Customer Reviews

Tell Tale Signs: the Bootleg Series Vol. 8

5 star:		(128)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(19)

 

 

Thank goodness for the Bootleg Series; not only does it constantly present us with new ways of approaching our favorite Dylan songs and reveal his often fascinating creative process, it's also provided me with some of my very favorite Bob Dylan albums, which I return to again and again. This most recent installment rounds up unreleased, alternate, and live material from what can generally be called Dylan's "late" period--from 1989's Oh Mercy to his most recent studio album, 2006's Modern Times. When I first heard about this release, I was really excited. I've really enjoyed Dylan's more recent work; Oh Mercy is one of my favorite Dylan albums, and to me it really marks the beginning of his latest comeback in terms of quality, which has fortunately lasted until today. As always, Dylan's more prolific than the final studio releases would have you believe, and, as often happens, much of the material that ends up off the records is as good or better than the album cuts.

The collection opens with a stripped down acoustic take of "Mississippi," one of Love and Theft's most memorable tracks. It's a good choice as a lead-off--it's more buoyant and conversational than the official version, and sets the tone of intimacy and warmth that really permeates this entire collection. A lot of people can't stand Dylan's voice these days, but I really enjoy it--not only does it convey the sometimes world-weary tone of a lot of his later material, I think it's the perfect instrument for forcefully transmitting the tenderness and occasional anguish that also appears in his recent work (not to mention enhancing the live reinventions of his extensive back catalog). On many of the tracks here, his voice is also a tool for wringing dry humor and fun out of his ever-playful words. "Most of the Time" follows suit, sounding almost like a Blood On The Tracks outtake. "Dignity" is a priceless inclusion (we get two versions here with vastly different production)--after reading Dylan's extensive notes on this song in Chronicles, Vol 1, it's great to finally hear the song's stark and moving imagery.

Although these songs span nearly 20 years, it's remarkable how well they sit alongside each other--the compilation isn't sequenced chronologically, and it's all the stronger for it: in many ways, it plays like a brand new double album. Sure, the moody, murky Daniel Lanois production from Oh Mercy and Time Out of Mind is noticeable, but the spirit and vibe of many of the songs is cohesive throughout. It seems that many of the best songs on this set simply weren't included in their original albums because they just didn't fit with the rest of the songs or mood--"Red River Shore" is a bit too playful for Time Out of Mind, while the driving "Dreamin' of You" was probably too fast for the album's languid pace.

This collection highlights a number of Dylan's other strengths, including slow blues--"Marchin' to the City" and the second version of "Mississippi" are weighty examples of his inimitable skill with preventing slow blues from being boring. It also shows that Dylan is still sometimes best experienced live--"High Water" (probably my favorite Love and Theft track) from 2003 rocks almost crushingly, and "Ring Them Bells" is achingly poignant, supplemented by the sounds of an appreciative audience. In addition, this set reminds us of Dylan's power as an interpretive singer--"32-20 Blues," "Miss the Mississippi" and "The Girl on the Greenbriar Shore" communicate this with humanity, and also act as a nagging reminder that he put out two excellent folk standard albums in the mid-90's (Good as I Been to You and World Gone Wrong), which are still largely neglected. Finally, tracks like the moving "'Cross the Green Mountain" demonstrate that Dylan the songwriter STILL unquestionably has something big to say.

I could wax poetic about each and every one of these songs, but it's a long album and this review is already long enough! I'll only mention that, like all of the other Bootleg releases, this one has excellent photos (charting the rarely-seen late 80's Dylan and into his more recent Col. Sanders cowboy outfit days) and exhaustive prose liner notes, as well as track-by-track notation. Unfortunately, I can't comment on the "Deluxe" edition, since I don't have $100 to spend on one more disc of material (not much of a value, by the looks of things), though it would be nice to hear more of the same. Whereas the No Direction Home installment sometimes begged the question "Haven't I pretty much heard all of these songs before?", this installment ties together unheard material with very fresh-sounding versions of more familiar tunes, making it a more necessary addition to a collection. If nothing else, this set is a resounding reminder that, as he turns his songwriting eyes on his cavernous past and to the strange and uncharted present and future, Dylan is producing some of the strongest material of his career.

The bootleg series has, if nothing else, provided an amazing document of some of the interesting side-roads that Dylan has taken. Some of the discs have been transcendental, showcasing little known or difficult to find songs; others have been full of alternate versions that have not been that different from versions that we know. Volume 8 is a revelation, shining a light on a period of Dylan's output that is much misunderstood for reasons that have never been completely clear to me. The 80's are a hard period for many musicians as they are changing from the 60's and 70's song craft that made them famous in the classic rock and roll or folk mold towards a more technology savvy and friendly time period. At worst, this decade has foisted an unconscionable amount of bad drum machine tracks onto otherwise amazing artists. At best, it has pushed legends like Dylan to find something genuine and timely. The early years of the 80's (not covered by this disc) found him searching--spiritually, musically, stylistically. By the late 80's and into the 90's, Dylan had reclaimed his visionary status.

This disk is an essential companion to some of his most listenable albums of his career. The opening track, Mississippi is an unreleased track from the Time Out of Mind album. For those who were agog at Daniel Lanois ability to coax more Bob out of Bob, this will be continued vindication of that period. Red River Shore, also from the same sessions is possessed of a languid beauty, and a raw power that is palpable.

In general, the rest of the tracks on this album are of similar quality--genuinely revelatory takes on pieces that you may have heard before in bootleg format or perhaps live, but always something new. Bob's gravelly baritone is shown in all its rough glory, and the production value on the tracks is generally high. The live tracks are, in my opinion, equally good, and show some of the live music spark that makes a Dylan show something special.

Probably none of this is revelation to you, if you are reading this. You probably already love Dylan, and are probably chomping at the proverbial bit to get this disc. You won't be sad that you did. For those of you who don't know much about Dylan, there are a lot worse places to get your feet wet than here. Sure, it isn't one of his albums, and therefore won't give you that sense of togetherness that his best vinyl collections give you, but the songs are uniformly strong. If you find yourself enjoying these songs, you've got some realy treasures yet to explore. Overall, it was all that I had hoped for from this much anticipated release, and I'm certain that Dylan fans will generally rank this among the most indispensable of his bootleg releases.

This set was a very nice play to my surprise. It's a combination of early takes, developed takes, soundtrack one-offs, and live performances all of which date from March 1989 or later. The 1989 takes are particularly fine and make me wonder at the sheer cussedness of an artist who leaves songs like "Series of Dreams" and "Dignity" in an unfinished condition, and then puts out a 39-minute compact disc like "Oh Mercy." On quite a few of these songs Dylan even sings with his old "unruined" voice and it would seem that the Howlin' Wolf growl was something he chose to strain toward (perhaps there's no choice anymore). The "Time out of Mind" sessions are well represented with a couple interesting takes of "Mississippi" and a fabulous bloozy alternate version of "Can't Wait." With Dylan the lyric is the (nearly) fixed part of the song, while melody and arrangement are almost infinitely flexible.

The live "High Water" features a great turbulent rhythm from drummer George Recile and fine guitar interplay from Larry Campbell and Freddy Koella. "The Girl from the Greenbriar Shore" is Dylan solo from 1992 and I don't believe he's sung without accompaniment much since then. And there's a duet with Ralph Stanley where Stanley almost sounds more Dylanesque than Dylan. Or makes clear how much of Dylan's singing style was borrowed from bluegrass singers in any case.

I will be very brief in describing what I feel is a terrible disservice to Bob Dylan fans everywhere. To expect fans to shell out $100.00 or more for a 12 song bonus disc, and a small book with a collection of single cover photo's, that most fans will never look at again after one glance is outrageous. The alternative 2 cd set is a fabulous collection of unreleased gems at a fraction of the cost. You also get a very informative booklet with that set as well. My hunch here, is that in usual record company greed, they will release a new set sometime after the new year, that will have the third bonus disc included. By doing that, they will try to bait all those who already purchased the 2 cd set, but couldn't afford the deluxe set, into considering buying again. I will not fall for it, and neither should you. These are tough economic times, and for Dylan's record company to market a product to his fans in this fashion is a disgrace!!!!!!

Listening to Bob Dylan's new release Tell Tale Signs: The Bootleg Series #8, I am reminded of a classic quote often attributed to Dennis Miller regarding Axl Rose... "What the hell does someone have to do to get thrown out of Guns `N Roses?" Put within the Dylan frame, "How the hell did any one of these songs miss the original release of his last four studio cd's?"

Far from the usual half-baked throwaways that clog the arteries of most alternative cut "retrospectives" Tell Tale Signs is anything but, containing fully-realized music that if not for the "Bootleg" banner would be considered a double cd of staggering beauty - easily cracking the top ten (or top five) of his prolific original catalog.

Whether in studio or in concert, Dylan's songs are never really finished. Their role has always been one of artistic baseline, original renderings that have spawned thousands of permutations of lyric and arrangement answerable only to his mood or circumstance on any given day. The deleted work from Time Out Of Mind and Oh Mercy (Dreamin' Of You, God Knows and Series Of Dreams among others) is ample illustration of just how deep his reservoir of material really is. The release itself is extraordinarily well done - the sound is brilliant and the expansive liner notes by Dylan acolyte Ratso Sloman brings real texture to the proceedings.

Almost fifty years in Dylan has mastered his role as changeling to perfection and honestly, that's what makes his enormous body of work so damn interesting - sobering when you consider that the seventeen-year "period" represented by Bootleg #8 would encompass four and a half careers given the popular half-lives of most contemporary artists.

As anyone who has followed Dylan live or on disc can attest, he is quite capable of "mailing it in" (and has done so frequently) so the fact that this is a stunner right out the box makes it all the more enjoyable. Jump in.

"Tell Tale Signs," the Bootleg Series Volume 8, is a better installment in the series than Volume 7. At least, it holds together as an album better than that set did. There are a lot of essential tracks on these two discs, and even some of the alternate versions are spectacular, giving a whole new perspective on the songs. Can't think of many artists besides Dylan who are able to offer such a wealth of unreleased material, most of which rivals the official releases (though this too is now an official release).

The absolute highlight of the set for me is "Red River Shore," possibly one of Dylan's finest compositions. It is definitely one of his most carefully crafted set of lyrics ever. The way the first and last verse parallel each other, the many great lines throughout. It is such a great piece of writing, and really hard to overestimate. And of course, the musical backing is superb, with some great accordion playing, and a truly wonderful vocal by Dylan. The song manages to be both haunting and touching at the same time. I just listened to this song about 5 times in a row, and I could keep listening to it all day. I am usually not able to do that with any song, but this song really works its way into your mind.

Well, after that rave, I just want to point out that there are many other superb songs on here, but "Red River Shore" is really something magical. Some of the other highlights include the two versions of "Mississippi," the acoustic version of "Most of the Time," the alternate version of "Someday Baby," the cover of "Miss the Mississippi," and the live version of "High Water," which really cooks. There are some more excellent songs on here, and both discs make a great listening experience. However, Disc One is probably stronger than Disc Two and makes a more cohesive album.

Note: For anyone who is wondering, I think Disc 3 is the weakest. The only true revelations are the 3rd version of Mississippi (which has substantial lyrical variants) and the unreleased cover of "Mary and the Soldier." The live versions are not that interesting, and all the alternate versions of tracks on the Discs 1 and 2 are inferior, particularly "Red River Shore," which is disappointing in comparison to the epic version on Disc 1. I suppose "Duncan and Brady" is a revelation in a way, in that its overblown sound shows why Dylan scrapped the Bromberg seesions and released an all-acoustic album in 1992.

yes..the price is a disgrace..what on earth sony are thinking is mind boggling..what is worse is there is a single disc version just to confuse everyone...why on earth sony didnt release this 3 disc version as the only version and retail it for 40 to 60 dollars is pathetic..HOWEVER,im sure its just as silly to give it a one star reveiw just because of the price..and have those who have canned this actually heard and seen it?? because the third disc is definetley 4 or 5 star...Marching to the city..why was this left of any album???, its a shuffling sleazy boogie number that should be heard and and and man the version of 'trying to get to heaven" is AWESOME..BEAUTIFUL..SENSATIONAL...as is the rest of the disc..and the lavish books have beautiful thick covers and lovely quality paper and printing...so please folks lets not let the price distract you as this is a truly awseome release..the packaging is beautiful and the music..well..its just wonderful..mississsipi..someday baby.an awesome slow haunting,much diferent CANT WAIT.and one of bobs greatest ever songs cross the green mountain...essential....

The man is an icon. Years from now, just as Sinatra and Elvis will probably never disappear, nor will Bob.
This was a great period for him, a comeback; in his own words he felt revitalzed after a period in the early 80's of being uninspired and maybe a bit burnt out. Overall the bootleg series has done a great job of offering a deeper glimpse into his craft - the alternate versions are, well *alternate*, not just musically but sometimes lyrically. For anyone who was excited by the releases covered here (No Mercy thru Modern Times) this is absolutley essential.
Won't get into a track by track. And (for me) there are a few inclusions that while I admire, I am not (on 4th listen) jumping out of my socks over. But most of the 27 tracks are very powerful. This was a period of songs of love, resignation, contemplation and a return to some folk roots/covers. (Hmmm, sounds like any of his work?). As many know, Daniel Lanois and "Jack Frost" (guess who that is) really created an atmospheric surrounding unlike any of his prevoius work. The booklet included has lots of interesting info on the sessions.
Highlights for me... Always loved Mississippi; the two versions here are very different and I could listen to this song forever. Good contrasts on Dignity; the 1st (piano) sounds like it would fit well on New Morning. Most the the alternate versions are as good as the originals, and as mentioned earlier, are very different so worth having. I always look for the unreleased stuff as the real finds. Red River Shore is maybe the best of these. A real classic - the simplest of lyrics and phrasing to create a story of love and longing with some great backup (Duke robillard, augie myers, jim luther dickinson, jim keltner). Born in Time is a gorgeous song and for those who say he can't sing anymore, give this one a listen. Dreamin of You has the dense, blues-rock feel for Time Out of Mind and Marchin to the City (same sessions) is a slower blues based song. And I will always take Series of Dreams, the version here propelled by a driving deep emphasis on drums/bass; the guitars quickly keeping pace. Can't Escape From you is a slower ballad in 3-time. There's some folksy tunes with trademark harmonica; some raw acoustic blues - 32/20 and Cocaine Blues. A few tracks from movie soundtracks. Just a lot of variety and truly excellent material.
Last thing, two of the live cuts. Girl on the Greenbriar Shore is a standout. This would have fit his early sets at Newport. It has a timeless melody, deft strumming, and is a nice ode to again, a love lost. Then there's High Water. OMG. This is pure power - Bob on piano (well mixed) and three guitars fueling the energy. And hey, you can understand the words! (I've seen him 3 times in the past few years - loved every show, generally had no idea what he was singing except for knowing the songs).
Final comment - I have recommended this to friends and am tired of hearing "Yeah, but he can't sing anymore". Huh? There is more than ample proof here that Bob can still sing, and he still has that unique, magic way of turning a phrase with a wisp or a sneer. There is a lot of really great stuff here folks... a lot of variety too. For non-fans, doubtful they will have too much appreciation. For anyone else who likes or loves the man and his music I believe you will find a lot here to enjoy. Have fun!!

There's not much I can add to the other reviews that preceded me. I just want to add my voice to the growing chorus about the superlative quality of this release. I was stunned. This quiet acoustic numbers are Dylan Unplugged with a purity never captured by the MTV special of the same name. It's like having Bob in your living room singing to you.

The unadorned arrangements bring new life to the songs that have already been released. Those that are on disc for the first time are stunning (ie, Across The Green Mountain) and solidify Dylan's emerging stature as a colossus of American music. The Kennedy Arts Center award was well deserved indeed.

The stripped down Oh Mercy tracks in particular are revelatory - especially if you've only heard them on bootlegs of mediocre quality. Dignity 1, with Dylan singing alone with piano is capable of inducing goose bumps.

Don't hesitate - buy this disc. If you enjoy Dylan at all - especially Time Out Of Mind and Love & Theft you will get immense pleasure from this disc. These are most definately NOT re=packaged retreads that have been released to milk more money from an adulating public. This is music of the highest order. Think you know Somedaya Baby from its over use in the iPod commercials? Wait till you hear it in its original version. Talk about an iPod shuffle. I can't get these discs off the player.

Revelatory. Truly revelatory.

Bob Dylan's "Tell Tale Signs" - The Bootleg Series Vol. 8 is an impressive package, the music, as others reviewers have noted, flows together wonderfully with brilliant sound quality, and Dylan's choice to have Larry "Ratso" Sloman (the author of the excellent "On The Road with Bob Dylan" which chronicled the Rolling Thunder Tour) write the liner notes, song analysis and history, was a wise move as Sloman brings it all back home. Dylan has lived more musical lifetimes than any major artist I've ever known. The notion that he was born again certainly applies to more than just his spiritual beliefs, Dylan has taken the notion of being prolific to new levels, and these cds document the high standards of the material Dylan has been working with in the late 80's, 90's, and on into the 21st century. Some purist still cling to the idea that Dylan never wrote as well after his socially reflective songs during the 1960s. Dylan addresses this issue head on in his "Chronicles" book when he points out that during the "Oh Mercy" sessions, producer Daniel Lanois implored him to write more anthem like 60's songs. But Bob was true to his art, and realized that what he needed was not to mimic his past music, rather he reached deep into where he was at in the present time: and the next night he wrote "Shooting Star," which blew Lanois away when he recognized the sheer beauty of the song.

Dylan has moved with the pace of a poet and musician who is evolving and continually creating new forms of expression. Yes, Born Again, and I can't wait for the next time Bob's muse inspires him to do it all over again in whatever style that feels right. A long time ago Bob's film "Don't Look Back" provided us with a forecast for Dylan's future, he has never looked back. Spend some time with "Tell Tale Signs," listen, read, and appreciate that Bob Dylan was the right artist for our times. He's proven it time and time again.