Listening Priority: High
I typically ignore box sets of VINTAGE, RARE & UNRELEASED material from the vaults. They usually end up being 1. a set of inferior alternate takes that only diehard fans could value or 2. a disappointing set of songs that suggests a classic album's track listing is the ultimate version of that era's tunes*. Bob Dylan's Bootleg Tapes series are the rare exception. His 50 year career - in which he's explored every type of American music** - has yielded a seemingly infinite supply of originals, covers, and collaborations. Filled with alternate versions and demos, the best of them simultaneously appeal to Dylan completists and casual listeners. His latest offering in the series, Another Self Portrait (The Bootleg Series Vol. 10), delves into the era surrounding Self Portrait and New Morning. During that period, he excavated tunes both domestic ("House Carpenter," "Pretty Saro") and international ("Tattle O'Day"), putting his unique spin on them in the process. The melodies he arranged or interpreted in these songs are some of the best of his career and - while Dylanologists might or might not appreciate his smoother voice (sometimes reaching the silky levels of Nashville Skyline) - his vocal range at the time provided a unique opportunity to take on such melodies. Indeed, the singing (whether solo or harmonizing) is what most sticks out about this selection of songs. The more minimal (compared to the album versions) production allows a special emphasis to be placed on the voices and lyrics, making them essential pieces of Dylan's discography rather than the "shit" that Greil Marcus initially took them to be (his evaluation of this new compilation offers a much more gracious assessment).
These alternate versions and demos also showcase a spirit or emotion that the album versions lacked. We find an amazingly tender version of "If Not For You," a nervously energetic return to "Highway 61 Revisited," and two versions of "Went to See the Gypsy" (one rambling, one sharp). "New Morning" is much more triumphant with horns, the first alternate take of "Time Passes Slowly" suggests the lazy days of the song's title, and the closing "When I Paint My Masterpiece" demo is sharp enough to capture the humor and beauty of the song. These repetitions are excellent in their own right, but they also provide the dedicated Dylan fan with further insight into his songs (or maybe just further confuse and mesmerize the listener). Not every one of the 35 songs is absolutely essential, but the curation of Another Self Portrait is strong enough to make it both an oddball anthology of folk music and another successful foray into Dylan's back pages.
I typically ignore box sets of VINTAGE, RARE & UNRELEASED material from the vaults. They usually end up being 1. a set of inferior alternate takes that only diehard fans could value or 2. a disappointing set of songs that suggests a classic album's track listing is the ultimate version of that era's tunes*. Bob Dylan's Bootleg Tapes series are the rare exception. His 50 year career - in which he's explored every type of American music** - has yielded a seemingly infinite supply of originals, covers, and collaborations. Filled with alternate versions and demos, the best of them simultaneously appeal to Dylan completists and casual listeners. His latest offering in the series, Another Self Portrait (The Bootleg Series Vol. 10), delves into the era surrounding Self Portrait and New Morning. During that period, he excavated tunes both domestic ("House Carpenter," "Pretty Saro") and international ("Tattle O'Day"), putting his unique spin on them in the process. The melodies he arranged or interpreted in these songs are some of the best of his career and - while Dylanologists might or might not appreciate his smoother voice (sometimes reaching the silky levels of Nashville Skyline) - his vocal range at the time provided a unique opportunity to take on such melodies. Indeed, the singing (whether solo or harmonizing) is what most sticks out about this selection of songs. The more minimal (compared to the album versions) production allows a special emphasis to be placed on the voices and lyrics, making them essential pieces of Dylan's discography rather than the "shit" that Greil Marcus initially took them to be (his evaluation of this new compilation offers a much more gracious assessment).
These alternate versions and demos also showcase a spirit or emotion that the album versions lacked. We find an amazingly tender version of "If Not For You," a nervously energetic return to "Highway 61 Revisited," and two versions of "Went to See the Gypsy" (one rambling, one sharp). "New Morning" is much more triumphant with horns, the first alternate take of "Time Passes Slowly" suggests the lazy days of the song's title, and the closing "When I Paint My Masterpiece" demo is sharp enough to capture the humor and beauty of the song. These repetitions are excellent in their own right, but they also provide the dedicated Dylan fan with further insight into his songs (or maybe just further confuse and mesmerize the listener). Not every one of the 35 songs is absolutely essential, but the curation of Another Self Portrait is strong enough to make it both an oddball anthology of folk music and another successful foray into Dylan's back pages.