Our first installment of Greater Hits was a rousing success, and the big musical celebration of the day prompts our next installment of the series. Bob Dylan, 70 years old today, has been rhapsodized about all over the Internet. Rolling Stone made him the focus of their newest issue, while other publications have counted down the Bard’s best work (I’m of course partial to Popdose‘s write-up). And PopMarket, Sony’s beloved clearinghouse for box set deals, is offering the three-disc Dylan set from 2007 as the featured sale item through noon tomorrow.
Now, interestingly enough, PopMarket is also offering another three-disc Dylan set – the 1985 box set Biograph – as a standard deal for this week, at the same price tag. With that in mind, what better way to do our second installment of Greater Hits than set the two head-to-head?
The answers, my friend, are blowin’ in the wind…after the jump.
The lowdown: This Bob Dylan guy…he’s pretty popular.
Seriously, though, the man born Robert Allen Zimmerman in Duluth, Minnesota, is a folk hero, whose verbose, sometimes cryptic lyrics encapsulated the mindset of an entire generation in an era of sweeping social change. Entire details of his life – a change of guitars at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, a 1966 motorcycle accident, his decision to embrace Christianity in the ’70s – have been endlessly dissected. Through it all, though, those songs remain vital to scores of new music fans across the globe.
The compilations: Biograph (Columbia LP C5X 38830/CD C3K 65298, 1985) and Dylan (Columbia/Legacy 88697 11420-2, 2007) were not the first Dylan compilations on the market; three volumes were released in 1967, 1971 and 1994, and an entry in the Essential series bowed in 2000. But as each respective set was released, it marked a degree of comprehensiveness. Biograph was one of the first box sets of the compact disc era, indirectly making this little site possible, and Dylan (also available as a single-disc and two-disc set) was the first compilation to include material from the singer’s improbably rich late ’90s comeback.
Songs and sequencing: Biograph edges out Dylan just slightly, offering 53 tracks to the latter set’s 51. Dylan is presented in straight chronological order, touching on hit singles and album tracks (skipping just three albums’ worth of tunes, the oft-maligned Self Portrait (1970) Dylan (1973), and Saved (1980)). Biograph is constructed out of sequence, giving listeners another side, if you will, of Dylan’s story. And there’s only a bit of overlap between boxes, due to Biograph‘s reliance on lesser-known material and the 22 years not covered by the same set that appear in Dylan‘s running order.
Extras: Biograph is the clear winner in this department; 18 of the tracks on the set – mostly live takes, outtakes, or other ephemera – made their debut on the set. No new material was dug up for Dylan, although some of it was exclusive to other compilations (i.e.: the alternate mix of “Dignity,” scrapped from the Oh Mercy sessions but released on the third volume of greatest hits in 1994).
Packaging: Both sets come in fancy boxes with extensive liner notes; Biograph‘s were penned by writer/director Cameron Crowe and feature commentary by The Bard himself, while Bill Flanagan penned the notes for Dylan. As was (and is) the trend at the time of Dylan‘s release, there’s some swag in the box that PopMarket’s selling, including 10 lithographs and LP-styled packaging (dig the vintage Columbia logo on the inside of the box!).
Verdict: If you’re looking for completeness or swag, go for Dylan. If rarities are your scene (or a respect for older, still relevant box sets), get Biograph. Personally, the latter would be my choice, but either would be the perfect birthday gift for yourself in honor of Dylan’s 70 years.
Release Round-Up: Week of September 17
Release Round-Up: Week of August 20
The Second Disc Guide to Record Store Day Drop 2 TOMORROW!
Gotta go with Biograph (which for some reason, I’ve never bought but I will probably rectify soon)… All the great rarities and (previously) unreleased tracks, as opposed to (another) Dylan hits collection. I guess it really comes to down to whether you’re more a hardocore Dylan fan who has lots of the actual albums (like me) or a more casual fan looking for the “hits” and a general career overview.
One caveat, all of Bob’s biggest early hits are on Biograph *except* for “Rainy Day Women 12 & 35.”
Either way, happy listening! And happy 70th, Bob!
Oh, and one correction too… Greatest Hits Vol. II is NOT a single-disc release. It was a double album and is a two CD set.
Since you made the one correction already, Mike, would it be crass of me to also mention that GH Vol. II was released in 1971, not 1975?
Sorry. As always, you do great work!
Shaun, don’t ever feel bad about correcting! We write for you guys. And as the philosopher W.M. Joel once said, “You’re only human.” 🙂
Thanks for being so understanding, Mike. 🙂
The 1967 Greatest Hits album is a nice starter; the 1971 Vol. II loses points for being oddly titled. (Vol. 3 contains the obvious hits with some head-scratchers.)
I was already into Dylan when Biograph came out, and its sampling of 20 years of material whet my appetite for the catalog. However, it has everything from the first hits album EXCEPT “Rainy Day Women”.
Essential does a good job of distilling everything down to two discs, but as a collector, I passed on DYLAN as it wasn’t adventurous enough.
Not to be anal, but here I go being anal: The version of “Dignity” on the “Dylan” 3-disc set isn’t the one from “Greatest Hits Vol. 3,” but rather an alternate version that originally appeared on a “Touched By An Angel” soundtrack comp, and later on the import comp “Best Of Bob Dylan Vol. 2.”
That said, “Biograph” is the greatest boxed set ever released by any artist, ever.
Is that a different version still from the version that’s on Tell Tale Signs?
I like the version on GH 3, but I *love* the version Tell Tale Signs. Dylan’s words aren’t as overwhelmed by the production.
Here is where it gets confusing…Disc 1 of “Tell Tale Signs” has a “Piano Demo” version of “Dignity” which originally appeared on a 2004 promo disc for Dylan’s “Chronicles Vol. 1” autobiography. Disc 2 has a version of “Dignity” unavailable elsewhere. Neither version is the “Dylan”/”Touched By An Angel” version, nor is either version the “Greatest Hits Vol. 3” version. (The fifth version of “Dignity” that can be found is the live version from the “MTV Unplugged” show.)
While certainly not the most beloved song in the Dylan catalog, one often overlooked footnote to “Dignity” is the fact that it was the ONLY new Dylan composition written, recorded and released by Bob during seven years (from 1990-97) of what seemed to be a creative drought.
Wow… Thanks for the info, Hank!
I should clarify, BTW. When I said “the version that’s on Tell Tale Signs,” I was thinking of the version on disc 2. That’s the version that’s really stuck with me. I’d forgotten about the piano demo version. That has its charms too, but the disc 2 “Dignity” is just stunning. For me, it’s the definitive version.
I don’t think I’ll be tracking down the Touched By An Angel soundtrack, nor do I need the three-disc version of the Dylan compilation, but I’d be curious to hear yet another version of the song (the “Unplugged” version is good too!).
You’re right that it may not be Bob’s most beloved song ever, but I’ve always dug it. I’ve always seen it as the beginning of the Great Bob Comeback. That would culminate with the release of Time Out Of Mind.