Editing Like a Rolling Stone (section)

== Recording ==
Dylan invited Chicago blues guitarist [[Mike Bloomfield]] to his Woodstock home for the weekend to learn new material. Bloomfield recalled, "The first thing I heard was 'Like a Rolling Stone'. I figured he wanted blues, string bending, because that's what I do. He said, 'Hey, man, I don't want any of that [[B.B. King]] stuff'. So, OK, I really fell apart. What the heck does he want? We messed around with the song. I played the way that he dug, and he said it was groovy."<ref>{{harvnb|Marcus|2005 (1)|p=110}}</ref>

The recording sessions were produced by [[Tom Wilson (record producer)|Tom Wilson]] on June 15–16, 1965, in Studio A of [[Columbia Records]], 799 Seventh Avenue, in New York City.<ref name="CONSIDINE"/><ref name="Marcus203">{{harvnb|Marcus|2005 (1)|p=203}}</ref><ref name="Marcus NPR">{{harvnb|Marcus|2005 (2)|p=110}}</ref> This would be the last song Wilson would produce for Dylan.{{sfn|Gilliland|1969|loc=show 32, track 3}} In addition to Bloomfield, the musicians enlisted were [[Paul Griffin (musician)|Paul Griffin]] on piano, Joe Macho, Jr. on bass, [[Bobby Gregg]] on drums, and [[Bruce Langhorne]] on tambourine,<ref name="Marcus NPR"/> all booked by Wilson. Gregg, Griffin, and Langhorne had previously worked with Dylan and Wilson on ''[[Bringing It All Back Home]]''.<ref name=irwin3>{{harvnb|Irwin|2008|pp=62–68}}</ref>
{{Listen|type=music|filename=Like a Rolling Waltz.ogg
|title="Like a Rolling Stone", 3/4 version|description=The {{music|time|3|4}} "waltz" version of "Like a Rolling Stone", recorded on June 15. This take later appeared on ''[[The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961–1991]]''.}}

In the first session, on June 15, five takes of the song were recorded in a markedly different style ({{music|time|3|4}} waltz time, with Dylan on piano) from the eventual release. The lack of sheet music meant the song had to be played by ear. However, its essence was discovered in the course of the chaotic session. The musicians did not reach the first chorus until the fourth take, but after the following harmonica fill Dylan interrupted, saying, "My voice is gone, man. You wanna try it again?"<ref name="Marcus234">{{harvnb|Marcus|2005 (1)|p=234}}</ref> The session ended shortly afterward.<ref>{{harvnb|Marcus|2005 (1)|p=210}}</ref> The take was released on the 1991 compilation ''[[The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961–1991]]''.<ref name="Marcus234" /><ref name="Marcusday1">{{harvnb|Marcus|2005 (1)|pp=203–210}}</ref>

When the musicians reconvened the following day, June 16, [[Al Kooper]] joined the proceedings. Kooper, at that time a 21-year-old session guitarist,<ref>{{harvnb|Gray|2006|pp=386–387}}</ref> was not originally supposed to play but was present in the studio as Wilson's guest.<ref name="Marcus104">{{harvnb|Marcus|2005 (1)|p=104}}</ref> When Wilson stepped out, Kooper sat down with his guitar with the other musicians, hoping to take part in the recording session.<ref name=kooper>{{cite video | people=Kooper, Al|date=2005 |title=[[No Direction Home]]| medium=DVD |publisher=[[Paramount Pictures]]}}</ref> By the time Wilson returned, Kooper, who had been intimidated by Bloomfield's guitar playing, was back in the control room. After a couple of rehearsal takes, Wilson moved Griffin from [[Hammond organ]] to piano.<ref name=kooper/> Kooper approached Wilson and told him he had a good part for the organ. Wilson belittled Kooper's organ skills, but did not forbid him to play. As Kooper later put it, "He just sort of scoffed at me&nbsp;... He didn't say 'no'—so I went out there." Wilson was surprised to see Kooper at the organ but allowed him to play on the track. When Dylan heard a playback of the song, he insisted that the organ be turned up in the mix, despite Wilson's protestations that Kooper was "not an organ player".<ref name="Marcus111">{{harvnb|Marcus|2005 (1)|pp=110–111}}</ref><ref name=AKooper>{{cite book |last1=Kooper |first1=Al |title=Backstage Passes & Backstabbing Bastards |date=2008 |publisher=Backbeat Books |location=New York |isbn=978-0-8230-8257-5 |pages=34–36 |edition=Updated}}</ref>

There were 15 recorded takes on June 16.<ref name=irwin>{{harvnb|Irwin|2008|p=72}}</ref> By now the song had evolved into its familiar form, in {{music|time|4|4}} time with Dylan on electric guitar. After the fourth take—the master take that was released as a single{{sfn|Gilliland|1969|loc=show 32, track 3}}—Wilson happily commented, "That sounds good to me."<ref name="Marcusday2">{{harvnb|Marcus|2005 (1)|pp=211–225}}</ref> Despite this, Dylan and the band recorded the song 11 more times.<ref>{{harvnb|Heylin|2009|p=243}}</ref>

The complete recording sessions that produced "Like a Rolling Stone", including all 20 takes and the individual "stems" that comprise the four-track master,<ref>{{Cite web|title = Jam in Studio A with Bob Dylan.|url = https://thecuttingedge.bobdylan.com/jam/like-a-rolling-stone|website = Bob Dylan Studio A Revisited|access-date = December 15, 2015}}</ref> were released in November 2015 on the 6-disc and 18-disc versions of ''[[The Bootleg Series Vol. 12: The Cutting Edge 1965–1966]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bob Dylan – The Cutting Edge 1965–1966: The Bootleg Series Vol. 12|url=http://bobdylan.com/thecuttingedge_completetracklisting/|access-date= August 23, 2016}}</ref>