Miami Sales Message
If You Gotta Go, Go Now
This short tape was recorded in a studio in London during Dylan's 1965 tour
of England, the same tour documented in the film Don't Look Back, and features members of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, although apparently
not with the participation of either John Mayall or Eric Clapton. Somebody
is playing piano on If You Gotta Go but it's hard to tell if it's Dylan or Mayall. Anyway it's really nothing
more than a fragment and it stops before it even gets going.
The apparent purpose of this session was to record a couple of Dylan promo spots. The "Miami Sales Message" is nothing more than Dylan in the studio improvising a short greeting to Columbia sales reps and says pretty much "thanks for selling so many of my records". Dylan argues a little bit with the session producer but finally manages to come up with a finished message of some kind. I have no idea whether or not this tape was ever actually used for the purpose intended. The short rendition of If You Gotta Go seems to have been for a radio spot. After a shaky start where there is much arguing (although it seems amiable) a slow version of the song is started and Dylan sings one verse. "Fade it out. Fade it out!" he yells to the control room. He doesn't seem to have been in a very good mood by this time.
This tape, though short, is pretty funny to listen to but I wouldn't consider it vital to anyone's collection. For completists only. Sound quality isn't too good either.
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