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Quick Takes: Bob Dylan, David Crosby, George Harrison

By Music News Aug 1, 2021 | 7:00 PM
  • Bob Dylan will not have to pay the estate of his mid-'70s songwriting partner Jacques Levy $7.25 million. The suit against Dylan was filed after he sold his song catalogue for a reported $400 million to Universal Music, with the estate demanding that Levy receive a share from the material co-written for Dylan's 1976's Desire album. Dylan's team succesfully argued that Levy's lyrics were “written under a work-for-hire agreement that only entitled him to royalties, specifically 35 percent of the licensing proceeds for the songs.” Among the co-writes were such Dylan staples as “Hurricane,” “Isis,” “Mozambique,” and “Joey,” among others.
  • New York Supreme Court Justice Barry Ostrager sided with Dylan, stating: “For the reasons explained here, the Court determines that the plain meaning of the 1975 Agreement is that the Dylan Defendants owned all copyrights to the Compositions, as well as the absolute right to sell the Compositions and all associated rights, subject only to plaintiffs’ right to receive the compensation specified in the 1975 Agreement, which does not include any portion of the proceeds from Dylan’s sale of his own rights to the Universal Defendants.” (The Hollywood Reporter)
  • During a chat with Spin, David Crosby, who's receiving raves for his just-released solo set, For Free, listed the “Five Albums I Can't Live Without.” (Spin)
    • 1. Aja – Steely Dan – 1977
    • 2. Gaucho – Steely Dan – 1980
    • 3. Blue – Joni Mitchell – 1971
    • 4. Heavy Weather – Weather Report – 1977
    • 5. Gorilla – James Taylor – 1975
  • Honorable Mentions: Watching My Life Go By – Michael Hedges (1985); Join The Parade – Marc Cohn (2007); World On The Ground – Sarah Jarosz (2020)
  • A new animated George Harrison video has been uploaded. The clip is for “Isn't It A Pity (Take 27),” is among the countless unissued gems unearthed for the upcoming super-deluxe box set edition of 1970's All Things Must Pass set for release on Friday (August 6th).