I was having an argument about Bob Dylan’s Self “What Is This Shit? Portrait album the other day. I was saying how much I loved it and somebody asked me how I could say it was good. I couldn’t and didn’t say it was good, I said I loved it and I do.
A double album of mainstream covers, listen to it today and it is hard to believe that Dylan had such a lovely voice, he caresses a song like “Early Morning Rain” with his harp pure melody and the back up a soft MOR shuffle. In the eye of the storm of the counter culture, it was an act of insurrection and a cry for personal freedom.
Volume 10 of Dylan’s Bootleg series (check out the Rolling Thunder Volume, it kills Hard Rain on sight) are outtakes from Self Portrait, New Morning and his famous Isle Of Weight performance from 1971. And it seems pretty awesome to this Dylan fanatic. The entire Isle Of Weight gig plus enough stuff from the Self Portrait sessions to make you believe he was up for a Part Two and shelved it when the reaction was so virulent. Dropping August 27th, 2013, here is the track list which took me forever to transcribe off Itunes.
1. Went To See The Gypsy (Demo)
2. Little Sadie (Without Overdubs) (Self Portrait)
3. Pretty Saro (Self Portrait)
4. Alberta # 3 (Alternate Take (Self Portrait)
5. Spanish Is The Loving Tongue (Self Portrait)
6. Annie’s Gonna Sing Her Loving Song (Self Portrait)
7. Time Passes Slowly (Alternate Take # 1) (New Morning)
8. Only A Hobo (Greatest Hits II)
9. Minstrel Boy (The Basement Tapes)
10. I Threw It All Away (Alternate Version) (Nashville Skyline)
11. Railroad Bill (Self Portrait)
12. Thirsty Boots (Self Portrait)
13. This Evening So Soon (Self Portrait)
14. These Hands (Self Portrait)
15. In Search Of Little Sadie (Without Overdubs) (Self Portrait)
16. House Carpenter (Self Portrait)
17. All The Tired Horses (Without Overdubs) (Self Portrait)
18. If Not For You (Alternate Version) (New Morning)
19. Wallflower (Alternate Version)
20. Wigwam (Without Overdubs) (Self Portrait)
21. Days of ’49 (Without Overdubs) (Self Portrait)
22. Working On A Guru (New Morning)
23. Country Pie (Alternate Version) (Nashville Skyline)
24. I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight (with the Band) (Live In Isle Of Wight, 1969)
25. Highway 61 Revisited (with the Band) (Live In Isle Of Wight, 1969)
26. Copper Kettle (Without Overdubs) (Self Portrait)
27. Bring Me A Little Water (New Morning)
28. Sign In The Window (With Orchestral Overdubs) (New Morning)
29. Tattle O’Day (Self Portrait)
30. If Dogs Run Free (Alternate Version) (New Morning)
31. New Morning (with Horn Section overdubs) (New Morning)
32. Went To See The Gypsy (Alternate Version (New Morning)
33. Belle Isle (Without Overdubs) (Self Portrait)
34. Time Passes Slowly (Alternate Version # 2) (New Morning)
35. When I Paint My Masterpiece (Demo)
36. Intro (with the Band) (Live In Isle Of Wight, 1969)
37. She Belongs To Me (with the Band) (Live In Isle Of Wight, 1969)
38. I Threw It All Away (with the Band) (Live In Isle Of Wight, 1969)
39. Maggie’s Farm (with the Band) (Live In Isle Of Wight, 1969)
40. Wild Mountain Time (with the Band) (Live In Isle Of Wight, 1969)
41. It Ain’t Me Babe (with the Band) (Live In Isle Of Wight, 1969)
42. To Ramona (with the Band) (Live In Isle Of Wight, 1969)
43. Mr Tambourine Man (with the Band) (Live In Isle Of Wight, 1969)
44. I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine (with the Band) (Live In Isle Of Wight, 1969)
45. Lay Lady Lay (with the Band) (Live In Isle Of Wight, 1969)
46. Highway 61 (with the Band) (Live In Isle Of Wight, 1969)
47. One Too Many Mornings (with the Band) (Live In Isle Of Wight, 1969)
48. I Pity The Poor Immigrant (with the Band) (Live In Isle Of Wight, 1969)
49 Like A Rolling Stone (with the Band) (Live In Isle Of Wight, 1969)
50. I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight (with the Band) (Live In Isle Of Wight, 1969)
51. (Quinn The Eskimo) The Mighty Quinn (with the Band) (Live In Isle Of Wight, 1969)
52. Minstrel Boy (with the Band) (Live In Isle Of Wight, 1969)
53. Rainy Day Women #12 and #35 (with the Band) (Live In Isle Of Wight, 1969)