Bootlegger Bob

Back in 1967, while recording new music that would eventually be referred to as The Basement Tapes, Bob Dylan sang, "too much of nothing can make a man feel ill at ease." With the release this month of The Bootleg Series Vol. 11, The Basement Tapes Raw, some Dylan fans are wondering if those lyrics apply to old recordings of his that remain in the vaults of Columbia Records.

To be sure, much of The Bootleg Series deserved to be dusted off and released to the public.  The first three volumes, packaged as a triple CD set in 1991, contain numerous gems that somehow didn't make it onto albums during the previous 30 years. Seven years later, Volume 4 treated Dylan fans to the famous 1966 Royal Albert Hall concert in which Dylan plugged in his guitar, turned up the volume, and heard someone in the audience call him "Judas."

Another fine set of live recordings of Dylan with the Rolling Thunder Revue from late 1975 were released in 2002 in Vol. 5.  Since then, however, the vaults have yielded some material that has hardly been worthy of release.

Last year, Dylan fans had the opportunity to hear Another Self Portrait, released in Vol. 10.  It contains alternate versions of songs from what many fans regard as his weakest album, Self Portrait, and other unreleased recordings from that period between 1969-71.  In 2010, The Witmark Demos, containing recordings Dylan made for his music publisher between 1962-64, was released in Vol. 9.  

Both of these CD sets left few fans wondering why they weren't issued years earlier.  The same could be said about Vol. 11, with its alternate and restored versions and unreleased songs from a famous bootleg album that was officially released by Columbia Records in 1975. 

The irony is that, as the quality of The Bootleg Series has deteriorated, some of Dylan's finest new recordings have been released in recent years.  Between Time Out of Mind in 1997 and Tempest in 2012, Dylan has put out new music that many fans believe has surpassed the quality of any five-album series in his career.  The other CDs during this renaissance in Dylan's career include Love and Theft (2001), Modern Times (2006) and Together Through Life (2009).  (Yes, there is also a bootleg release, Vol. 8, Tell Tale Signs, with many recordings from this period.)

The Bootleg Series Vol. 11 did contain some good news for Dylan fans: a small advertisement that a new album, Shadows in the Night, is coming in 2015. 

Charley looks forward to hearing many of Dylan's most recent songs in concert in later this month. 

A special cup

Up before 5 o'clock for a day of work on the road, I started the two-part process of awakening my senses by stepping into the hotel room shower. That was easy.

The second part was more difficult.  Normally, I make a strong, tasty cafe con leche at home to complete the waking up process. That proved difficult in this hotel, however, with its pedestrian pouch coffee, artificial dairy powder, and small packets of sugar awaiting me. But, I gave it my best shot by squeezing a pair of pouches into the little coffee maker basket and, when the cup below was filled, pouring two packets each of dairy powder and sugar into the brew.

It almost tasted like drinkable coffee. And, it almost succeeded in fully awakening me.

Shortly before 6 a.m., on my way out of the hotel, I stopped by the front desk with a question about my bill.  The young gentleman at this Courtyard by Marriott in Oneonta, NY was particularly helpful. He quickly answered my question, apologizing for a charge on what should have been a complimentary breakfast the previous morning. He asked if everything else about my stay at the hotel was fine.

"Everything was fine," I assured him. "I just regret that I needed to leave early today, before your cafe opened and I could get a Starbucks latte."

Without hesitation, he asked, "You want a latte?  I can make that for you."

"You can make me a latte?" I responded, just to make sure I heard him correctly. After all, he was the front desk man, possibly the only employee inside the hotel at that moment. The cafe wouldn't open for another 45 minutes, and there was no sign of its employees across the lobby.

"Sure, I can make you a latte," he assured me.  "Do you want a flavor in it? What size would you like?"

I responded, then, a few moments later, while standing by as he made the complimentary latte that I sensed would be one of the best cups of coffee I've had in a long, long time, I said:

"I can't thank you enough for going through the trouble of making this coffee for me. You're making me feel like a king. You've done your good deed for the day. Now, I've got to make sure I do mine."

During a couple of training sessions I was leading later in the morning, I told participants of my experience at the hotel. I cited it as a great example of outstanding customer service, of going beyond the duties in a job description to make a positive difference for a customer.

I certainly look forward to returning to that Courtyard by Marriott later this autumn.  I plan to enjoy a Starbucks latte -- after the cafe opens -- and thank that young gentleman behind the desk again for going out of his way to make a special cup that helped make my long day that much better.