Project Marks First Time Dylan's Gaslight Recordings Have Been Remastered and Officially Released
Archival Recording Captures Dylan at a Greenwich Village Coffeehouse at a Key
Moment in his Artistic Development
Starbucks (Nasdaq:SBUX) Hear Music and SONY BMG Custom Marketing Group today
announced plans to release and distribute Bob Dylan: Live at the Gaslight 1962,
an album consisting of newly restored, live recordings culled from the best
of Dylan's legendary 1962 performances at New York's Gaslight Cafe. Long sought
after by fans, this album represents the first time these historic recordings
have been professionally produced and officially released. Beginning on August
30, 2005, the album will be available exclusively at Starbucks Company-operated
stores in the U.S. and Canada.
These archival recordings capture a young Bob Dylan at a pivotal moment in
his career when he began to find his voice as an innovative artist and songwriter.
The 10-song CD, culled from the best of Dylan's renowned 1962 sets at the Gaslight
Cafe, includes the earliest surviving live recordings of "A Hard Rains
A-Gonna Fall" and "Don't Think Twice It's Alright," both of which
Dylan later released to great acclaim. Additional tracks include a third Dylan
original, "John Brown," as well as covers of traditional folk songs
such as "The Cuckoo" and "Barbara Allen."
For the past four decades, a limited number of poor quality "bootleg"
versions of Dylan's performances at the Gaslight Cafe have circulated among
collectors and fans. To produce this landmark album, SONY BMG mastering and
audio production engineers completely remastered the best available recordings
to create an album which offers a pristine version of these historical recordings
-- the only version ever released with proper pitch and speed.
"Bob Dylan is a legend and one of the most socially conscious artists
of his generation. His artistry helped redefine popular music," said Ken
Lombard, president of Starbucks Entertainment. "Fans have been seeking
access to these early recordings for more than four decades. This album offers
a unique perspective on Dylan when he was an emerging artist and also capture
an important moment in the history of America's coffeehouse culture. We are
honored to collaborate with SONY BMG to offer our customers the first professionally
mastered, officially sanctioned edition of these historic, long-awaited Bob
Dylan recordings."
The exclusive release of Bob Dylan: Live at the Gaslight 1962 coincides with
the release of No Direction Home: Bob Dylan, a Martin Scorsese picture. The
first feature-length film biography of Bob Dylan, the film is scheduled to make
its U.S. broadcast premiere on American Masters, Thirteen/WNET New York's award-winning
series, in September on PBS (check local listings). Beginning on August 30,
the film biography's two-CD soundtrack, entitled Bob Dylan No Direction Home:
The Soundtrack - Bootleg Series Volume 7, will also be available at Starbucks
Company-operated stores in the U.S. and Canada as well as at traditional retail.
Bob Dylan: Live at the Gaslight 1962 and Bob Dylan No Direction Home: The Soundtrack
- Bootleg Series Volume 7 are also available for purchase online at www.starbucks.com/hearmusic
beginning August 30.
About Starbucks Hear Music
Founded in 1990, and acquired by Starbucks Coffee Company in 1999, Starbucks
Hear Music is the voice of music at Starbucks. Starbucks Hear Music is dedicated
to creating a new and convenient way for consumers to discover, experience and
acquire all genres of great music through its CD compilations and music programming
for Starbucks coffeehouses worldwide, as well as its innovative partnerships
with other music labels to produce, market and distribute both exclusive and
non-exclusive music. In 2004, Starbucks Hear Music launched a 24-hour digital
music channel with XM Satellite Radio (XM Channel 75), the Starbucks Hear Music(TM)
Coffeehouse in Santa Monica where customers can select from over 15,000 CDs
or burn their own custom mixes, and the Starbucks Hear Music(TM) media bars,
a service that offers custom CD burning at select Starbucks retail locations
in Seattle and Austin. Starbucks Hear Music(TM) CDs are featured at Hear Music
and Starbucks retail locations, as well as online at www.starbucks.com/hearmusic.
About Starbucks Coffee Company
Starbucks Corporation is the leading retailer, roaster and brand of specialty
coffee in the world, with more than 9,000 retail locations in North America,
Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and the Pacific Rim. The Company is committed
to offering the highest quality coffee and the Starbucks Experience while conducting
its business in ways that produce social, environmental and economic benefits
for communities in which it does business. In addition to its retail operations,
the Company produces and sells bottled Frappuccino(R) coffee drinks, Starbucks
DoubleShot(TM) coffee drink, and a line of superpremium ice creams through its
joint venture partnerships. The Company's brand portfolio provides a wide variety
of consumer products. Tazo Tea's line of innovative premium teas and Hear Music's
exceptional compact discs enhance the Starbucks Experience through best-of-class
products. The Seattle's Best Coffee(R) and Torrefazione Italia(R) Coffee brands
enable Starbucks to appeal to a broader consumer base by offering an alternative
variety of coffee flavor profiles.
