THE TELL TALE SIGNS OF BOB DYLAN
On Oct. 7 "the bard" will unveil three packed discs worth of b-sides, rareties, and alternate takes. Tell Tale Signs will include material culled from Dylan's post-80s-and-onward LPs, including many second and third versions of familiar album tracks, as well as recent film soundtrack contributions and live performances.
For Dylan, an avowed musicologist, there is an obvious historical angle to this set -- the eighth installment of Dylan's acclaimed "Bootleg Series." Many of Dylan's heroes were country bluesmen a la Charley Patton and Robert Johnson, and recordings by those artists often featured "alternate takes" -- a practice which today seems antiquated or strictly in line with jazz releases. Dylan is no fan of contemporary music (yes, I'm including the Wallflowers, though that is only a guess) so his throwback, traditionalist choices (yes, I'm including his wardrobe) are always notable.
Or so say Dylanologists the world over.
These discs also include three versions of Mississippi (later included on 2001's Love and Theft), recorded by Daniel Lanois for the Time out of Mind sessions. Lanois and Dylan disagreed on the direction the song was going in the studio, and Dylan ultimately shelved the tune (for the time being). So hearing the sources for the little dust-up should be fascinating. You know, if you're into that kind of thing.
Here's Mississippi live circa 2001:
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