Bob Dylan: "Trouble No More 1979 - 1981" - The Bootleg Series Vol. 13

A totally random thought (from out of the blue), but I was listening to a playlist today I had made when this box first came out of a reimagined Shot of Love. And one of the songs on the playlist is the outtake of “Dead Man, Dead Man” (4.24.81, Clover) from the box. That 7+ minute version is just sensational. I hadn’t heard it in a while and forgot how fantastic it is (one of those listening moments where I had to go back and play it a few times in a row—before I could move on to “In the Summertime”). An absolute highlight for me on a set that has so many of them—and a set that continues to reveal all its deep pleasures—even a few years on now.

 

"Dead Man, Dead Man" is definitely one of the highlights of the set. Of late, I've also really enjoyed "Covenant Woman" and "Trouble in Mind" from disc 3.

 

Good call on that “Covenant Woman”. I just re-listened. His vocal on that is so great—like he’s having this deep nuanced conversation with the said woman.

 

So how did you assemble the new tracklisting?
thanks!

 

Shot(s) of Love

“Shot of Love” (studio outtake version on Trouble No More)
“Need a Woman” (version from Bootleg Series 1-3)
“Angelina” (version from Bootleg Series 1-3)
“Caribbean Wind” (version from Biograph)
“The Groom’s Still Waiting at the Altar” (Shot of Love version)
“Yonder Comes Sin” (rehearsal version from Trouble No More)
“Making a Liar out of Me” (rehearsal version from Trouble No More)
“Dead Man Dead Man” (studio outtake version from Trouble No More)
“In the Summertime” (Shot of Love version)
“Every Grain of Sand” (Shot of Love version )

So there is a rationale here (beyond being all studio versions of songs from the Shot of Love sessions): I like how you get the kind of “need some love songs” with the first two. Then I keep the vaunted trilogy together with the next three songs, but they also work with “Angelina” and “CW” answering that “need a woman” plea, before the groom is left at the altar. Next is the “fall” with “Sin” and “Liar” after the narrator of the earlier songs is left abandoned. Of course we then have to look in the mirror, as Bob said about “Dead Man” (and how good is this version on TNM?!!! Wow.). Before a little peace and/or redemption and/or mercy with “Summertime” and “Sand”.

 

Bring it on but I'm too lazy to burn my own copy. Wait .... I only have SOL and TNM on vinyl. I guess that I can't do it.

WhUt keHn I deW foR yEW?

 

People generally mourn "the Infidels that could have been ..." but for me the one that really got away was Shot of Love. That album could have been a stone cold classic.

 

....maybe even a double ?

 

That "Cover Down Pray Through" on disc 4

 

Agreed!! I’ve liked it since it was known on the old bootlegs as “Cover Down Break Through”—and I guess the official copyright. (One of the small revelations on the box for me is that this is the actual lyric—though I since saw and was reminded—that’s in the Heylin Still on the Road book. ).

 

There are days when "Groom's Still Waiting" is in my top 10 or so Dylan tracks, well, at least top 30. The SoL version is better, but the Trouble No More version is no slouch. "Caribbean Wind" is the more ambitious, visionary song, but "Groom" he actually pulls it off, it all comes together. Such a fiery performance, on both studio versions.

 

The tracks Stand by Faith I Will Love Him, Jesus is the One, City of Gold, Thief on the Cross suffer a bit from being crammed together and representing various and divergent shades of rough-around-the-edgeness in (recording) quality. But they shone for me on this listen more than normal. Thief on the Cross has long been a favorite though I remember the bootleg sounding a bit more thumping. Stand by Faith probably gets this "sequence" off on the wrong foot.

Listening to this collection a lot right now.

 

Like you, I’ve also been listening to the box, or certainly large chunks of it, a lot lately. On your recommendation, I went back and listened to this sequence, as I realized I almost couldn’t place those songs for a moment when I read your post. I agree that stretch is a pretty great listen, and I really enjoyed playing it through a few times. I think part of what makes it unique or have an unusual appeal in the box is that it’s a lot of “new” at once. In a box that features so many versions of songs we know from the albums or boots or shows, etc. (and I say that as a positive), this stretch features songs that are far less familiar. And to have those songs all together is kinda interesting and ingenious programming. Yea, I kinda know what you mean about “Stand By Faith”, but after a few listens to that sequence, I almost felt it served like a “prologue” or way in. But definitely a good call to highlight that little musical stretch.

 

Listening to the B-side "Trouble in Mind." Such a great performance, fantastic vocal--this should have followed on from the "whispering" version on Trouble No More. They could have done with another CD's worth of studio stuff and rare live stuff.

 

I think it's a pity those era-related B-sides (and maybe other stray tracks) are not included on the big box set. I mean, there is no other place, as far as I know, where this B-side can be found on CD. This would've been an appropriate place to have it available.

 

“Trouble in Mind” is available on the German one-CD compilation Pure Dylan. Excellent album, still in print, and very affordable.

 

Had they included it, they couldn't have boasted 'All Tracks Previously Unreleased' in the marketing.

I think Trouble In Mind would've been a great addition to the I'm Not There soundtrack. It's featured prominently in the film and would've been a great second Dylan track to close out disc one of the set.

 

Not only is it included there but reputedly it's the full version, the longer one that (allegedly) was only issued as the b-side of a single in Brazil.

 

Not reputedly. It is the full-length version.

Allegedly, yes. No one I know of owns the Brazilian 7” with the long version of the song. Most likely it does not exist.

 

Quite. As I didn’t have the LP to hand, I just wanted post “according to what people say”.

“They” also say that the Brazilian single probably doesn’t exist.

 

That compilation also includes the rare b-side verison of 'Spanish Is the Loving Tongue'.

 

Yep. It’s a great album. One of my favourite single-disc Dylan compilations.

 

That compilation does not include the b-side version of “Spanish Is The Loving Tongue”.

That compilation includes the never-before-heard stereo version of the rare b-side, “Spanish Is The Loving Tongue“

 

Where does one find the original b-side version on CD?