After showing a bunch of Simpsons outtakes, animated host Troy McClure notes sarcastically, "If that's what they leave out, then what they leave in must be pure gold."
In the case of Bob Dylan, it had always been rumored (and proven through bootleg tapes) that much of what he "left out"--the unreleased outtakes and rarities--actually rivalled or even surpassed his greatest official work. Finally, Columbia substantiated this by releasing three CDs of these undiscovered gems. The fact that over three hours' worth of quality music--often superb music--had never seen the (official) light of day is remarkable. Clearly, Bob Dylan is more talented in performing and creating music than he is at evaluating it.
This collection opens with Dylan in his original new-Woody form. "Hard Times in New York Town" is a defiant and determined statement that foreshadows his domination of the Greenwich Village folk scene. "He Was a Friend of Mine" and "Man on the Street" are poignant hobo laments straight out of the Guthrie school. "No More Auction Block" is a traditional slave's song of freedom, made famous by Paul Robeson among others.
Next we have 10 outtakes from the Freewheelin' sessions. The original record is one of Dylan's greatest, but amazingly, many of the outtakes are just as memorable. "Talkin' Bear Mountain Picnic Blues" displays Dylan's sardonic humor while "Quit Your Lowdown Ways" touches on the Delta blues idiom. "Let Me Die in My Footsteps" is one of his most potent folk songs and "Rambling Gambling Willie" shows his penchant for vivid storytelling.
The hysterical "Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues" and the sober "Who Killed Davey Moore?" come from a 1963 Carnegie Hall date. "Only a Hobo" and "Moonshiner" are brooding outtakes from The Times They Are A-Changin' while "Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie" is a poem recited at Town Hall. From the Bringin' It All Back Home sessions, Dylan delivers the simple love song "Mama You Been On My Mind" and the mystical "Farewell Angelina," plus a rare acoustic reading of "Subterranean Homesick Blues." 1965 brought a few of his sarcastic blues romps and a rehearsal version of "Like a Rolling Stone" with Dylan on waltzing piano. Richard Manuel's haunting harmony graces "I Shall Be Released" while George Harrison adds fluid guitar to "If Not for You."
Dylan's second "classic" period, 1974-1975, is also well represented. Four alternate versions from Blood on the Tracks are culled from the original New York sessions. Dylan would re-record these in Minnesota for the official release, but his New York versions are much more sensitive and subdued than his angrier and more emphatic official renditions. "Golden Loom" and "Catfish," about Yankee free-agent pitcher Jim Hunter, are outstanding numbers that were somehow left off Desire while the raucous "Seven Days" (boasting five guitarists) comes from a 1976 live date in Tampa.
Of the 58 songs included, only 11 emanate from Dylan's 1980s work. The buoyant "Need a Woman" and plaintive "Angelina" come from the Shot of Love period. "Blind Willie McTell," recorded at the 1983 Infidels sessions, represents a high point of this collection, and indeed, of Dylan's entire recorded output. Dark and deep, it is his homage to a blues legend and simultaneously, an expression of his insecurity about picking up the blues mantle. Dylan, of course, sells himself short because his reading here is powerful and piercing.
The Bootleg Series succeeds on many levels: As a whole, it brilliantly shows Dylan's numerous stages and reinventions of himself--from neo-folkie to psychedelic blues rocker to country crooner to singer-songwriter and so on. For the uninitiated, it serves as a useful career overview, if not a lesser-known greatest-hits collection. In addition, it fills in the gaps for the diehards who longed for these rarities. Without question, the oddities, novelties, and masterpieces found here only add to Dylan's incredible legacy.
If you like Bob Dylan, check out:
Bob Dylan Blonde On Blonde
Bob Dylan Blood On The Tracks
Bob Dylan Desire
Bob Dylan The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan Highway 61 Revisited
Bob Dylan Infidels
Wilco Summer Teeth
Flying Burrito Brothers Hot Burritos!
Sandy Denny Gold Dust - Live At The Royalty
Woody Guthrie ...Sings Folk Songs
Van Morrison Tupelo Honey
Johnny Cash The Sun Years
Dave Swarbrick Rags, Reels and Airs
The Byrds Sweetheart Of The Rodeo
Lucinda Williams Car Wheels On A Gravel Road
Shirley Collins and Davy Graham Folk Roots, New Routes
The Clash Combat Rock
June Tabor A Quiet Eye
Neil Young Comes A Time
Beth Orton Central Reservation
Elvis Costello King Of America
Vic Chesnutt The Salesman and Bernadette
-- Marc Greilsamer
