Bob Dylan records master version of “Visions of Johanna” in 1966

Big day here at “Johanna’s Visions”….  One of the greatest works of art mankind has created… was nailed in Nashville on February 14, 1966 – 46 years ago.

From Wikipedia:

“Visions of Johanna” is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan on his 1966 album Blonde on Blonde. Dylan first recorded the song in New York City in November 1965, under the working title of “Freeze Out”, but was dissatisfied with the results. When the Blonde on Blonderecording sessions moved to Nashville in February 1966, Dylan attempted the composition again with different musicians, and decided to release this performance. Three alternate versions of the song have been officially released: one of them a November 1965 studio outtake, and two others live performances from his 1966 world tour.

Several critics have acclaimed “Visions of Johanna” as one of Dylan’s highest achievements in writing, praising the allusiveness and subtlety of the language. Rolling Stone included “Visions of Johanna” on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In 1999, Andrew Motion,poet laureate of the UK, listed it as his candidate for the greatest song lyric ever written. Numerous artists have recorded cover versions of the song, including The Grateful Dead, Marianne Faithfull and Robyn Hitchcock.

Here it is:

a live version from Gaumont Theatre, Sheffield, UK May 16, 1966:
(great sounding bootleg)

Other Feb 14:

• Harvest is the fourth studio album by Canadian musician Neil Young, released on February 14, 1972 on Reprise Records, catalogue RS 6317. It featured the London Symphony Orchestra on two tracks, while noted guests David Crosby, Graham Nash, Linda Ronstadt, Stephen Stills, and James Taylor contributed vocals. It topped the Billboard 200 album chart for two weeks, and spawned two hit singles, “Old Man“, which peaked at #31 on the Billboard Hot 100, and “Heart of Gold“, which peaked at #1. It was the best-selling album of 1972.
  
• Live at Leeds (recorded Feb 14 – 1970) is The Who‘s first live album, and is the only live album that was released while the group were still recording and performing regularly. Initially released in the United States on 16 May 1970, by Decca and MCA and the United Kingdom on 23 May 1970, by Track and Polydor, the album has been reissued on several occasions and in several different formats. As of 2005, the album is ranked number 170 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.It is often cited as the best live rock album of all time and is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. It is also included in Q magazine‘s list of Loudest Albums of All Time
  
  
  
• Samuel “Magic Sam” Gene Maghett (February 14, 1937 – December 1, 1969) was an American Chicago blues musician. Maghett was born in Grenada, Mississippi, United States, and learned to play the blues from listening to records by Muddy Waters and Little Walter. After moving to Chicago at the age of nineteen, he was signed by Cobra Records and became well known as a bluesman after his first record, “All Your Love” in 1957. He was known for his distinctive tremolo-guitar playing.
  
• Timothy Charles Buckley III (February 14, 1947 – June 29, 1975) was an American vocalist, and musician. His music and style changed considerably through the years; his first album (1966) was mostly folk oriented, but over time his music incorporated jazz, psychedelia, funk,soul, avant-garde and an evolving “voice as instrument,” sound. He died at age 28, leaving his son Jeff Buckley from his marriage to Mary Guibert.
  

-Egil