World Gone Wrong Outtakes

Several recordings were excluded from the track listing of the album World Gone Wrong: “32-20 Blues,” “Mary and the Soldier,” “Twenty-One Years,” “Hello Stranger,” and “Goodnight My Love.” Only two outtakes were officially released on The Bootleg Series Volume 8: Tell Tale Signs: Rare & Unreleased 1989–2006: “32-20 Blues,” another tribute to Robert Johnson, and “Mary and the Soldier,” a ballad in the purest Irish folk tradition.

32-20 Blues
Robert Johnson / 3:06

Musician: Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar / Recording Studio: Bob Dylan Garage Studio, Malibu, California: May 1993 / Producer: Bob Dylan / Sound Engineer: Micajah Ryan / Set Box: The Bootleg Series Volume 8: Tell Tale Signs: Rare & Unreleased 1989–2006 (CD 2) / Date of Release: October 6, 2008

Robert Johnson, a Delta blues singer and guitarist from Mississippi, included “32-20 Blues” in his repertoire. Johnson allegedly signed a pact with the devil in exchange for his talent and was poisoned by a jealous husband. This diabolical pact and his premature death are the stuff of legend, but are possible, nonetheless. What is certain is that Johnson died at the age of twenty-seven, was elevated to the rank of cursed artist, and, even more, was praised for his vision of the blues by an entire generation, from Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones to Eric Clapton to Bob Dylan.

Recorded by Johnson in 1936, “32-20 Blues” is partially based on the Skip James song “22-20 Blues,” released in 1931. The title refers to the 32-20 caliber cartridge of the 1873 Winchester rifle, known as the the gun that won the West, but which was also used for various revolvers. Compared to Johnson’s version, Dylan’s is a little too reserved. There is less emotion than in other songs on World Gone Wrong. That may explain the reason he left it off the album. However, “32-20 Blues” is very well made. Note Greg Calbi’s excellent mastering.

Mary And The Soldier
Traditional / Arrangement Bob Dylan / 4:23

“Mary and the Soldier,” also known as “The Gallant Soldier,” “The Hieland Sodger,” and “The Highland Soldier,” is an Irish ballad telling the tale of a young girl in love who has decided to run away from her parents’ home and go to war with her gallant soldier. It is a story very similar to “Canadee-I-O,” a ballad recorded by Dylan for his previous LP, Good As I Been to You. Before Dylan, the Irish folksinger Paul Brady sang a very moving version of “Mary and the Soldier.” Dylan’s version contains a magnificent guitar part. He exudes deep emotion in his singing, but this song is not as strong as others retained for the album World Gone Wrong.