The Genuine Bootleg Series Take 1-3 : A (B+/A)
Click on the disc number to see it's review: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. Info on each of these can be found below, and each disc gets its own rating. The letter grade in brackets next to the disc number before the review is the performance-quality letter grade. The sound-quality varies from track to track because this whole set pulls together songs from here and there. This set brilliantly puts together material from all over Bob's career. It's meant as either a taste or as a compilation, as a lot of this material can be obtained more in context (with the other songs from the session/show/whatever). It's great at what it does though. As a note, every three discs (starting with discs 1, 4, and 7) starts over at the beginning of Bob's career in a cyclical manner.

Disc 1 ("A-"): This first disc of the set has a bunch of great earlier Bob recordings. Starting in '61, near the start of Bob's career, this disc goes up to '66 studio sessions. Every track here is worth hearing and it's hard to single out any specific highlights. Ballad For A Friend is a great heartfelt song, You Been Hiding Too Long is angry finger-pointing Bob at perhaps his best, the outtake Desolation Row is very interesting (though I find the officially released version vastly superior, it's interesting to notice the changes), and this early Visions Of Johanna is wonderful.

Disc 1:

1. Black Cross (solo acoustic) - written by Lord Buckley
2. I Was Young When I Left Home (solo acoustic) - written by unknown (traditional - arranged by Bob Dylan)
3. Ballad For A Friend (solo acoustic)
4. Hero Blues (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp)
5. Whatcha Gonna Do? (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp)
6. Tomorrow Is A Long Time (solo acoustic)
7. Milk Cow Calf's Blues/Good Morning Blues (solo acoustic) - written by unknown (traditional - adapted by Robert Johnson)
8. Rocks And Gravel
9. You've Been Hiding Too Long (solo acoustic)
10. Farewell (solo acoustic)
11. Baby, Let Me Follow You Down (solo acoustic) - written by Eric von Schmidt
12. That's All Right Mama/Sally Free And Easy (solo acoustic) (Bob on piano) - minor distortion at 0:49 (this is on original)
13. Bob Dylan's New Orleans Rag (solo acoustic) (Bob on piano) (Bob on harp)
14. You Don't Have To Do That (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp)
15. Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window? (Bob on harp)
16. Desolation Row - crackling noise from 2:21-2:36, 4:34-4:44 (this is on original)
17. Freeze Out (Visions Of Johanna) (Bob on harp)
18. She's Your Lover Now

- Tracks 1-2 are from 12/22/61 Minnesota Hotel Tape
- Track 3 is from 1/62 Leeds Demo
- Tracks 4-5 are from 12/06/62 Freewheelin' outtakes
- Track 6 is from 12/62 Witmark demo
- Track 7 is from 04/24/62 Freewheelin' outtake
- Track 8 is from 11/13/62 Freewheelin' test pressing
- Track 9 is from 04/12/63 Town Hall
- Tracks 10-11 are from 12/63-1/64 Witmark demos
- Tracks 12-13 are from 06/09/64 Another Side sessions
- Track 14 is from 01/13/65 BIABH outtake
- Track 15 is from 07/30/65 Highway 61 outtake/error single
- Track 16 is from 07/30/65 Highway 61 outtake
- Track 17 is from 11/30/65 Hawks session
- Track 18 is from 01/21/66 Hawks session



Disc 2 ("A-"): This second disc is full of very great material, but most of it can be found elsewhere in better context. Anyway, the two opening songs from a hotel tape are very interesting as Bob is using a different voice from the howl he exhibits on track 3 from a show in '66. The basement tape songs - a mood that has to be heard to be believed - are fairly good selections: Sign On The Cross is one of the highlights of those sessions, All American Boy is hillarious stuff, and Nothing Was Delivered is another great song. Down In The Flood used to be a highlight of this disc until The Band reissued its Rock Of Ages with the three other songs Dylan sung that night - nonetheless, at a time when appearances by Bob were rare, he really rocks through Down In The Flood, giving one of the best ever live renditions of the song. The outtakes are also nice to have here.

Disc 2:

1. Positively Van Gogh (acoustic)
2. What Kind Of Friend Is This? (acoustic)
3. One Too Many Mornings - sound shifts to right speaker from 4:16-4:26 (this is on original)
4. Sign On The Cross
5. All American Boy
6. Nothing Was Delivered
7. I Threw It All Away
8. Honey Just Allow Me One More Chance - written by Henry Thomas (arranged by Bob Dylan)
9. Working On A Guru
10. Down In The Flood
11. Goodbye Holly (acoustic)
12. Rock Me Mama (acoustic)
13. Nobody 'Cept You
14. Idiot Wind (acoustic) (Bob on harp)
15. Hurricane (acoustic) (Bob on harp)
16. Stop Now
17. Am I Your Stepchild?

- Track 1 is from 03/13/66 hotel room, Denver, Colorado
- Track 2 is from 05/19/66 hotel room, Glasgow, Scotland
- Track 3 is from 05/16/66 Sheffield, UK
- Tracks 4-6 are from Basement Tapes 1967
- Tracks 7-9 are from 05/01/70 George Harrison session
- Track 10 is from 01/01/72 New York City, New York
- Tracks 11-12 are from 02/73 Pat Garrett sessions
- Track 13 is from 11/02/73 Planet Waves outtake
- Track 14 is from 09/16/74 BOTT test pressing
- Track 15 is from 07/30/75 Desire outtake
- Track 16 is from 05/01/78 Street Legal sessions
- Track 17 is from 09/15/78 Augusta, Maine



Disc 3 ("A-"): Great outtakes seem to be the theme of this disc: opening with Slow Train Coming songs, we also get Shot Of Love, Infidels, Empire Burlesque, Down In The Groove, Oh Mercy, and Traveling Wilburys 3 outtakes. Carribean Wind, Jokerman (with intriguing lyric variations from the officially released version), Blind Willie McTell, New Danville Girl, and Like A Ship are highlights for me.

Disc 3:

1. Trouble In Mind
2. Yonder Comes Sin
3. Caribbean Wind - static pop at 3:26 and 5:23 (this is on original)
4. Don't Ever Take Yourself Away
5. Thief On The Cross (live debut of this song)
6. Sweetheart Like You
7. Someone's Got A Hold Of My Heart
8. Tell Me
9. Jokerman (Bob on harp)
10. Blind Willie McTell (Bob on harp)
11. New Danville Girl (Bob on harp)
12. Important Words (Bob on harp) - short harp clip at end (this is on original)
13. Dignity
14. Like A Ship
15. Series Of Dreams

- Track 1 is from 05/79 Slow Train Coming alternate take
- Track 2 is from 10/80 Shot Of Love sessions
- Track 3 is from 03/31/81 Shot Of Love sessions
- Track 4 is from 04/23/81 Shot Of Love sessions
- Track 5 is from 11/10/81 New Orleans, Louisiana
- Tracks 6-10 are from 04/83-05/83 Infidels outtakes
- Track 11 is from 12/84 Empire Burlesque sessions
- Track 12 is from 04-05/87 Down In The Groove outtake
- Tracks 13,15 are from 03/89 Oh Mercy outtake
- Track 14 is from 04/90 Traveling Wilburys 3 outtake



Disc 4 ("A"): The fourth disc in the set starts back at the start of Bob's career (the set cycles like that every three discs). The opening track, The Two Sisters, is unbelievable: it sounds like it's from '69 when Bob's voice went smooth for his country period...however, it's from '60! Very very interesting to hear this voice so early on in Bob's career! A Long Time A-Growin' is sung beautifully by Bob. Long Time Gone has a certain feel to it that really appeals to me, sort of a folk song appeal I suppose. This other version of Visions Of Johanna (another was on disc 1) is another great one: it went through many different changes but every version I hear seems to be very good. The hotel room track again highlights Bob very smooth voice despite the voice he used in concert in '66 (which was also great, for different reasons). The final track here, Like A Rolling Stone, is one of the most druggiest, powerful, yelled-out versions of the song.

Disc 4:

1. The Two Sisters (solo acoustic) - written by unknown (traditional)
2. A Long Time A-Growin' (solo acoustic) - written by unknown (traditional)
3. Corrina, Corrina (solo acoustic) - written by unknown (traditional)
4. That's All Right Mama (Bob on harp) - written by Arthur Cruddup
5. Hero Blues (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp)
6. Long Time Gone (solo acoustic)
7. Lay Down Your Weary Tune (solo acoustic)
8. Guess I'm Doing Fine (solo acoustic)
9. Mr. Tambourine Man (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) (sung with Ramblin' Jack Elliott)
10. Mr. Tambourine Man (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp)
11. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp)
12. Lunatic Princess Revisited
13. I Don't Want To Be Your Partner
14. Freeze Out (Visions Of Johanna) (Bob on harp)
15. Does She Need Me? (On A Rainy Afternoon) (acoustic)
16. Like A Rolling Stone (Bob on harp) - gap between Bob's intro and music (this is on original)

- Track 1 is from 05/60 Karen Wallace Tape
- Track 2 is from 11/04/61 Carnegie Chapter Hall, New York City, New York
- Track 3 is from 04/24/62 Freewheelin' outtake
- Track 4 is from 11/62 Freewheelin' outtake
- Track 5 is from 12/06/62 Freewheelin' outtake
- Track 6 is from 03/63 Witmark demo
- Track 7 is from 10/26/63 Carnegie Hall, New York City, New York
- Track 8 is from 01/64 Witmark demo
- Track 9 is from 06/09/64 Another Side outtake w/ Jack Elliott
- Track 10 is from 07/26/64 Newport Folk Festival
- Track 11 is from 01/15/65 BIABH outtake
- Track 12 is from 06/16/65 Highway 61 outtake
- Track 13 is from 10/20/65 Hawks session
- Track 14 is from 11/30/65 Hawks session
- Track 15 is from 05/19/66 hotel room, Glasgow, Scotland
- Track 16 is from 05/26/66 Royal Albert Hall, London, UK



Disc 5 ("A"): Opening with basement tape material, disc 5 gets off to a great start. I'm Not There (1956) is one of the highlights from the sessions, and the other three songs here are great. Wild Mountain Thyme from the Isle Of Wight demonstrates an impressive singing ability on Bob's behalf. The New Morning outtakes, a rocking Tomorrow Is A Long Time and a piano Spanish Is The Loving Tongue, are highlights from this disc as well. It's really too bad that House Of The Rising Sun is too short as it sounds really tough and could've been great (it's still great to hear). The other outtakes here are nice too. Abandoned Love from The Other End is surely a highlight: a very rare performance of a great song, many believe this live version (done in an intimate setting) is superior to the studio version.

Disc 5:

1. I'm Not There (1956)
2. Silent Weekend
3. Young But Daily Growin' - written by unknown (traditional)
4. Banks Of The Royal Canal - written by Dominic Behan
5. Wild Mountain Thyme (solo acoustic) - written by unknown (traditional)
6. Tomorrow Is A Long Time
7. Spanish Is The Loving Tongue - written by Charles Badger Clark
8. George Jackson (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp)
9. Goodbye Holly (acoustic)
10. House Of The Rising Sun - written by unknown (traditional) - not a complete song (this is on original)
11. Nobody 'Cept You
12. Tangled Up In Blue (acoustic) (Bob on harp)
13. Abandoned Love (solo acoustic) (live debut of this song from Biograph) - dropouts throughout (this is on original)
14. People Get Ready - written by Curtis Mayfield
15. The Water Is Wide - written by unknown (traditional)
16. Repossession Blues - written by Billy Lee Riley
17. If You See Her, Say Hello
18. Stop Now
19. Coming From The Heart

- Tracks 1-4 are from Basement Tapes 1967
- Track 5 is from 08/31/69 Isle Of Wight
- Tracks 6-7 are from 06/02/70 New Morning outtake
- Track 8 is from 11/04/71 45 rpm single
- Track 9 is from 01/20/73 Pat Garrett sessions
- Tracks 10-11 are from 11/02/73 Planet Waves sessions
- Track 12 is from 09/16/74 BOTT test pressing
- Track 13 is from 07/03/75 The Other End, New York
- Track 14 is from 10/75 Renaldo And Clara EP
- Track 15 is from 03/30/76 Eric Clapton sessions
- Track 16 is from 02/01/78 Rundown Studio rehearsals
- Track 17 is from 01/30/78 Rundown Studio rehearsals
- Tracks 18-19 are from 05/02/78 Street Legal outtake



Disc 6 ("A"): This disc has many highlights as they all do: it opens with three great early '80s live songs, Heart Of Mine features Bob's great '81 voice, this rare performance of Nadine at a Levon Helm show is interesting, Almost Done has a great tune, Freedom For The Stallion is wonderful, To Fall In Love With You is one of those great "could have been" songs (imagine if he had developed this more!), I Got Love If You Want It is nicely energetic, Most Of The Time showcases an extremely gravelly/growly/rough Bob, and there's a powerful live debut of Series Of Dreams with driving drums.

Disc 6:

1. Ain't Gonna Go To Hell
2. Cover Down, Break Through
3. The Groom's Still Waiting At The Altar (Michael Bloomfield on electric guitar)
4. Magic
5. Heart Of Mine
6. Nadine (Levon Helm on drums) - written by Chuck Berry
7. We Three (My Echo, My Shadow And Me) - written by D. Robertson, N. Cogane, and S. Mysels
8. Almost Done
9. Almost Done
10. Freedom For The Stallion - written by Allen Toussaint
11. Something's Burning Baby
12. To Fall In Love With You
13. I Got Love If You Want It (Bob on harp) - written by J. Moore
14. Don't Keep Me Waiting Too Long - written by unknown (?)
15. Everything Is Broken
16. Born In Time
17. Most Of The Time
18. Series Of Dreams (live debut of this song from The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3)

- Tracks 1-2 are from 04/20/80 Toronto, Ontario
- Track 3 is from 11/15/80 San Francisco, California
- Track 4 is from 04/81 Shot Of Love work tape
- Track 5 is from 04/81 Shot Of Love outtake
- Track 6 is from 05/29/88 Lone Star Cafe, New York City, New York
- Track 7 is from 03/84 Plugz rehearsals
- Track 8 is from 05/23/84 Beverly Theater rehearsals
- Track 9 is from 05/27/84 Verona rehearsal
- Track 10 is from 11/84 Empire Burlesque sessions
- Track 11 is from 11/84 Empire Burlesque outtake
- Track 12 is from 08/27-28/86 Hearts Of Fire sessions
- Track 13 is from 04/87 Down In The Groove outtake
- Track 14 is from 04/87 Grateful Dead rehearsals
- Tracks 15-16 are from 03/89 Oh Mercy outtakes
- Track 17 is from 03/16/90 promo video, Los Angeles, California
- Track 18 is from 09/08/93 Wolf Trap, Vienna, Virginia



Disc 7 ("A"): This disc starts the cycle over: there is some more great early Bob here (I Rode Out One Morning, a highlight, has a tune similar to that of Farewell Angelina), there are some absolutely hillarious I Shall Be Free #10's (methinks Bob had quite a bit to drink during those Another Side Of sessions!), there's a very weird overdubbed Tombstone Blues (it's the official released version with The Chamber Brothers overdubbed - thank goodness this wasn't released!), and there are some stunning live performances from '65-'66.

Disc 7:

1. Hard Times In New York Town (solo acoustic)
2. Death Of Emmett Till (solo acoustic)
3. Sally Girl (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - written by unknown (traditional)
The Girl I Left Behind (solo acoustic) - written by unknown (traditional)
4. I Rode Out One Morning (solo acoustic)
5. House Of The Rising Sun (solo acoustic) - written by unknown (traditional)
6. See That My Grave Is Kept Clean (solo acoustic) - written by Blind Lemon Jefferson
7. Ballad Of Donald White (solo acoustic)
8. Farewell (solo acoustic)
9. Percy's Song (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) (live debut of this song from Biograph)
10. I Shall Be Free #10 (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp)
11. I Shall Be Free #10 (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp)
12. If You Gotta Go, Go Now (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp)
13. It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) (acoustic) (Bruce Langhorne on electric guitar) (Bob on harp)
14. Tombstone Blues (sung with The Chamber Brothers)
15. From A Buick 6 (Bob on harp?)
16. Visions Of Johanna (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp)
17. Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat

- Track 1 is from 11/23/61 Mackenzie Tapes
- Track 2 is from 01/62 Mackenzie Tapes
- Track 3 is from 10/29/61 Oscar Brand show, New York City, New York
- Tracks 4-5 are from 04/12/63 Mackenzie Tapes
- Tracks 6-7 are from 09/62 Mackenzie Tapes
- Track 8 is from 03/62 Witmark demo
- Track 9 is from 10/26/63 Carnegie Hall, New York City, New York
- Tracks 10-11 are from 06/09/64 Another Side sessions
- Track 12 is from 10/31/64 Philharmonic Hall, New York City, New York
- Track 13 is from 02/17/65 Les Crane Show, New York City, New York
- Track 14 is from Highway 61 outtake w/ Chambers Bros overdub
- Track 15 is from 09/03/65 Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California
- Track 16 is from 05/16/66 Sheffield, UK
- Track 17 is from 05/14/66 Liverpool, UK



Disc 8 ("A"): This disc opens with one of the best versions of Mr. Tambourine Man I've ever heard (it's often my favourite version), we then get some more basement tape songs (which I love): this disc showcases a lot of the more well-known songs and they're all superbly done, then the New Morning outtakes are the next thing that jump out at me: very well sung with great instrumentation - breathtakingly wonderful to listen to.

Disc 8:

1. Mr. Tambourine Man (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp)
2. This Wheel's On Fire
3. You Ain't Goin' Nowhere
4. I Shall Be Released
5. Too Much Of Nothing
6. You Ain't Goin' Nowhere
7. Folsom Prison Blues - written by Johnny Cash
8. Ring Of Fire (Bob? on harp) - written by June Carter and Merle Kilgore
9. Went To See The Gypsy
10. If Not For You
11. Sign On The Window
12. Knockin' On Heaven's Door (acoustic)
Sweet Amarillo (acoustic)
13. Nobody 'Cept You (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp)
14. Lily, Rosemary And The Jack Of Hearts (acoustic) (Bob on harp)
15. If You See Her, Say Hello (acoustic) (Bob on harp)
16. Simple Twist Of Fate (acoustic) (Bob on harp)
17. Oh, Sister (acoustic) (Bob on harp) (live debut? of this song from Desire)
18. Rita May

- Track 1 is from 05/16/66 Sheffield, UK
- Tracks 2-6 are from Basement Tapes 1967
- Tracks 7-8 are from 05/03/69 Self Portrait outtakes
- Tracks 9-11 are from spring 1970 New Morning outtakes
- Track 12 is from 02/73 Pat Garrett sessions
- Track 13 is from 01/11/74 Montreal, Quebec
- Tracks 14-15 are from 09/12/74 BOTT test pressing
- Tracks 16-17 are from 09/10/75 The World Of John Hammon, Chicago, Illinois
- Track 18 is from 07/14/75 Desire outtake



Disc 9 ("A"): This disc holds together extremely well. Highlights include A Couple More Years from Hearts Of Fire, The French Girl from rehearsals with The Grateful Dead, Anyway You Want Me and My Blue-Eyed Jane (both from '94 studio sessions, with the beautiful vocals of Emmylou Harris backing up Bob on the latter), Hard Times from Willie Nelson's birthday bash, and Restless Farewell. Actually, Restless Farewell is one of the most beautiful and well-performed songs that Bob's done around that time period: his phrasing is sublime and the instrumentation shows rehearsal to the point of (near-)perfection. What a great way to end a great set.

Disc 9:

1. Never Let Me Go (sung with Joan Baez) - written by Johnny Ace
2. Sign Language (sung with Eric Clapton) (Eric Clapton on electric guitar) (Robbie Robertson on electric guitar)
3. Ballad Of A Thin Man
4. Blowin' In The Wind
5. Blowin' In The Wind
6. Shot Of Love
7. Watered-Down Love
8. Tangled Up In Blue (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp)
9. A Couple More Years - written by Shel Silverstein and Dennis Locorriere
10. The French Girl - written by Ian Tyson & Sylvia Fricker
11. Series Of Dreams
12. Ring Them Bells (acoustic) (orchestra)
13. Handy Dandy
14. T.V. Talkin' Song
15. Anyway You Want Me - written by Schroeder and Owens
16. My Blue-Eyed Jane (sung with Emmylou Harris) - written by Jimmie Rodgers
17. Blind Willie McTell
18. Hard Times (acoustic) - written by Stephen C. Foster
19. Restless Farewell

- Track 1 is from 12/04/75 Renaldo And Clara EP, Montreal, Quebec
- Track 2 is from 03/76 Eric Clapton outtake
- Tracks 3-5 are from 01-02/78 Rundown rehearsals, Santa Monica, California
- Tracks 6-7 are from Shot Of Love outtakes
- Track 8 is from 06/19/84 Rome, Italy
- Track 9 is from 08/86 Hearts Of Fire
- Track 10 is from 04/87 Grateful Dead Rehearsals
- Track 11 is from 03/89 Oh Mercy outtake
- Track 12 is from 05/20/94 Great Music Experience, Nara, Japan
- Track 13 is from 01/06/90 UTRS outtake
- Track 14 is from 03/90 UTRS outtake
- Track 15 is from 09/10/94 or 09/30/94 Sony Studios, New York City, New York
- Track 16 is from 05/94 Ardent Studios, Memphis, Tennessee
- Track 17 is from 08/24/97 WolfTrap, Vienna, Virginia
- Track 18 is from 04/28/93 Big Six-O, Austin, Texas
- Track 19 is from 11/19/95 Sinatra Tribute, Los Angeles, California