Bob Dylan 70

Title

First
Broadcast

Repeated

Comments

Bob's Ballad Bases

20110524

1/1

From Pretty Peggy-O on his first album to Highlands in the '90s and beyond, throughout Bob Dylan's career folksongs and folk music have informed the melodic, thematic and structural roots of much of his work. Presented by Julie Fowlis and featuring contributions from Jean Redpath, Liam Clancy, Martin Carthy, Clinton Heylin, Professor Simon Frith, Linda Thompson, Seth Lakeman and others, this programme examines and celebrates the British and Irish folksong roots of much of Dylan's songwriting through the years. There is a considerable Scottish dimension including a 1961 In Concert recording of Lang a-growin' and Rab Noakes's illustrated speculation on the connection between The Times they are a-changin' and Hamish Henderson's Farewell to Sicily.

Julie Fowlis presents a celebration of the folksong roots of Bob Dylan's songwriting.

A series of programmes celebrating Bob Dylan's 70th birthday.

Dylan's Women

20110523

As Radio 2's Bob Dylan season continues, Bob Harris takes a look at the women behind the songs and discovers how they influenced Dylan as an artist and songwriter.

Focusing largely on the music, tracks include Boots of Spanish Leather, which was written for Suze Rotolo; Like a Rolling Stone, which is said to be inspired by the model and socialite Edie Sedgwick; and Sara, Dylan's homage to his first wife Sara Lownds.

Folk singer Carolyn Hester remembers how Dylan was signed to Columbia after John Hammond saw him playing harmonica at one of her recording sessions. Bob was mesmerised by her singing: 'You should have seen this little rough and scuffle little guy, with all this curly hair in the world, pulled his chair right up in front of me... he says, 'you wanna play that again?

Suze Rotolo met Dylan in the summer of 1961 and went on to inspire some of his most famous songs. Richard Williams, a journalist from the Guardian, explains how she also introduced him to theatre and artists he'd never heard of: 'It wouldn't be exaggerating to say she opened up a new world to him.' Richard also remembers the importance of the album cover for The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan which pictured Bob and Suze walking down a snowy Manhattan street.

Singer Joan Baez features, who describes how she opened him up to a wider audience: 'I adored his music and I adored him... I would present him during my concert so certain credit is offered to me because of that.' Billy Name, the archivist at Andy Warhol's Factory, explains the link between Dylan and Edie Sedgwick, who is said to have inspired the song Like a Rolling Stone. And photographer Elliott Landy remembers the time he spent with Bob and his first wife Sara Dylan at their home in Woodstock: 'she had a calming effect and she bought him into a wonderful domestic family life'.

Other contributors include film-maker DA Pennebaker; actress Sienna Miller; photographer and film director Jerry Schatzberg; Dylan's backing singer Ronee Blakley; and Dylan's first manager, Terri Thal, who remembers how hard it was to get Dylan booked for shows.

Who are the women behind some of Dylan's most revered songs? And how have they impacted on his music? We'll find out as we explore another side of Bob through the eyes of 'Dylan's Women'.

Bob Harris takes a look at the women behind Bob Dylan's songs.

A series of programmes celebrating Bob Dylan's 70th birthday.

Nashville Cats: The Making Of Blonde On Blonde

20110516

Bill Nighy presents the definitive story of what really went down on tape, and in the studio, during the recording of Bob Dylan's classic album Blonde On Blonde.

In February 1966, Bob rolled in to Nashville to work on his seventh studio album. Following only partially successful sessions in New York, the decision had been taken to relocate to the Colombia label's Music Row studios. Nashville Cats looks at the music that resulted from the unlikely alliance between seasoned country music veterans, accustomed to fixed time studio sessions, and the more erratic modus operandi favoured by the wiry hipster poet.

Generally regarded as the high watermark of Dylan's most creatively intense period, Blonde On Blonde was recalled by the songwriter himself as being 'the closest I ever got to the sound I hear in my mind...it's that thin wild mercury sound'. Bill Nighy narrates a tale of in-studio composition, musicians by turns bemused, exasperated and inspired, and an artist operating at the very zenith of his talent.

Nashville Cats features newly sourced interviews with the key participants on these historic studio recording dates including musicians Al Kooper, Charlie McCoy, Hargus 'Pig' Robbins, Wayne Moss, Henry Strzelecki and Joe South. The documentary also features the perspective of Producer Bob Johnston, the man responsible for convincing Dylan to record in Nashville, and reveals the real story behind the supposed symbolism of its famous cover shot care of Jerry Schatzberg, the man behind the lens.

Bill Nighy presents the story of Bob Dylan's classic album Blonde on Blonde.

A series of programmes celebrating Bob Dylan's 70th birthday.

The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, A Folk Tribute

20110518

20130527 (R2)

As Radio 2 celebrates Bob Dylan's 70th birthday, the cream of the British folk scene re-interprets songs from his iconic album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. Mark Radcliffe guides us through a collection of specially recorded songs that illustrate not only Dylan's great writing skills, but also the inventiveness and creativity of British folk artists, some of whom inspired a young Dylan when he first visited Britain in the early 1960s.

Although Freewheelin' is Dylan's second studio album, it initiated the process of writing contemporary words to traditional melodies. Eleven of the thirteen songs on the album are original compositions and it contains several that came to be regarded as his best and classics of the 1960s folk scene: Blowin' in the Wind, Masters of War, A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall and Don't Think Twice, It's All Right.

In December 1962, partway through recording Freewheelin', a young Bob Dylan came to London for the first time where he met English folk singer Martin Carthy. Carthy taught Dylan the traditional songs Scarborough Fair and Lord Franklin, both of which would appear on the album just months later as Girl from the North Country and Bob Dylan's Dream. Almost fifty years on, we come full circle, as Bob Dylan's Dream is performed by Martin Carthy himself.

The cast list is a roll call of British folk's premier talents, with the complete track listing as follows: Blowin' in the Wind by Seth Lakeman; Girl from the North Country by Thea Gilmore; Masters of War by Martin Simpson; Down the Highway by While and Matthews; Bob Dylan's Blues by Ewan McLennan; A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall by Karine Polwart; Don't Think Twice, It's All Right by Ralph McTell; Bob Dylan's Dream by Martin Carthy; Oxford Town by Coope, Boyes and Simpson; Talkin' World War III Blues by Billy Bragg; Corrina, Corrina by Cara Dillon with The Scoville Units; Honey, Just Allow Me One More Chance by Rory Mcleod; and I Shall Be Free by Rab Noakes with Fraser Speirs.

British folk artists re-create songs from the iconic album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan.

A series of programmes celebrating Bob Dylan's 70th birthday.

Episodes

Title	First Broadcast	Repeated	Comments
Bob's Ballad Bases	20110524		1/1 From Pretty Peggy-O on his first album to Highlands in the '90s and beyond, throughout Bob Dylan's career folksongs and folk music have informed the melodic, thematic and structural roots of much of his work. Presented by Julie Fowlis and featuring contributions from Jean Redpath, Liam Clancy, Martin Carthy, Clinton Heylin, Professor Simon Frith, Linda Thompson, Seth Lakeman and others, this programme examines and celebrates the British and Irish folksong roots of much of Dylan's songwriting through the years. There is a considerable Scottish dimension including a 1961 In Concert recording of Lang a-growin' and Rab Noakes's illustrated speculation on the connection between The Times they are a-changin' and Hamish Henderson's Farewell to Sicily. Julie Fowlis presents a celebration of the folksong roots of Bob Dylan's songwriting. A series of programmes celebrating Bob Dylan's 70th birthday.
Dylan's Women	20110523		As Radio 2's Bob Dylan season continues, Bob Harris takes a look at the women behind the songs and discovers how they influenced Dylan as an artist and songwriter. Focusing largely on the music, tracks include Boots of Spanish Leather, which was written for Suze Rotolo; Like a Rolling Stone, which is said to be inspired by the model and socialite Edie Sedgwick; and Sara, Dylan's homage to his first wife Sara Lownds. Folk singer Carolyn Hester remembers how Dylan was signed to Columbia after John Hammond saw him playing harmonica at one of her recording sessions. Bob was mesmerised by her singing: 'You should have seen this little rough and scuffle little guy, with all this curly hair in the world, pulled his chair right up in front of me... he says, 'you wanna play that again? Suze Rotolo met Dylan in the summer of 1961 and went on to inspire some of his most famous songs. Richard Williams, a journalist from the Guardian, explains how she also introduced him to theatre and artists he'd never heard of: 'It wouldn't be exaggerating to say she opened up a new world to him.' Richard also remembers the importance of the album cover for The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan which pictured Bob and Suze walking down a snowy Manhattan street. Singer Joan Baez features, who describes how she opened him up to a wider audience: 'I adored his music and I adored him... I would present him during my concert so certain credit is offered to me because of that.' Billy Name, the archivist at Andy Warhol's Factory, explains the link between Dylan and Edie Sedgwick, who is said to have inspired the song Like a Rolling Stone. And photographer Elliott Landy remembers the time he spent with Bob and his first wife Sara Dylan at their home in Woodstock: 'she had a calming effect and she bought him into a wonderful domestic family life'. Other contributors include film-maker DA Pennebaker; actress Sienna Miller; photographer and film director Jerry Schatzberg; Dylan's backing singer Ronee Blakley; and Dylan's first manager, Terri Thal, who remembers how hard it was to get Dylan booked for shows. Who are the women behind some of Dylan's most revered songs? And how have they impacted on his music? We'll find out as we explore another side of Bob through the eyes of 'Dylan's Women'. Bob Harris takes a look at the women behind Bob Dylan's songs. A series of programmes celebrating Bob Dylan's 70th birthday.
Nashville Cats: The Making Of Blonde On Blonde	20110516		Bill Nighy presents the definitive story of what really went down on tape, and in the studio, during the recording of Bob Dylan's classic album Blonde On Blonde. In February 1966, Bob rolled in to Nashville to work on his seventh studio album. Following only partially successful sessions in New York, the decision had been taken to relocate to the Colombia label's Music Row studios. Nashville Cats looks at the music that resulted from the unlikely alliance between seasoned country music veterans, accustomed to fixed time studio sessions, and the more erratic modus operandi favoured by the wiry hipster poet. Generally regarded as the high watermark of Dylan's most creatively intense period, Blonde On Blonde was recalled by the songwriter himself as being 'the closest I ever got to the sound I hear in my mind...it's that thin wild mercury sound'. Bill Nighy narrates a tale of in-studio composition, musicians by turns bemused, exasperated and inspired, and an artist operating at the very zenith of his talent. Nashville Cats features newly sourced interviews with the key participants on these historic studio recording dates including musicians Al Kooper, Charlie McCoy, Hargus 'Pig' Robbins, Wayne Moss, Henry Strzelecki and Joe South. The documentary also features the perspective of Producer Bob Johnston, the man responsible for convincing Dylan to record in Nashville, and reveals the real story behind the supposed symbolism of its famous cover shot care of Jerry Schatzberg, the man behind the lens. Bill Nighy presents the story of Bob Dylan's classic album Blonde on Blonde. A series of programmes celebrating Bob Dylan's 70th birthday.
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, A Folk Tribute	20110518	20130527 (R2)	As Radio 2 celebrates Bob Dylan's 70th birthday, the cream of the British folk scene re-interprets songs from his iconic album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. Mark Radcliffe guides us through a collection of specially recorded songs that illustrate not only Dylan's great writing skills, but also the inventiveness and creativity of British folk artists, some of whom inspired a young Dylan when he first visited Britain in the early 1960s. Although Freewheelin' is Dylan's second studio album, it initiated the process of writing contemporary words to traditional melodies. Eleven of the thirteen songs on the album are original compositions and it contains several that came to be regarded as his best and classics of the 1960s folk scene: Blowin' in the Wind, Masters of War, A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall and Don't Think Twice, It's All Right. In December 1962, partway through recording Freewheelin', a young Bob Dylan came to London for the first time where he met English folk singer Martin Carthy. Carthy taught Dylan the traditional songs Scarborough Fair and Lord Franklin, both of which would appear on the album just months later as Girl from the North Country and Bob Dylan's Dream. Almost fifty years on, we come full circle, as Bob Dylan's Dream is performed by Martin Carthy himself. The cast list is a roll call of British folk's premier talents, with the complete track listing as follows: Blowin' in the Wind by Seth Lakeman; Girl from the North Country by Thea Gilmore; Masters of War by Martin Simpson; Down the Highway by While and Matthews; Bob Dylan's Blues by Ewan McLennan; A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall by Karine Polwart; Don't Think Twice, It's All Right by Ralph McTell; Bob Dylan's Dream by Martin Carthy; Oxford Town by Coope, Boyes and Simpson; Talkin' World War III Blues by Billy Bragg; Corrina, Corrina by Cara Dillon with The Scoville Units; Honey, Just Allow Me One More Chance by Rory Mcleod; and I Shall Be Free by Rab Noakes with Fraser Speirs. British folk artists re-create songs from the iconic album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. A series of programmes celebrating Bob Dylan's 70th birthday.