton River just sitting on a rock watching the boats in the Bonneville Lock
Gate swings open, boat sails in full zip, she's gone again
Get out of here now, god. I want to get away Guthrie song.
CLEVE PETTERSEN: He was there with two women friends of his. And they're all college students. And these two teenagers walk in with a tape recorder and they're having their fun, amusing themselves before we get there. And they are just opening a bottle of wine and passing it around among the three of them.
And so I suppose it was just a night of relaxing at home. And it was carefree and relaxed. And they were having fun. And I suppose having some people there with a tape recorder was part of their fun.
BOB DYLAN: (SINGING) I'm a rambler, I'm a gambler
I'm a long way from my home
If the people don't like me, they can leave me alone
SPEAKER 2: The Historical Society's Bonnie Wilson has listened to the tape. She says it's a true historical artifact.
BONNIE WILSON: This might be one of the first times that he actually sang into a recording instrument of some kind, namely Cleve's tape recorder.
SPEAKER 2: Well, aside from the obvious significance for music fans, they're just going to love this. But is the recording really anything special, historically?
BONNIE WILSON: It's a slice of time. It's the scene in Dinkytown in 1960. Dylan, pretty much within the next six months, went to New York and didn't look back. So I guess you could say historically, it might have been his-- one of his last salutes to Minnesota.
SPEAKER 2: Now I understand you were a student at the university about the same time of this recording was made.
BONNIE WILSON: Yes, I was.
SPEAKER 2: Has listening to it and researching its history brought back any personal memories for you?
BONNIE WILSON: Yes. It's funny you should ask that. When I was a teenager in 1959, I used to go to the Purple Onion over in Saint Paul with my friends from high school. And Bob Dylan played there a couple times in the corner. And we didn't think he was very good.
And we went there to eat French fries and drink Cokes, and we weren't terrifically impressed with Bob. As a matter of fact, we hoped he'd tone it down a little bit because we wanted to talk and gossip and all that good stuff. And we-- my friends and I have talked about that many times since.
Oh, how little we knew at the time. But it was true. He was not known by anybody for any reason. And so he was just a guy hanging around.
BOB DYLAN: (SINGING) Come sit down
SPEAKER 2: Bonnie Wilson is the curator of Sound and Visual Collections at the Minnesota Historical Society. The full recording of the Dylan tape is available for listening at the Minnesota History Center in Saint Paul.
BOB DYLAN: (SINGING) Love you boldly, so dear