Artist: Gillian Welch Title: Boots No. 1: The Official Revival Bootleg Release Date: November 25, 2016
Description: To commemorate the 20th Anniversary of Gillian Welch’s landmark debut album, Revival, Acony Records proudly presents Boots No. 1: The Official Revival Bootleg. This generous companion to the Grammy-nominated release features 21 outtakes, alternate versions, and demos from the making of Revival, including 8 previously unheard songs. Personally curated and produced by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings and mined from their extensive vault of analog tape recordings, this beautiful collection is essential listening for Gillian Welch fans and music lovers everywhere.
Album Credits: Executive Producers: Gillian Welch and David Rawlings Archivist: Glen Chausse Engineers: Rik Pekkonen, Gary Paczosa, David Rawlings, Rick Will, T Bone Burnett, John Hanlon Assistant Engineers: Marc Frigo, Mike Piersante, Eddie Miller Mastering: Stephen Marcussen at Marcussen Mastering, Los Angeles, CA
Track List & Playing Time:
Disc One 1. Orphan Girl (Alternate Version) 3:30 2. Annabelle (Alternate Version) 3:55 3. Pass You By (Alternate Version) 3:55 4. * Go On Downtown (Revival Outtake) 5:45 5. Red Clay Halo (Revival Outtake) 3:24 6. By The Mark (Alternate Mix) 3:41 7. Paper Wings (Demo) 3:14 8. * Georgia Road (Revival Outtake) 3:04 9. Tear My Stillhouse Down (Home Demo) 3:53 10. Only One And Only (Alternate Version) 4:20
Disc Two 1. Orphan Girl (Home Demo) 3:28 2. * I Don’t Want To Go Downtown (Revival Outtake) 3:29 3. * 455 Rocket (Revival Outtake) 4:02 4. Barroom Girls (Live Radio) 4:10 5. * Wichita (Revival Outtake) 2:51 6. One More Dollar (Alternate Version) 4:33 7. * Dry Town (Demo) 2:55 (Advance Single to be released 9/30) 8. Paper Wings (Alternate Mix) 3:56 9. * Riverboat Song (Revival Outtake) 3:17 10. * Old Time Religion (Revival Outtake) 2:07 11. Acony Bell (Demo) 3:15
* indicates previously unreleased song Total Time 76:45
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1. ORPHAN GIRL (Alternate Version) (Welch) An alternate version of the song that proved most elusive during the Revival sessions. Already Welch’s most well-known composition, no song was attempted as many times. Small wonder. Any performance had to measure up to tracks already released by Emmylou Harris, and Tim and Mollie O’Brien. This trio version features T Bone Burnett on rhythm guitar, and surprisingly, Gillian sharing lead guitar duties with David. Gillian Welch: Acoustic Guitar, Vocal David Rawlings: Acoustic Guitar, Vocal T Bone Burnett: Acoustic Guitar Recorded 7/17/95 at Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA Original Session Produced by T Bone Burnett Additional Production by David Rawlings
2. ANNABELLE (Alternate Version) (Welch) An earlier take cut the same day as the master, this live mono mix shows the subtle evolution of the vocal and instrumental arrangement that would form the core of the duo’s new American Gothic sound. The variety and abundance of David’s improvisational ideas are also wonderfully evident, especially in the outro. Gillian Welch: Acoustic Guitar, Vocal David Rawlings: Acoustic Guitar, Vocal Recorded 6/23/95 at Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA Original Session Produced by T Bone Burnett Additional Production by David Rawlings
3. PASS YOU BY (Alternate Version) (Welch-Rawlings) An all-electric band version with Burnett joining in on Slim Harpo-style rhythm guitar. Check out the especially freewheeling performance by Jim Keltner on drums. Gillian Welch: Electric Guitar, Vocal David Rawlings: Electric Guitar, Vocal Jim Keltner: Drums Armando Compean: Bass T Bone Burnett: Electric Guitar Recorded 6/30/95 at Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA Produced by T Bone Burnett
4. GO ON DOWNTOWN (Revival Outtake) (Keen) Robert Earl Keen's song was part of Gillian’s live set from her earliest writers’ nights and open mics. Keen’s influence can be heard throughout Revival. This was the first studio performance to be pulled to the master reel, and the last track to be omitted from the final album sequence. It was also intended to be the B-side on the UK single of “Pass You By,” but went temporarily missing. Gillian Welch: Acoustic Guitar, Vocal David Rawlings: Acoustic Guitar, Vocal Recorded 6/21/95 at Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA Produced by T Bone Burnett
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Disc One - continued
5. RED CLAY HALO (Revival Outtake) (Welch-Rawlings) This song would finally appear on Time (The Revelator) but was first recorded for Revival. A surprising omission, it was likely a casualty of record company concerns that Revival not have “too many duets” or be “too bluegrass.” Gillian Welch: Acoustic Guitar, Vocal David Rawlings: Acoustic Guitar, Vocal Recorded 6/23/95 at Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA Produced by T Bone Burnett
6. BY THE MARK (Alternate Mix) (Welch-Rawlings) A superb and simple simulated stereo mix by John Hanlon. Done at 30 ips to 1/2” tape, this higher fidelity iteration did not fit as well in the final album sequence, and the live mono mix was chosen. Gillian Welch: Acoustic Guitar, Vocal David Rawlings: Acoustic Guitar, Vocal Recorded 7/16/95 at Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA Produced by T Bone Burnett
7. PAPER WINGS (Demo) (Welch-Rawlings) A beloved and hard to beat publishing demo recorded by Gary Paczosa, who would soon return (with the same Neumann microphone in tow) to cut Gillian’s vocal for the album version. Roy Huskey Jr. would also return to play upright bass on the album session at Woodland Sound Studios. Gillian Welch: Acoustic Guitar, Vocal David Rawlings: Electric Guitars, Vocal Roy Huskey Jr: Upright Bass Larry Atamanuik: Drums Recorded 1994 at Studio 19 and the Dog House, Nashville, TN Produced by Gary Paczosa, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings
8. GEORGIA ROAD (Revival Outtake) (Welch-Rawlings) Take 1 of 1, this song was similarly only performed live once. A true rarity. Gillian Welch: Acoustic Guitar, Vocal David Rawlings: Acoustic Guitar, Vocal Recorded 6/21/95 at Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA Original Session Produced by T Bone Burnett Additional Production by David Rawlings
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9. TEAR MY STILLHOUSE DOWN (Home Demo) (Welch) A very early home demo from Gillian’s ground floor apartment at 3205 West End Ave., Apt. #1. Her living room’s lace-curtained windows looked onto a colossal magnolia tree that stood in the front yard of the Parthenon Tourist, a bygone boardinghouse with one remaining resident, an old woman called Piggie. This performance is moody and treads close to the original inspiration of the song, Peter Rowan’s version of the bluegrass classic “Walk Softly On This Heart Of Mine.” Gillian Welch: Acoustic Guitar, Vocal David Rawlings: Acoustic Guitar, Vocal Recorded Feb ‘93 at 3205 West End Ave. Nashville, TN Produced by David Rawlings
10. ONLY ONE AND ONLY (Alternate Version) (Welch-Rawlings) A duet version of the new song, finished during the sessions. This humble first take captures a protean harmony part and experimental slide guitar. David had been playing the Epiphone archtop for a grand total of three days at this point, and was clearly exploring its Dobro-like qualities. As the song was brand new and had no arrangement, anything was fair game. Gillian Welch: Acoustic Guitar, Vocal David Rawlings: Acoustic Slide Guitar, Vocal Recorded 6/22/95 at Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA Original Session Produced by T Bone Burnett Additional Production by David Rawlings
Disc Two
1. ORPHAN GIRL (Home Demo) (Welch) The earliest home demo from Gillian’s apartment living room. In the space of a single hour, a Tascam 4-track cassette recorder was hurriedly borrowed from upstairs neighbor John Mock, the new song was recorded, and taken downtown to the Station Inn. There the cassette was given to performers Tim and Mollie O’Brien, who would become the first ever to record Welch’s neoclassic. This is the same tape that was handed to Emmylou Harris two months later at the Merle Watson Festival in North Carolina, thus securing the song a spot on Harris’ landmark album, Wrecking Ball. Gillian Welch: Acoustic Guitar, Vocal David Rawlings: Acoustic Guitar, Vocal Recorded Jan ‘93 at 3205 West End Ave. Nashville, TN Produced by David Rawlings
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2. I DON’T WANT TO GO DOWNTOWN (Revival Outtake) (Welch) An early composition, with a Memphis Minnie-influenced guitar figure, and a Robert Earl Keen-influenced title. From the second day of the sessions, David is translating previous guitar parts, written on a flattop guitar, to the archtop, learning what his new guitar is capable of. Gillian Welch: Acoustic Guitar, Vocal David Rawlings: Acoustic Slide Guitar, Vocal Recorded 6/21/95 at Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA Original Session Produced by T Bone Burnett Additional Production by David Rawlings
3. 455 ROCKET (Revival Outtake) (Welch-Rawlings) From the very end of the Los Angeles sessions, this is a playful version of the song that would soon be a #21 country hit for Kathy Mattea. Burnett’s deep rock and roll expertise shines here, on his handclaps/maracas/piano triathlon performance. Gillian Welch: Acoustic Guitar, Vocal David Rawlings: Electric Guitar, Vocal T Bone Burnett: Handclaps, Maracas, Piano Jim Keltner: Drums Recorded 7/24/95 at Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA Produced by T Bone Burnett
4. BARROOM GIRLS (Live Radio) (Welch-Rawlings) An eminently direct, if not vulnerable version of the nocturnal waltz, recorded at a very early morning radio visit to KCRW that Welch, Rawlings, and Burnett made during the sessions. The station was already playing Gillian’s unreleased demos and was one of her earliest standard bearers. Here, David sings a duet harmony that is not present on the album version. Gillian Welch: Acoustic Guitar, Vocal David Rawlings: Acoustic Guitar, Vocal Recorded 7/21/95 at KCRW, Santa Monica, CA
5. WICHITA (Revival Outtake) (Welch) A crowd favorite from the duo’s live shows, the song was already a bluegrass hit for Tim and Mollie O’Brien. A live version would appear years later on the Time (The Revelator) companion DVD, but this is the first and only studio version ever heard. Gillian Welch: Acoustic Guitar, Vocal David Rawlings: Acoustic Guitar, Vocal Recorded 7/10/95 at Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA Produced by T Bone Burnett
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5. ONE MORE DOLLAR (Alternate Version) (Welch-Rawlings) A duet here, showcasing the fully realized two-guitar arrangement that would become the centerpiece of the band performance on the album. The first four days of the session were devoted exclusively to live duet recording, with engineer Rik Pekkonen printing live mono mixes to 1/4” tape, creating what would serve as the aesthetic bedrock of the entire album. Gillian Welch: Acoustic Guitar, Vocal David Rawlings: Acoustic Guitar, Vocal Recorded 6/22/95 at Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA Produced by T Bone Burnett
7. DRY TOWN (Demo) (Welch-Rawlings) An early live favorite, this song was written the week after Gillian and David opened for Johnny Cash, whose lasting influence is evident. Here, Roy Huskey Jr. takes an upright bass solo that is a treasured gem. Gillian Welch: Acoustic Guitar, Vocal David Rawlings: Electric Guitar, Vocal Roy Huskey Jr: Upright Bass Larry Atamanuik: Drums Recorded 1994 at Studio 19 and the Dog House, Nashville, TN Produced by Gary Paczosa, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings
8. PAPER WINGS (Alternate Mix) (Welch-Rawlings) An off-the-cuff rough mix of the master take. Gillian was so moved by John Hughey’s pedal steel performance that she asked for a cassette of his complete pass, which was used only fractionally on the album. The stripped down mix highlights Huskey’s masterful bass choices and one of Gillian’s most nuanced vocals. Gillian Welch: Vocal David Rawlings: Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar John R. Hughey: Pedal Steel Jay J. Joyce: Electric Guitar Roy Huskey Jr: Upright Bass Buddy Harman: Drums Recorded 10/25/95 at Woodland Sound Studios, Nashville, TN Produced by T Bone Burnett
9. RIVERBOAT SONG (Revival Outtake) (Welch) Take 1 from the first day of the sessions, and thus the first day David had ever played his now signature Epiphone archtop. The ragtime guitar solo has a real smile of discovery, while the song’s subject matter shows the influence of the duo’s friendship with John Hartford, legendary songwriter and river man. Gillian Welch: Acoustic Guitar, Vocal David Rawlings: Acoustic Guitar, Vocal Recorded 6/20/95 at Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA Produced by T Bone Burnett
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Disc Two – continued
10. OLD TIME RELIGION (Revival Outtake) (Traditional) This surprise rendition of the traditional gospel song was first played in a hotel room the night before. Though David’s turn on lead vocal catches the engineers slightly unprepared, the balances quickly recover. With an unselfconscious delivery, this was probably performed to loosen up or merely shake things up between focused attempts at the duo’s original songs. Gillian Welch: Acoustic Guitar, Vocal David Rawlings: Acoustic Slide Guitar, Vocal Recorded 6/21/95 at Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA Produced by T Bone Burnett
11. ACONY BELL (Demo) (Welch-Rawlings) A publishing demo from a writer’s room at Almo Irving Publishing in Nashville, the duo’s intricate guitar arrangement is already present on the brand new song. There are hallway voices audible at the tail end of the performance. Notably, this was Rawlings’ first time engineering a four mic live recording of the duo, the process that they would go on to use on Revival, and throughout virtually all of their music making. Gillian Welch: Acoustic Guitar, Vocal David Rawlings: Acoustic Guitar, Vocal Recorded March ‘95 at Almo Irving Publishing, Nashville, TN Produced by David Rawlings
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