Discussing the merits of Bob Dylan’s ’80s output is a lightning rod for even his most ardent fans. Yet there are those who would agree a good portion of the first half of Dylan’s MTV Decade output ranks among his strongest mid-period songwriting efforts—even if some of what appeared on the original wax was not always supported by the best choices for backing tracks, final takes, and/or arrangements.
Good thing we have Dylan’s absolutely sweet Bootleg Series to bring some of his figurative basement tapes to the surface. As 5CD box set includes 57 outtakes, alternate versions, rehearsals, and live readings of songs culled from the better half of Dylan’s ’80s output. centers around the sessions held for the three studio albums Dylan released during that time window: August 1981’s , October 1983’s , and June 1985’s . I can neither confirm nor deny whether I own bootleg vinyl and/or CDs containing a number of these and other of-era selections. That said, if I have access to any of those boots, I could indeed confirm the vast majority of their contents most certainly do sound as good as these mixes do. (Or so I’ve heard.)
