Bob Dylan: Bootleg Series Vol. 1-10 (1991 - 2013)

This three-disc box set is what Dylanphiles have been waiting for, sitting patiently for years, even decades. And, even after its 1991 release, it retains the feeling of being a special, shared secret among the hardcore, since – no matter the acclaim – it's the kind of record that only the hardcore will seek out. Of course, the great irony is that even casual Dylan fans will find much to treasure in this three-disc set of unreleased material. They'll find songs as good as anything that made the records (sometimes surpassing the official releases, especially on the last disc), plus alternate versions (including original versions of songs on Blood on the Tracks) and long-fabled songs, from the incomplete "She's Your Lover Now" to songs cut from The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. This doesn't just function as an alternate history of Dylan, but as an expansion of Dylan's history, enriching what is already known about the greatest songwriter of his era – after all, every song here would qualify as the best song on anybody else's album. And that's no exaggeration.

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AMG

Tracklist CD1:

1-1 Hard Times In New York Town 2:17
1-2 He Was A Friend Of Mine 4:03
1-3 Man On The Street 1:54
1-4 No More Auction Block 3:02
1-5 House Carpenteк 4:08
1-6 Talkin' Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues 3:44
1-7 Let Me Die In My Footsteps 3:33
1-8 Rambling, Gambling Willie 4:11
1-9 Talkin' Hava Negeilah Blues 0:50
1-10 Quit Your Low Down Ways 2:37
1-11 Worried Blues 2:37
1-12 Kingsport Town 3:27
1-13 Walkin' Down The Line 2:52
1-14 Walls Of Red Wing 5:01
1-15 Paths Of Victory 3:17
1-16 Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues 4:24
1-17 Who Killed Davey Moore? 3:08
1-18 Only A Hobo 3:28
1-19 Moonshiner 5:05
1-20 When The Ship Comes In 2:54
1-21 The Times They Are A-Changin' 2:58
1-22 Last Thoughts On Woody Guthrie 7:08


Tracklist CD2:

2-1 Seven Curses 3:46
2-2 Eternal Circle 2:38
2-3 Suze (The Cough Song) 1:57
2-4 Mama, You Been On My Mind 2:56
2-5 Farewell, Angelina 5:26
2-6 Subterranean Homesick Blues 2:55
2-7 If You Gotta Go, Go Now (Or Else You Got To Stay All Night) 2:54
2-8 Sitting On A Barbed Wire Fence 3:52
2-9 Like A Rolling Stone 1:35
2-10 It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry 3:21
2-11 I'll Keep It With Mine 3:38
2-12 She's Your Lover Now 6:09
2-13 I Shall Be Released 3:54
2-14 Santa-Fe 2:08
2-15 If Not For You 3:32
2-16 Wallflower 2:48
2-17 Nobody 'Cept You 2:39
2-18 Tangled Up In Blue 6:50
2-19 Call Letter Blues 4:27
2-20 Idiot Wind 8:52


Tracklist CD3:

3-1 If You See Her, Say Hello 3:44
3-2 Golden Loom 4:25
3-3 Catfish 2:48
3-4 Seven Days 3:59
3-5 Ye Shall Be Changed 4:07
3-6 Every Grain Of Sand 3:37
3-7 You Changed My Life 5:13
3-8 Need A Woman 5:43
3-9 Angelina 6:57
3-10 Someone's Got A Hold Of My Heart 4:33
3-11 Tell Me 4:24
3-12 Lord Protect My Child 3:56
3-13 Foot Of Pride 5:56
3-14 Blind Willie McTell 5:51
3-15 When The Night Comes Falling From The Sky 5:37
3-16 Series Of Dreams 5:52

The most famous bootleg in rock history, with the possible exception of Dylan's own Basement Tapes, finally makes its official appearance 32 years after the event, and nearly 30 years after it started circulating in the underground. Although often identified as a Royal Albert Hall show, this May 17, 1966, concert, in which Dylan played electric material in front of a British audience, was actually recorded in Manchester (hence the unwieldy title with quotes around "Royal Albert Hall"). Even those who've owned this recording for many a year might be tempted by this official package, as it has been expanded into a two-CD set that not only includes the eight electric rock songs from the original bootleg, but also the seven solo acoustic performances that comprised the first half of the show. It's all in very good fidelity, about as good as any copies you could find through unofficial sources. More importantly, the electric half in particular is an important document of rock history. It captures the point at which Dylan was at his most controversial and hard rocking as he blazes through mid-'60s classics such as "Like a Rolling Stone" and "Ballad of a Thin Man," radical electric arrangements of songs that had originally been recorded acoustically ("One Too Many Mornings," "I Don't Believe You"), and the hard rocker "Tell Me, Momma," which Dylan never recorded in the studio. The acoustic disc is not as epochal, but on par with the electric half in the quality of material and performance. On top of everything else there's a 56-page booklet with a fine essay by Dylan's friend Tony Glover (a notable folk musician in his own right). It's not just an interesting adjunct to Dylan's '60s discography; it's as worthy of attention as anything else he recorded during that decade.

by Richie Unterberger, AMG

Tracklist CD1:

1-01 She Belongs To Me 3:27
1-02 Fourth Time Around 4:37
1-03 Visions Of Johanna 8:08
1-04 It's All Over Now, Baby Blue 5:45
1-05 Desolation Row 11:31
1-06 Just Like A Woman 5:52
1-07 Mr. Tambourine Man 8:53


Tracklist CD2:

2-01 Tell Me, Momma 5:10
2-02 I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met) 6:07
2-03 Baby, Let Me Follow You Down 3:46
2-04 Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues 6:50
2-05 Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat 4:50
2-06 One Too Many Mornings 4:22
2-07 Ballad Of A Thin Man 7:55
2-08 Like A Rolling Stone 8:01

The biggest criticism of The Bootleg Series, Vol. 5: Bob Dylan Live 1975 – the third installment in Columbia/Legacy's excavation of the exhaustive Bob Dylan vaults (the first was a box set, containing three volumes) – is that it's a compilation of highlights from his Rolling Thunder Revue of 1975, one that doesn't set out to replicate a set list but instead offers two discs and 22 tracks from this fabled tour. Apart from that, there's very little to complain about on this superlative set, which offers the first official release of Rolling Thunder material. Yes, this had been heavily bootlegged over the decades, plus it was documented on Dylan's notoriously unwatchable film Renaldo & Clara and there was Hard Rain, a collection culled from the post-Thunder 1976 tour that was similar but sour and nowhere near as good the 1975 material, as this superb set illustrates. Hearing this is a revelation, even for serious Dylan watchers – those so serious to own several bootlegs, even a full shelf of Dylan, but not as obsessive as those who track Bob's every move – and those who aren't as dedicated, yet still harbor a serious interest, will find this equally absorbing, since this is simply tremendous. It has become legend that Dylan will change arrangements and switch lyrics at the drop of a hat, which was evident on his jaunt with the Band in 1974, preserved for posterity on Before the Flood. Even so, he's looser, wilder, and more alive in this careening, thrilling album, a record where "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall" gallops along as if it were "Leopard Skin Pill-Box Hat." As that suggests, the wildest thing about this is the electric cuts, where an unwieldy band turns out an overpowering sound that sounds inevitable, as if it's the only way these songs could be played, even when you've heard these songs countless times before in other arrangements. The acoustic moments don't pack the same charge, nor do they contain many of his duets with Joan Baez, yet they're intimate, passionate versions of the songs. In fact, there's not a bad moment here, and if it doesn't replicate the Rolling Thunder tour list to the letter, it does indeed capture the essence of this legendary stint, which is why it's necessary for every serious fan.

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AMG

Tracklist CD1:

1-1 Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You 3:55
1-2 It Ain't Me, Babe 5:25
1-3 A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall 5:16
1-4 The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll 5:25
1-5 Romance In Durango 5:22
1-6 Isis 5:11
1-7 Mr. Tambourine Man 5:39
1-8 Simple Twist Of Fate 4:17
1-9 Blowin' In The Wind 2:43
1-10 Mama, You Been On My Mind 3:11
1-11 I Shall Be Released 4:33


Tracklist CD2:

2-1 It's All Over Now, Baby Blue 4:34
2-2 Love Minus Zero/No Limit 3:13
2-3 Tangled Up In Blue 4:41
2-4 The Water Is Wide 5:16
2-5 It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry 3:12
2-6 Oh, Sister 4:04
2-7 Hurricane 8:15
2-8 One More Cup Of Coffee (Valley Below) 4:14
2-9 Sara 4:29
2-10 Just Like A Woman 4:31
2-11 Knockin' On Heaven's Door 4:22

It does seem strange, very strange indeed, to be hearing an official release of this historic concert, which has been available as a bootleg for decades. The Halloween gig at Philharmonic Hall in New York was a special part of the tour for Another Side of Bob Dylan, arguably his greatest acoustic recording. What's more poignant, however, is how it previews the material on Bringing It All Back Home. While the songs on Another Side hinted at things to come, nothing could have prepared audiences for the dreamy surrealism of "Mr. Tambourine Man," or the nightmarish abstract poetry of "It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)," and "Gates of Eden" – all of which appear on Disc One. The remainder of the material comes from Dylan's preceding catalog; there are stirring protest and topical songs, folk songs, humorous narratives, love songs, great wisecracks, and talking blues – "Talking John Birch Paranoid Blues!"), most of them classics – "With God on Our Side," "Hard Rain's Gonna Fall," "Times They Are A-Changin'," "Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll," "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright," "Mama You've Been on My Mind," "All I Really Want to Do," "It Ain't Me Babe" – all of these songs and many others (there are 17 in all) are delivered with the confidence of the seasoned performer; a man who knows his audience and how to handle them. It's not cynical, not detached, just masterful. For those unfamiliar with this set, Joan Baez makes an appearance near the end of the show, and duets with Dylan on four cuts including an amazing read of "Silver Dagger." It is true that if you possess the boot, you have all the music here, and chances are, it has some pretty good sound. But you'll need this version, too. For starters, the sound is spectacular, wonderfully warm and immediate, and the transfer is extremely clean with wonderful dynamics. Secondly, the package is deluxe. In addition to a fine essay by Princeton historian and author Sean Wilentz (he made the gig when he was 13), there are a truckload of killer photos from the show and the period, along with complete discographical information that puts the bootleg packages to shame. For those interested in the acoustic Bob Dylan, this concert is like the grail; his voice is in impeccable shape, and his delivery is revelatory. For those interested in the transition from acoustic to electric, this show is the seam, and for those who are die-hard fans, this is another welcome item in the official catalog.

by Thom Jurek, AMG

Tracklist CD1:

1-1 The Times They Are A-Changin' 3:29
1-2 Spanish Harlem Incident 3:07
1-3 Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues 4:06
1-4 To Ramona 6:01
1-5 Who Killed Davey Moore? 4:46
1-6 Gates Of Eden 8:32
1-7 If You Gotta Go, Go Now (Or Else You Got To Stay All Night) 4:06
1-8 It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) 11:26
1-9 I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met) 4:01
1-10 Mr. Tambourine Man 6:33
1-11 A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall 7:44


Tracklist CD2:

2-1 Talkin' World War III Blues 5:52
2-2 Don't Think Twice, It's All Right 4:34
2-3 The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll 6:57
2-4 Mama, You Been On My Mind 3:35
2-5 Silver Dagger 3:47
2-6 With God On Our Side 6:17
2-7 It Ain't Me, Babe 5:11
2-8 All I Really Wanna Do 4:01

The seventh volume of Bob Dylan's Bootleg Series doubles as the soundtrack to No Direction Home, Martin Scorsese's feature-length documentary covering Dylan's career from its beginnings to 1966 (it was aired in two parts on PBS in September 2005 and released in expanded form on DVD that same month). Unlike the previous three installments of The Bootleg Series, which focused exclusively on live concerts, No Direction Home is assembled from a variety of sources, including home recordings, publishing demos, alternate studio takes, and live recordings, with the first disc devoted to early acoustic recordings and the second to electric music. In fact, No Direction Home proceeds chronologically, filling in gaps between the proper albums or, more often, providing a parallel history of the most productive era of Dylan's career. All of this material – with the exception of "Song to Woody," taken from his debut, and a cataclysmic version of "Like a Rolling Stone" taken from the Royal Albert Hall show that was released as The Bootleg Series, Vol. 4 – is previously unreleased, and much of it has not been widely bootlegged (and the cuts that have been bootlegged, such as "Dink's Song," have never been heard in such crystal-clear fidelity). Where the inaugural edition of The Bootleg Series had many previously unreleased Dylan originals, there is only one here, the tentative opener, "When I Got Troubles," a sweet, simple 1959 song that finds Dylan in his formative stage. In place of unheard songs are a slew of alternate versions of familiar tunes. On the first disc, these are largely live versions of such warhorses as "Blowin' in the Wind," "Masters of War," and "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall," recorded when the songs were still fresh. These live performances have an immediacy and intimacy that not only illustrate what a powerful folksinger Dylan was, but also suggest how the songs might have sounded when they were new tunes. Toward the end of the first disc, alternate versions that are significantly different from the final versions begin to surface with an early take on "Mr. Tambourine Man" recorded at the Another Side of Bob Dylan sessions with Ramblin' Jack Elliott on second guitar and backing vocals. The second disc has several alternates that are similarly notably different, highlighted by a lively, careening "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry" with a different final verse, a "Desolation Row" with electric guitar, "Highway 61 Revisited" without the siren whistle, a slower, heavier, blusier take on "Leopard-Skin Pill Box Hat," a relaxed version of "Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again" that lacks the carnivalesque swirl of sound from the Blonde on Blonde version, and a lean, insistent "Visions of Johanna."

As different as some of these versions are, there are no great revelations here, apart from the realization that the best takes really did make the finished records. But looking for revelations on this seventh edition of The Bootleg Series may be setting the bar too high, particularly because even if few things here are earth-shaking (a rampaging "Maggie's Farm" from Dylan's legendary electric set at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965 could qualify, thanks in great deal to an incendiary Mike Bloomfield), everything here is uniformly excellent and worth hearing well more than once. That alone, of course, would make this yet another worthwhile addition to any serious Dylan collection, but what makes No Direction Home noteworthy as an album is that it is the first Dylan record to offer an aural biography of Dylan. This does a superb job of tracing the development of Dylan as a musician, taking him from a young folkie singing standards, through the rush of his early standards, and to the visionary music he made once he went electric. Put in this context, the electric music on disc two sounds as bracing and brilliant and surprising as it did in the '60s, while the acoustic folk on disc one sounds vibrant, pure, and alive. After all these years, that's a hard accomplishment to pull off, and to the credit of everybody involved in this terrific release, they've been able to make even the most familiar Dylan tunes feel new again.

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AMG

Tracklist CD1:

1-1 When I Got Troubles (1959) 1:30
1-2 Rambler, Gambler (Home Recording) 2:27
1-3 This Land Is Your Land (Live Version) 5:58
1-4 Song To Woody 2:41
1-5 Dink's Song (Home Recording) 5:02
1-6 I Was Young When I Left Home (Home Recording) 5:25
1-7 Sally Gal (Alternate Take) 2:38
1-8 Don't Think Twice, It's All Right (Demo) 3:35
1-9 Man Of Constant Sorrow 3:24
1-10 Blowin' In The Wind (Live Version) 4:23
1-11 Masters Of War (Live Version) 4:43
1-12 A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall (Live Version) 8:22
1-13 When The Ship Comes In (Live Version) 3:37
1-14 Mr. Tambourine Man (Alternate Take) 6:43
1-15 Chimes Of Freedom (Live Version) 8:03
1-16 It's All Over Now, Baby Blue (Alternate Take) 3:33


Tracklist CD2:

2-1 She Belongs To Me (Alternate Take) 4:10
2-2 Maggie's Farm (Live Version) 5:03
2-3 It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry (Alternate Take) 3:34
2-4 Tombstone Blues (Alternate Take) 3:36
2-5 Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues (Alternate Take) 5:44
2-6 Desolation Row (Alternate Take) 11:44
2-7 Highway 61 Revisited (Alternate Take) 3:39
2-8 Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat (Alternate Take) 6:25
2-9 Stuck Inside Of Mobile WIth The Memphis Blues Again (Alternate Take) 5:44
2-10 Visions Of Johanna (Alternate Take) 6:38
2-11 Ballad Of A Thin Man (Live Version) 7:45
2-12 Like A Rolling Stone (Live Version) 8:12

Tell Tale Signs is perhaps the most appropriately titled of all the volumes in Bob Dylan's official Bootleg Series thus far. Containing 27 tracks, the material here dates from the albums Oh Mercy through to 2006's Modern Times. It presents a carefully prepared sonic treat of a genuine enigma's musical world-view. Dylan may be an icon, but if it wasn't already obvious, he seems to perceive the modern world as a strange place that he no longer understands, nor wishes to. The music here is startling in its depth and presentation. It begins with one of the two versions of "Mississippi" included; the song first appeared on Love and Theft, but was written for the Time Out of Mind sessions five years earlier. This one, with only Daniel Lanois' electric guitar as backing, shows Dylan in full voice, and performing it as a midtempo blues. It's jauntier in tempo, but harder, leaner, and wearier than the released version. Even more shocking is "Most of the Time," which has become a signature of Lanois' production style with its warm, thickly padded guitars and muffled drums. This one features Dylan solo with harmonica and guitar. It comes off as a statement of actuality about strengths and weaknesses rather than as a treatise of denial in the aftermath of lost love. It feels like a back-porch country song here, with different lyrics that underscore the singer's steely determination. There are some truly amazing stops along the way. The unreleased "Red River Shore" would have shifted some of the darkness on Time Out of Mind to some declaration of empathy and even tenderness had it been released. Likewise, "Marchin' to the City," one of the best slow blues Dylan has ever written, offers a respite from the desolation on that album. Soundtracks get represented, too: the alternate take of "Tell Ol' Bill," from North Country, is a semi-rag tune with rambling honky tonk piano, and "Huck's Tune," from Lucky You, creates a more complex look at the male lead in the film with a Celtic undertow in the melody. Disc one closes with a burning live reading of "High Water (For Charley Patton)," with overdriven electric guitars replacing the banjo.

A real surprise on disc two is a dynamite reading of Robert Johnson's "32-20 Blues" that was originally recorded for the covers-only World Gone Wrong, but left in the can. A completely unreleased tune, "Can't Escape from You" portrays Dylan the folksinger as a lover of early rock & roll ballads. In his own wrecked way, he pays homage (in waltz time) to the Platters, Doc Pomus, Leiber & Stoller, and Cisco Houston with a lonely B-3 and trebly guitars. There are two takes of "Dignity" here as well (one on each disc), the first a prophetic gospel solo piano version and the second a full-band roots rock rave-up. The version of "Ring Them Bells" recorded live at New York's Supper Club is so utterly moving that it raises goosebumps and leaves the studio version in the dust. The disc closes with the greatest moment on the whole set: "'Cross the Green Mountain," from the Gods and Generals soundtrack. Veteran Dylanologist Larry Sloman claims in his truly brilliant and incisive liner notes that this "might be his finest hour as a songwriter." The amazing thing? It's not just hyperbole. In all, even in some of its familiarities, Tell Tale Signs feels like a new Bob Dylan record, not only for the astonishing freshness of the material, but also for the incredible sound quality and organic feeling of everything here. It's a carefully presented set, but it's full of life and crackling energy and offers yet more proof – as if any were needed – that Dylan remains as cagey, unpredictable, and yes, profound and relevant as he ever was.

by Thom Jurek, AMG

Tracklist CD1:

1-1 Mississippi (Unreleased, Time Out Of Mind) 6:04
1-2 Most Of The Time (Alternate Version, Oh Mercy) 3:35
1-3 Dignity (Piano Version, Oh Mercy) 2:12
1-4 Someday Baby (Alternate Version, Modern Times) 5:58
1-5 Red River Shore (Unreleased, Time Out Of Mind) 7:34
1-6 Tell Ol' Bill (Alternate Version, North Country Soundtrack) 5:30
1-7 Born In Time (Unreleased, Oh Mercy) 4:14
1-8 Can't Wait (Alternate Version, Oh Mercy) 5:44
1-9 Everything Is Broken (Alternate Version, Oh Mercy) 3:11
1-10 Dreamin' Of You (Unreleased, Time Out Of Mind) 5:50
1-11 Huck's Tune (From Lucky You Soundtrack) 4:04
1-12 Marchin' To The City (Unreleased, Time Out Of Mind) 6:32
1-13 High Water (For Charley Patton) (Live In Niagara Falls, ON - 23 Aug 2003) 6:46


Tracklist CD2:

2-1 Mississippi (Unreleased Version #2, Time Of Mind) 6:22
2-2 32-30 (Unreleased, World Gone Wrong) 3:06
2-3 Series Of Dreams (Unreleased, Oh Mercy) 6:26
2-4 God Knows (Unreleased, Oh Mercy) 3:07
2-5 Can't Escape From You (Unreleased, December 2005) 5:12
2-6 Dignity (Unreleased, Oh Mercy) 5:24
2-7 Ring Them Bells (Live At Supper Club, NY - 17 Nov 1993) 4:59
2-8 Cocaine Blues (Live In Vienna, VA - 24 Aug 1997) 4:41
2-9 Ain't Talkin' (Alternate Version, Modern Times) 6:09
2-10 The Girl On The Greenbriar Shore (Live In Dunkerque, France - 30 June 1992) 2:24
2-11 Lonesome Day Blues (Live In Sunrise, FL - 1 Feb 2002) 7:36
2-12 Miss The Mississippi (Unreleased, 1992) 3:22
2-13 The Lonesome River (With Ralph Stanley, From Clinch Mountain Country) 3:05
2-14 'Cross The Green Mountain (From Gods And Generals Soundtrack) 8:15

Like any fledgling songwriter, Bob Dylan signed with a publishing company at the outset of his career. Publishers are standard practice for songwriters – it’s where the money comes in, as songs are published, performed, and covered – but in the early ‘60s there was an expectation that publishers would help place songs in the hands of appropriate singers, a practice Dylan effectively ended by popularizing writers singing their own songs, but in 1962, this self-sufficiency was a rarity. Even his 1962 debut contained only three Dylan originals, which in his case reflected his traditional folk roots, but Dylan needed a publisher for those three songs so John Hammond, who signed the singer/songwriter to Columbia, pointed him toward Leeds Music. Dylan cut a demo session for Leeds between the recording and release of Bob Dylan and when that album wound up stiffing, Leeds let him buy out his contract in the summer of 1962, which then led to him signing with M. Witmark & Sons publishing company. Between 1962 and 1964, a period that roughly spanned “Blowin’ in the Wind” to “Mr. Tambourine Man,” Dylan cut several demo sessions for Witmark, usually with the intent of the publisher pitching songs to other singers. Many of his early classics were first essayed here – “A Hard-Rain’s Gonna Fall,” “Masters of War,” “Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright,” “Boots of Spanish Leather,” “Girl from the North Country,” “The Times They Are A-Changin’” – and he also cut songs he never revisited. Some wound up with other artists – “Seven Curses,” “Tomorrow Is a Long Time,” “Mama, You Been on My Mind” – some were lost to time, leaking out on bootlegs until they officially surfaced on 2010’s The Bootleg Series, Vol. 9: The Witmark Demos: 1962-1964.

Many of these recordings have been heavily bootlegged, some excerpted on previous Bootleg Series, but they’ve never been presented as completely and in as great fidelity as they are on this two-disc set. Great fidelity seems almost unnecessary for such simple recordings, although the cleanliness enhances the intimacy, so familiar songs are lent freshness when surrounded by the thumping of a microphone or closing of a door. This disarming intimacy – verging on eavesdropping – is as attractive as the 15 songs that never appeared on an official Dylan album. Some of these songs are throwaways – “Bound to Lose, Bound to Win” lacks finished verses, with Bob promising that he’ll write them down later – but there’s considerable charm in hearing Dylan tossing off a song, plus some of these half-forgotten discards, like “Guess I’m Doing Fine” and “All Over You,” are still quite strong. Nevertheless, the real appeal of this volume of the Bootleg Series is to listen as Dylan develops as a songwriter and artist. The songs spilled forth at an astonishing rate, and the great majority were not only superb, they were different from what came before, with his Woody Guthrie homage quickly replaced by a quick-witted protest singer who then started to delve into the personal in revolutionary ways. At its core, these demos are the sound of Dylan becoming Bob Dylan, and it's an evolution that’s spellbinding.

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AMG

Tracklist CD1:

1-1 Man On The Street (Fragment)
1-2 Hard Times In New York Town
1-3 Poor Boy Blues
1-4 Ballad For A Friend
1-5 Rambling, Gambling Willie
1-6 Talking Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues
1-7 Standing On The Highway
1-8 Man On The Street
1-9 Blowin' In The Wind
1-10 Long Ago, Far Away
1-11 A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall
1-12 Tomorrow Is A Long Time
1-13 The Death Of Emmett Till
1-14 Let Me Die In My Footsteps
1-15 Ballad Of Hollis Brown
1-16 Quit Your Low Down Ways
1-17 Baby, I'm In The Mood For You
1-18 Bound To Lose, Bound To Win
1-19 All Over You
1-20 I'd Hate To Be You On That Dreadful Day
1-21 Long Time Gone
1-22 Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues
1-23 Masters Of War
1-24 Oxford Town
1-25 Farewell


Tracklist CD2:

2-1 Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
2-2 Walkin' Down The Line
2-3 I Shall Be Free
2-4 Bob Dylan's Blues
2-5 Bob Dylan's Dream
2-6 Boots Of Spainish Leather
2-7 Girl From North Country
2-8 Seven Curses
2-9 Hero Blues
2-10 Watcha Gonna Do?
2-11 Gypsy Lou
2-12 Ain't Gonna Grieve
2-13 John Brown
2-14 Only A Hobo
2-15 When The Ship Comes In
2-16 The Times They Are A-Changin'
2-17 Paths Of Victory
2-18 Guess I'm Doing Fine
2-19 Baby, Let Me Follow You Down
2-20 Mama, You Been On My Mind
2-21 Mr. Tambourine Man
2-22 I'll Keep It With Mine

Another Self Portrait, the tenth volume in Bob Dylan's official bootleg series, assembles a slew of unreleased tracks, un-and over-dubbed alternate takes, and demos, mostly from 1970's Self Portrait and New Morning sessions – they were recorded simultaneously and released within months of one another – and other material. Dylan restlessly dug into the fakebook of folk, blues, and country tunes that nourished him from the beginning. The few original songs are minor ones. Twenty-six of these 35 selections were recorded between March and June. Dylan is in fine voice and he tries on many: some raspy, others crystal clear, all of them bold. The interconnected nature of these albums is revealed with the opening demo for "Went to See the Gypsy" (used on NM). It's just Dylan and guitarist David Bromberg. (Another take recorded three months later features just Dylan on electric piano.) There are two undubbed takes of "Little Sadie" at different tempos; two of "Time Passes Slowly" – the first a basic folk-rock read, the latter an aggressive one with Al Kooper's B-3 swelling to a crescendo from the jump. Dylan and Bromberg, with Kooper on piano, deliver a haunted, undubbed "Days of 49." Many of the unreleased tunes are gems. "Pretty Saro" – with Dylan in his cleanest Nashville Skyline croon displaying a real range – and the vocal and piano read of "Spanish Is the Loving Tongue" are deeply moving love songs. "House Carpenter" is a high lonesome blues. The skeletal "Alberta #3" puts the versions from SP to shame. Eric Andersen's "Thirsty Boots" has Bromberg's spidery guitar weaving a separate lyric through Dylan's vocal. A demo of "When I Paint My Masterpiece" from 1971, contains slightly different (better) lyrics. The stripped-down "Copper Kettle" stands out when contrasted with its released version. Dylan was impatiently experimenting with arrangements on both records, particularly the latter, and some don't work. "If Not for You" features a violin instead of George Harrison's guitar. The unreleased "Working on a Guru" is almost a throwaway, but Harrison's blues-rock guitar playing smokes. The alternate "New Morning," with a brassy, Stax-style horn arrangement, is great, but the full orchestral overdub on "Sign on a Window" – complete with harp – fails, as does the spoken word with female gospel backing chorus on "If Dogs Run Free." Arguably, of the NM material, Dylan made the right choices for the finished album, which doesn't make what's here less interesting. The remainder of these tracks includes "Minstrel Boy," an unreleased Basement Tapes number, and two tunes from the Isle of Wight with the Band, some alternates of Nashville Skyline, and others from 1971. Another Self Portrait asks many questions, but there is one that hounds because it's unanswerable, especially in regard to its namesake: why did Dylan record all this material, in this way, and then release something entirely different? It doesn't matter. For fans, this is more than a curiosity, it's an indispensable addition to the catalog.

by Thom Jurek, AMG

Tracklist CD1:

1. "Went to See the Gypsy" (demo version) - 3:00
2. "Little Sadie" (without overdubs, Self Portrait) (Traditional) - 2:02
3. "Pretty Saro" (unreleased, Self Portrait) - 2:16
4. "Alberta #3" (alternate version, Self Portrait) (Traditional) - 2:37
5. "Spanish is the Loving Tongue" (unreleased, New Morning) (Charles Badger Clark) - 3:51
6. "Annie's Going to Sing Her Song" (unreleased, Self Portrait) (Tom Paxton) - 2:22
7. "Time Passes Slowly #1" (alternate version, New Morning) - 2:18
8. "Only a Hobo" (unreleased, Greatest Hits II) - 3:25
9. "Minstrel Boy" (unreleased, The Basement Tapes) - 1:39
10. "I Threw It All Away" (alternate version, Nashville Skyline) - 2:25
11. "Railroad Bill" (unreleased, Self Portrait) (Traditional) - 2:44
12. "Thirsty Boots" (unreleased, Self Portrait) (Eric Andersen) - 4:06
13. "This Evening So Soon" (unreleased, Self Portrait) - 4:49
14. "These Hands" (unreleased, Self Portrait) - 3:43
15. "In Search of Little Sadie" (without overdubs, Self Portrait) (Traditional) - 2:26
16. "House Carpenter" (unreleased, Self Portrait) (Traditional) - 5:59
17. "All the Tired Horses" (without overdubs, Self Portrait) - 1:15


Tracklist CD2:

1. "If Not for You" (alternate version, New Morning) - 2:29
2. "Wallflower" (alternate version, 1971) - 2:18
3. "Wigwam" (original version without overdubs, Self Portrait) - 3:10
4. "Days of '49" (original version without overdubs, Self Portrait) (Alan Lomax, John Lomax, Frank Warner) - 5:13
5. "Working on a Guru" (unreleased, New Morning) - 3:43
6. "Country Pie" (alternate version, Nashville Skyline) - 1:27
7. "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" (Live at the Isle of Wight Festival, August 31, 1969) - 3:31
8. "Highway 61 Revisited" (Live at the Isle of Wight Festival, August 31, 1969) - 3:39
9. "Copper Kettle" (without overdubs, Self Portrait) (Alfred Frank Beddoe) - 3:35
10. "Bring Me a Little Water" (unreleased, New Morning) - 3:58
11. "Sign on the Window" (with orchestral overdubs, New Morning) - 3:51
12. "Tattle O'Day" (unreleased, Self Portrait) (Eric Andersen) - 3:49
13. "If Dogs Run Free" (alternate version, New Morning) - 4:10
14. "New Morning" (with horn section overdubs, New Morning) - 4:04
15. "Went to See the Gypsy" (alternate version, New Morning) - 3:33
16. "Belle Isle" (without overdubs, Self Portrait) (Traditional) - 2:35
17. "Time Passes Slowly #2" (alternate version #2, New Morning) - 3:02
18. "When I Paint My Masterpiece" (demo version) - 3:53


Tracklist CD3 - Isle of Wight Festival 1969:

1. "Intro" - 0:40
2. "She Belongs to Me" - 3:01
3. "I Threw It All Away" - 3:07
4. "Maggie's Farm" - 4:00
5. "Wild Mountain Thyme" (Traditional) - 2:51
6. "It Ain't Me Babe" - 3:09
7. "To Ramona" - 2:25
8. "Mr. Tambourine Man" - 3:08
9. "I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine" - 3:32
10. "Lay Lady Lay" - 3:54
11. "Highway 61 Revisited" - 3:47
12. "One Too Many Mornings" - 2:38
13. "I Pity the Poor Immigrant" - 3:47
14. "Like a Rolling Stone" - 5:25
15. "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" - 3:30
16. "Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)" - 2:49
17. "Minstrel Boy" - 3:48
18. "Rainy Day Women#12 & 35" - 3:17


Tracklist CD4 - Self Portrait (2013 remaster):

1. "All the Tired Horses" – 3:12
2. "Alberta #1" (Traditional) - 2:57
3. "I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know" (Cecil A. Null) – 2:23
4. "Days of 49" (Alan Lomax, John Lomax, Frank Warner)– 5:27
5. "Early Mornin' Rain" (Gordon Lightfoot) – 3:34
6. "In Search of Little Sadie" (Traditional) – 2:28
7. "Let It Be Me" (Gilbert Bécaud, Mann Curtis, Pierre Delanoë) – 3:00
8. "Little Sadie" (Traditional) – 2:00
9. "Woogie Boogie" – 2:06
10. "Belle Isle" (Traditional) – 2:30
11. "Living the Blues" – 2:42
12. "Like a Rolling Stone" (Live at the Isle of Wight Festival, August 31, 1969) – 5:18
13. "Copper Kettle" (Alfred Frank Beddoe) – 3:34
14. "Gotta Travel On" (Paul Clayton, Larry Ehrlich, David Lazar, Tom Six) – 3:08
15. "Blue Moon" (Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers) – 2:29
16. "The Boxer" (Paul Simon) – 2:48
17. "The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo)" (Live at the Isle of Wight Festival, August 31, 1969) – 2:48
18. "Take Me as I Am (Or Let Me Go)" (Boudleaux Bryant) – 3:03
19. "Take a Message to Mary" (Felice Bryant, Boudleaux Bryant) – 2:46
20. "It Hurts Me Too" (Traditional) – 3:15
21. "Minstrel Boy" (Live at the Isle of Wight Festival, August 31, 1969) – 3:33
22. "She Belongs to Me" (Live at the Isle of Wight Festival, August 31, 1969) – 2:44
23. "Wigwam" – 3:09
24. "Alberta #2" (Traditional) – 3:12



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