This private tape was recorded in the garage of Bob Zimmerman's home (his original surname) by his friend and peer, John Bucklen, who can be heard singing with Bob. The Zimmerman residence was 2425 7th Ave. E., Hibbing, MN., now a pilgrimage destination for some fans. The tape, referred to by enthusiasts as the Bucklen Tape, is the earliest circulating recording of Bob. The only original piece on the tape is "Hey, Little Richard," making that Bob's first recorded original song.
The rest of this video is a recording is a tape of Bucklen recollecting on his high school years when he and Dylan spent much of their time together. This recording was taken from the documentary film Highway 61 Revisited.
fascinnating fly-on-the-wall stuff , this
TRANSCRIPT: After "Hey Little Richard":
Zimmerman: This is Little Richard...(fakes wild crowd noises into microphone) ...Little Richard's got a lot of expression.
Bucklen: You think singing is just jumping around and screaming?
Zimmerman: You gotta have some kind of expression.
Bucklen: Johnny Cash has got expression.
Zimmerman: There's no expression. (sings in boring, slow and monotone voice): "I met her at a dance St. Paul Minnesota... I walk the line, because you're mine, because you're mine..."
Bucklen: You're doing it wrong, you're just -
Bucklen: What's the best kind of music?
Zimmerman: Rhythm and Blues.
Bucklen: State your reason in no less that twenty-five minutes.
Zimmerman: Ah, Rhythm and Blues you see is something that you really can't quite explain see. When you hear a song Rhythm and Blues - when you hear it's a good Rhythm and Blues song, chills go up your spine...
Bucklen: Whoa-o-o! Zimmerman: When you hear a song like that. But when you hear a song like Johnny Cash, whadaya wanna do? You wanna leave, you wanna, you - when you hear a song like some good Rhythm and Blues song you wanna cry when you hear one of those songs.
After "Jenny Take A Ride":
Bucklen: Listen, man you gotta to do it a little bit faster than that. I mean I'm trying to cut a fast record here, that's right ... Zimmerman: I can't help it. Bucklen: I know it ain't slow but it's not fast enough too.
Zimmerman: Whadaya talking about, man, that's plenty fast!
Bucklen: No, it isn't. Zimmerman: That'll sell - that'll sell (clicks fingers) just like that - ten million in a week! Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelllll! (plays first note on piano)
Bucklen: What are you trying to do man, coming in with 'weeelll' like that? I mean....
Zimmerman: Well that's for the new song and I'm starting another one.
After "Blue Moon":
Zimmerman: Yeah, ah, Ricky Nelson. Now Ricky Nelson's another one of these guys. See Ricky Nelson, Ricky Nelson -
Bucklen: Ricky Nelson is out of the question.
Zimmerman: Well he copies Elvis Presley! Yeaah, it's perfectly...
Bucklen: He can't do like Elvis Presley.
Zimmerman: Well he can't sing at all, Ricky Nelson. So we may as well forget him. See I mean - I mean, ya know when you hear music like The Diamonds. For instance The Diamonds are really cool, they're out on the street really popular, really record [?], you know. So they're popular big stars but where, where do they get all the songs? You know they get all their songs, they get all their songs from little groups. They copy all the little groups.
Same thing with Elvis Presley. Elvis Presley, who did he copy? He copied Clyde McPhatter, he copied Little Richard, ...
Bucklen: Wait a minute, wait a minute!
Zimmerman: ...he copied the Drifters
Bucklen: Wait a minute, name, name, name four songs that Elvis Presley's copied from those, from those little groups. Zimmerman: He copied all the Richard songs - Bucklen: Like what? -
Zimmerman: "Rip It Up", "Long Tall Sally", "Ready Teddy", err ... what's the other one?... (ie "Tutti Fruiti")
Bucklen: "Money Honey"?
Zimmerman: No, "Money Honey" he copied from Clyde McPhatter.
He copied "I Was The One " - he copied that from the Coasters. He copied, ahhh, "I Got A Woman" from Ray Charles. Bucklen: Er, listen that song was written for him.
THE END
