The May tape has never enjoyed the same popularity [as the December tape – The Minnesota Hotel Tape]. Partly because of the low quality of the original recording, and partly due to a remarkably uninspired performance. One of the first times that a young Bob would hear himself on tape, nerves, inexperience, and limited repertoire would result in, at best, this mediocre offering. The tape is significant, however, not only for its historical importance, but also as a standard to compare the December tape. A short seven months that separate the two. A lifetime that separate the two. The interim shows the explosive growth from a kid with a guitar to a Folk Phenomenon.
~Bobsboots.com
Unidentified coffeehouse
Minneapolis, Minnesota
May 1961
Released in the UK on Minneapolis Party Tape
- Ramblin’ Round (Woody Guthrie)
- Death Don’t Have No Mercy (Revd. Gary Davis)
- It’s Hard To Be Blind (trad.)
- This Train Is Bound For Glory (Big Bill Broonzy, arr. by Woody Guthrie)
First four songs:
Continue reading May: Bob Dylan A Coffeehouse in Minneapolis 1961 (audio)