Hard Rain & Slow Trains: Bob Dylan & Fellow Travelers

This episode continues our monthly series featuring a single Dylan song and today's episode occurs on the 56th anniversary of the recording of "Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again" in Nashville: February 17, 1966. You'll hear how Dylan's performance of it changes over the decades and also how the song changes in the hands and voices of fellow travelers. "20 Pounds of Headlines" is on hiatus this week in order to make room for more performances of the song from which the segment derives its name. In "Who Did It Better?" we ask you to tell us who did "Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again" better: Joe Louis Walker or Cat Power? Go to our Twitter page @RainTrains to vote.

A February in NYC is cold, so let's duck out of the snow-filled Village streets and set our dial on the wireless radio to hear about a month in the professional life of Bob Dylan from 60 years ago. A 60th anniversary is a diamond anniversary, so this week, and throughout the year, we will periodically take a trip on "a highway of diamonds," exploring the events of Bob Dylan's career sixty years ago. This week, we listen to what Bob Dylan was up to in February of 1962. In "20 Pounds of Headlines," we bring you news from the world of Bob Dylan, both in February of 1962 and February of 2022. In "Who Did It Better?" we ask you to vote and tell us who did "Rambling, Gambling Willie" better: Townes van Zandt or The Clancy Brothers & Robbie O'Connell? Listen to the episode, then go to our Twitter page @RainTrains to vote!

This episode explores the meaning and the music of MASKED AND ANONYMOUS, which was filmed 20 years ago and released 19 years ago. In "20 Pounds of Headlines," we remember drummer Sam Lay, pianist Hargus 'Pig' Robbins, and Ventures guitarist Don Wilson, who all passed away in the past week, we get a reminder about Dylan's Spring tour tickets that are now on sale, and we get a report on the upcoming Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder tribute album to the music of Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee. In "Who Did It Better?" we ask you to tell us which version of "I'll Remember You" by Bob Dylan is better: an alternate studio version from 1985 recently released just last year on SPRINGTIME IN NEW YORK: BOOTLEG SERIES VOL. 16 or the 2002 version recorded for MASKED AND ANONYMOUS? Go to the HARD RAIN & SLOW TRAINS Twitter page @RainTrains to vote.

This episode kicks off an intermittent series that will feature a single song in order to both reveal how Dylan's performance of it changes over the decades and also to hear how the song changes in the hands and voices of fellow travelers. The song for tonight is "The Times They Are A-Changin'," written in September of 1963, recorded in October of 1963, and released on January 13, 1964. In "20 Pounds of Headlines," we cover Monday's Spring 2022 Tour announcement and itinerary and we also cover the announcement from Sony Music Entertainment that it purchased the commercial rights to all of Dylan's master recordings in July of 2021. In "Who Did It Better?" we ask you to tell us who did "The Times They Are A-Changin'" better: A Whisper In The Noise or Mountain? Go to our Twitter page @RainTrains to vote.

They say that the 60th anniversary is the diamond anniversary. This week, and throughout the year, we will periodically take a trip on "a highway of diamonds," exploring the events of Bob Dylan's career sixty years ago. This week, we take a walk through the Greenwich Village of January 1962 that Bob Dylan knew, listen to what influenced him, and hear the music that he was making 60 years ago. In "20 Pounds of Headlines," we bring you news from the world of Bob Dylan, both in January of 1962 and January of 2022. In "Who Did It Better?" we ask you to vote and tell us who did "He Was a Friend of Mine" better sixty years ago: Bob Dylan or Dave Van Ronk? Listen to the episode, then go to our Twitter page @RainTrains to vote!

This year marks the 60th anniversary of Nelson's first studio album, so why not now to feature one of the most prolific and poetic song craftsmen and singers to be included as one of Dylan's fellow travelers: Willie Hugh Nelson? This episode focuses on Nelson's collaborations with Dylan. In "20 Pounds of Headlines," we round up news from the world of Bob Dylan, which includes news on the James Mangold film in development tentatively titled GOING ELECTRIC and news about the passing of two singers and a concert promoter. In "Who Did It Better?" we ask you to vote this week to tell us who did "Young at Heart" better: Bob Dylan or Willie Nelson? Listen to the episode, then go to our Twitter page @RainTrains to vote!

2022 says hello as a stranger, but it will go out an acquaintance, hopefully as a pal and not a nemesis. This episode plays Dylan songs & those of fellow travelers featuring strangers & looks expectantly to the new year. In "20 Pounds of Headlines," we round up news from the world of Bob Dylan, which includes speculation about what Bootleg Series we may see released in 2022. In "Who Did It Better?" we ask you to tell us who did "Rank Stranger" better: The Stanley Brothers or Bob Dylan? Be sure to go to our Twitter page @RainTrains to vote!

Our third annual end-of-year, year in review episode of HARD RAIN & SLOW TRAINS: BOB DYAN & FELLOW TRAVELERS looks back "in the smoke of the twilight" to a year highlighted by the SHADOW KINGDOM concert film and the commencement of the "ROUGH AND ROWDY WAYS": WORLD WIDE TOUR 2021-2024 tour. We remember those who we lost in 2021 and also review 2021 highlights from the world of Bob Dylan from another busy year. In "Who Did It Better?" we ask you to go to our Twitter page (https://twitter.com/RainTrains) and vote for who did "Jokerman" better: Built to Spill or Daniel Romano's Outfit? Happy New Year everybody!

Our third annual Christmas episode of HARD RAIN & SLOW TRAINS: BOB DYLAN & FELLOW TRAVELERS. Enjoy the "Nativity" music of some fellow travelers while you either travel or stay indoors this holiday season. This episode includes "20 Pounds of Headlines" where we round up news from the world of Bob Dylan, including news about an upcoming online concert of Dylan songs by Chrissie Hynde, a new 4k blu-ray release of THE LAST WALTZ (1978), the 2021 Kennedy Center Honorees and their Dylan connections, and the passing of Wanda Young of The Marvelettes. In "Who Did It Better?" we ask you to go to our Twitter page (https://twitter.com/RainTrains) and vote for who did "O Little Town Of Bethlehem" better: The Staple Singers or Bob Dylan? You can listen to the two last years' Christmas episodes by looking up the 12/24/2020 "Noël" & 12/19/2019 "Christmas!" episodes. Merry Christmas everybody!

The sixth episode featuring fellow travelers who first recorded in the 1950s and who are still with us (the previous ones are from 7/15/2021, 6/3/2021, 9/3/2020, 5/14/2020, and 5/7/2020). This episode features Mavis Staples, surveying her music both with The Staple Singers and as a solo singer, as well as her relationship with Bob Dylan. After the newsworthy month of November with Dylan's Fall tour, news is slow in the world of Bob Dylan, so "20 Pounds of Headlines" gives way this week to even more music. In "Who Did It Better?" we announce the winner of last week's poll and, for the third time this year (and second consecutive week) we revisit "Gotta Serve Somebody," asking you to tell who did it better, Mavis Staples or (another last one standing) Shirley Caesar? Listen to the episode, then go to our Twitter page @RainTrains to vote!