"Searching For A Gem"

Audio: US & International 7" Stereo Singles & EPs 1972

This is part of a list by release date of international (now including the USA, which was once listed separately) promo and commercially-released stereo 7" and 12" singles and EPs for 1972 that have been referred to me but do not qualify for my Searching For A Gem list because they contain only performances which are available on officially released Dylan albums. Nevertheless, their interest value or scarcity means they're worth listing here - as far as I know many are not included on any other Internet site. Special thanks to Hans Seegers for many of these items! Stereo promo versions of commercially released singles that were formerly listed in the Promotional Items sections of the yearly pages are now listed here. Singles from this period released exclusively for promotional purposes are now here also.

If you have any entries to add to the list or additions/corrections to existing entries, please let me know! Please note I cannot value your Dylan rarities - see the Mission page for reasons why. Contact the dealers on my Trading page for assistance!

Revised 27 February, 2024.

"If Not For You"/"Tomorrow Is A Long Time" - 7" stereo promo singles, Columbia AE 7 1039 (USA), 12 Feb 1972:
Both tracks are from Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II, regular stereo album versions. No single taken from New Morning was ever released in the USA. This single was only released in Feb 1972 to promote the compilation Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II.

Columbia AE7 1039 (USA) - front photo from eBay

This unique promo stereo single was sent to US radio stations occurs in three variants. The first two have white promo labels with red text, the third has blue labels with black and yellow text. The first variant has "Stereo" in bold text in a box and is rubber-stamped with the date "FEB 12, 1972". The second variant has "STEREO" in much smaller type. The A-side is from New Morning and the B-side is the live performance from 1963 from Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. 2.

This single with these two tracks was not released commercially. For a 1970 US single-sided acetate of If Not For You, see the 1970 page of this listing. 1971 stereo international 7" singles with If Not For You paired with New Morning can be found on the 1970 page of this listing.

Columbia AE 7 1039 (USA) - A-side scan by Hans Seegers (first variant)

Columbia AE 7 1039 (USA) - B-side scan by Hans Seegers (first variant)

Columbia AE 7 1039 (USA) - A-side scan by Hans Seegers (second variant)

Columbia AE 7 1039 (USA) - B-side scan by Hans Seegers (second variant)

Columbia AE 7 1039 (USA) - A-side scan by Hans Seegers (third variant)

Columbia AE 7 1039 (USA) - B-side scan by Hans Seegers (third variant)

Thanks to Anders Lindh for finding a copy of variant 3 on eBay and to Hans Seegers for further information and scans. Thanks to Gerd Rundel for finding a picture sleeve with an anachronistic photo on eBay, but I'm assured by Arie de Reus and Hans Seegers that it's a fake. This single did not have a picture sleeve! This has been added to Questionable Releases.

"Bob Dylan Con The Band [Bob Dylan With The Band]" - 7" stereo EP (withdrawn) and stereo single, CBS 9131 (Spain), 1972:

I mistakenly reported that this EP and single contained rarities, so they were previously listed in detail in 1972. Thanks to Juan B. Heinink for the information via Roger Ford about this EP and single, and to Hans Seegers for much additional information and scans. Juan says this was originally intended to be an EP given away with the first Spanish edition of Blonde On Blonde, with Positively 4th Street and Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window (never before released in Spain) and the live B-side version of Just Like Tom Thumbs Blues from Liverpool, 1966 (R-0054, see 1966). However the EP was never issued, although a few sleeveless copies left the factory and circulate amongst collectors. Instead a single was released with the same catalogue number (by mistake) and a unique but misleading fold-out picture sleeve, with one song per side. The title of the single is misleading, because The Band do not play on Positively 4th Street.

CBS 9131 (Spain) - front of released single sleeve, scan by Hans Seegers	CBS 9131 (Spain) - inside of released single sleeve, scan by Hans Seegers (sleeve notes in Spanish by Juan B. Heinink)	CBS S 66012 (Spain) - detail of inside gatefold of Blonde On Blonde* with info about free single, scan by Hans Seegers*		CBS 9131 (Spain) - rear of released single sleeve, scan by Hans Seegers
CBS 9131 (Spain) - A-side of withdrawn EP, scan by Hans Seegers	CBS 9131 (Spain) - detail of B-side of withdrawn EP, scan by Hans Seegers with title error	CBS 9131 (Spain) - B-side of withdrawn EP, scan by Hans Seegers	CBS 9131 (Spain) - A-side of released single, scan by Hans Seegers (no catalogue number)	CBS 9131 (Spain) - B-side of released single, scan by Hans Seegers (no catalogue number)

The contents of the EP were:

A-side: Positively 4th Street; Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?

I mistakenly reported the second track as R-0523, the stereo version of this track, but Juan says the mono version was used by mistake so that both right and left stereo channels are the same.

Because the single is badly pressed there is distortion between the tracks which was mistaken for stereo by early reporters: "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window? was pressed with a stereo matrix made from a mono magnetic tape (that is to say, it had two sound ways, but with identical information in both), and if there was occasionally a certain stereo feel it was due to an uneven reading of the needles." The performance available on Masterpieces (1978) and Biograph (1985, remastered CD release 1997) and the 2000 Essential Bob Dylan/Ultimate Bob Dylan compilations is from the original single and still in mono! This means the only occurrence of the stereo mix is a Columbia US stereo acetate, see 1965. The single version released in Nov 2015 on the 18CD Collector's Edition of The Cutting Edge 1965-1966: The Bootleg Series Vol. 12 (CD10, track 12) is in stereo and has been remixed from the original tapes. R-0513 will still remain a rarity, because of the limited availability of this massive set.

B-side: Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues (studio version)

The title is misprinted as "Just Like A Thom's Thumb Blues"! This was intended to be Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues live at Liverpool with the Hawks, May 1966, B-side of mono I Want You US 7" single, (R-0054, see 1966)
This live performance, never released on a regular Columbia album, is also on the Japanese promo LP Mr. D's Collection #1 (see 1974), the Japanese promo EP Mr. D's Collection #2 (see 1976), the 1978 Australian set Masterpieces (see 1978), the Japanese Mr. D's Collection #3 promo CD (see 1993), and the Capitol/EMI boxed set The Band: A Musical History (see 2005). All versions are as far as I know still in mono as originally recorded.

Sadly, because of a second error, the B-side actually contains the studio version of It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry from Highway 61 Revisited!

CBS 9131 (Spain) - A-side of withdrawn EP in CBS sleeve, scan by Michel Pomarede

Gerd Rundel has a copy of the withdrawn EP in a generic CBS Spain sleeve, see 7" Singles Sleeves. Gerd's copy of the EP has stamped matrix numbers: Side A - 850 9131*A*1, Side B - 850 9131*B*1. Michel Pomarede also has a copy in a generic sleeve.

CBS 9131 (Spain) - A-side of withdrawn EP in CBS sleeve, scan by Michel Pomarede

CBS 9131 (Spain) - B-side of withdrawn EP in CBS sleeve, scan by Michel Pomarede

The contents of the single were:

A-side: Positively 4th Street; B-side: Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window? (mispressed mono version as above)

Thanks to Juan B. Heinink, Hans Seegers, Jordi Badell, Gerd Rundel and Michel Pomarede for information and scans. For more details see the article "Dylan Classics in the Spanish Tongue" by Juan B. Heinink on his web-site www.zimmingpoint.com.

Various Artists - "Playback" - 7" stereo EP, Columbia AS 31 (USA), 1972:

Columbia AS 31 (USA) - front of booklet, scan by Hans Seegers

This stereo EP contains I Ain't Got No Home by Bob Dylan and The Band from A Tribute To Woody Guthrie. Because this is a rarity, full details of this release are here.

The other artists are Sweathog, The Free Movement and Edgar Winter's White Trash.

Thanks to Hans Seegers for information and scans.

Columbia AS 31 (USA) - Side 2 scan by Hans Seegers

"Das waren Hits [These Were Hits]" - 7" stereo single, CBS S 8349 (West Germany), 1972, re-released 1975 and 1978:

CBS S 8349 (West Germany) - front scan by Hans Seegers (1972/75 releases)	This single (released in conjunction with two compilation LPs, Das waren Hits and Das waren Hits II) had Blowin' In The Wind and Like A Rolling Stone, and was released five times with sleeve and label variants: in 1972 (two variants), 1975 (two variants) and 1978. All the record labels are dated "1972". Stefan Haras has a copy with the 1972 sleeve but with the 1975 record with orange/yellow new-style CBS labels (introduced in 1975). François Guillez has a copy in the same sleeve but with a different 1975 record with orange/yellow labels but now with a small CBS logo added to the circumference text. The 1978 record comes in a completely different sleeve. The labels are the same as the 1975 variant 2 labels apart from the "LC\|0149" code to the right of the centre hole.				CBS S 8349 (West Germany) - rear scan by Hans Seegers ( (1972 release showing first LP front
CBS S 8349 (West Germany) - A-side scan by Hans Seegers (1972 release variant 1)	CBS S 8349 (West Germany) - B-side scan by Hans Seegers (1972 release variant 1)	CBS S 8349 (West Germany) - A-side scan by T. J. Jenkins (1972 release variant 2 - "BOB DYLAN" and CBS logo switched)	CBS S 8349 (West Germany) - B-side scan by T. J. Jenkins (1972 release variant 2)	CBS S 8349 (West Germany) - rear scan by Hans Seegers (1975 release variant 1 showing second LP front)	CBS S 8349 (West Germany) - rear scan by Hans Seegers (1975 release variant 2 showing both LP fronts)
CBS S 8349 (West Germany) - A-side scan by Hans Seegers (1975 release variant 1)	CBS S 8349 (West Germany) - detail of A-side, scan by Hans Seegers (1975 release variants 1 & 2)	CBS S 8349 (West Germany) - detail of A-side, scan by Hans Seegers (1975 release variant 1 - no CBS logo in circumference text)	CBS S 8349 (West Germany) - B-side scan by Hans Seegers (1975 release variant 1)	CBS S 8349 (West Germany) - A-side scan by François Guillez (1975 release variant 2)	CBS S 8349 (West Germany) - detail of A-side, scan by François Guillez (1975 release variant 2 - CBS logo added to circumference text on left, 1978 release is the same)
CBS S 8349 (West Germany) - front scan by Hans Seegers (1978 release)	CBS S 8349 (West Germany) - rear scan by Hans Seegers (1978 release)	CBS S 8349 (West Germany) - A-side scan by Hans Seegers (1978 release)	CBS S 8349 (West Germany) - detail of A-side, scan by Hans Seegers (1978 release - "LC\|0149" code added below "GEMA")	CBS S 8349 (West Germany) - B-side scan by Hans Seegers (1978 release)	CBS S 8349 (West Germany) - b-side scan by François Guillez (1975 release variant 2)

For the Das waren Hits II album, see International Compilations: Various Artist Albums 1970-79. The first Das waren Hits album, released at the same time, had Mr. Tambourine Man by The Byrds, but no Dylan performance.

Thanks to Hans Seegers, Stefan Haras, T. J. Jenkins, André Wilbers and François Guillez for information and scans.

"Golden Hits" - 7" stereo single, CBS 8349 (NL), 1972:

CBS 8349 (NL) - 1972 front scan by Hans Seegers

CBS 8349 (NL) - 1972 A-side scan by Hans Seegers

CBS 8349 (NL) - 1972 B-side scan by Hans Seegers

CBS 8349 (NL) - 1979 front scan by Hans Seegers

CBS 8349 (NL) - 1979 rear scan by Hans Seegers

This single with Blowin' In The Wind and Like A Rolling Stone is the same as the 1972 West German Das Waren Hits single above. It was re-released in May 1979 with the Dutch-translated title Gouden Hits, using the West German 1978 single above in the Dutch sleeve.

Thanks to Hans Seegers for information and scans.

"A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall" - 7" stereo EP, CBS SBG 225258 (Australia), Nov 1972:
All tracks are the regular stereo versions from Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II. This was the last EP to be released in Australia.

CBS SBG 225258 (Australia) - front scan by Hans Seegers

CBS SBG 225258 (Australia) - rear scan by Hans Seegers

CBS SBG 225258 (Australia) - A-side scan by Hans Seegers

CBS SBG 225258 (Australia) - detail of A-side, scan by Hans Seegers

CBS SBG 225258 (Australia) - B-side scan by Hans Seegers

The four songs on this stereo EP with orange CBS labels are:

A-side: A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall; If Not For You
B-side: The Mighty Quinn (Quinn The Eskimo) - Bob Dylan & The Band live from the Isle of Wight Festival, 1969; Watching The River Flow

Thanks to Hans Seegers for information and scans.

Simon & Garfunkel - "The Sounds Of Silence"/Bob Dylan - "Lay, Lady, Lay" - 7" promo stereo single, CBS SSC 632 (Angola), 1972:

CBS SSC 632 (Angola) - front of sleeve, scan by Manuel García Jara

This incredibly rare single, made for CBS by Valentin de Carvalho CI-SARL of Luanda, Angola, dates from when Angola was a Portuguese colony and is the only known Dylan release in this country. Both tracks are in very poor quality - Lay, Lady, Lay fades out at 3:09 after Bob stops singing (the album version is 3:18). Because this is a rarity, full details are in 1972.

Thanks to Manuel García Jara for information and scans. Thanks to Hans-Juergen Zollerg for photos of the Angolan commercial single with the same catalogue number that has two Simon & Garfunkel songs but no Dylan.

CBS SSC 632 (Angola) - rear of sleeve, scan by Manuel García Jara

CBS SSC 632 (Angola) - B-side scan by Manuel García Jara (Dylan)

CBS SSC 632 (Angola) - rear of sleeve, photo by Hans-Juergen Zollerg (commercial copy)

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