Bob Dylan: The Bootleg Series Volume 8: Tell Tale Signs

Any major Dylan fan can attest to the greatness of The Bootleg Series. Most of which are comprised of live recording throughout his most successful period, the 60s, as well as some rare and unreleased material scattered throughout his career. Not until now, has there been a volume to focus on Dylan most recent rebirth. Volume 8 hones in on the time frame, 1989-2006 and gives us a plentiful amount of rare, unreleased, and live tracks. Dylan's bootleg series has had such a strong run, and because of that, Volume 8 won't necessarily be the strongest because it is lending from a period that doesn't touch the 60s, but despite that fact, it is in every right, superb.

The first disc is the bread and butter of the collection. At times I need to shake the feeling that I'm listening to a brand new album, and if it were indeed a brand new album, it would be one of Dylan's finest in recent history. Not to discredit the greatness of his past few releases, but this is an amazing collection of songs. The first disc opens up with an alternate take on "Mississippi", originally on Time Out of Mind. The track is stripped down featuring just Dylan's voice and guitar, a signature point which made his early work so successful, and it pays off here. Another focal point of this album is the previously unreleased "Red River Shore". When you hear songs like this, it makes you wonder what else Dylan has lying around in his unreleased collection. The song is a mysteriously haunting love tale clocking in at over seven minutes long. If there was one reason to pick up this album, it simply comes down to hearing "Red River Shore". Another previously unreleased track, "Dreamin' of You" who's lyrics were later developed into other songs, is a strong track with a jaunty rhythm when it comes to Dylan. The guitar work is quite fine and once again, leaves me wondering, what other material has Dylan stashed away?

The second disc lacks the strength in songs the first delivered, but the second disc is far from being dull. It's stacked with standard bluesy numbers that feel natural for Dylan to perform--notably a fantastic cover of Robert Johnson's "32-30 Blues". The second disc also contains four live performances harking back to the most usual form of his Bootleg Series.

Volume 8 of the series is for those who either love Dylan or who enjoy his latest reincarnation.

While Dylan may be one of the most immortal figures in rock, his career wasn't without rough patches, however the era covered here is Dylan picking himself up from the poor run he endured. From Oh Mercy onward, Dylan found himself, and this volume is a testament to that.

Grade: A-