The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8: Tell Tale Signs - Rare and Unreleased 1989-2006

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
Subtitled "Rare and Unreleased 1989-2006", ITell Tale Signs/I, the eighth of Dylan's long running Bootleg series of officially approved outtakes, comes in two formats. The two-disc version consists of 27 tracks, including alternate versions of songs from his last three studio sets: iOh Mercy/i, iTime out of Mind/i and iModern Times/i. Even non-obsessives will be seduced by the highlights here. A lovely sparse solo version of "Most of the Time", just Dylan strumming guitar and blowing a wheezy harmonica, outdoes the Daniel Lanois-produced original. The bleak, stately "Can't Escape from You", the sad and beautiful Civil War epic "Cross the Green Mountain", "The Lonesome River" a bluegrass standard with vocals from Ralph Stanley and a great, lo-fi live version of Reverend Gary Davis's influential "Cocaine Blues" are all standouts. Two versions of "Dignity"--a piano demo that reduces it to an oddly naked state and an unexpected rockabilly take--neatly capture the idea behind these volumes--to expose dedicated fans to the overlooked and underestimated parts of Dylan's constantly shifting oeuvre. i--Steve Jelbert/i

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Customer reviews

review by: aucheyethenoo date: 2009-04-30 rating:
some good some ordinary
some good tracks some pretty ordinary tracks so if you are a dylan fan do not expect to be excited the way you were with modern times but still worthwhile buying it

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review by: date: 2009-04-30 rating:
A fine testimony
The pricing of the 3-disc CD set is obscene and can not possibly be justified. However, when you consider Dylan's willingness to relieve fans of fairly tidy sums to see him trot out turgid live performances, it's probably not that surprising that he's willing to treat his fans with such disdain. Dylan must have had some say in the pricing and he should be ashamed of himself. br / br /Having said all that, what's on this 2-disc set is very good indeed and, to my mind, significantly more vibrant overall than either 'Love And Theft' and 'Modern Times'. Whilst both those albums are perfectly reasonable offerings, there's not a lot on them to excite the listener; 'Modern Times' especially. With 'Tell Tale Signs', Dylan shows that he's still been capable of bottling lightning in the last 20 years - 'Dreamin Of You' is one of the best tracks I've heard in a long time and a lot of artists would love to be able to put there name to it. Plus, there are some great alternate versions of tracks that are generally better than the original album versions and a host of unreleased gems. br / br /This album stands as a fine testimony to Dylan's abilities in the latter part of his career and I can highly recommend it.

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review by: date: 2009-04-22 rating:
Dylan impresses.
I don't really get this. I don't get the thinking behind the different takes on previously released songs, I don't get the choice between the 1, 2 and 3CD sets and I don't get the price of the 3CD version. I do like it. I'm not an authority on Bob Dylan, who is still best known as a `60's political protest singer, as well as a world renowned lyricist-songwriter. I have been catching his recent recordings of late (the 1997 release `Time out of Mind' is recommended - full of dark despair, but also full of great songs). His vocal may not be to everyone's liking, but it is to mine. There is more of a rasp these days, but Dylan's voice is one of the main reasons that I like him - the unique gruff delivery has the ability to stamp his personality on a song. This double CD is a mix. There are alternative arrangements (are they early try-outs of songs? were they intended as the final cut but didn't make it? were they performed as work-outs in the recording studio?), there are live tracks, previously unheard songs and movie soundtracks (the emotive `Cross the Green Mountain' features in a film about the American Civil War).The general mood is reflective and laid back and makes for good listening. Bob's trademark harmonica features on a couple of tracks. The standard of songwriting and musicianship is high. The CD packaging is impressive. Bob Dylan at the height of his game is definitely a tour de force. This is a welcome addition to my CD collection.

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review by: date: 2009-03-03 rating:
Let's get this straight....
The problem is we're still a bit miffed about the price of the triple CD version, hopefully Sony has got the message by now. But don't walk away in a huff what we have here for a mere fifteen quid is a devastatingly good album. There really is some great tracks here. Right from the off, the acoustic version of Mississippi must rank as one of the greatest performance/great songs that Dylan's done br / br /It doesn't stop there, there's not a track on here I'd pass over, a true 5 star album. If you've any time for Dylan at all you owe it to yourself to get this. br / br /I hear Volume 9 is going to be an expanded Blood On The Tracks, me? I just can't wait.


review by: date: 2009-02-21 rating:
The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8
Very enjoyable if you like recent Dylan albums,the Daniel Lancoix ? influence is very strong.Well worth buying if you are a Dylan fan.

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