Question on "Don't Think Twice"

Mark6

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Nov 28, 2020, 11:28:25 AM11/28/20

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On the original studio version of "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" did Bob Dylan play the guitar part himself? Does anyone know the definitive answer to this?

Willie

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Nov 28, 2020, 11:39:43 AM11/28/20

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On Saturday, November 28, 2020 at 11:28:25 AM UTC-5, Mark6 wrote:
> On the original studio version of "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" did Bob Dylan play the guitar part himself? Does anyone know the definitive answer to this?

We've had several rounds on this. The consensus, I think, is it's Bruce Langhorne doing the finger-picking. But there are examples of Bob himself doing similar picking on other songs. There might even be a recording somewhere of him doing it on "Don't Think Twice"itself. But I think it's never been conclusively proven one way or the other. You could try searching RMD on "Langhorne".

K. Hematite

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Nov 28, 2020, 1:08:37 PM11/28/20

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On Saturday, 28 November 2020 at 11:28:25 UTC-5, Mark6 wrote:
> On the original studio version of "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" did Bob Dylan play the guitar part himself? Does anyone know the definitive answer to this?

Missing notes for that recording session seem to make a definitive answer virtually impossible. But here is a very strong defense by Eyolf Østrem for the case that it was Dylan himself playing that guitar part. Strong notice is taken of Bruce Langhorne's missing three fingers on his right hand.

https://dylanchords.info/professors/tt/ttch13.html

Willie

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Nov 28, 2020, 5:37:24 PM11/28/20

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I tried to find an example of Langhorne playing that kind of finger-picking, and couldn't come close, though there's not much available on YouTube or Spotify. He does accompany Odetta on "Don't Think Twice" on the great 1965 album "Odetta Sings Dylan." But he's doing bluesy fills on that.

I listened to Bob doing "Don't Think Twice" on the Bob Dylan Live 1964 bootleg series CD, but there he flat-pick strums it.

The closest I can think of where Bob does that kind of finger-picking is "500 Miles" on the May 1, 1960 tape at the home of Karen Wallace in St. Paul. He also comes close on "One Too Many Mornings": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ox42QVcfTtI. There are probably other, even closer, examples I'm forgetting.

I would say that unless we can find an example of Langhorne playing that style, the case is closed thanks to Eyolf. (Why does he call that amazing work "Things Twice"? Does his take on "Don't Think Twice" figure into that?)

Willie

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Nov 28, 2020, 6:15:00 PM11/28/20

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While I couldn't find an example of Langhorne finger-picking, I did find this charming video, if you like dancing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVJJ_rdek4k

K. Hematite

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Nov 28, 2020, 7:31:35 PM11/28/20

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"Things Twice" is the name of Eyolf's blog.

https://oestrem.com/thingstwice/about/

I'd guess that the name has less to do with "Don't Think Twice" than with "Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again." Eyolf is a scholar who lists among his specialties the study of ritual--which obviously involves going through things at least twice (and usually, many more times than that).

An' here I sit so patiently
Waiting to find out what price
You have to pay to get out of
Going through all these things twice

The specific study of the ritual aspects of Dylan concerts has been a key part of his work.

https://dylanchords.info/professors/tt/ttch4.html#x17-130003

Zod

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Nov 28, 2020, 10:47:15 PM11/28/20

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I have read this before...

Mark6

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Nov 30, 2020, 3:18:42 PM11/30/20

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Thanks for the info. I'm gonna assume that it's Dylan himself doing that very intricate finger picking.

On Saturday, November 28, 2020 at 11:28:25 AM UTC-5, Mark6 wrote:

Eyolf Østrem

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Jun 15, 2021, 2:26:20 PM6/15/21

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lørdag 28. november 2020 kl. 23:37:24 UTC+1 skrev Willie:
> I would say that unless we can find an example of Langhorne playing that style, the case is closed thanks to Eyolf. (Why does he call that amazing work "Things Twice"? Does his take on "Don't Think Twice" figure into that?)

It hadn't occurred to me that r.m.d. is still active! Last time I was here must have been in 2001 or something.
Anyway: I called it Things Twice because the idea was that I would inevitably be going through things twice, since there are some things and points that I keep coming back to. I didn't think twice about the title, although there was the extra twist about getting out of it...

President_dudley

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Jun 15, 2021, 7:00:40 PM6/15/21

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a small public house in nyc. prior to 2004

K. Hematite

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Jun 15, 2021, 11:31:14 PM6/15/21

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Also, the nickname for a department of EDLIS (Exchange Dylan Lyrics - Internet Service). It answers and then compiles responses to questions that are likely to be asked on multiple occasions, hoping not to have to answer such questions from scratch each time.

http://www.edlis.org/twice/

http://www.taxhelp.com/edlis2.html

https://stason.org/TULARC/music-bands/bob-dylan/11-What-is-EDLIS.html

Subsumed, some years ago, under the Facebook rubric, EDLIS Cafe.

Eyolf Østrem

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Jun 16, 2021, 7:46:58 AM6/16/21

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onsdag 16. juni 2021 kl. 05:31:14 UTC+2 skrev K. Hematite:
> Also, the nickname for a department of EDLIS (Exchange Dylan Lyrics - Internet Service). It answers and then compiles responses to questions that are likely to be asked on multiple occasions, hoping not to have to answer such questions from scratch each time.

That's true - that may actually have been part of it. It all comes back to me now...

Just Walkin'

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Jun 16, 2021, 8:58:40 PM6/16/21

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On Tuesday, June 15, 2021 at 1:26:20 PM UTC-5,

Good to meet you. And thanks for bringing up Don Freeman's well-missed moniker in your other thread. Little does anyone know, you can achieve immortality on rmd!

Welcome back.

Willie

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Jun 27, 2021, 12:32:32 PM6/27/21

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On Tuesday, June 15, 2021 at 2:26:20 PM UTC-4, eyo...@gmail.com wrote:

As examples of Bob picking the way the guitar on "Don't Think Twice" is, check out "Percy's Song":

https://open.spotify.com/album/74zwXmPZbbH7YGVXHbP3E3?highlight=spotify:track:18tQtthhCQWcWokhHlXDkQ

If that link doesn't get you there, google "Dylan Side Tracks Spotify". "Percy's Song" is the fifth track on Disk 1.