Bob Dylan Bootleg series Volume 8.
mtaylor -- Mon, 12/15/2008 - 16:37
Have to say that I was disappointed by Bob Gendron's review of the above album in the latest TAS. The "featured" article was about some band that aren't fit to shine Bob's shoes and we were left with a sort of lukewarm review that failed in every way to convey the greatness of this new release. Here is the number 1 songwriter in the US (probably the world). A man who has been writing songs that have literally changed peoples lives for the past 40 years or more. This new CD is a major work, even if it is just "outakes" from his last 3 albums. All we get is mumbles about a couple of good songs.
No mention is made about the 3rd CD or the vinyl or the book that comes with it.
If TAS really does stand for "The Absolute Sound" then the vinyl should have been reviewed and written about in depth.
Do you guys need a reviewer ? You certainly need a Dylan fan on the staff.
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Dear MTaylor: Thanks for your comments. Sorry you are disappointed. Hopefully, the following info will help clarify your concerns.
The LP wasn't available when this review was written. TAS has long lead times and LP releases usually follow the CD release. I felt it more important to get this important release covered rather than wait another issue, by which point the release would have been 3 months old.
Regarding your "mumbles" comment, reviewers have 225 words to get in everything for a review. The 3rd CD is not standard and does not come with the editions of the record most people are buying (or most retailers selling).
A Dylan fan on staff? Save for Bob's most recent studio record, which Wayne Garcia covered for the magazine, I've personally written for TAS on everything Dylan has released, Bootleg Series and otherwise, during the last 10 years. That includes a feature piece on the SACD releases. I also taught a non-credit course on Bob Dylan for the University of Texas. I think that makes me quite qualified to review the release that, while very good, is not great across the board. Save for diehard Dylan fans I don't think most music listeners are going to defend the alternate version of "Series of Dreams" versus the original or view several rough demos as being completely essential. I believe the last line of my review, in which I state "makes the collection more than just a curiosity item" is very fair and an accurate barometer of the collection.
I appreciate your enthusiasm for Dylan as a songwriter and share many of those feelings. They are in the review, which I stand by, as I believe it goes beyond just saying Dylan is a great songwriter by telling the reader exactly what Dylan is doing in the songs, and why that matters to the listening experience. A line such as the following is not exactly "lukewarm" praise. "In many ways, the songs function as another window on Dylan’s peerless ability to transform what’s become familiar into completely new, revelatory experiences."
Thanks again for reading and your comments. Best-Bob
Thanks for your reply. I do understand how tough it must be to have a very limited space for a review of a major work and that in that scenario words must be carefully selected.
As far as the music goes, perhaps excluding "Series of dreams" which I agree does not stand up to the Bootleg series 1 - 3 version, I think that there are some stunning things on these 2 CDs. The first version of "Mississippi", "Most of the time", "Dignity" and "Red River Shore" are just phenomenal interpretations/songs by anyone's standards. Thinking that I had perhaps become carried away with the music on this set I went to the Amazon site and read about 100 of the 118 customer reviews over there. By and large they are stone cold raves.
Maybe when time and space permit you could do a follow up including comments on the vinyl and the rip off price for the extra CD/Book (about $100 extra I think).
As a general comment thanks for your reviews of the cutting edge music that is out there in the pages of TAS. We all like good sounding equipment but if it were not for the music I for one would not be in the slightest interested.
Best - Martin Taylor, Huntsville Texas.
Bob - I tried to reply to this message as soon as you posted it but for some reason the forum was acting up and my message disappeared off the face of the earth. In any event I hear what you are saying about space and numbers of words and have respect for those things. Perhaps when you have the vinyl or the extended 3 CD version you could do a follow up or something. I continue to be blown away with the release, just as I was with the bootleg series 1 - 3 box. Playing "When the night comes falling from the sky" on Empire Burlesque the other day made me realise how good the version on volume 3 was. Dylan could go on forever and let's hope that he does.
Am very interested in the new album by the Heartless Bastards. I saw them at ACL 2 years ago and then again this year with the Texas backup plus at a small club in Austin at the end of the most recent tour. If you have any kind of a liking for a 3 piece band (I grew up worshipping Cream/Disraeli Gears) then this is excellent music. Erica is a fireball and while she is not a guitar wizard by any means she knows how to produce a sound that hits you where it matters. "Stairs and Elevators" is just an excellent album, better than the 2nd (but that's just my opinion). Hope this new one lives up to expectations.
Regarding your comments on "And justice for all", I have the double vinyl album - does this 4 album set blow it away ? Saw it today (in Best Buy ????) for $54 which seems like a good deal.
All the best - Martin.