Bob Dylan "The Bootleg Series" – overview and possible future projects

Ahh, yes, now I see what you both meant, and I agree.

 

Dylan owns all his masters. They started reverting to him around the time of Oh Mercy if I remember correctly. For each new one he got one back.
He has a long term licensing deal with Sony tho which includes his merchandising. So Im sure their agreement
covers what can and cannot be released.
Probably Sony can release anything it wants from the vault subject to a veto and have to release any new Dylan album.
Tho after that 36 cd box containing aud boots on it maybe Sony can release ANY archival material.

 

This could be the way of the future. I think something like the Bandcamp model has potential. Every artist has their own page, where not only can you stream and download their music, but you can buy merch and CDs and albums and whatever else they make available. Spotify has already attempted to get into the merch side with the colored vinyl releases for various artists.

And Dylan's people have always been early adopters of digital. First there was the Custom Mix site full of non-album tracks. After that, they did a lot of work with iTunes, such as the big Dylan catalog set which was again chock full of non-album tracks along with the then rare Dylan album, plus plenty of "single" releases of rare and unreleased material (offhand I believe all of those tracks are now on a Bootleg Series or copyright set.) There were also a few iTunes bonus tracks (like Lay Lady Lay mentioned above, and a live performance of Love Sick which is still available, now for individual purchase, off of Tell Tale Signs.) And then they even did a deluxe Highway 61 Revisited, featuring previously released outtakes added on as bonus tracks (most of them from the period, but they did include one performance from 1975!)

The fact that they seem confident that the Bootleg series will continue as is for a few years to come tells me that they are only in the very early stages of figuring out what the next step will be.

 

Does anyone know definitively who this "source" is?

I wouldn't mind a live album from the last twenty years of touring.
So many concerts to choose from. Just pick one. The mod-rock or
whatever it's called he's currently playing could be popular on CD.

A service like nugs to make the hundreds of live shows available
would no doubt be a big hit with fans, but I wouldn't want to see
the 1960s thru 1970s concerts restricted to only streaming.

 

Andy Greene knows definitively, obviously, but it is widely believed that Mr. Source is Jeff Rosen. The information contained in the article is certainly approved for public consumption by Team Bob. The next Bootleg Series, to be released this year, will be as described - Nashville 1967 - 1969, to include curated JWH outtakes, Dylan/Cash Sessions, and other 1969 Nashville studio sessions. Now all we need to do is speculate on which performances will be included, the number of discs, the packaging, the price, the release date, which retailer to use and whether the postman leaves the package out in the rain...

See you over on Bootleg 15 thread....

 

Possible future projects

Mentioned by "a source" (Jeff Rosen?) in an interview with "Rolling Stone" magazine (June 18, 2019)

My personal notes are in cursive.

1. The Bootleg Series Vol. 15: Nashville sessions 1967–1969
Scheduled for 2019. John Wesley Harding and Nashville Skyline sessions, including session with Johnny Cash in order to keep the latter from falling into the public domain in the EU.

Note: They have to do this in order to keep the public domain labels from flooding the EU market with the Cash material and if they throw in the John Wesley Harding sessions it will be an interesting set.

2. 1996/1997 Time Out Of Mind sessions
Tentatively planned for the 25th Anniversary of the album’s release in 2022.

Note: In 1996 Dylan recorded demos for what later became Time Out Of Mind with Ron Wood in Ireland. There are rumors that a covers album was recorded as a separate project before work began on Time Out Of Mind and that an early version of Time Out Of Mind was produced by Jim Dickinson. Then there are the loop-based experiments and early sessions in Oxnard in 1996 and finally the sessions in Miami in early 1997. Some of the sessions were filmed by Daniel Lanois' brother. Definitely a candidate for the full Bootleg Series treatment.

3. 1974 tour digital release
Before 2024 in order to keep the recordings from falling into the public domain in the EU.

Note: Despite what the source says, I think the 1974 tour warrants more than Before The Flood. It would be a good idea to remix the multitrack tapes from New York/Seattle/Oakland/Los Angeles for a "1974 Live Recordings" set similar to the 1966 and 1975 sets. The new mixes of the 1975 concerts are stunning and it would be nice to have the 1974 shows in similar quality, since Before The Flood has a very 1970s-style mix (especially on the keyboards and in the way they treated the ambient sound). Non-professional tapes from the tour could be released as a download bonus.

4. Pre-Columbia coffeehouse tapes
Working title "The Villager" according to September 27, 2018 article on rollingstone.com.

Note: The source thinks that interest among fans for this set is minimal. Well, it’s Dylan so of course it’s interesting, but no matter what Greenwich Village tapes they have they will probably be very similar to what has already been circulating for decades. The one pre-fame tape I would really love to hear is the Karen Wallace Tape from 1960, because the original tape has very good sound and it includes an unusual repertoire of songs from a period in Dylan’s career that is not well documented and thus could actually enhance people’s understanding of the man’s work.

5. 1983 Infidels sessions

Note: In an interview with Definitely Dylan (podcast from June 9, 2019) Michael Chaiken, curator of Tulsa’s Bob Dylan Archive, said that they have only recently managed to transfer the Infidels sessions. Infidels was one of the first rock music albums to have been recorded digitally and the material had to be extracted from an outdated 1980s digital format by specialists in California. 7 CDs worth of material from the sessions have been in circulation for many years, but it seems a large part of the sessions has not been heard by anybody since it was recorded in 1983, because of the outdated recording format. The known outtakes are fantastic (electric Blind Willie McTell, Julius And Ethel, Union Sundown – "man in the mask in the white house"-version!), the project includes some of Dylan’s greatest songs and who knows what’s on the newly transferred tapes?! Infidels should definitely receive the full Bootleg Series treatment.

6. 1985 Empire Burlesque sessions

Note: Many people would love to hear Empire Burlesque stripped off Arthur Baker’s mix. And they should extend this set to include the Band Of The Hand, Knocked Out Loaded and Hearts Of Fire sessions. I have always loved Dylan’s work from this period, there is a lot of great stuff (Angel Of Rain, Almost Done, Dirty Lies, Enough Is Enough, New Danville Girl, Freedom For The Stallion, To Fall In Love With You, Old Five And Dimers etc.) and I think this era is another candidate for the full Bootleg Series treatment. If they combine it with Infidels, they could create a box that would really open some people’s eyes and ears to the greatness of Dylan’s work from that period of time.

7. Collection of stray tracks (movie tracks, one-off tracks, rare tracks)

Note: Maybe they could also throw in some of the following stray outtakes …

Saved (Toronto 1980), Caribbean Wind (different version), Let’s Keep It Between Us [the most obvious omissions from BS 13]
God Knows (piano demo, presumably from 1989 Emlah Court sessions) [planned for BS 8: TTS, not released]
TV Talking Song (unrel. take 1990) [planned for BS 8: TTS, not released]
Polly Vaughn (Chicago sessions 1992) [planned for BS 8: TTS, not released]
Rise Again (Chicago sessions 1992) [planned for BS 8: TTS, not released]
Shake Sugaree (Time Out Of Mind outtake, Teatro, Oxnard 1996 or Criteria, Miami 1997) [planned for BS 8: TTS, not released]
Masked & Anonymous concert outtakes (2002-07-18, Stage 6, Ray-Art Studios, Canoga Park, CA) [audio and video]
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right (United We Swing outtake, recorded live in NYC in 2004)
My Own Love Song soundtrack (18 instrumentals, recorded at the Together Through Life sessions in 2008)
Vigilante Man (The People Speak outtake, recorded at the Malibu Performing Arts Center, Malibu, CA, 2009) [audio and video]

8. Possible future project: special Bootleg Series section on Spotify or Apple Music as Sony Music seems to want to withdraw from the market of physical releases

Note: I think there will always be a market for curated, boutique-type, physical releases of Dylan’s work.

Additional projects mentioned by the source in previous interviews with "Rolling Stone" magazine

- early 1980s ("the period between Shot Of Love and Infidels") (2018-09-27)
- Never-Ending Tour 1988–present (2017-09-25 + 2018-09-27)
- Desire sessions (2017-09-25)
- Hard Rain and other TV specials (2010-08-31 + 2014-01-23)
- 1978 tour (2014-01-23)
- Sydney 1986 ("Hard To Handle" concerts) (2014-01-23)
- Oh Mercy sessions (2015-09-24)
- Supper Club CD/DVD* (2010-08-31 + 2017-09-25)

*I think that the Supper Club recordings should stay in the vaults. Excellent quality soundboard tapes of all four shows are already circulating and are nice to have but the preceding electric shows in 1993 were much, much better concerts: London Finsbury Park, Milan, Gijon, La Coruna, Jones Beach first night, Holmdel, Hollywood Bowl – some of Dylan’s best shows. The acoustic version of that band really is an inferior incarnation of the greatness that was on display at the electric concerts.

My additional suggestions

Studio/Demos:

1978 Street Legal piano demos (said to be more like a loose run-through of some of the Street Legal songs at a rehearsal at Rundown Studios in Santa Monica – now at the Tulsa Archive)
1982 Bob Dylan/Clydie King duets album (Trouble No More shows just how beautiful their voices sound together – the sessions are at the Tulsa Archive)
1987 Down In The Groove sessions ("Self Portrait II") + reconstruction of Dylan's original version of the album (August 1987 master)
1990 Under The Red Sky (rough mix version: live in the studio, no "superstar" overdubs, diff. vocals/lyrics, fantastic album, needs to be made available to the public)
1992 unreleased album (recorded in Chicago, produced by David Bromberg) [There seems to be no love in the Dylan camp for this material, because it has never been mentioned by the source. I think the known tracks are great with Polly Vaughn being one of Dylan’s greatest recordings ever.]

In concert:

The 1976 Live Recordings + digital bonus of additional shows (including Clearwater, Fort Worth and Fort Collins)
The 1978 Live Recordings + digital bonus of additional shows (including Blackbushe, Paris, late 1978 US shows)
The 1984 Live Recordings + digital bonus of additional shows (including Newcastle, London, Slane, maybe Brussels, Rome June 21, Barcelona)
1987 Entire tour with the Grateful Dead (12 CDs), mixed to match the sound as heard in the stadiums. The circulating, unmixed soundboard tapes (most of which also run too fast) are a gross misrepresentation of the shows.
1987 Entire "Temples In Flames" tour with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers & The Queens Of Rhythm (33 CDs).

Ideas for a Never-Ending Tour release:

"Interstate 88"
A set of early "Never-Ending Tour" shows from the first two legs of the 1988 tour (e.g. Concord, Sacramento, Berkeley, Mountain View, Wantagh, Philadelphia, Montreal, Chapel Hill).

"The Never-Ending Tour Recordings"
A no-frills box (similar to the "1966/1975 Live Recordings") of a selection of complete shows illustrating the development of the set and the sound, the line-up changes and the wide geographical reach of the tour (across 4 continents, including shows in countries/administrative regions that no longer exist).

"Performances 1997–2005"
All live performances released on bobdylan.com (9 CDs). [+ Tom Thumb’s, Madrid 2008 and Forgetful Heart, Milwaukee 2009 also from bobdylan.com + all performances released on singles and compilations]

"The Lost Never-Ending Tour Recordings"
A box of shows that are not circulating among collectors/circulating in bad quality only (Istanbul 1989, Mexican shows 1991, Kuala Lumpur 1994, Hong Kong 1994, Zacatecas 2008, Bucharest 2014 etc.).

Reconstruction of "lost" albums:

Albums that were due for release, but got cancelled or were replaced by reworked versions.
These could be released as vinyl-only limited editions for Record Store Day.

1963 The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (original version, including the tracks that were deleted from the regular version, mono mix, correct artwork from Canadian version)
1964 In Concert (cancelled album, mono mix)
1987 Down In The Groove (original version from August 1987 master)

 

Is that really what the article said though?

 

The exact quote is:

“I don’t think we do it post-physical,” says the source, meaning after the market for physical releases completely vanishes. “I don’t think there’s a reason to do it when that happens. I think we’d give up on it. (...)

(...) And so we may talk to Spotify and Apple Music about doing a special Bootleg Series section. We’re thinking about it.”

Bob Dylan’s Next Bootleg Series May Spotlight 1967–1969 Nashville Recordings
June 18, 2019

 

I'm very happy with the Nashville Recordings 1967 - 1969. Looking forward to this set. Do we have a dedicated thread yet?

 

Yes. Started less than a year ago...

Bob Dylan - Bootleg Series Volume 15

 

As far as the Villager/Early Years, the more I think about it, the more I think the pre-1962 material has been under-served officially. The recordings are full tapes and all that's been released are individual tracks. In a world post-copyright sets and "complete" bootleg editions, this simply isn't up to par. The fact that it's not happening this year means they have more time to think it over. Hopefully this will have a positive effect. Maybe a year from now they will be more excited about it!

PS halfway through writing this, I heard a soft knock on my door. What did I find when I opened it? The 1975 Live box.

 

assuming they're not just gonna put this stuff up for free, i wonder how this would work. spotify has offered exclusive material (bonus tracks, live sessions, exclusive premieres) to premium users before but apart from their not-very-impressive singles program (which is available to everyone anyway) that appears to have died down a bit. would the big bootleg sets be subscriber-only affairs, with spotify kicking bobcorp a couple of bucks in exchange for driving paying customers their way? or would there somehow be an additional fee for dylan archival material? both situations are pretty awkward; or maybe i'm just stuck thinking inside big blue here

i do understand their despondency over streaming and how they just cannot unceremoniously dump 100+ track collections on a friday morning and have it be swallowed up by the great algorithm come late afternoon; it's simply not feasible artistically nor financially. this is all stuff that needs to be excavated, sampled, selected, mixed, mastered, curated, and put in some sort of context. and everyone involved needs to get paid. right now is a bad time to be vying for people's patience and prolonged attention. their best option for the future might just be to monetize the tulsa archives

 

Regarding 1974, I disagree with Rosen when he says the tour is covered.
It's not covered. Opening night and following night Chicago were musically
different from the rest of the tour, not as rushed and more folk-oriented.
They were the only shows in which Dylan remained onstage to play with
The Band during their sets. Philadelphia and Toronto were better concerts
than the live album. Additionally, there are many brilliant solo acoustic
performances throughout the tour of both older songs and Planet Waves
songs. If Rosen assumes the no one wants to hear these, he's dead wrong.
If all they have on Chicago are audience tapes then so be it, put 'em in the
box, or in the download. If there's a conflict with The Band's sets, cut them
out.

Regarding The Villager, there is a need to pull all the short club sets,
radio appearances, bits and pieces, and home tapes into a coherent
whole. It doesn't matter if we've heard them before on unofficial CDs,
nor does it matter if we've only heard selections. The last thing we
need is another cherrypicked collection. Complete the tapes. To hear
the songs in context of the complete tape is to follow the progress of
Dylan's art, and then there is the larger context, which the Dylan
camp to their own dishonor likes to deny and ridicule. Dylan's fans
really love the coffee house era. They're as passionate about it today
as he was then. Put them out.

And then there's The 1965 Live Recordings. Jeff Rosen botched that
release. Time to put it right.

 

I agree. But the same holds true for 1962 and 1963. There are many
radio and TV appearances, short performances, and studio sessions
from both years that need to be pulled together into a coherent whole.
The copyright protection sets, which were limited in number to 300
copies or less, omitted a lot of important stuff and compromised the
performances with deletions and fades, no mixing and adjustments
to the pitch to squeeze them onto a side. That doesn't constitute a
professional release. The time has come to cover the early 1960s
tapes in comprehensive box-sets that respect the performances.

 

such bad journalism to assert that no one has heard the Dylan Cash recordings... a simple google search would reveal that yes they are widely circulated.... and IMO not very interesting.

 

Outstanding post, thank you. Your "additional suggestions" are spot on, too.

 

Well...

“The outtakes from that period have never been heard.”

Mr. Source might have meant to say, "There are outtakes from that period that have never been heard which are very interesting." Or he might have been referring more specifically to the JWH outtakes, of course.


Regarding the Dylan/Cash sessions, Andy Greene, the conduit for this wonderful news about BS15, is quite correct in saying that, "...much of what was recorded that day has never leaked out." It is known there were 38 Dylan/Cash takes on "that day" and 21 the previous day. I think I'm correct in saying that only 15 takes have leaked - barely 25% of the haul. There may yet be treasures revealed in those remaining 44 takes. I mean, I kind of doubt it - and my hat is not up for grabs on this - but it is possible. Also, something quite magical might have happened on 19 February, a day for which we have only the knowledge that the studio was booked for a 4 hour evening session that some of The Nashville Cats were paid for attending.

 

I think most of what is uncirculated can be accounted for via false starts. Why do "Big River" and "Mystery Train" have the same CO number? Why was "Mystery Train" (only a false start according to MK) mixed to mono? Why was it mixed at all?

 

"....a set from Shot of Love to Infidels."....where can I vote for this!.....

 

What happened to Richard Alderson's recording of the Gaslight session, which was being talked about a lot a few months back?

 

Well, Philly certainly was! (I was at the 1/6/74 afternoon show.) Some early Tour '74 shows would definitely have been better for BTF than those all-bellowing, all-the-time LA shows at the end of the tour. (Heck, when I first heard the BTF version of LARS on the radio at the time of its release, I didn't realize it was Dylan at first!)

 

maybe they were planning the coffeehouse set sooner rather than later and it got pushed back as part of that. why release it separately if they are going to do a box set, unless they want to pull a Neil Young and do that and then make you buy it again as part of the box?

 

Great question. I don’t believe Alderson has mentioned it since those early public comments. Seems logical it might be released alongside (or as part of) The Villager, but I haven’t heard any updates.

 

Yeah, that seems to have been thrown under the bus if we're to believe the latest RS piece.

 

You're right, of course, and you saw through my thorough statistical analysis defence of Mr. J.R. Source and the journalist like someone looks through an open window on a bright day...

A mystery to me. A slate calling error on the studio documents, I suppose. CO98936 and CO98937 seem to be missing from the sessions also. Still, maybe we'll get a complete "Mystery Train", which can't be a bad thing.