Bob Dylan : Tell Tale Signs (Bootleg Series Vol. 8) :: Track By Track Review
After much anticipation, we can finally listen to “Tell Tale Signs”. I think the best way to critique this album is to individually review each track.
Disc: 1
1. Mississippi 6:04 (Unreleased, Time Out of Mind)
A great opener to a phenomenal album! Spare and rolling describes Bob Dylan’s version of “Mississippi” from the forthcoming “Tell Tale Signs” album. I love Dylan’s guitar playing on this track and his delivery is spot on as he narrates the lyrics. The percussion is spare and accentuates the song perfectly. I could almost imagine this song being performed on a small stage or on a porch in the deep south because of the atmosphere it conjures.
This version sounds more like the country gentleman than the recorded version from “Love and Theft.” Both versions are stellar, but this one seems a little more pure and natural.
2. Most of the Time 3:46 (Alternate version, Oh Mercy)
The harmonica accompaniment is definitely welcome and although this version sounds like a run through, Dylan’s vocals and guitar playing sound great! The tone on the acoustic guitar is warmer than the version from “Oh Mercy.”
3. Dignity 2:09 (Piano demo, Oh Mercy)
Another run through, interesting to hear Bob play a piano that sounds so spare.
4. Someday Baby 5:56 (Alternate version, Modern Times)
The build up on this track is pronounced and the jitterbug sound has been completely removed making this song sound more like a statement than a jam. This version sounds like a better fit for “Time Out of Mind” than “Modern Times” and sounds so foreign to my ears.
Throughout the track, the drumming is perfect as it shuffles along, and I think Dylan chuckles during the last verse. Inclusion of this track is interesting to see how the final product was so dramatically different.
5. Red River Shore 7:36 (Unreleased, Time Out of Mind)
A story song with a traditional narrative told about lost love reinterpreted from the Kingston Trio. A song rooted in zydeco, while complex, would not have fit in with the dark tones of “Time Out of Mind.” This song sounds like an orphan that was just waiting for a proper release.
6. Tell Ol’ Bill 5:31 (Alternate version, North Country soundtrack)
Swinging, dark and brooding. This sounds like a cousin to “Things Have Changed” and is completely awesome. This vengeful song paints such a grim image to the songs that have preceded it on this album. The barroom piano and guitar interplay are top notch in this wintry stunner.
7. Born in Time 4:10 (Unreleased, Oh Mercy)
This song contains ruminations on a love that might have been lost. Competent playing although the production shows its age. This song is not one of my favorites, but it is not a terrible song. I’m hesitant to say that it reminds me of a coffee advert or late-period Eric Clapton, but I can’t get either image out of my head.
8. Can’t Wait 5:45 (Alternate version, Time Out of Mind)
Early run through of “Can’t Wait.” This version sounds like they’re working out ideas in the studio. The band doesn’t sound as confident on this version and sound restricted.
9. Everything is Broken 3:27 (Alternate version, Oh Mercy)
Why do I feel like Lanois was the naysayer when he produced Dylan’s albums? I have a feeling that if Dylan had produced “Oh Mercy” it would have been a little less staid. Dylan cuts loose with his vocals and the band follows suit.
10. Dreamin’ of You 6:23 (Unreleased, Time Out Of Mind)
After listening to this track several times, and looking at the lyrics, this song seems to be a compilation of ideas that would eventually form the songs, Can’t Wait, Standin’ In the Doorway and thematically Cold Iron’s Bound. Those elements alone seem to have produced three good songs, but when crammed together in one song, it seems like an overload.
Dylan’s delivery seems off in this song as well. I can’t put my finger on it now, but his delivery seems a little schmaltzy. There’s no menace in the music, but lyrically the song is pretty deep. There is an organ in the song that seems out of place while a noodly guitar keeps playing the same riff all the while sounding more and more boring. The song feels strained by all of these elements and collapses on itself.
11. Huck’s Tune 4:09 (From Lucky You soundtrack)
Elegiac tune about a love gone wrong played as a country waltz with allusions to Moon River. This song is possibly the best thing about the “Lucky You” soundtrack, a solid track.
12. Marchin’ to the City 6:36 (Unreleased, Time Out of Mind)
A gospel tinged compilation of ideas from “Time Out of Mind” I love the organ playing in the track as it silhouettes the guitar. Ends with Dylan proclaiming, “I don’t know…” before fading off.
13. High Water (For Charley Patton) 6:40 (Live, August 23, 2003, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada)
This is a great live take of this track. Dylan’s delivery is razor sharp and the band sound tight. The guitar work is outstanding. I saw them on this tour, and I can attest that this touring band is greatly missed.
Disc: 2
1. Mississippi 6:24 (Unreleased version #2, Time Out of Mind)
A shuffling version of “Mississippi” that sounds a little more deliberate than the released version. Dylan is at his most articulate on this performance. The banjo seems like a forced accompaniment to add southern authenticity to this song. The playing on this sounds taut and not as carefree as the other versions.
2. 32-20 Blues 4:22 (Unreleased, World Gone Wrong)
Dylan’s take on the Robert Johnson classic which proves worthy of the original recording. Dylan’s spare delivery is honest and original.
3. Series of Dreams 6:27 (Unreleased, Oh Mercy)
An alternate take from “Oh Mercy”. This version is a little more loose sounding and janglier. This version removes some of the Lanois gauze that was applied to the track.
4. God Knows 3:12 (Unreleased, Oh Mercy)
Upbeat, but the sentiment sounds dated like a motivational poster from the late 1980’s. Again, not one of my favorites, the guitar is a little too U2-like in this track.
5. Can’t Escape from You 5:22 (Unreleased, December 2005)
Somber and graceful. The organ is churchlike and stately. The lyrics evoke an outtake from “Time Out of Mind”.
6. Dignity 5:25 (Unreleased, Oh Mercy)
A very rubbery reverb drenched version of “Dignity.” This version captures a more upbeat vibe than the released version. The band sounds loose and carefree.
7. Ring Them Bells 4:59 (Live at The Supper Club, November 17, 1993, New York, NY)
Outstanding live version of this track. The guitar/slide tone is goose bump inducing. This entire concert needs to be given an official release as one track seems like a tease!
8. Cocaine Blues 5:30 (Live, August 24, 1997, Vienna, VA)
A stellar live recording featuring one of Dylan’s better touring bands. Dylan and Tony Garnier’s vocals are tremendous. Bucky Baxter’s pedal steel is definitely worth noting and sadly is missed from Dylan’s touring band. Sublime.
9. Ain’t Talkin’ 6:13 (Alternate version, Modern Times)
This version is concise and effective. The guitar tone and production are solid on this truncated version.
10. The Girl on the Greenbriar Shore 2:51 (Live, June 30, 1992,Dunkerque, France)
Great live take on this traditional song.
11. Lonesome Day Blues 7:37 (Live, February 1, 2002, Sunrise, FL)
Playing with a band that is as hot as Florida, Dylan delivers the goods on this live take. Dylan’s guitar playing is sorely missed from his recent performances.
12. Miss the Mississippi 3:20 (Unreleased, 1992)
Dylan’s heartfelt recording of the Jimmie Rodgers classic.
13. The Lonesome River 3:04 (With Ralph Stanley, from the album Clinch Mountain Country)
Bob performs excellently with the Dr. on this bluegrass standard. A great duet.
14. ‘Cross the Green Mountain 8:15 (From Gods and Generals Soundtrack)
This orphaned song is a fitting closer to this bootleg series. The best thing about the Gods and Generals Soundtrack was this elegiac track.
This bootleg volume proves itself to be just as essential as the rest. It offers an exclusive look into the music of Bob Dylan during the late 80′s until the present. If only they would release some of the early nineties live performances in their entirety, as those are completely necessary.
Highest Recommendation.
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