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 Bob Dylan vs AJ Weberman is a 1977 withdrawn LP (read: deleted from the Folkways catalog for legal reasons) containing telephone conversations between Dylan and AJ Weberman, which were recorded in January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
November 12th, 2008
Even when Dylan divulges his thoughts, he remains terse. Music
August 6th, 2009
I recently purchased a copy of this album on ebay for $100…I got a good deal, and the album is near-mint condition and plays perfectly well. Considering that I never see this album listed anywhere, I assume that it is extremely rare; I feel that I got a good deal on this, I’d be interested to see how much it is actually worth and how many there are out there.
November 6th, 2009
Dylan sounds like a moron because:
*He’s got some beef with Roger McGuinn? What do you know about it?
*He said he’s a better songwriter than Lennon? He is. And even if you don’t think so, it’s a close enough contest to where the word “moronic” certainly has no place in a description of such a boast.
*He called Creedence “faggot shit”? No, he didn’t. He called the Stones song “Memo From Turner” faggot shit. Because it is. Well, no it’s not. It’s actually a good tune but he was right about the gay thing; the (fucking great) lyrics allude consistently to homosexuality. He sounds a little jealous and insecure here, like maybe he’s sick of hearing people tell him about how “Mick really stepped his game up lyrics-wise with this one, man”. And he sounds a bit culturally unrefined with the “faggot” part, but he doesn’t sound like a moron.
September 16th, 2010
I worked for a record company in Boston that distributed Folkways in the late 1970s and was astonished when a box of five copies of Dylan v. Weberman appeared one day. Within a couple of weeks, Folkways recalled its shipment after Mr. D. threatened to sue. Folkways usually issued new releases in small print runs of 1,000-1,500, sent out a tiny fraction of that in initial orders and was required to destroy all copies of the album as part of a legal agreement – so there can’t be more than a few dozen copies out there. I’m happy to say that one of them is mine, as I squirreled it away as soon as it arrived. Still on my shelf in absolutely mint condition, with a Folkways-style booklet included. The David Peel intro song is also killer…..
March 27th, 2011
Thanks for the info T. Slim… it’s cool to find out this info.
May 12th, 2011
i produced the album for Folkways & Broadside Magazine… (yes my name is on the label and the booklet) and was the target of a $636-million lawsuit by CBS Records and Dylan. The suit named Folkways, Broadside, me, Weberman, and a bunch of John Doe’s. Someday I will tell the whole sordid story. In the meantime…listen and learn from this amazing tidbit of music lore.
–gary green