Dylan's "Time" Again

Yesterday he announced release of package with outtakes, alternates and re-mix of his comeback "Time Out of Mind." Here's one, plus Bruce live, restored Stones video and our usual political cartoons.

As a Dylan fanatic since my high school years—when I first saw Bob live, with the future Band in Buffalo in 1965—I became well versed in the various peaks and valleys of his career in the following decades, not to mention wavering concert performances. A few down years, then Blood on the the Tracks. The “Christian” period, then Time Out of Mind in 1997. And more since then, from Sinatra covers to “Murder Most Foul.”

Now we have a new Dylan book and forthcoming addition to his long-running “official bootleg” series. The book, The Philosophy of Modern Song, is something of a disappointment and nowhere near as interesting as his much-lauded partial memoir Chronicles (which probably was crucial in winning his Nobel). It’s certainly engaging but I’d say more skimable than readable. Most of his takes on some 60 songs (of various quality and fame) come in two parts: an often tiresome review of the story told in the lyrics followed by a more incisive, sometimes profound, exploration of the writer/singer of the song and related context and influence—for example, nice little takes on Townes Van Zandt, Hank Williams and Jimmy Reed.

The upcoming “bootleg” release, titled Fragments, is a 5 CD package (or 2 CD of “highlights”) for his pivotal Time Out of Mind, with no Soy Bomb to detract from “Lovesick”—remember that Grammy night? It includes several songs that didn’t make the final cut and have not been released since. Interesting, since he often leaves some of his best songs on the cutting room floor (e.g. “Blind Willie McTell”). One song he cut, “Mississippi,” was quickly covered by Sheryl Crow and then turned up on Bob’s next lp, Love and Theft. It’s on the new release in three or four versions. There are also a bunch of recordings from his “neverending tour” that followed the album’s emergence.

Also included: a re-mix of the entire album with much of the brilliant touches added by producer Daniel Lanois removed. Probably a mistake. For background, see the lengthy section of Chronicles which describes the recording of his also generally fine Oh Mercy album with Lanois in New Orleans.

Here’s an amazing version of “Lovesick” they released yesterday to whet Bob fans’ seemingly unquenchable appetite.

And here’s their promo for the release:

Now, this morning, comes this email blast: “The Rolling Stones and ABKCO Music & Records Inc. have released the official music video for “2000 Light Years From Home.” Filmed and produced in 1967, the “promotional film” (as videos were referred to in the pre-MTV era) has been faithfully restored in 4K resolution.

Released in the US as a B-side to the single “She’s a Rainbow” and worldwide as part of the band’s experimental/psychedelic album Their Satanic Majesties Request in late 1967, “2000 Light Years From Home” was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards earlier in the year. Jagger reportedly penned the lyrics inside Prison Brixton while incarcerated from a drug bust.”

And here it is. I remember it well in its rougher state back in the druggy days of olde….

Finally, old pal Brucie closed out his Jimmy Fallon residency last night with swell cover of “Nightshift.” But always wished the original included Sam along with Marvin and Jackie.

Cartooning

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Greg Mitchell is the author of a dozen books, including the bestseller The Tunnels (on escapes under the Berlin Wall), the current The Beginning or the End (on MGM’s wild atomic bomb movie), and The Campaign of the Century (on Upton Sinclair’s left-wing race for governor of California), which was recently picked by the Wall St. Journal as one of five greatest books ever about an election. His new film, Atomic Cover-up, just had its world premiere and is drawing extraordinary acclaim. For nearly all of the 1970s he was the #2 editor at the legendary Crawdaddy. Later he served as longtime editor of Editor & Publisher magazine. He recently co-produced a film about Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.