From the Vault of Bob Dylan

Reviewed by Michael Corrigan

Tell Tale Signs: The Bootleg Series, Vol 8
Bob Dylan

A hundred years from now when Dylan’s face is carved on some poet’s “Rushmore” monument, Dylan scholars will still examine the “bootleg” series for insights into Dylan’s art. Volume 8 provides an extraordinary glimpse into Dylan’s creative methods from Oh Mercy through Love and Theft. For instance, one can recognize lyrics from early songs borrowed effectively for different songs released later. In addition to alternate versions of familiar titles, the album contains some live performances, a few rare Dylan covers (“Miss the Mississippi” by Jimmie Rodgers), songs written for films, but most importantly – the album includes brilliant songs rejected from recent major albums. 

The album starts with a laid back bluesy version of “Mississippi,” not as dynamic as the final version, but a refreshing new interpretation. There are alternate tracks of “Can’t Wait,” and a stripped-down acoustic version of “Most of the Time” without the swamp echo of Oh Mercy. The best of these alternate versions is “Someday Baby” with echoing guitars and martial drums. Dylan’s vocal conjures a man with an “attitude” and perhaps too much false bravado. There is a piano demo of “Dignity,” and a sparse version of the dramatic “Series of Dreams,” eliminated from the meditative Oh Mercy.

The true revelations, however, are abandoned gems like “Born in Time,” intended for Oh Mercy, and “Dreamin’ of You,” cut from Time out of Mind. The greatest “lost” song is “Red River Shore,” also dropped from Time Out of Mind. Adapted from an old folk song, Dylan aficionados have been hunting this phantom recording for over a decade. With a beginning plaintive blues lick, a quiet bass and a Tejano-flavored accordion drifting into the mix, Dylan’s intimate vocal captures the sadness of an aging man haunted by poignant memories of a mysterious “girl from the Red River Shore.” Dylan also makes an artistic statement: “Some of us turn off the lights and we live / In the moonlight shooting by / Some of us scare ourselves to death in the dark / To be where the angels fly.” The song ends with a curious speculation: what language did Jesus use to raise the dead, and do they “do that kind of thing anymore?”

This rediscovered masterpiece makes the bootleg series vital for any Dylan fan, and his many voices are beautifully recorded here: the snarling growl, the catarrhal whisper, the nasal blues drawl, and that Dylan vocal both intimate and intense.

Pushing 70, the Minnesota Bard still has power to astonish us.