A third track, "The Cuckoo", was one of six songs included on a promotional CD distributed in U.S. retail markets in association with the official release of Dylan's memoir, Chronicles, Volume 1 in 2004.

These include, among others, “The Cuckoo”, which was recorded as early as the 1920s by western North Carolina banjo musician Clarence Ashley; “Moonshiner”, a traditional song that had also been performed by Irish folksters the Clancy Brothers (playing together with Pete Seeger) as well as by Appalachian folk singer Roscoe Holcomb; and “Barbara Allen”, described by music historian Dave Marsh as “the most widespread folk song in the English language.”[9] Even before the release of the official album, the recordings of the October 1962 cafe performances were well-reviewed.

According to bobsboots.com, a website devoted to documenting Dylan bootlegs, the Gaslight recordings are considered “a ‘must have’ to any serious collection.”[10] In preparation for the 2005 Columbia release, the recordings were re-engineered, rendering the songs “considerably clearer than their bootleg versions,” according to music critic William Ruhlmann, yet still retaining “their unofficial quality, with occasional flaws.”[11] Entertainment Weekly's David Browne gave the Columbia issue an A− grade, stating, “Gaslight is a spellbinding reminder that Dylan was never a typical folkie (or typical anything, for that matter.

)”[12] Sean Wilentz, who wrote the liner notes for the CD (and which he would much expand on in his 2010 book Dylan in America), notes that, “for all of its unpretentious, even impromptu qualities,” the Gaslight recordings show “how greatly and rapidly Dylan's creativity was growing.”[13] The choice to release the Gaslight recordings initially through an exclusive deal with the corporate coffee giant Starbucks outraged some fans, who cited this as one more example of Dylan “selling out.”[14] Many music retailers were upset as well, since Starbucks had exclusive rights to sell the release CD for 18 months.

[15] (HMV Canada had taken a similar stance with the Starbucks-exclusive release of Alanis Morissette's "Jagged Little Pill Acoustic", removing all of the artist's catalog from their shelves.