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

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The Bootleg Series Vol. 8 – Tell Tale Signs: Rare and Unreleased 1989–2006
Compilation album by Bob Dylan
Released October 6, 2008
Recorded 1989–2006
Genre Rock, folk, folk rock, country rock, blues
Length 137:07
Label Columbia Records
Professional reviews
Bob Dylan chronology
Dylan
(2007)		 The Bootleg Series Vol. 8 – Tell Tale Signs: Rare and Unreleased 1989-2006
(2008)		 Together Through Life
(2009)

The Bootleg Series Vol. 8 – Tell Tale Signs: Rare and Unreleased 1989–2006 is a compilation album by singer-songwriter Bob Dylan and is the most recent installment of his official "bootleg series" of rare and unissued recordings.[1] It was originally released as a double, and (limited edition) triple album. It was later released as a single album, comprised of disc one of the double set. The three-disc version of Tell Tale Signs includes a 150-page book, and some editions include a 7" vinyl single with two tracks from the set.

The album spans the recording sessions for Oh Mercy, World Gone Wrong, Time Out of Mind, and Modern Times as well as a number of soundtrack contributions and previously unreleased live tracks from 1989 through 2006.[2] The collection also includes a track from an abandoned album Dylan had started to record with David Bromberg in 1992, and Dylan's duet with Ralph Stanley, 'The Lonesome River'. Although Under the Red Sky, Good as I Been to You and Love and Theft were all recorded during this time period, no tracks from these sessions are included on Tell Tale Signs. An alternate version of "Series of Dreams" was included on Vol. 3 of the Bootleg Series. "Dreamin' Of You", an outtake from the Time Out of Mind sessions, was offered for free download on Bob Dylan's site and was also sent to radio stations as a promotional single. In its first week it opened with #6 on the Billboard 200, selling over 600,000 copies to date and becoming Dylan's 17th album to open in the top 10.

In the first week of October 2008, the entire album was made available in a free streaming format on National Public Radio's official website.[3] CBS's announcement that the two-CD set would sell for $18.99 and the three-CD version for $129.99 drew charges of "rip-off pricing" from Dylan biographer Michael Gray and other critics.[4][5][6]

Contents

[edit] Track listing

All songs written by Bob Dylan except as indicated.

[edit] Disc one

  1. "Mississippi" – 6:04 (Unreleased, Time Out of Mind)
  2. "Most of the Time" – 3:46 (Alternate version, Oh Mercy)
  3. "Dignity" – 2:09 (Piano demo, Oh Mercy)
  4. "Someday Baby" – 5:56 (Alternate version, Modern Times)
  5. "Red River Shore" – 7:36 (Unreleased, Time Out of Mind)
  6. "Tell Ol' Bill" – 5:31 (Alternate version of song released on North Country soundtrack)
  7. "Born in Time" – 4:10 (Unreleased, Oh Mercy)
  8. "Can't Wait" – 5:45 (Alternate version, Time Out of Mind)
  9. "Everything Is Broken" – 3:27 (Alternate version, Oh Mercy)
  10. "Dreamin' of You" – 6:23 (Unreleased, Time Out Of Mind)
  11. "Huck's Tune" – 4:09 (From Lucky You soundtrack)
  12. "Marchin' to the City" – 6:36 (Unreleased, Time Out of Mind)
  13. "High Water (For Charley Patton)" – 6:40 (Live, August 23, 2003, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada)

[edit] Disc two

  1. "Mississippi" – 6:24 (Alternate version #2, Time Out of Mind)
  2. "32-20 Blues" – 4:22 (Robert Johnson) (Unreleased, World Gone Wrong)
  3. "Series of Dreams" – 6:27 (Unreleased, Oh Mercy)
  4. "God Knows" – 3:12 (Unreleased, Oh Mercy)
  5. "Can't Escape from You" – 5:22 (Unreleased, December 2005 recording)
  6. "Dignity" – 5:25 (Unreleased, Oh Mercy)
  7. "Ring Them Bells" – 4:59 (Live at The Supper Club, November 17, 1993, New York, NY)
  8. "Cocaine Blues" – 5:30 (Live, August 24, 1997, Vienna, VA)
  9. "Ain't Talkin'" – 6:13 (Alternate version, Modern Times)
  10. "The Girl on the Greenbriar Shore" – 2:51 (Live, June 30, 1992, Dunkerque, France)
  11. "Lonesome Day Blues" – 7:37 (Live, February 1, 2002, Sunrise, FL)
  12. "Miss the Mississippi" – 3:20 (Unreleased, 1992)
  13. "The Lonesome River" – 3:04 (with Ralph Stanley, from the album Clinch Mountain Country)
  14. "'Cross the Green Mountain" – 8:15 (from Gods and Generals Soundtrack)

[edit] Deluxe Edition

The official Bob Dylan website offered a deluxe edition of the album, including a 150-page book and a bonus disc of tracks on top of the regular edition. Fans who pre-ordered the deluxe set directly from Bob Dylan's website also received an exclusive 7" vinyl. The first 5000 customers were also given a Theme Time Radio Hour poster.[7]

Bonus disc
  1. "Duncan & Brady" – 3:47 (Unreleased, 1992)
  2. "Cold Irons Bound" – 5:57 (Live at Bonnaroo, 2004)
  3. "Mississippi" – 6:24 (Alternate version #3, Time Out of Mind)
  4. "Most of the Time" – 5:10 (Alternate version #2, Oh Mercy)
  5. "Ring Them Bells" – 3:18 (Alternate version, Oh Mercy)
  6. "Things Have Changed" – 5:32 (Live, June 15, 2000, Portland, OR)
  7. "Red River Shore" – 7:08 (Unreleased version #2, Time Out of Mind)
  8. "Born in Time" – 4:19 (Unreleased version #2, Oh Mercy)
  9. "Tryin' to Get to Heaven" – 5:10 (Live, October 5, 2000, London, England)
  10. "Marchin' to the City" – 3:39 (Unreleased version #2, Time Out of Mind)
  11. "Can't Wait" – 7:24 (Alternate version #2, Time Out of Mind)
  12. "Mary and the Soldier" – 4:23 (Unreleased, World Gone Wrong)
7" vinyl
  1. "Dreamin' of You" – 3:34 (Single Edit) (Unreleased, Time Out Of Mind)
  2. "Ring Them Bells" – 3:18 (Alternate version, Oh Mercy)

[edit] Reception

Tell Tale Signs currently maintains a 86% positive ("Universal acclaim") rating at MetaCritic.[8] It was also named the second best album of 2008 by Rolling Stone magazine.[9]

[edit] Deluxe 4-LP vinyl edition

The release of the 4 LP vinyl deluxe edition caused a controversy among some longtime fans. Unusual for today's standards, Sony Columbia provided Sterling Sound in New York with the same low-resolution 44.1Khz/16bit digital files used for mastering the CD editions. The vinyl deluxe edition was produced from these files.

The tracks on the compilation were taken from a variety of recording sessions in disparate locations. The original sources ranged from high quality Analog tape to high-resolution (192Khz/24bit, 96KHz/24bit & 88.1Khz/16bit) to low resolution CD standard (44.1Khz/16bit) digital. The uniform use of the low resolution files resulted in arguably the worst sounding Bob Dylan vinyl release in over 10 years. To many fans, the sound on the Bootleg Series Vol. 8 is markedly inferior to its predecessor, Modern Times. The degradation in sound quality is most clearly evident when comparing the Modern Times sessions outtake tracks with those in the vinyl release.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Cohen, Jonathan (2008-07-29). "Bob Dylan Unveils Triple-Disc Rarities Set". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003832582. Retrieved 2008-07-29. 
  2. ^ http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-07/30/content_8847580.htm
  3. ^ NPR.com article: Exclusive Preview: Bob Dylan's 'Tell Tale Signs'.
  4. ^ Gray expressed his opinion in his Bob Dylan Encyclopedia blog "Tell Tale Signs Pt. 3, Money Doesn't Talk...". Bob Dylan Encyclopedia blog. 2008-08-14. http://bobdylanencyclopedia.blogspot.com/2008/08/tell-tale-signs-pt-3-money-doesnt-talk.html. Retrieved 2008-09-06. 
  5. ^ Cairns, Dan (2008-10-05). "Tell Tale Signs". The Sunday Times. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/cd_reviews/article4859960.ece. Retrieved 2008-10-06. 
  6. ^ http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=a9t7PqntX8Tc&refer=home
  7. ^ "Skyroo.com: Bob Dylan — The Bootleg Series No. 8 – Official SONY BMG Pre-Order Store". http://bobdylan.skyroo.com/se/view/music/index.html. Retrieved 2008-07-30. 
  8. ^ MetaCritic page for Tell Tale Signs.
  9. ^ Best Albums of 08 [1].

[edit] External links

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Bob Dylan
Studio albums
Live albums
Compilations
The Bootleg Series
Concerts & Tours
Films
Writings
Related articles
WikiProject Bob Dylan
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