Here's my take on these cuts, all of which were demos from the 60s (except one from 1959). The most significant insight I think I can offer is that all were recorded in their infancy, relatively speaking. The ones that we know from later recordings tell us enormous amounts about John as a singer/songwriter who could take an initial idea and let it grow and grow. Cases in point: "Mother Country," "Pirates of Stone County Road," "She Believes in Me," "Children of the Morning," and several others.
What we've got here is a study in genius in the making. Good writers are by and large good rewriters. I'll add to that the idea that good songwriters are also good song rewriters. Add to that the development of John's instrumental ideas and achievement, and we have what so many of us came to cherish in his recordings.
So...John was brilliant, but especially in his ability to look at his own work and figure out how to make it better, more interesting, etc., etc. Thank God!
Buy this CD!
One visual sidelight: wait till you see the photo of John and Buffy.
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