Great White Wonder
Encyclopedia
Great White Wonder, or GWW, is the first notable rock
bootleg
album, released in July of 1969 and containing unofficially released recordings by Bob Dylan
. It is also the first release of the famous bootleg record label Trademark of Quality
(or TMQ). Several of the tracks presented here were recorded with the Band
in the summer of 1967 in West Saugerties, New York
, during the informal sessions that were later released in a more complete form in Dylan's 1975 album The Basement Tapes
. Much of the other material consists of a recording made in December of 1961 in a Minnesota hotel room (referred to as the "Minnesota hotel tape"), studio outtakes from several of Dylan's albums, and a live performance on The Johnny Cash Show
. It was the first time that these previously unheard of recordings came to the market; many more would be released in similar formats over the coming years, though most were single albums, not double albums like this record.
The album was nicknamed the "great white wonder" due to the original pressing's plain white gatefold cover; newer pressings contain the name stamped on. This name – or variations, such as "little white wonder" – would surface in later bootleg releases or in the initials "G.W.W." that were printed on record labels or covers.
, KNAC
in Long Beach
, KRLA
in Pasadena
and KMET-FM and KPPC-FM in Los Angeles
– immediately began playing the album. KRLA
was the first. Unconcerned with legal niceties, these LA radio stations were quite willing to fuel demand for both Great White Wonder and the spate of bootlegs that soon followed its metal-stamped heels."
Said Dub, quoted in Clinton Heylin's Bootleg: The Secret History of the Other Recording Industry, "[Great White Wonder] was just this phenomenon. All of a sudden we just started having fistfuls of money. We didn't realize what we had gotten into." The success of this first bootleg may have prompted others to create illicit albums as well, including The Beatles
' Kum Back
, released later in 1969, and copies of the original album, released by different labels. However, each time the content was copied, there was a reduction in sound quality.
. Others gave the false artist name "Dupre and his Miracle Sound" (cf. genuine group Simon Dupree and the Big Sound
), along with false track titles.
, was supposedly recorded during a jam session between Dylan
, Mick Jagger
, John Lennon
, and Paul McCartney
. A review of the non-existent album ran in Rolling Stone on October 18, 1969. The write-up sparked enough inquiries from readers that a band was hired to record first some singles, then a full album. Released in November 1969 by a Warner Bros.
subsidiary created for the stunt, The Masked Marauders topped 100,000 in sales. The album and singles were later re-issued by Rhino Records as a limited edition CD, The Masked Marauders - The Complete Deity Recordings.
Side One
Side two
Side three
Side four
Side One
Side Two
Side Three
Side Four
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
bootleg
Bootleg recording
A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. The process of making and distributing such recordings is known as bootlegging...
album, released in July of 1969 and containing unofficially released recordings by Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
. It is also the first release of the famous bootleg record label Trademark of Quality
Trademark of Quality
TMQ, TMOQ or TradeMark Of Quality was a bootleg record label that originated in the Los Angeles, California area during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The label was responsible for many underground records of Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, Jefferson Airplane, Devo, Grateful Dead, The Beatles, Frank...
(or TMQ). Several of the tracks presented here were recorded with the Band
The Band
The Band was an acclaimed and influential roots rock group. The original group consisted of Rick Danko , Garth Hudson , Richard Manuel , and Robbie Robertson , and Levon Helm...
in the summer of 1967 in West Saugerties, New York
West Saugerties, New York
West Saugerties is an hamlet in Ulster County, New York, United States and part of the Town of Saugerties.West Saugerties is located at . It lies above sea level.-History:...
, during the informal sessions that were later released in a more complete form in Dylan's 1975 album The Basement Tapes
The Basement Tapes
The Basement Tapes is a 1975 studio album by Bob Dylan and The Band. The songs featuring Dylan's vocals were recorded in 1967, eight years before the album's release, at houses in and around Woodstock, New York, where Dylan and the Band lived...
. Much of the other material consists of a recording made in December of 1961 in a Minnesota hotel room (referred to as the "Minnesota hotel tape"), studio outtakes from several of Dylan's albums, and a live performance on The Johnny Cash Show
The Johnny Cash Show
The Johnny Cash Show is a live album by country singer Johnny Cash, recorded at the Grand Ole Opry and released on Columbia Records in 1970. Though one of Cash's lesser-known live records, it spawned the highly successful single "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", which helped kickstart the career of...
. It was the first time that these previously unheard of recordings came to the market; many more would be released in similar formats over the coming years, though most were single albums, not double albums like this record.
The album was nicknamed the "great white wonder" due to the original pressing's plain white gatefold cover; newer pressings contain the name stamped on. This name – or variations, such as "little white wonder" – would surface in later bootleg releases or in the initials "G.W.W." that were printed on record labels or covers.
Content
Released by the infant Trademark of Quality label, created by two Los Angeles-based men, one a military deserter, Ken and Dub, Great White Wonder was compiled from multiple sources. Sides one and three of Great White Wonder were entirely given over to songs from an informal ninety-minute tape that Dylan recorded in the apartment of Bonnie Beecher in Minneapolis in December 1961. Side two was a miscellany of studio outtakes. However, it was the seven "basement-tape" cuts that filled up the end of side two and all of side four that aroused the greatest interest.Radio broadcasts
"The west coast radio stations were first to pick up on Great White Wonder. Five radio stations – KCBS [sic – should be KCSB-FM] in Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
, KNAC
KNAC
KNAC is an internet based heavy metal music radio station. It was previously a Los Angeles, California area FM radio station.-KNAC at 105.5 FM:...
in Long Beach
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
, KRLA
KRLA
KRLA is a radio station broadcasting a News/Talk format. Licensed to Glendale, California, USA, it serves the Southern California area. The station is currently owned by Salem Communications.- KIEV :...
in Pasadena
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
and KMET-FM and KPPC-FM in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
– immediately began playing the album. KRLA
KRLA
KRLA is a radio station broadcasting a News/Talk format. Licensed to Glendale, California, USA, it serves the Southern California area. The station is currently owned by Salem Communications.- KIEV :...
was the first. Unconcerned with legal niceties, these LA radio stations were quite willing to fuel demand for both Great White Wonder and the spate of bootlegs that soon followed its metal-stamped heels."
Said Dub, quoted in Clinton Heylin's Bootleg: The Secret History of the Other Recording Industry, "[Great White Wonder] was just this phenomenon. All of a sudden we just started having fistfuls of money. We didn't realize what we had gotten into." The success of this first bootleg may have prompted others to create illicit albums as well, including The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' Kum Back
Kum Back
Kum Back is the first bootleg album by The Beatles, released in September 1969. The album is an early mix of what would become 1970's Let It Be, taken from an acetate prepared by the groups's producer, Glyn Johns...
, released later in 1969, and copies of the original album, released by different labels. However, each time the content was copied, there was a reduction in sound quality.
Cover and label
Originally, the cover was a simple white sleeve, until the nickname "Great White Wonder" began to take effect. Later 1970s pressings included a poorly hand-stamped title, or a picture of Dylan playing at the Isle of Wight FestivalIsle of Wight Festival
The Isle of Wight Festival is a music festival which takes place every year on the Isle of Wight in England. It was originally held from 1968 to 1970. These original events were promoted and organised by the Foulk brothers under the banner of their company Fiery Creations Limited...
. Others gave the false artist name "Dupre and his Miracle Sound" (cf. genuine group Simon Dupree and the Big Sound
Simon Dupree and the Big Sound
Simon Dupree and the Big Sound were a British pop band formed by three brothers, Derek Shulman, born 1947 , Phil Shulman, born 1937 , and Ray Shulman, born 1949 .-Career:...
), along with false track titles.
Hoax follow-up
The Great White Wonder sparked a fake bootleg recording that began as a gag by editors at Rolling Stone magazine. The album, The Masked MaraudersThe Masked Marauders
The Masked Marauders is a record album released on the Warner Bros. Reprise/Deity label in the fall of 1969. The recording captured a purported "super session" of the era's leading rock and roll musicians, including Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, John Lennon, and Paul McCartney...
, was supposedly recorded during a jam session between Dylan
Dylan
Dylan is a Welsh boy's name common in America . It may refer to:* Dylan , people named Dylan* Dylan Thomas, Welsh poet* Dylan , a language with Lisp-like semantics and ALGOL-like syntax* Dylan Ail Don, a sea-god in Celtic mythology...
, Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
, John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
, and Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
. A review of the non-existent album ran in Rolling Stone on October 18, 1969. The write-up sparked enough inquiries from readers that a band was hired to record first some singles, then a full album. Released in November 1969 by a Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
subsidiary created for the stunt, The Masked Marauders topped 100,000 in sales. The album and singles were later re-issued by Rhino Records as a limited edition CD, The Masked Marauders - The Complete Deity Recordings.
Track listing
All tracks written by Bob Dylan, except when noted.Side One
- "Candy Man"
- "(As I Go) Ramblin' 'Round" (Woody GuthrieWoody GuthrieWoodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie is best known as an American singer-songwriter and folk musician, whose musical legacy includes hundreds of political, traditional and children's songs, ballads and improvised works. He frequently performed with the slogan This Machine Kills Fascists displayed on his...
) - "Black Cross"
- "I Ain't Got No Home" (Woody GuthrieWoody GuthrieWoodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie is best known as an American singer-songwriter and folk musician, whose musical legacy includes hundreds of political, traditional and children's songs, ballads and improvised works. He frequently performed with the slogan This Machine Kills Fascists displayed on his...
) - "The Death of Emmett TillThe Death of Emmett Till"The Death of Emmett Till", also known as "The Ballad of Emmett Till", is a song by American musician Bob Dylan about the murder of Emmett Till, which occurred on August 28, 1955. Till, a 14-year-old African American, was killed on August 28, 1955 by two white men, reportedly after flirting with a...
" - "Poor Lazarus" (trad.)
Side two
- "Bob Dylan's New Orleans Rag"
- "If You Gotta Go, Go Now (Or Else You Got to Stay All Night)If You Gotta Go, Go NowIf You Gotta Go, Go Now is a song written by Bob Dylan in 1964. The first released version was as a single in the US by the UK group The Liverpool Five in July 1965, but this went uncharted in the US despite receiving much airplay, particularly in the Pacific Northwest. It was another English band...
" - "Only a Hobo"
- "Sitting On a Barbed Wire Fence"
- "Mighty Quinn" (take 1)
- "This Wheel's on FireThis Wheel's on Fire (song)"This Wheel's on Fire" is a song written by Bob Dylan and Rick Danko. It was originally recorded by Dylan and The Band during their legendary 1967 sessions, portions of which comprised the 1975 album, The Basement Tapes...
" (Bob DylanBob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, Rick DankoRick DankoRichard Clare "Rick" Danko was a Canadian musician and singer, best known as a member of The Band.-Early years :...
)
Side three
- "Baby Please Don't Go" (Big Joe WilliamsBig Joe WilliamsJoseph Lee Williams , billed throughout his career as Big Joe Williams, was an American Delta blues guitarist, singer and songwriter, notable for the distinctive sound of his nine-string guitar...
) - Interview by Pete SeegerPete SeegerPeter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...
- "Dink's SongDink's Song"Dink's Song" is an American folk song played by many folk revival musicians such as Bob Dylan and Dave Van Ronk, as well as more recent musicians like Jeff Buckley...
" (trad.) - "See That My Grave Is Kept CleanSee That My Grave Is Kept Clean"See That My Grave Is Kept Clean" is a blues song recorded by Blind Lemon Jefferson in 1927 that became "one of his most famous compositions". Son House used the melody on his 1930 recording of "Mississippi County Farm Blues"....
" (Blind Lemon JeffersonBlind Lemon Jefferson"Blind" Lemon Jefferson was an American blues singer and guitarist from Texas. He was one of the most popular blues singers of the 1920s, and has been titled "Father of the Texas Blues"....
) - "East Orange New Jersey"
- "Man of Constant SorrowMan of Constant Sorrow"Man of Constant Sorrow" is a traditional American folk song first recorded by Dick Burnett, a partially blind fiddler from Kentucky. The song was originally recorded by Burnett as "Farewell Song" printed in a Richard Burnett songbook, c. 1913. An early version was recorded by Emry Arthur in 1928...
" (trad.)
Side four
- "I Shall Be ReleasedI Shall Be Released"I Shall Be Released" is a 1967 song written by Bob Dylan.The Band played it on their debut album, Music from Big Pink , with Richard Manuel singing lead vocals, and Rick Danko and Levon Helm harmonizing in the chorus...
" - "Open The Door, Homer" (take 1)
- "Too Much of NothingToo Much of NothingToo Much of Nothing is a song written by Bob Dylan in 1967, first released by him on the album The Basement Tapes .Dylan – vocal, guitar; Robbie Robertson – electric guitar; Garth Hudson – organ; Richard Manuel – piano, backing vocal; Rick Danko – bass, backing vocal...
" (take 2) - "Nothing Was Delivered" (take 1)
- "Tears of Rage" (take 2)
- "Living the Blues" (Live, The Johnny Cash ShowThe Johnny Cash ShowThe Johnny Cash Show is a live album by country singer Johnny Cash, recorded at the Grand Ole Opry and released on Columbia Records in 1970. Though one of Cash's lesser-known live records, it spawned the highly successful single "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", which helped kickstart the career of...
)
Great White Wonder II
Sometime in 1970, TMQ released another version of Great White Wonder, entitled Great White Wonder II. Many of the tracks were lifted from the Stealin' and John Birch Society Blues bootlegs, as well as tracks from the "Basement Tapes". However, each track was pressed from a unique source tape, not copied directly from the original LP. This resulted in a rather high-quality release, in terms of sound.Track listing
All songs written by Bob Dylan, except when noted.Side One
- "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window"
- "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to CryIt Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry"It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry" is a song written by Bob Dylan that was originally released on his seminal album Highway 61 Revisited, and also included on the compilation album Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits 2 that was released in Europe. An alternate version of the song appears on...
" - "Love Minus Zero/No LimitLove Minus Zero/No Limit"Love Minus Zero/No Limit" is a song written by Bob Dylan for his fifth studio album Bringing It All Back Home, released in 1965 . The song was originally written as a tribute to Dylan's future wife Sara Lowndes...
" - "She Belongs to MeShe Belongs to Me"She Belongs to Me" is a song by Bob Dylan, and was first released as the second track on his 1965 album Bringing It All Back Home. It was one of the first anti-love songs and one of Dylan's first of many songs that describe a "witchy woman"...
" - "It's All Over Now, Baby BlueIt's All Over Now, Baby Blue"It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan and featured on his Bringing It All Back Home album, released on March 22, 1965 by Columbia Records . The song was originally recorded on January 15, 1965 with Dylan's acoustic guitar and harmonica and William E. Lee's bass...
" - "That's All Right (Mama)" (Arthur CrudupArthur CrudupArthur "Big Boy" Crudup was an American Delta blues singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known outside blues circles for writing songs such as "That's All Right" , "My Baby Left Me" and "So Glad You're Mine", later covered by Elvis Presley and dozens of other artists.-Career:Arthur Crudup...
) - "Hard Times In New York Town"
- "Stealin'" (trad., arranged Memphis Jug BandMemphis Jug BandThe Memphis Jug Band was an American musical group in the late 1920s and early to mid 1930s. The band featured harmonicas, violins, mandolins, banjos, and guitars, backed by washboards, kazoo, and jugs blown to supply the bass; they played in a variety of musical styles...
)
Side Two
- "I Was Young When I Left Home" (trad.)
- "Percy's SongPercy's Song"Percy's Song" is a song written by Bob Dylan. It was an outtake from the 1963 sessions for Dylan's third album, The Times They Are A-Changin. It was not officially released until 1985, on the compilation Biograph...
" (take 2) - "Corrina, Corrina" (trad.)
- "In the Evening"
- "Long John" (trad.)
- "Crash on the Levee (Down in the Flood)"
Side Three
- "Wade in the Water" (trad.)
- "Cocaine Blues" (trad., arranged Rev. Gary DaviesReverend Gary DavisReverend Gary Davis, also Blind Gary Davis, was an American blues and gospel singer and guitarist, who was also proficient on the banjo and harmonica...
) - "I'll Keep It With MineI'll Keep It with Mine"I'll Keep It with Mine" is a song written by Bob Dylan in 1964, first officially released by folk singer Judy Collins as a single in 1965. Dylan attempted to record the song for his 1966 album Blonde on Blonde.-Dylan's Version:...
" - "Talkin' John Birch Paranoid BluesTalkin' John Birch Paranoid BluesTalkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues, also known as Talkin' John Birch Society Blues and Talkin' John Birch Blues, is a talking blues song written by singer-songwriter Bob Dylan in 1962. It is a satirical song, in which a paranoid narrator is convinced that communists, or "Reds" as he calls them, are...
" - "Who Killed Davey Moore?Who Killed Davey MooreWho Killed Davey Moore was a topical song written in 1963 by American folk singer/songwriter Bob Dylan. Though the song was not commercially released on Dylan's several studio albums in the 60s, it was popular in his repertoire for live shows during that era. It would later be released on The...
" - "Eternal Circle"
- "Rambling, Gambling Willie"
Side Four
- "Million Dollar Bash"
- "Yea! Heavy and a Bottle of Bread"
- "Please, Mrs. Henry"
- "Lo and Behold"
- "Tiny Montgomery"
- "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere"
- "Mixed-Up ConfusionMixed-Up ConfusionMixed-Up Confusion is a song written and recorded by Bob Dylan.It was recorded with an electric band on November 14th 1962 during the sessions for The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, but was not used on that album, which was entirely acoustic. Instead the song, backed with "Corrina, Corrina", a...
" - "East Laredo Blues"