AVAILABLE TO STREAM OR DOWNLOAD
Since 1991, Bob Dylan and his team have combed the archives for new and interesting rarities from the vault to create The Bootleg Series. Once a tightly curated affair, the series has since expanded to take on a kitchen sink, “warts-and-all” approach. Fans have savored new archival Dylan releases every fall for several years and have been speculating what would arrive this year.
While it appears likely that a new volume won’t hit shelves until next year, the Dylan team have chosen to take a look back at the series with a new compilation and the digital debut of several deluxe edition Bootleg Series volumes.
On Friday, Dylan released a 28-track collection of highlights: The Best of The Bootleg Series. This idea was explored previously on Dylan: The Best of The Bootleg Series, a CD given away with a 2018 issue of the magazine Uncut. However, there are songs on that disc that aren’t present here and vice-versa. Available only through digital platforms including Spotify, Amazon and Qobuz, the set spans the Bootleg Series with selections from nearly every volume. You can listen to it below.
The collection is effectively a sampler for a larger digital campaign as several Bootleg Series volumes have landed on digital download and streaming platforms for the first time. Up to this point they were only represented by slim “highlights” albums. So whether you haven’t had a chance to hear them before or you just want your Dylan rarities “to-go,” you’ll now find The Cutting Edge, The Basement Tapes: Complete, Another Self Portrait, Trouble No More, or Tell Tale Signs (including the material from the controversial third disc) presented in their “deluxe edition” configurations across digital download and streaming providers.
If that weren’t enough, Bob Dylan has relaunched his acclaimed Theme Time Radio Hour show with a brand-new two-hour episode. The first such broadcast since 2009, this episode finds him spinning and discussing songs about whiskey. It premiered on the show’s home of SiriusXM but is now available as a podcast to stream or download across digital music services. You can give it a listen below!
So for listeners who don’t mind their music byte-sized, there will be plenty of material to enjoy as we wait for whatever may come next from Team Dylan. What do you want to hear on the next Bootleg Series volume? What should the next Theme Time Radio Hour subject be? Sound off in the comments below!
Bob Dylan, The Best of The Bootleg Series (Columbia/Legacy Recordings, 2020) (Amazon Music / Apple Music / Spotify / Qobuz)
- Up to Me – Take 1
- Blind Willie McTell – Studio Outtake – 1983
- Baby, Let Me Follow You Down – Live at Royal Albert Hall, London, UK – May 26, 1966
- Maggie’s Farm – Live at Newport Folk Festival, Newport, RI – July 1965
- The Groom’s Still Waiting at the Altar – Live at the Warfield Theatre, San Francisco, CA – November 13, 1980 (listed as 1979)
- Dink’s Song
- Pretty Saro – Unreleased from “Self Portrait” Sessions
- Mama, You Been On My Mind – Studio Outtake – 1964
- Mississippi – Outtake from “Time Out Of Mind” Sessions
- Visions of Johanna – Take 5, Rehearsal
- Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues – Take 3, Rehearsal
- Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here with You – Live at Montreal Forum, Montreal, Quebec – December 1975
- Born In Time – Outtake from ‘Oh Mercy’ sessions
- You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere – Take 1
- All You Have to Do Is Dream – Take 2
- Wanted Man – Take 1
- Tell Me That It Isn’t True – Take 2
- Wallflower – Alternate Version, 1971
- Most of the Time – Alternate Version from ‘Oh Mercy’ sessions
- A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall – Live at Montreal Forum, Montreal, Quebec – December 1975
- Series of Dreams – Outtake from ‘Oh Mercy’ sessions
- Slow Train – Live at Earls Court, London, UK – June 29, 1981
- I Pity the Poor Immigrant – Take 4
- Moonshiner – Studio Outtake – 1963
- Seven Days – Live at the Curtis Hixon Convention Center, Tampa, FL – April 1976
- Tangled Up in Blue – Take 3, Remake 3
- Guess I’m Doing Fine – Witmark Demo – 1964
- Every Grain of Sand – Demo – 1980
Tracks 1 and 26 released on More Blood, More Tracks – The Bootleg Series Vol. 14 (Deluxe Edition), Columbia/Legacy CD 19075858962, 2018
Tracks 2, 8, 24, 25, and 28 released on The Bootleg Series Volumes 1 – 3 [Rare & Unreleased] 1961-1991, Columbia CD C3K 47382, 1991
Tracks 3 released on The Real Royal Albert Hall 1966 Concert!, Columbia/Legacy CD 88985374342, 2016
Tracks 4 and 6 released on No Direction Home: The Soundtrack (A Martin Scorsese Picture), Columbia/Legacy CD C2K 93937, 2005
Tracks 5 and 22 released on Trouble No More: The Bootleg Series Vol.13 / 1979-1981, Columbia CD 8898545465, 2017
Tracks 7 and 18 released on Another Self Portrait (1969-1971) – The Bootleg Series, Vol. 10, Columbia/Legacy CD 8888334882, 2013
Track 9, 13, 19, and 21 released on Tell Tale Signs (Rare And Unreleased 1989-2006) – The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8, Columbia/Legacy CD 88697357952, 2008
Tracks 10 and 11 released on The Cutting Edge 1965 – 1966: The Bootleg Series Vol.12, Columbia/Legacy CD 88875124412, 2015
Track 12 and 20 released on Live 1975 (The Rolling Thunder Revue) – The Bootleg Series, Vol. 5, Columbia/Legacy CD COL-5101402, 2002
Tracks 14 and 15 released on The Basement Tapes Complete: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 11, Columbia/Legacy CD88875016122, 2014
Tracks 16, 17 and 23 released on Travelin’ Thru: The Bootleg Series Vol. 15 1967-1969, Columbia/Legacy CD 19075981921, 2019
Track 27 released on The Witmark Demos: 1962-1964 – The Bootleg Series, Vol. 9, Columbia/Legacy CD 88697761782, 2010
New Morning: Bob Dylan 1970 Copyright Extension Release To Get Wider Release, 3CD Set Due in February
Rumbling in the Skies: David Bowie’s Unreleased Covers of John Lennon and Bob Dylan Collected on New 7″ Single
An Illusion to Me Now: “Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story” Gets DVD, Blu-ray Release from Criterion
Play Tetris Til My Eyes Fall Out: The Second Disc’s Bandcamp Friday Picks, October 2020
Any chance for a release on CD?
Hi Evan, thanks for reading. I checked in with the label and they have confirmed this will be a digital-only release.
I’ve been collecting recorded music for 54 years, and I’ll say this: Due to the various musicians and musician estates (The Beatles, The Beach Boys,The Who, Bruce Springsteen,George Harrison, Queen,Bob Dylan) who have opted to cancel or postpone boxed set projects, it is becoming likely that this upcoming holiday season will mark the conclusion of my music collecting years.
But, of course, I can continue to enjoy what I’ve got. For now, I’m focusing on buying audio and video equipment, to accumulate an entire spare home theater system for future use (if neccessary). The money would have otherwise been spent on CD boxed sets.
I have preorders for 11 CD’s or boxed sets as we speak, but after that, who’s knows?
Yeah, this year has certainly been unprecedented in many ways. But I think the projects that have been postponed will eventually come out next year, that includes a new Dylan Bootleg Series. As always, we’ll keep you posted!
Let’s hope so .. i was looking forward to Pink Floyd’s sacd of Animals”, a Blondie boxset, a Beach Boys “Sunflower / surfsup” set ..and of course “let it be” revisited .. i do enjoy your site and look forward to reading what’s out next ..
Thanks
David
Last time I checked, CD was a digital format 🙂
If you are into a Neil Young, he’s releasing six classic bootleg titles at once in the Spring, using the original bootleg covers for the CDs but the master tapes he has of those as the source. Don’t give up just yet. Visit neil young archives.com. It’s an amazing site. At least the majority of Beatles unreleased material has been widely available in superb quality for years…and their box sets are terrific. It would be nice if Springsteen revisited his older, unreleased material for sure…especially some of the legendary 73-75 shows. He has two ‘75 shows in his archive store and none from before that.
To David B.,
Both The Beach Boys 5-disc set and the Pink Floyd “Animals” 5.1 remix both fell victim to old feuds between past and present group members. Mike Love is holding up the Beach Boys box and Roger Waters is unlikely to permit the release of the Pink Floyd “Animals” 5.1 mix.
These men are in their late 70’s. Isn’t about time to grow up and stop victimizing the fans? The Roger Waters/David Gilmour & Mike Love/Brian Wilson feuds will continue for all the remaining years of these mens’ lives. Stupid isn’t it? Waters also vetoed 5.1 remixes of “Meddle” & “Obscured by Clouds” as well, so they sit on some studio shelf gathering dust.
What makes the 3rd disc of Tell Tale Signs controversial?
The 2 disc set was priced normally, but the 3 disc set was needlessly very expensive.
It was quite expensive to buy the 3CD release compared to the 2CD one.
The amount of extra money that Sony asked merely to get a 10-song bonus disc (as opposed to a filled to capacity bonus disc). However, being a completist, I bought the set.
I did as well. If I recall correctly, the 2 disc set was available everywhere for $20-$25, while the three disc box was an exclusive from the official Bob Dylan store for $110.
I would like to know what the next Bob Dylan bootleg series would be.i have collected all of them, and really enjoy the series.A planet waves and Desire 1974-1976 would be a good addition in my opinion and the Pat Garrett and Billy the kid soundtrack has been totally ignored,even on the 1-3 volume, where it visited every part of Bob’s work, I’ve heard there’s a lot of outtakes and alternate version from that soundtrack.
Please can’t they release a physical form of this release on both vinyl and CD
Hello! Hoping for either a 1978 tour retrospect or Infidels sessions release!
I’d like to see some of the Budokan later shows made available. Opinion seems to be they were better than the Japan show released. I know I was blown away by the Omaha show, my first Bob, in 1978.
Interesting that this includes a track (Baby, Let Me Follow You Down) from the 5-26-66 Royal Albert Hall show, which was not labeled or numbered as the Bootleg Series when it was released in 2016 and nothing from the 5-17-66 “called Royal Albert, but actually Manchester” show, which was released as Bootleg Series No. 4 in 1998.
And to answer the question in the post, I really would like to see a collection of the early “coffeehouse” years with performances and remaining outtakes from 1961-1964, followed by a set of mid-80’s studio material, of which there’s rumored to be a lot.
Why isn’t the Best Of… download available in Canada?
this is just ridiculous. why do a best of the bootleg series when dylan collectors( and thats who does buy them ) already own this material. also why are the songs out of recording date order.
Hi Bruce. It’s a digital-only release. Those who already own the material on CD aren’t missing out on anything; this is simply a sampler for digital listeners of what CD collectors already have.
The next release in the bootleg series should be the so-called Supper Club Shows.
All 4 Supper Club shows were bootlegged from the master tapes and are still widely available…if you know where to look. The quality is astounding. Even so, this would be an awesome release, I agree.
Three major things left: A deep dive into the TOOM sessions, ditto for Desire and then there’s the legendary Street Legal piano demos. Please GOD 🙏
Would like a live compilation of 1999 – 2009 shows. Best of.