3 Unreleased Albums That Would Have for Sure Made Music History

Something that is lost or never to be found is always more mystical than something that is. The same goes for music, as unreleased albums and bootleg recordings have a shiny yet rusted allure to them that makes the journey of finding them, or not finding them, all the more impactful. Hence, unreleased music and bootleg recordings are often some of the most sought-after pieces of music.

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Throughout music history, there have been a plethora of albums by masterclass musicians to never been released. To this day, folks still long for them to become public. However, they aren’t, and as of now, they are collecting dust on some shelf or on some electronic file. This is a shame, as these three unreleased albums would have for sure made music history.

‘The Dylan/Cash Sessions’ by Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash

By 1969, Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan had become pen pals and friends. Consequently, they teamed up on the recording of Dylan’s “Girl From the North Country”, which made the final cut of Nashville Skyline. This was far from the only song Cash and Dylan recorded.

In February of 1969, Dylan and Cash reportedly also recorded unreleased versions of “One Too Many Mornings”, “I Walk The Line”, “Ring Of Fire”, and several others. Given just how influential and historic “Girl From the North Country” is and was, you better bet this album, if released, would have shaken the music industry to its core. If you look hard enough, bootleg recordings of some of the songs are on YouTube and other platforms, but the whole set of recordings remains unreleased.

‘Black Gold’ by Jimi Hendrix

Before he died in 1970, Jimi Hendrix wrote an album’s worth of material simply titled Black Gold. Subsequently, he gave the 16 tracks to drummer Mitch Mitchell. Though, before the band could go into the studio to record the tracks, Hendrix passed away.

Following the death of Hendrix, the tracks went missing for years but were discovered in 1992. However, according to Rolling Stone, the only song open to the public is the album’s opening track, “Suddenly November Morning.”

‘Love Man’ by Marvin Gaye

By the late 70s, Marvin Gaye‘s life was plagued by his drug addiction and ex-wife; both of these things affected his music career extensively. Specifically, Gaye started to fall into obscurity thanks to the likes of Prince and other younger R&B artists. Also, the man was in substantial debt, as he reportedly owed the IRS $4.5 million.

So, in the need for a resurgence and financial stability, Marvin Gaye created an album that aimed at launching his career out of the 70s and into the 80s. That album was ‘Love Man’, and despite his need for it, he never released the album. While some of the unreleased album’s recordings are on Gaye’s 1981 album ‘In Our Lifetime’, the whereabouts and the titles of the other unreleased tracks remain at large.

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