"When you ain't got nothin,' you got nothin' to lose."
The story.
This is what you will read now concerning the actual recording of "Like A Rolling Stone."
"This was the only song on the album produced by Tom Wilson, who produced Dylan's second album, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. Wilson had been a Jazz producer and was brought in to replace John Hammond. Wilson invited keyboard player Al Kooper to the session, and Al produced the famous organ riff that drove the song. This was the last song Wilson worked on with Dylan, as Bob Johnson took over production duties."
That is not quite what happened. Besides goofing around on a keyboard and knowing maybe two notes, Al Kooper had no earthly idea what he was doing. If he was a "keyboardist," this was his first time to really keyboard. In fact, when that take was complete, Al was about to approach Bob to apologize that he wasn't anywhere near the beat and wasn't sure of the keys so he knew me missed a few...
When Dylan nodded at him on the way out of the studio and said "Loved the keyboards."
Now, sit down and spend 6 minutes listening to this song on heavy speakers or through the earphones. Crank it in stereo so you can hear the organ go off the charts. The piano and keyboard weren't on the same planet. The beat trips up a couple of times, yet it all worked to Dylan's ears.
You'll land on a more recent live version of the song that is not what we are talking about. Please scroll down the page to hear the "Greatest Hits" version.
Listen to it with your mind open. Listen for the missed notes both on the piano and on the keyboard. The beat stumbles. Yet, it works. Promotional. Listen - Click here.
Ed Mahoney was a New York City cop before recording his first single that hit the charts. We know him as:
A) Eddie Money
B) Eddie Rabbit
C) John Mellencamp
D )Billy Joel
The answer and more trivia. Click here.
