Bob Dylan’s formative years as a songwriter and performer are getting the full archival treatment with the upcoming release of The Bootleg Series Volume 18: Through The Open Window, 1956-1963, set for October 31, 2025 via Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings.
This deluxe 8CD box set charts Dylan’s journey from his Minnesota roots to the heart of Greenwich Village, capturing a young artist discovering his voice amid the vibrant folk scene of the early 1960s. Pre-orders start today, and a preview of the track “Rocks and Gravel” is already streaming.
The collection is a treasure trove for Dylan enthusiasts, including home recordings, studio outtakes, coffeehouse gigs, nightclub performances, and jam sessions from now-long-lost venues. Many recordings are previously unheard, offering an intimate window into the evolution of classics like “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “The Times They Are A-Changin’.”
A major highlight is the complete, previously unreleased recording of Dylan’s legendary Carnegie Hall concert on October 26, 1963, mixed from the original tapes-a snapshot of the end of his early folk period and the dawn of an extraordinary career.
Historian and author Sean Wilentz, who provides 125 pages of liner notes and over 100 rare photographs, writes, “Even as a fragment, this collection collapses time and space, connecting past and present, old and new, not as nostalgia but as a living record of an artist becoming himself.”
The 8CD Deluxe Edition contains 139 tracks-including 48 never-before-released performances and 38 rare cuts-alongside a hardcover book of notes and photos. For those after the essentials, 2CD and 4LP highlight editions feature 42 tracks.
Full Tracklisting: Bootleg Series Volume 18: Through The Open Window, 1956-1963
DISC 1
Let the Good Times Roll – Dec 24, 1956, Terlinde Music Shop, St. Paul, MN
I Got a New Girl – May 1959, Home of Ric Kangas, Hibbing, MN
San Francisco Bay Blues
Jesus Christ – Sept 1960, Home of Bob Dylan, Minneapolis, MN
East Virginia Blues
K.C. Moan
Hard Travelin’ – Late 1960, Madison, WI
Pastures of Plenty
Remember Me – Feb 1961, Home of Bob and Sid Gleason, East Orange, NJ
Song to Woody
Talkin’ Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues – Sept 6, 1961, The Gaslight Cafe, NYC
Ain’t No Grave – Summer 1961, Home of Mell and Lillian Bailey, NYC
I Ain’t Got No Home – May 13, 1961, Coffman Theater, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Death Don’t Have No Mercy
Devilish Mary – May 1961, Minneapolis, MN
Introduction: Riverside Church
Handsome Molly – July 29, 1961, Saturday of Folk Music (WRVR-FM), Riverside Church, NYC
Introduction: See That My Grave Is Kept Clean
See That My Grave Is Kept Clean
The Girl I Left Behind
Introduction: Pretty Boy Floyd
Pretty Boy Floyd
Railroading on the Great Divide – Oct 1, 1961, Gerdes Folk City, NYC
Introduction: Fixin’ to Die
Fixin’ to Die – 1961, Folklore Center, NYC
I’ll Fly Away – Take 1 (Alternate Take) – Sept 29, 1961, Carolyn Hester Sessions, Studio A, Columbia Recording Studios, NYC
DISC 2
Introduction: In the Pines
In the Pines
Gospel Plow
Introduction: Young But Daily Growing
Young But Daily Growing
Man on the Street
This Land Is Your Land*
Pretty Polly – Nov 4, 1961, Carnegie Chapter Hall, NYC
Man of Constant Sorrow – Rehearsal (Alternate Take, Nov 20, 1961)
House Carpenter – Take 1 (Outtake, Nov 22, 1961)*
You’re No Good – Take 2 with Take 6 Insert (Alternate Take, Nov 20, 1961)
He Was a Friend of Mine – Take 2 (Outtake, Nov 20, 1961)*
Ramblin’ Round – Take 2 (Outtake, Nov 22, 1961)*
Story: East Orange, New Jersey
Stealin’
Po’ Lazarus
Dink’s Song*
I Was Young When I Left Home*
In the Evening
Baby, Let Me Follow You Down
Cocaine – Dec 22, 1961, Home of Bonnie Beecher, Minneapolis, MN
DISC 3
The Death of Emmett Till
Conversation: Folksinger’s Choice, 1
Roll On, John*
Conversation: Folksinger’s Choice, 2
Hard Times in New York Town – Broadcast Mar 11, 1962, Folksinger’s Choice, WBAI-FM Studios, NYC
Talkin’ John Birch Paranoid Blues – Mar 1962, Home of Mell and Lillian Bailey, NYC
Ballad of Donald White – Sept 20, 1962, Home of Mac and Eve McKenzie, NYC
Midnight Special – Rehearsals
Midnight Special – Take 17 (Alternate Take) – Feb 2, 1962, The Midnight Special sessions, Webster Hall, NYC
Wichita (Album Version)*
It’s Dangerous (Album Version)* – Mar 2, 1962, Three Kings and the Queen sessions, Cue Recording Studios, NYC
Honey, Just Allow Me One More Chance**
Talkin’ New York**
Corrina, Corrina*
Deep Ellum Blues**
Introduction: Blowin’ in the Wind
Blowin’ in the Wind* – Apr 16, 1962, Gerdes Folk City, NYC
Rambling, Gambling Willie – Take 3 (Outtake)**
(I Heard That) Lonesome Whistle – Take 2 (Outtake)** – Apr 24, 1962, Freewheelin’ sessions, Studio A, Columbia Recording Studios, NYC
Rocks and Gravel – Take 3 (Outtake)**
Paths of Victory
Train a-Travelin’ (Album Version)* – Oct-Dec 1962, Broadside Office, NYC
Hiram Hubbard**
Quit Your Low Down Ways**
Let Me Die in My Footsteps**
Ramblin’ on My Mind**
Blue Yodel No. 8 (Mule Skinner Blues)** – Jul 2, 1962, The Finjan, Montreal, Canada
DISC 4
Baby, Please Don’t Go – Take 3 (Outtake)** – Apr 25, 1962, Freewheelin’ sessions
Worried Blues – Take 1 (Outtake)**
Baby, I’m in the Mood for You – Take 4 (Outtake)**
Bob Dylan’s Blues – Take 2 (Outtake)** – Jul 9, 1962, Freewheelin’ sessions
Introduction: Tomorrow Is a Long Time
Tomorrow Is a Long Time
This Land Is Your Land – The Last Verses
Long Time Gone – Aug 11, 1962, Home of Dave Whitaker, Minneapolis, MN
A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall*
Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right*
Barbara Allen*
The Cuckoo* – Oct 1962, The Gaslight Cafe, NYC
That’s All Right – Take 5 (Outtake)** – Oct 26, 1962, Freewheelin’ sessions
Mixed-Up Confusion – Take 10 (Single Alternate Take)** – Nov 1, 1962
Ballad of Hollis Brown – Take 2 (Outtake)**
Kingsport Town – Take 2 (Outtake)* – Nov 14, 1962
Whatcha Gonna Do? – Remake, Take 1 (Outtake)**
Hero Blues – Take 4 (Outtake)**
I Shall Be Free – Take 3 (Alternate Take)** – Dec 6, 1962
DISC 5
The Ballad of the Gliding Swan – Broadcast Jan 13, 1963, “Madhouse on Castle Street,” BBC-TV Studios, London, England
Only a Hobo (Album Version)*
John Brown (Album Version)* – Feb 1963, Broadside Ballads Vol. 1 sessions
All Over You** – Feb 8, 1963, NYC
Oxford Town* (Demo) – Mar 1963, Witmark Studio, NYC
Bob Dylan’s Dream*
Introduction: Walls of Red Wing
Walls of Red Wing**
Introduction: Tomorrow Is a Long Time
Tomorrow Is a Long Time*
Dusty Old Fairgrounds**
Introduction: Pretty Peggy-O
Pretty Peggy-O**
Who Killed Davey Moore?**
Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie* – Apr 12, 1963, Town Hall, NYC
James Alley Blues** – Apr 18, 1963, Home of Mac and Eve McKenzie, NYC
I Rode Out One Morning** – Apr 19, 1963
House of the Rising Sun** – Apr 18, 1963
Talkin’ World War III Blues – Apr 21, 1963, Club 47, Cambridge, MA
Masters of War – Take 6 (Alternate Take)
Girl from the North Country – Take 4 (Alternate Take) – Apr 24, 1963
DISC 6
Introduction by Cordell Reagon
Only a Pawn in Their Game
Blowin’ in the Wind – Jul 6, 1963, SNCC Voter Registration Rally, Greenwood, MS
Eternal Circle
Liverpool Gal
West Memphis – Jul 17, 1963, Home of Tony Glover, Minneapolis, MN
North Country Blues*
With God on Our Side* – Jul 27, 1963, Newport Folk Festival, Newport, RI
Playboys and Playgirls* – Jul 28, 1963
Blowin’ in the Wind* – Jul 26, 1963
Slate: Boots of Spanish Leather
Boots of Spanish Leather – Take 1 (Alternate Take)
Seven Curses – Take 3 (Outtake)*
Farewell – Take 5 (Outtake)* – Aug 6, 1963, The Times They Are A-Changin’ sessions
Bob Dylan’s New Orleans Rag – Remake, Take 3 (Outtake) – Aug 7, 1963
Moonshiner – Remake, Take 1 (Outtake)* – Aug 12, 1963
Introduction by Joan Baez
Troubled and I Don’t Know Why* – Aug 17, 1963, Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, NYC
Introduction by Ossie Davis
When the Ship Comes In** – Aug 28, 1963, March on Washington, Washington, D.C.
The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll – Sept 1963, Home of Ben Shapiro, Los Angeles
The Times They Are A-Changin’ – Sept 1963, California
One Too Many Mornings – Take 1 (Alternate Take) – Oct 24, 1963
Key to the Highway – Take 1 (Outtake) – Oct 23, 1963
DISC 7 – Carnegie Hall, Oct 26, 1963
The Times They Are A-Changin’*
Ballad of Hollis Brown*
Introduction: Who Killed Davey Moore?
Who Killed Davey Moore?*
Boots of Spanish Leather*
Talkin’ John Birch Paranoid Blues*
Lay Down Your Weary Tune*
Introduction: Blowin’ in the Wind
Blowin’ in the Wind**
Introduction: Percy’s Song
Percy’s Song**
Seven Curses**
Walls of Red Wing**
Introduction: North Country Blues
North Country Blues*
A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall*
DISC 8 – Carnegie Hall, Oct 26, 1963
Talkin’ World War III Blues**
Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right**
Story: Hootenanny Hoot
With God on Our Side*
Only a Pawn in Their Game**
Introduction: Masters of War
Masters of War*
Introduction: The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll*
Introduction: When the Ship Comes In
When the Ship Comes In*
*All tracks previously unreleased unless otherwise noted
**Previously released on 50th Anniversary Collections 1962 & 1963 (Sony)
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