Abandoned Treasures.

The fact that this is the eighth in a series of double album releases that chronicle Bob Dylan’s out-takes is testament to his legend.  As the liner notes state “To mere mortals in the music business, eight records is a career. A long one.” Tell Tale Signs: The Bootleg Series Volume 8 features rare and unreleased recordings from 1989 to 2006, the indian summer of his long and illustrious career. The album Time Out of Mind, won the Grammy for best album of the year and its sessions have the most songs on this release. 

The other album most represented is Oh Mercy, the true beginning of his renaissance. In his recent memoir, Chronicles, Dylan recounts those sessions in detail and it’s clear he considers it a turning point. The two versions of “Dignity” (one gospel and the other rockabilly) typify his schizophrenic experimentation with arrangements. Another song, “Mississippi” has two completely different takes (three if you buy the deluxe box set version of the album) and all are superior to the version that appeared on Love and Theft. There are two lost gems from the Time Out of Mind sessions, “Red River Shore” and “Dreaming of You” that any other artist would be crazy to leave on the cutting room floor.  

Songs from movie soundtracks, live performances and scrapped album’s sessions provide a look into Dylan’s mindset during the past twenty years. None more telling than when, at the end of a stellar version of the previously unreleased  “Marchin’ to the City”, he doubtfully remarks “I don’t know…” Before the song even ended he was already thinking of other options.

 Listen for songs from the album Tell Tale Signs: The Bootleg Series Volume 8 by Bob Dylan all this week on Paul Shugrue’s new music show “Out of the Box” on Hampton Roads public radio 89.5 WHRV Mon. through Thurs. from 7 to 9 p.m., Sat. afternoon from 1 to 5 p.m. and on-demand at www.whrv.org/outofthebox.