Here it is folks, one of the scarcest Bob Dylan releases ever. It’s mostly been circulated as a poor-quality bootleg since the late ’70s, but here it is in its original form. It’s barely classifiable as a Dylan “album”, since there’s no music involved. Bob Dylan vs AJ Weberman is a 1977 withdrawn LP (read: deleted from the Folkways catalog for legal reasons) containing telephone conversations between Dylan and AJ Weberman, which were recorded in January of 1971. Folkways originally pressed the album, but it was very, very quickly taken off the market. I don’t know how many were sold, but the number must be very small considering how much dealers charge for it. We’ve asked between $400-$600 for the copies that have passed through the store.
The “interviews” took place a few weeks after demonstration outside of Dylan’s apartment that was organized by Weberman. Weberman was a self-proclaimed Dylanologist who was just a tiny bit obsessed with the guy. He thought some of Dylan’s songs were written for him. He used to rummage through trash to gather evidence that could support his zany theories. Even after Dylan and his wife started putting dog shit in their garbage, he kept digging. He apparently used a lot of acid, too.
Anyway, after this radical demonstration spearheaded by Weberman — the purpose of which was to rally against early ’70s rock musicians for not being political enough anymore — the two had some phone conversations. Weberman taped them, and Dylan found out about halfway through the recording process, and he wasn’t too happy about it. Both guys sound like morons at times. Dylan expresses his dislike for Roger McGuinn, telling Weberman, “Fuck him” multiple times. He calls Creedence Clearwater Revival “faggot shit,” and dares Weberman to name a better songwriter than him. John Lennon? “Never”. Wow.
Immediately following my first exposure to Dylan’s exasperated “Aw no, maaaan,” the soundbyte has become my default text message notification sound. Also, pretty much everything Weberman says is insane.
According to some people, the incident actually had an effect on Dylan. Later that year, he performed at the Concert for Bangladesh, and appeared to make a strong effort to return to his ’60s persona, including his personal appearance and songwriting techniques.
This recording was ripped straight from the original LP. Minimal surface noise, but a couple pops here and there. Otherwise it sounds great. Enjoy!
Bob Dylan & AJ Weberman
Bob Dylan vs AJ Weberman: The Historic Confrontation
MegaUpload Download Link
Tracklist:
01. David Peel & Group “AJ Weberman” Pt. 1
02. Bob Dylan vs AJ Weberman Part 1
03. Bob Dylan vs AJ Weberman Part 2
04. Bob Dylan vs AJ Weberman Part 3
05. Bob Dylan vs AJ Weberman Part 4
06. Bob Dylan vs AJ Weberman Part 5
07. Bob Dylan vs AJ Weberman Part 6
08. Grace Slick “Father Bruce”
09. Bob Dylan vs AJ Weberman Part 7
10. David Peel & Group “AJ Weberman” Pt. 2
