Elusive Butterfly et al.

Share favorite lyrics, swap guitar tabs and talk about the songs.

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Evaqku
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Joined: Mon Mar 25, 2024 10:50 am

Elusive Butterfly et al.

Post by Evaqku »

Hello, When I was 16 I was introduced to your music by my first boyfriend. I remember staying up all night listening to Elusive Butterfly, Cheryl's Going Home et al., won't tell you how long ago that was. Your music is forever part of my first experience with love. I was thrilled to discover your website and to know you are still singing and making music. Play on Mr. Lind!
Lind
Declaring Lindependence
Posts: 258
Joined: Tue Aug 17, 2004 8:03 pm

Re: Elusive Butterfly et al.

Post by Lind »

Thanks for the kind words, I.S. Hope you're aware of my newer things too. Good to have you on the board with us.
bob_32_116
Posts: 395
Joined: Sun Aug 07, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: Perth, Western Australia

Re: Elusive Butterfly et al.

Post by bob_32_116 »

This issue of the extra verses of EB has been discussed before.

There are some songs of Bob's that I find frustratingly short. For example, A Nameless Request always seems to me to end way before it's ready to end. However in the case of Elusive Butterfly I think Jack Nitzche make the correct call. Two verses is just perfect, a third would have been fine, but five would have been excessive. They may work well as poetry, but that's a different thing.

Elusive Butterfly is not a song like Mister Zero, which is a collage (to use Bob's own words) of scenes from a relationship, set to music. It is perhaps Bob's most Dylan-like song. Elusive Butterfly on the other hand has a simple poignant statement to make; it does so, requiring only two verses, and having done so, finishes. Fleeting, just like the love affair that it refers to.
Lind
Declaring Lindependence
Posts: 258
Joined: Tue Aug 17, 2004 8:03 pm

Re: Elusive Butterfly et al.

Post by Lind »

Jack was a lot of things. "Idiot" isn't one of them.
I tend to agree with Bob Numbers on this issue. Jack was right; I was wrong.

But funny this issue should emerge now. Just a week or two ago, someone sent me this -- a newly discovered audio recording of me at the Hollywood Bowl. To my knowledge, it's the only surviving recording of all five verses of "Butterfly."
You can make your own mind.

(You have to get through "Long Time Woman" first)

http://pastdaily.files.wordpress.com/20 ... evised.mp3
Joey McGowan
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Jun 19, 2007 8:47 pm
Location: Atlantic City

Re: Elusive Butterfly et al.

Post by Joey McGowan »

To allow far more of Bob's Fans to finally hear the full version of this incredible Song, I
Posted this vintage live recording on You-Tube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbuC9hX2XAk
What so strange is Soon after I uploaded it I received a Comment from Someone Claiming to be Bob with a
user name of LIND42 saying that this was an amazing Find that he had never heard and thanking me
for posting it. Rather Bizarre to me, for it certainly seems that Bob myself was kind enough to allow us
all on his site to Hear this lost Gem.
Joey McGowan
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Joined: Tue Jun 19, 2007 8:47 pm
Location: Atlantic City

Re: Elusive Butterfly et al.

Post by Joey McGowan »

LOL, Meant Bob Himself (not myself)
Lind
Declaring Lindependence
Posts: 258
Joined: Tue Aug 17, 2004 8:03 pm

Re: Elusive Butterfly et al.

Post by Lind »

Yes. Lind2 is me. I was speaking relatively. Just surprised to see it on YouTube. I don't think I said "never heard it." If so, it was one of those rush-rush typos. I think I said hadn't heard it in years (this recent posting notwithstanding). At least that's what I meant to say. Good that it's up there. But I still prefer the Reader's Digest version. (Does anyone relate to Reader's Digest anymore?)
bob_32_116
Posts: 395
Joined: Sun Aug 07, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: Perth, Western Australia

Re: Elusive Butterfly et al.

Post by bob_32_116 »

Lind wrote:Yes. Lind2 is me. I was speaking relatively. Just surprised to see it on YouTube. I don't think I said "never heard it." If so, it was one of those rush-rush typos. I think I said hadn't heard it in years (this recent posting notwithstanding). At least that's what I meant to say. Good that it's up there. But I still prefer the Reader's Digest version. (Does anyone relate to Reader's Digest anymore?)
Reader's Digest... let me see, wasn't that sort of like a paper version of Twitter?

Anyway, the "full" version of Butterfly is nice to have, and it's certainly good to be able to read all those lyrics as poetry, but I still think the shorter version works better as a song, for reasons I have already given.
Susanne Gilmore
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Joined: Wed Nov 09, 2005 11:27 pm
Location: Long Beach, CA

Re: Elusive Butterfly et al.

Post by Susanne Gilmore »

I remember how I found out that there were additional verses of Elusive Butterfly. I got a copy of Hit Parader magazine, which I bought every month because I wanted the lyrics of my favorite songs, and there it was - the long version of EB. Of course, the short version was what you heard on the radio, but because it was the practice of Bob Dylan and other artists to include the long versions of songs on albums, I rushed right out and bought the Don't Be Concerned album. Thank goodness the running times of the tracks weren't listed on the back of the album, or I might have never taken it home. While I was disappointed that the long version wasn't there, the rest of the album captivated me instantly and I was - and am - a fan for life.
bob_32_116
Posts: 395
Joined: Sun Aug 07, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: Perth, Western Australia

Re: Elusive Butterfly et al.

Post by bob_32_116 »

Roger wrote: My memory insists that when EB was going strong, Bob made an appearance on one of those network teen TV shows, possibly Hullabaloo, Shindig, one of those.
The "Music" part of this site used to have a link to a clip of the episode in question, but the Youtube account has been terminated. Maybe it's available somewhere else.

I viewed and listened to that clip several times, and I only heard one voice, and it LOOKED like Bob was lip-synching, but I wasn't listening for a second voice so I can't be sure. Of course the man himself may remember...
Lind
Declaring Lindependence
Posts: 258
Joined: Tue Aug 17, 2004 8:03 pm

Re: Elusive Butterfly et al.

Post by Lind »

Just saw this post. Yeah Roger. It was Hullabaloo. Not an annoying question at all and to my knowledge no one's addressed it. There is a double vocal on that clip and it sounds awful. I hated those lipsync shows but didn't know I could refuse to do them. I'm singing AND the vocal track on the record is playing. I don't remember the exact circumstances, but it probably had something to do with me being a pain in somebody's ass. And as often happens when one fights City Hall, I was the one who got the shaft. It only hurt me. It's unwatchable -- at least to me. Thanks for your interest.
RandallSes
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Joined: Sat Mar 02, 2024 8:46 am

Re: Elusive Butterfly et al.

Post by RandallSes »

Woody wrote:A group of us in England were totally inspired by Bob's music in the 60s/70s & the soundtrack to our lives was provided by his unforgettable melodies and lyrics coming from our worn out LPs on a portable Dansette player. We went our separate ways but occasionally kept in touch, and finding the website with the announcement that there are some imminent UK dates was just unbelievable. The nearest venue for us is Winchester, but well worth the 200 mile trip for the show we never thought we'd see. In the meantime we ordered the live cd which came not only signed, but with a personal note hoping to see us in England. Thank you so much Bob for everything from Drifter's Sunrise to Exeter Waltz & for never losing touch with your roots. See you in Winchester!
are you the guys that missed the Winchester gig and made Bristol like me from Dublin nearest one. worth every mile.
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