Bob Dylan: THE BOOTLEG SERIES VOL. 17: "Fragments - Time Out of Mind Sessions" [1/27/23]*

Did I say there wasn't?

No, they speak to you as a listener, you're describing your subjective response, not mine.

You haven't really acknowledged or responded to my points, you just want to hammer on about what a great Dylan singer is without any objective thoughts. So you carry on mate, no need for us to continue this conversation.

 

i get the feeling people are overthinking this song...

 

Sorry where can I see the track lengths? How long is Highlands?

 

DISC 1 Remix - 16:31

DISC 3 Outtake - 14:06

DISC 4 Live - 10:10

 

See the pyramids along the Nile
Watch the sun rise on a tropic isle
Just remember, darling, all the while
You belong to me

 

Make You Feel My Love was included because Billy Joel had already recorded a version scheduled for release right around, maybe before, Toom came out.

 

The CD set dropped to $103.99 on Amazon US this morning.

 

‘Make You Feel My Love’ stands out on TOOM melodically and lyrically, but it’s of a piece with songs like ‘I’ll Remember You’ or ‘Emotionally Yours’. I can imagine Dylan was pleased with the chord structure, which is quite unusual for him. The lyrics are open to interpretation, as always. I like the song more now, than I did then, especially the organ playing, which is reminiscent of The Band circa Big Pink. Of course Dylan’s vocals jar, but though his voice may have sounded parched in ‘97, it was nothing to what came later. Now, they sound positively supple. There’s better songs left off the album, although I think ‘Red River Shore’ is overrated. ‘Mississippi’ is fantastic, but does it fit the album, overall? Probably not. I don’t really understand the popularity of ‘Make You Feel My Love’ but it is clearly a popular choice for singers. Of all the songs to become a standard. It’s a funny old world…

 

I dunno about that. The bulk of the chord sequence, a chromatic descension from the I to the iv, is identical to both "Simple Twist Of Fate" & "You Changed My Life."

 

I feel like the entire crux of an unrequited love song is precisely that, though -- the singer knows there is a discrepancy between what he/she wants and what the object of his/her affection wants, but despite knowing this, the feelings continue to be what they are. In this space, a person's brain follows all kinds of wayward thought processes, the one detailed in the song certainly being among the more reasonable: "If I could only make her see, make her truly understand, how deep my feelings for her are, things could be different." I don't think this is inherently sinister, and I think the world is full of happy couples where one party persisted beyond an initial rejection in order to demonstrate commitment. Certainly there is a point at which this can and does turn inappropriate, creepy, and dangerous, but I think it's an overly sensitive misread of the song to assume an intention of force on the part of the singer in this case. The lyric "I know you haven't made your mind up yet" does display a sense of respect for the person's agency in the situation, and the surrounding context basically just says -- desperately, perhaps, or hopelessly, or some might even say cluelessly -- that he wants his actions to speak so loudly that the depth of his feelings are unmistakeable. The specific phrase "make you feel my love" is kind of clunky and unpoetic (and a little awkward), but I think there's enough else in the song to save it from being anything worse.

 

I find TOOM to be perfect. I love all of the songs and they are placed on the album in the right spot to make it a cohesive listen. I actually laid in bed last night with the lights off and listened to the entire thing with headphones. I still can't wait to hear the remix.

 

I’ll bow to your musical knowledge, but it doesn’t really sound like either of those songs, and there’s not many songs in the canon it does sound like. Three chord blues tunes, however…’Make You Feel My Love’ sounds like a pop song suited to singers like Adele, which explains its popularity amongst non-Bob fans, and its derisory status amongst a lot of Dylan fans.

 

If I may, I'd like to draw our attention back to the TOOM set, and the one track we have do far, the alt (Take 2) of Love Sick. I'm very interested in hearing what others here think. For me, I prefer the sound of this version, its relative lack of Lanois soupiness and vocal distortion. I like being able to hear individual instruments. I enjoy the different vocal inflections, of a song we are all so familiar with. I have to admit, I think Bob was right to ditch the extra verse - "struggling for perfection" - but I don't hate it and it's fascinating to hear. Overall, I think this take, particularly if they'd cut the 'perfection' verse, could have been as worthy an album opener as the released take.

 

‘Struggling for perfection’ is my favourite part of the song now.

 

Fair enough. What do you think of the mix?

 

I've only heard it on the PC, while reading things online so I'm picking up impressions rather than details. Particularly the opening verse strikes me as strangely intimate. This may be due to the mixing, but Bob's vocal sounds very personal, like he's recording a demo alone - for himself. Not sure I've ever heard him this way before. He literally sounds love sick.

 

The first time I heard Love Sick was the performance at the Grammys. It seemed really downbeat by Dylan standards. At this point in time, I hadn't heard any Dylan later than Shot of Love, Travelling Wilburys and a couple of Oh Mercy tracks. This seemed very dark in comparison. WhenI got the album some time later, the distorted sound was unsettling, a long way off what I recalled from the Grammys, but time has got me accustomed to it as the 'proper' version.

But I really like this new, clean version. Will it become my favourite? Only time will tell. His voice sounds good against the sparse arrangement, more similar to the Rough and Rowdy Ways arrangements, but obviously his 1997 voice is much stronger. It's definitely a keeper.

 

I am not so old that the first four words didn't get me excited.

 

YES!
Placed my order at the high price last week, counting on this.
Checked my order this am and the price has been corrected.

 

I prefer it to the album. It reminded me a little of the fantastic outtake of Going Going Gone, which is a very good thing:



I have a feeling it might be a case of enjoying both mixes for different reasons, as I prefer the ‘live in the room’ feel of this take, but there is something very intentional and effective about the sound of the album as released. It’s nowhere near as likable as Oh Mercy though, which is one of my favourite produced albums.

 

LOL

 

I think his R&RW voice is stronger to be honest.

 

Yep I like it too, and I don't have a great deal of time for the original. Much more effective in this incarnation. I know we're going over old ground but I thought it was Bob, as much as Lanois, who was responsible for the soupy sound of the original album?

 

Where did the guitar go in the middle? Anyway, breathtaking version, never heard that. Always liked that song, surely a kiss off to his marriage before he did a whole album's worth of kiss offs with BOTT? Before he did a u-turn 'can we get back together' song at the end of Desire.