THE NEXT “BOOTLEG SERIES” RELEASE
This news was announced by Ian Woodward in the paper version of the ISIS Newsletter on Wednesday 9 April, 2008.

For some time now, traces of rumour have been accumulating that, between them, suggest Legacy Records will be releasing another in the “Bootleg Series” later this year. In itself, this may not be too surprising but it seems that, like the very first in the “Bootleg Series”, this will be a “(rare and unreleased)” issue. This forthcoming album has not yet appeared on the Sony schedules but a September release is anticipated, subject only to the usual unforeseen delays. This is expected to be a double–CD of mainly officially-unreleased studio material that, chronologically speaking, will overlap with the original “Volumes 1-3” release.


http://www.bobdylanisis.com/Dylan%20Digest.htm


More details will eventually be coming down the pike...

Boy, let's hope so, especially after that boring-yet-much-hyped best-of comp from last year. At the same time, however, I'm not holding my breath. Some of these Dylan release rumors have taken years to reach fruition--the 1966 "Royal Albert Hall" concert CD was talked about for something like three or four years before it finally appeared.

Does anyone have any thoughts as to when the remaining non-remastered Dylan albums (New Morning, Self Portrait, etc) will be released?

Or an expansive box set from the "Before the Flood" tour...

Or a complete 'Basement Tapes' set (in stereo, of couse)

I was underwhelmed by the selection on the No Direction Home set. I'd love to hear some genuinely alternate takes or unreleased songs. Or a complete Basement Tapes. Or even a "Live 1980" set including the unreleased "Solid Rock" album. And so on.

I wonder if any of the original Blood On The Tracks cuts will be on this one?

Don't hold your breath for the rest of Dylan's catalogue. We'll probably only see that when (God forbid!) Dylan passes this earth. M.

I'd need to look this up, but haven't most of the "original" Blood On The Tracks cuts been released by now? "Biograph" and the first Bootleg Series had a few, and I think it was the Jerry McGuire soundtrack that had the alternate "Shelter From The Storm"...I need to look this up though--I'm sure I can find a more definitive answer at some point tomorrow morning after I've had some coffee, unless somebody else beats me to it.

Don't blame Dylan for that.Sony's abandonment of the SACD format put an end to the plan to continue the series.They did two more titles("Bob Dylan" & "The Times They Are A-Changin'") but as regular CD's. Without the improved SACD sound,and(of course) no bonus tracks,there wasn't much reason for anyone to buy them.

There is a few decent boots available from the Blood On The Tracks sessions with unreleased tracks. The unreleased version of Lilly Rosemary and The jack Of hearts is amazing ! Far better than the official one.

The three live albums in the bootleg series are terrific. I wish they'd do a few more like that. Have they ever released a concert from the tour with the Heartbreakers?

I'd love a complete edition of Blood on the Tracks with all the tracks from both the New York and Minnesota sessions -- and a complete listing of the musicians, too!

There are a couple of semi-official...er...products out there. (I know this because I looked it up for the Tom Petty rarities thread lol) There was an HBO special that was released to VHS and laser disc called "Hard To Handle", and there was a Westwood One radio special that was issued to radio stations on three LP's. The best source for info and scans on the various releases of this stuff is the "Searching For A Gem" website--the video is at http://www.searchingforagem.com/1980s/VHS-DVD_1980s.htm and the radio special is at http://www.searchingforagem.com/1980s/1986.htm

And yes, considerate Dylan collectors have made this material available to fellow collectors through the usual channels. It sounds great, professionally recorded and everything.

Also--and this is just conjecture on my part--but it seems that Dylan himself tends to center on whatever album he may be in the studio recording at that moment--he's been known to be anal about which version of which songs appear on the final version of the album he is working on, but enough of these outtakes and alternates have subsequently popped up officially over the years to where it seems apparent that when he's through with a project, he tends to simply let it go. I've never heard a story of him actively intervening to prevent something in the vault from being released, I think he just doesn't care one way or the other. But what the hell do I know, it's not like I ever asked the guy about this or anything...

I would love to see anything from the "born again" period. I picked up some boots of the 1979 and 1980 shows in san fran and they are amazing. I realize this may have been his "least popular" period, but his performance and sound quality of the stuff is amazing. Perhaps releasing this stuff would allow more of his fans and those new to dyaln to see this period differently.

I don't know if we'll ever see anything live from the "Born Again" period, but as time passes, this is one phase of Dylan's career that continues to gain respect from both critics and fans as being one of his strongest and most underrated, even if Jann Wenner and Dave Marsh still hate it.

What interests me about the born-again period is that he wrote and performed several songs that never made it to official albums. I've heard a few of those, and while I didn't listen too closely to the words, the songs rocked. (I also threw on Saved recently and it wasn't as dull as I remembered.)

I wasn't aware that Jann (Grandmaster Flash instead of the Dave Clark Five) Wenner hated that period of Dylan's music. I seem to recall that he either conducted a massive interview or wrote a gushing review of Dylan's "Slow Train Coming" back in 1979.

I hate to sound contentious, but I can't find any indication that "The next Bootleg Series [has been] announced". Is this still just speculation at this point, or has there really been an announcement that I missed?

If memory serves me, slow train received decent if not overwhelming reviews, but saved and shot of love got panned by just about everyone. I have all 3, and while it is clear slow train is far and above the others, if you factor in some of what was left off those other albums (as per usual dylan), this period is definitely not as bad as many critics have offered. i tend to think these reviews at the time were mostly aimed at his "anti-homosexual" comments (definitely misguided) made from the stage at the time. In addition if you factor in his strong religeous belief, and the "typical rock critic" take on that, it is little wonder these albums were received as they were.

But coming from a non-christian like myself, if you listen to the performances he gave at this time (you tube used to have the video for "when he returns" he was just amazing. I also admit to a little bias as I have a special memory of working here in downtown nyc when J&R stopped selling albums so I picked up all 3 along with others like street legal, infidels, etc for 99 cents each.

Oops...I still hate Wenner, but Larry is right--Wenner personally wrote a lengthy, gushing review of "Slow Train Coming" in the September 30, 1979 issue of Rolling Stone, calling it "the best album Bob Dylan has made since 'The Basement Tapes'". A year later, Kurt Loder called "Saved" a "much more aesthetically gratifying than its predecessor." However, in 1981 (in a 2-star review right next to a 4-star review of "Tattoo You") Paul Nelson wote that on "Shot Of Love", "Dylan's still beating the same annoying drum he did on 'Slow Train Coming' and 'Saved'."

I don't have a copy here, but Dave Marsh dismissed this entire period of Dylan's career in a few scathing sentences in the original "Rolling Stone Record Guide", which has been out of print since the early 90's.

Dave Marsh knows anything about music?

I really feel that this period is ready for a re-evaluation.
Some of the music was really good!

The boot in circulation from one of the Massey Hall Toronto shows has an incredible energy about it!