Bob Dylan – Bootleg Series Vol. 14: More Blood, More Tracks (2 Nov 2018)*

Oh, I thought they went back to the multi's and created new masters.

 

Well, it would seem that "Gaslight" may well have been put, as it were, on the back-burner:-

https://www.amazon.com/Live-1962-19...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=EJGVVNY6CNGYNB6E6ZZK

"LARS" has apparently been given the chop from this version but that's no great loss. Who's cancelling their Japanese order?

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Thanks for the link. Wasn’t going to mess with the overseas order for this one but now - a couple of taps later and my order is placed.

 

Son of a...!

Is CDJapan usual cool about cancelations?

 

I cancelled my Amazon.jp order. Went with Bull Moose,

 

I choose not to order this, myself, until someone can attest to the sound quality and whether it's a significant upgrade over what circulates. I'm usually not the guy who's like "my bootlegs are fine!" but since this collection isn't the complete stuff, it's hard for me to get excited. Now if they issued Copyright 1962-1965 in full physical form, I'd be very excited and would be willing to shell out a large amount of sheckels indeed. (Assuming they use Live 1966 pricing rather than Big Blue pricing. I'm still bitter about that one!).

Oops I mean what I meant to say is that bootlegs are immoral and I don't have any.

 

That was quick... Arigatou, CDJapan. All it took was an email.

 

I'm a bit out of the loop,
is Vol. 14 going to be BOTT?

 

Not confirmed as such, no. But the rumblings seem to suggest that it will be either a BOTT box or a BOTT/Desire/Rolling Thunder overview box. Pros and cons to either. There were also rumors about a two-box solution, with BS14 being BOTT sessions and a separate box covering the 1975 shows, aka RTR1 (a la the amazing 1966 live box). This would neglect the Desire sessions and RTR2 though, in the short term. I think much of the plan depends on the status of the new Scorsese doc, which is supposed to specifically cover RTR 75-76, but that’s not officially confirmed either. Personally I hope that BOTT gets its full due with a complete sessions treatment, but of course I’d like Desire sessions and Live 1975-76 to get complete treatments too. A “Trouble No More”-style overview treatment of 1974-76 would be great, but it would leave out much that they would inevitably need to revisit in the future, so that particular approach seems unwise and therefore unlikely. But I’ve also come to expect the unexpected with this amazing series.

 

Woulda been cool if she'd have brought Barry Manilow along with her.

 

I may have said it before but I think blood on the tracks needs it’s own box. Sure it could be lumped into era stuff but it’s an epic album and combining it with other albums and the tour performances would dilute its impact.

 

Yes. One email to [email protected] and it's done. They are nice people.

 

I'm surprised about the level of anticipation for a BOTT sessions box. The album is a classic, certainly, so it won't benefit from a reevaluation. They already suggested that it wasn't the most exciting prospect they could dish out (and maybe that is why it has been overlooked on frequent occasions) as you are simply going to hear 'process' and the development of songs we have all heard hundreds of times before.

There is no precedent in this series for a big box covering the sessions for a single album. The only reason for Big Blue was the 50th anniversary copyright issue but that set covered three albums. Although it is potentially an issue here it won't happen for another 7 years by which time the thinking will have changed as to how to respond to the issue. Why are people expecting a complete sessions box at this point? The BS has usually offered a more curated look at unreleased Dylan.

Personally speaking I prefer BS releases which open the door on less acclaimed periods and blow our minds with fresh, unheard songs. The first release 1-3 is still the best in my opinion. As great as the Live 1966 box is, I am happy with BS 5 and wouldn't want another exhaustive set to cover the RTR, which is one of my least favourite eras.

I have listener fatigue where BOTT is concerned. I'm not sure I could even cope with a 2CD release of overly familiar material let alone more. They have already issued the only genuine outtake songs so all that is left will be different session recordings of the same familiar ones.

Also unlike the material in the Big Blue set, Dylan wasn't working with top tier studio musicians during the BOTT sessions and he was working hastily to rerecord some songs he had already finished. I don't get the feel of a collaborative vibe, but more of a rush job with Dylan handing out instructions. The finished album suffers a little from the unsure and slightly amateurish playing in places.

I have all the BS releases but a BOTT set would probably never get played by me. I might take a pass on it.

I would much prefer an Infidels release as I do not rate that album much at all as it turned out and yet we know how much potentially great material lies in those sessions which could conceivably shed a new light on Dylan's creativity during this time. I believe there is at least one disc of unheard, unfamiliar cover versions in there too.

 

Well, we still don't have the complete "New York sessions" release which is pretty huge, OK it is widely available on boots but that's not the point really (and are all the boots vinyl rips?).

Can't wait for the spooky organ idiot wind!

Tim

 

Yes, that's my one and only regret as far as BS1-3 was concerned - the absence of the spooky organ from Idiot Wind on an otherwise pretty much identical take to the NY acetate. Yes, the boots needle drop that.

 

When I refer to "outtake songs" I mean actual songs which aren't on the album, not simply unreleased performances of songs which are. There has been one outtake song, Up To Me, so far, unless we count Call Letter Blues which is really an alternative version of Meet Me In The Morning. I anticipate the rest will be just alternate takes.

 

Yes, I thought that was what you meant. Though Dylan's variations tend to be more interesting than most.

Tim

 

I have a 25 song "Gaslight Tape" box set from the 1980's. Is this complete?

 

Next year will be 50 years since Nashville Skyline and the start of Self Portrait. A lot of NS sessions are floating around on boots and a lot of SP takes were left off ASP. What do you guys think the chances are of revisiting this era so soon after the release of ASP? I know there probably isn’t a whole lot left here, but I wouldn’t mind seeing this include the Rock of Ages and Guthrie tracks. Throw in some JWH and Billy the Kid and I’m sure you’d have a quality 2 disk set. This might be a great place to include Planet Waves tracks too. Is this just wishful thinking on my part?

 

Yes, more than likely!

 

I'm one of those who loves listening to "process", although I recognise that it's not everyone's cup of chai. While Big Blue's purpose was indeed copyright protection, frankly I could be persuaded to become very intimate with those European legislators who prompted the release of it and "The 1966 Live Recordings" (Big Grey). I mean, I'd be happy to shake their hands....

I'm not saying it's a daily, weekly, or even monthly exercise to listen to these sessions or concerts, but sometimes I look on my shelf and notice BB (and BG) and shake my head with wonderment that I can listen to them any time I want to. In the case of Big Blue I never tire of reading Roger Ford's accompanying essays whenever I'm listening to a session or two. I hope, if there is a significant BOTT "process" box (not Big Red as such because we're not mentioning Big Red these days) that he might be interested enough to carry out a similar exercise. Perhaps there won't be enough going on in the process for that type of forensic examination, but you never know...

I think essentially there is this expectation because Richard Alderson indicated that we can expect it or, at least, all the NY sessions. Also Eric Andersen mentioned that Steve Addabbo was busy working on the BOTT bootleg series. My thinking is that any BOTT BS series release would be lopsided without whatever JR / Berkowitz / Addabbo can salvage from the MN sessions. Certainly it doesn't have to be a copyright collection by any other name but BS 11, which is also serves as a copyright collection, was released three years earlier than necessary so it's not out of the question that Bob Inc. will give us the complete BOTT collection six years early. A long shot perhaps, but just possible.

It wouldn't surprise me if there are several versions, including a single CD of the NY acetate for those who just want to hear the alternate (original) "Blood on the Tracks". This in turn may stimulate interest in the original.

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To be honest I wished they had already released Blood On The Tracks as a "Deluxe" 2 disc edition for its 30th or 40th Birthdays now long passed, complete with a second disc of the original NYC acetate. The first disc could have been a remastered version of the speed corrected master of the main album. To my mind that would serve to generate a wider public appreciation for the album, not to mention increased sales. It would have been far better than this BS in that regard.

 

Please note my suggested title for Vol. 14.

 

This. Honestly, I'd prefer a box from this period rather than BOTT. But they gotta make it more than 2 discs if they cover Skyline up to Planet Waves. I still believe in a full chronological sessions format, though. After Big Blue, I'm expecting nothing less from future installments revisiting classic albums. Big Brown perhaps?