Posted 11 Jan 04 on rec.music.dylan by Chris Rollason A CD entitled 'Sing As We Go', by Primo Scala and His Accordion Band (Burlington, 2 BUR 012, 1988), includes a (very schmaltzy) version of 'When Did You Leave Heaven' (credited to Bullock/Whiting), the song recorded by Dylan on 'Down In The Groove'. No recording date is given, but it must be from the 1930s. The sleevenotes state that Primo Scala was actually a Brit pretending to be an Italian. He was in fact Harry Bidgood, born in London in 1898, and he recorded under a number of simultaneous aliases, including Lew Sylva and Don Porto. The author of the notes, James Pollard, calls his career 'an amazing charade of masquerade and a labyrinth of deception'. Somehow this multi-alias, multi-masked musician seems an appropriate figure to be covered by Dylan, and his story suggests there might be more to 'Dylan's When Did You Leave Heaven' than meets the ear!
