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.
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.
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