Bob Dylan bootlegs series

Hey. I've listened to Dylan a lot over the years but can't afford all those bootleg boxsets. What tracks off all of them would you all say are great/essential?

 

I would say the majority of releases of the series are best heard as a whole. The live shows and the basement tapes in particular are best heard as a whole. You could just get the Bootleg Series 1-3 and the No Direction Home soundtrack if you are looking for more of an overview. Most of the series is available to stream as well, so no need to spend tons on the physical boxes (though they are worth it!).

 

One track stands out from all of the Bootleg boxes to date, as everything else is really mediocre.

All Tired Horses / Self Portrait Box.

 

Or see @inaptitude reply. As that’s a good place to start. Seriously.

 

Hands down!:
"Blind Willie McTell" (first released on Bootleg Series 1-3):

 

I think that at least the two-disc versions are all on streaming services. I think opinions of the best tracks are going to vary so much between listeners that you're better off hearing it all and making your own choice. But fwiw I like the version of “Pretty Saro” from vol. 10.

 

"Nobody 'Cept You" from the first box, along with "Blind Willie McTell" two tracks everyone should hear at least 10 times.

"Nobody Cept You" sounds like Dylan crying about the love of his life, now gone, still in love but relationship dead. Very emotional and wonderful.

 

An impossible task due to the volume of material that has been released and the varying opinions that each different listener would have...

If you have specific periods of his career that you especially enjoy (if it has been covered by the series), I'd start with the corresponding set for that time and move on from there.

You could start by looking at Vols. 1-3 as a bit of a sampler for everything that came after, but even then there have been A+ tracks released on every volume that would need to be included.

Whew...there are soon to be 14 volumes of material along with the various copyright sets and other smaller live releases that you could throw in as well if you're making a compilation. Crazy.

 

bootleg 1-3 is absolutely essential if you love Bob.
bootleg 4 "royal albert hall" is highly recommended
bootleg 5 rolling thunder review is essential if you like that band and the song arrangements from that tour
bootleg 6 live '64 is essential if you like the pre-electric Bob
bootleg 13 gospel years is essential if you like the gospel years

A lot of the others, imo, are really for completists that want everything. I am sure they are good, but they are not in my budget to get them all.
I reckon those five are essential if you like live stuff. If you don't like live stuff the first release 1-3 is as good as any album Dylan ever released in my opinion and i love it.

 

Vol 1-3 and Vol 8 Tell Tale Signs will give you an almost complete overview of the entire series. Vol 8 is like a sampler of what is yet to come, but 1-3 has a few tracks from almost every volume, so I would start there.

 

You’re going to end up getting them all anyway, so start at the beginning and work your way through.

 

Are you looking at the same series as I and everyone else is?

Vol. 1 will give you an overview of Bob's career, and virtually nothing from the rest of the series. But it is the best place to start with for studio material.

Vol. 8 will give you the period of Time Out of Mind in alternate form, and nothing from the rest of the series, nor earlier eras. But is really great and many tracks are improved on.

 

I think they are all great/essential to the point that if you had to choose between the original releases and the Bootleg Series there is a strong argument for the Bootleg Series option.
First thing would be to go with the 2 disc sets rather than the boxes.Start at 1-3 and keep going in order of release until you think it is no longer worthwhile.It has been 28 years since the first release in the Bootleg series so you could catch up to us by about 2039 if you go at 1 a year.
Because everything from Vol 4 on paints a picture of a phase of Bob's career individual tracks tend to have much less impact than each Volume as a whole.
$15 a year for each set.As the Uncut Ultimate Music Guide described it is the "Big Bang moment" of archival music releases.
PS Don't forget Royal Albert Hall 66 and Live 62-66 on the way through.

 

One needs the Biograph set for the BOTT outtakes, "You're a Big Girl Now" & "Up to Me" a really great couple of rare tracks.

 

Volume 14?

 

Missing tapes, the Minneapolis session tapes are MIA. Unless they can be found, or were recently found, then we already have almost everything and every BOTT track that there is to issue.

I don't think that they would have let that rare take of "Meet Me in the Morning" out (45 b-side) if they were planing a Bootleg Series on BOTT. Or the "Shelter From the Storm" rare take on that soundtrack album.

Letting bits and pieces out one by one, might be an indication of something not happening.

 

There's this little ditty called "Blind Willie McTell" too!

 

Personally I love Vol. 11 the Basement tapes. The whole atmosphere of Dylan and the Band just playing and recording.

And indeed, Blind Willie McTell is a great song. Recently I downloaded a bootleg with more from the Infidels sessions, would make a great addition to the Bootleg Series for official release.

 

Can someone appraise the Wittmark demo's for me and explain the different versions and merits of Tell Tale Signs.

 

I put together a Best of Bootleg playlist a while back - a reminder of what an extraordinary series it is:
He Was A Friend of Mine (BS 1-3)
Moonshiner (BS1-3)
Mama, You Been On My Mind (BS 1-3)
Farewell Angelina (BS 1-3)
Blind Willie McTell (BS 1-3)
Seven Curses (BS 1-3)
I'll Keep It With Mine (BS 1-3)
She's Your Lover Now (BS 1-3)
Foot of Pride (BS 1-3)
Series of Dreams (BS 1-3)
Tell Me Momma (BS 4)
Just Like A Woman (BS 4)
Mr Tambourine Man (BS 4)
Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You (BS 5)
It Ain't Me Babe (BS 5)
Tangled Up In Blue (BS 5)
Isis (BS 5)
I Was Young When I Left Home (BS 7)
This Land Is Your Land (BS 7)
Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues (Alt) (BS 7)
Maggie's Farm (BS 7)
Ballad Of A Thin Man (BS 7)
Someday Baby (BS 8)
Mississippi (BS 8)
Red River Shore (BS 8)
Born In Time (BS 8)
Can't Wait (Alt 1) (BS 8)
Marchin' To The City (BS 8)
Dignity (BS 8)
Ballad For A Friend (BS 9)
Tomorrow Is A Long Time (BS 9)
Pretty Saro (BS 10)
Went To See The Gypsy (Demo) (BS 10)
When I Paint My Masterpiece (BS 10)
If Not For You (Alt) (BS 10)
Big River (Take 2) (BS11)
Folsom Prison Blues (BS 11)
All You Have To Do Is Dream (BS 11)
Sign On The Cross (BS 11)
Tears of Rage (Take 3) (BS 11)
Ain't No More Cain (Take 2) (BS 11)
Visions of Johanna (Take 5) (BS 12)
Desolation Row (Take 2 - piano demo) (BS 12)
When You Gonna Wake Up - Live '81 (BS 13)
Making A Liar Out of Me (BS 13)
Rise Again (BS 13)
Caribbean Wind (Rehearsal with pedal steel) (BS 13)
Dead Man, Dead Man (Outtake) (BS 13)
Covenant Woman (Take 3) (BS 13)

 

Many superb tracks but what do you mean by essential? None worth starving for.

Tim

 

Best Wishes,
David

 

Vol 1-3 doesn't have the live stuff for vol 4, you would need Vol 7 or Biograph for that. But, the live tracks from 1963 give you an idea of what to expect from vol 5, recorded one year later. Vol 6 is from the first leg of the RTR but vol 1-3 does have Seven Days from the second leg of the tour. The first 32 songs on 1-3 are the same sort of things you will find on Vol 7. Series of Dreams fits in with vol 8. Walking Down the Line, When the Ship Comes In, and Times Are A Changin' are all from vol 9. If Not For You could have came from vol 10. I Shall Be Released and Santa-Fe are basement tapes--vol 11. Vol 12 is covered with tracks 1-12 from the second disk. Vol 13 is mostly live, but if you like Ye Shall Be Changed and Every Grain of Sand from 1-3, than you will probably enjoy that one too. The rumoured vol 14 is amply covered by Tangled Up in Blue, Call Letter Blues, Idiot Wind, and If You See Her, Say Hello.

So, yes, I would say that is a pretty good overview of the entire series, minus any songs from vol 4.

 

@adriatikfan
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David