The Bootleg Series Vol. 10: Another Self Portrait (1969–1971)

The Bootleg Series Vol. 10: Another Self Portrait (1969–1971)
A simple and kinetic drawing of a man's face
Compilation album by Bob Dylan
Released August 27, 2013 (2013-08-27)
Recorded February 13, 1969 – March 19, 1971 at Columbia Recording Studios in New York City
Genre Folk, rock, country
Length 113:27
Label Columbia
Producer Bob Johnston
Bob Dylan chronology
The 50th Anniversary Collection
(2012)		 The Bootleg Series Vol. 10: Another Self Portrait (1969–1971)
(2013)		 The Complete Album Collection Vol. One
(2013)
Bob Dylan Bootleg Series chronology
The Bootleg Series Vol. 9: The Witmark Demos: 1962–1964
(2010)		 The Bootleg Series Vol. 10: Another Self Portrait (1969–1971)
(2013)		 The Bootleg Series Vol. 11: The Basement Tapes Complete
(2014)

The Bootleg Series Vol. 10: Another Self Portrait (1969–1971) is an album of unreleased recordings, demo recordings, alternative takes mostly from Bob Dylan's 1970 albums Self Portrait and New Morning, and a couple of live tracks from the Isle of Wight Festival (31 August 1969), released on August 27, 2013. It is part of the series of official "bootleg" recordings issued by Columbia Records.[1][2][3][4]

The cover is new artwork by Bob Dylan. The liner notes have been written by Greil Marcus, who wrote the original Self Portrait review for Rolling Stone that infamously asked, "What is this shit?". Also included is an extensive essay from journalist Michael Simmons. The set also contains rare photographs of that era from John Cohen and Al Clayton.[1][5][6]

Background

The Bootleg Series Vol. 10 – Another Self Portrait (1969–1971) "reveals fresh aspects of Dylan's vocal genius as he reimagines traditional and contemporary folk music as well as songs of his own. Across these unvarnished performances, Dylan is the country singer from Nashville Skyline ("Country Pie" and "I Threw It All Away"), an interpreter of traditional folk ("Little Sadie," "Pretty Saro") who's right at home singing the songs of his contemporaries (Tom Paxton's "Annie's Gonna Sing Her Song" and Eric Andersen's "Thirsty Boots") before returning to writing and singing his own new music ("Went to See the Gypsy," "Sign on the Window")".[1]

Promotion

The first songs released from The Bootleg Series Vol. 10 – Another Self Portrait (1969–1971) were an unreleased demo of "Wigwam" backed with a previously unreleased recording of "Thirsty Boots" on 7" vinyl for Record Store Day 2013.[7] On August 8, 2013, a video for the song "Pretty Saro," a traditional English ballad, was released. The video featured photos taken from the Farm Security Administration archive at the Library of Congress.[8] A week later, the song was released as a download single.[9]

Editions

The Bootleg Series Vol. 10: Another Self Portrait (1969–1971) is available in a standard two-disc configuration as well as in a four-disc deluxe boxed set which includes, for the first time, the complete historic performance by Bob Dylan and the Band from the Isle of Wight Festival on Sunday, August 31, 1969 (though incorrectly dated August 30, 1969 in the album notes accompanying the set). Housed in a slipcase, the deluxe edition includes a newly remastered version of the 1970 Self Portrait album, in its entirety with original sequencing, in addition to two hardcover books featuring revisionist liner notes penned by Greil Marcus (author of the notorious "What is this shit?" 1970 Self Portrait review in Rolling Stone). A vinyl version of The Bootleg Series Vol. 10: Another Self Portrait (1969–1971) includes the album's 35 tracks on three LPs plus a 12" × 12" booklet.[10][11]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic81/100 [12]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic [13]
American Songwriter [14]
Consequence of Sound [15]
Guitar WorldPositive [16]
Pitchfork Media8.7/10 [17]
Rolling Stone [18]

In his review for AllMusic, Thom Jurek gave the album four out of five stars, calling it "an indispensable addition to the catalog".[13] While he believes that Dylan made the right choices on the original New Morning album, these outtakes and alternate takes are still interesting.[13]

In his review for American Songwriter, Jim Beviglia gave the album four out of five stars.[14] Beviglia wrote:

What this collection attempts to do is rectify the errors, in production and song selection, made when the albums were first released. In the case of Self Portrait, overdubs added after the fact in '70 have been eliminated, removing the filter between the listener and Dylan's raw, affecting performances of "Copper Kettle" and "Days Of '49."[14]

In his review on the Consequence of Sound website, Mike Madden gave the album three and a half out of five stars, writing that Another Self Portrait is "highlighted by songs we've heard before but presented here in different versions, such as the cozy lament 'I Threw It All Away'".[15] Despite some "bottom-of-the-barrel" material, Madden noted the "pleasing discoveries" presented on the album:[15]

'I contemplated every move, or at least I tried,' Dylan sings on 'Went to See the Gypsy'. Elsewhere, Another Self Portrait indicates that while he had trouble with his writing mechanics around this time, it wasn't for lack of trying. 'Sign on the Window' is home to orchestral arrangements that could have been on George Harrison's All Things Must Pass, while Abbey Road dynamics power the second alternate version of 'Time Passes Slowly'. These, as well as the rockabilly of 'Working on a Guru' and the Nashville classicism of 'Tattle O'Day', are moderate successes, but they reveal that Dylan did in fact have the motivation to flesh out new directions for himself during these years. Let's be grateful that this set exists, if only because it begins to clears up a mythical period of the now 72-year-old Dylan’s frequently inscrutable oeuvre.

In his review in Guitar World, Jeff Slate wrote that the "thing about being a fan of Bob Dylan is that the discovery of his greatness is never-ending".[16] The reviewer for Slate observed, "Dylan sounds great, the songs and performances are peerless, and though stylistically Another Self Portrait is a bit all over the place (owing mostly to the fact that the sessions the material is culled from spans three years) it also is remarkably coherent."[16] The Slate reviewer concluded that "the thing that struck me in reflecting on this entry in the series and the nine volumes that came before it—not to mention Dylan's official studio output—was the consistency of Dylan's output. It's all great. Seriously."[16]

In his review for Rolling Stone magazine, David Fricke gave the album four and a half out of five stars, calling it "one of the most important, coherent and fulfilling Bob Dylan albums ever released".[18] Fricke found the performances to be "immediate and invigorating", with Dylan delivering "virile singing".[18] Fricke continued:

Despite the vintage, or maybe because it's all been hidden for so long, everything here feels like new music, busy being born and put to tape with crisp impatience. 'Let's just take this one,' Dylan says before a take of the traditional ballad "Little Sadie," one of 17 raw, magnetic tracks from a single three-day sprint with guitarist David Bromberg and pianist Al Kooper in March 1970. Dylan was, in fact, on the verge of a crossroads: the widely scorned double LP Self Portrait, issued three months later. He sounds eager to get there. That album is still tough going: a frank, confrontational likeness of the artist at 29 and loose ends, crooning folk tunes, pure corn and odd, plaintive originals, mostly through thick Nashville syrup. There may be no better description of Dylan at the close of his first, whirlwind decade, exhausted and uncertain of his way into the next, than Self Portrait's opening mantra, sung in his place by a group of country-gospel angels: "All the tired horses in the sun/How'm I supposed to get any ridin' done?"[18]

Fricke believed that Self Portrait and New Morning were part of a "long, connected act of self-examination and re-ignition".[18] This latest addition to the Bootleg series highlights "Dylan's breadth of drive at a time when many thought he had no direction forward".[18]

Track listing

All songs written by Bob Dylan except where noted; traditional songs arranged by Dylan.

Disc 1
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Went to See the Gypsy" (demo, New Morning, 3/3/70)  3:01
2. "Little Sadie" (without overdubs, Self Portrait, 3/3/70)Traditional 2:02
3. "Pretty Saro" (unreleased, Self Portrait, 3/3/70)Traditional 2:16
4. "Alberta #3" (alternate version, Self Portrait, 3/5/70)Traditional 2:37
5. "Spanish is the Loving Tongue" (unreleased, Self Portrait, 6/2/70)Charles Badger Clark 3:51
6. "Annie's Going to Sing Her Song" (unreleased, Self Portrait, 3/4/70)Tom Paxton 2:22
7. "Time Passes Slowly #1" (alternate version, New Morning, 5/1/70)  2:18
8. "Only a Hobo" (unreleased, Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II, 9/1/71)  3:25
9. "Minstrel Boy" (unreleased, The Basement Tapes, c. 1967)  1:39
10. "I Threw It All Away" (alternate version, Nashville Skyline, 2/16/69)  2:25
11. "Railroad Bill" (unreleased, Self Portrait, 3/4/70)Traditional 2:44
12. "Thirsty Boots" (unreleased, Self Portrait, 3/4/70)Eric Andersen 4:06
13. "This Evening So Soon" (unreleased, Self Portrait, 3/4/70)Traditional 4:49
14. "These Hands" (unreleased, Self Portrait, 3/3/70)Eddie Noack 3:43
15. "In Search of Little Sadie" (without overdubs, Self Portrait, 3/4/70)Traditional 2:26
16. "House Carpenter" (unreleased, Self Portrait, 3/4/70)Traditional 5:59
17. "All the Tired Horses" (without overdubs, Self Portrait, 3/5/70)  1:15
Total length:
 51:15
Disc 2
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "If Not for You" (alternate version, New Morning, 6/2/70)  2:29
2. "Wallflower" (alternate version, 11/4/71)  2:18
3. "Wigwam" (without overdubs, Self Portrait, 3/4/70)  3:10
4. "Days of '49" (without overdubs, Self Portrait, 3/4/70)Traditional 5:13
5. "Working on a Guru" (unreleased, New Morning, 5/1/70)  3:43
6. "Country Pie" (alternate version, Nashville Skyline, 2/14/69)  1:27
7. "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" (Live at the Isle of Wight Festival, 8/31/69)  3:31
8. "Highway 61 Revisited" (Live at the Isle of Wight Festival, 8/31/69)  3:39
9. "Copper Kettle" (without overdubs, Self Portrait, 3/3/70)Albert Frank Beddoe 3:35
10. "Bring Me a Little Water" (unreleased, New Morning, 6/4/70)Traditional 3:58
11. "Sign on the Window" (with orchestral overdubs, New Morning, 6/5/70)  3:51
12. "Tattle O'Day" (unreleased, Self Portrait, 3/4/70)Traditional 3:49
13. "If Dogs Run Free" (alternate version, New Morning, 6/5/70)  4:10
14. "New Morning" (with horn section overdubs, New Morning, 6/4/70)  4:04
15. "Went to See the Gypsy" (alternate version, New Morning, 6/5/70)  3:33
16. "Belle Isle" (without overdubs, Self Portrait, 3/3/70)Traditional 2:35
17. "Time Passes Slowly #2" (alternate version #2, New Morning, 6/2/70)  3:02
18. "When I Paint My Masterpiece" (demo version, 3/19/71)  3:53
Total length:
 62:12

Charts

Standard Edition

Chart (2013) Peak
Austrian Album Charts[19] 5
Australian Album Charts[19] 10
Belgian Album Charts[19] 2
Danish Album Charts[19] 2
Dutch Album Charts[19] 2
German Album Charts[19] 2
Finnish Album Charts[19] 22
French Album Charts[19] 41
Irish Albums Chart[19] 5
New Zealand Album Chart[19] 16
Norwegian Album Chart[19] 3
Spanish Album Charts[19] 10
Swedish Album Charts[19] 1
Swiss Album Charts[19] 6
UK Albums Chart[19] 5
US Billboard 200[19] 21
World Albums Chart[19] 7

Deluxe Edition

Chart (2013) Peak
US Billboard 200[19] 60

Credits

Music
Production
  • Bob Johnston – producer
  • Al Kooper – horn arrangements, mixing, producer, string arrangements
  • Bob Dylan – arranger, cover art
  • Steve Addabbo – mixing
  • Steve Berkowitz – mixing
  • Greg Calbi – mastering
  • Charles Calello – horn arrangements, string arrangements
  • Matt Cavaluzzo – tape transfer
  • Josh Cheuse – photography
  • Al Clayton – photography
  • John Cohen – photography
  • Arie De Reus – photo courtesy, research
  • Geoff Gans – art direction, design
  • Callie Gladman – production collaborator
  • Patrice Habans – photography
  • April Hayes – production collaborator
  • Magne Karlstad – research
  • Glenn Korman – research
  • Elliot Landy – photography
  • Diane Lapsonv – production collaborator
  • Bryan Lasley – design
  • Greg Linn – product manager
  • Greil Marcus – liner notes
  • Paris Match – photography
  • David Redfern – photography
  • Dave Roberts – mixing
  • Jeff Rosen – compiled
  • Oddbjorn Saltnes – research
  • Will Schwartz – production collaborator
  • Michael Simmons – liner notes
  • Debbie Sweeney – production collaborator

References

  1. 1 2 3 "The Bootleg Series Vol. 10: Another Self Portrait (1969-1971)". Bob Dylan. 16 July 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
  2. ↑ "Bob Dylan Revisits 'Self Portrait' on Next Edition of Bootleg Series". Rolling Stone. 16 July 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
  3. ↑ "Latest in Bob Dylan’s Bootleg Series, ‘Another Self Portrait,’ Coming in August". The New York Times. 16 July 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
  4. ↑ "Bob Dylan Mines Self Portrait For New Bootleg Series". American Songwriter. 16 July 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
  5. ↑ "Bob Dylan's The Bootleg Series, Vol. 10 Another Self Portrait (1969 - 1971) Out August 26th 2013". Contact Music. 16 July 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
  6. ↑ "Bob Dylan’s Maligned ‘Self Portrait’ Album Gets Reissued". Ultimate Classic Rock. 16 July 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
  7. ↑ "WIGWAM single to be released for Record Store Day". bobdylan.com. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  8. ↑ ""Watch "Pretty Saro" Video from "Another Self Portrait"". bobdylan.com. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  9. ↑ "Pretty Saro (Self Portrait) - Single". iTunes. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  10. ↑ "BOB DYLAN'S THE BOOTLEG SERIES, VOL. 10 Press Release" (PDF). Bob Dylan Isis & Columbia Records. 16 July 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
  11. ↑ "Bob Dylan to release 'Another Self Portrait' with Isle of Wight gig". Digital Spy. 16 July 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
  12. ↑ "Another Self Portrait 1969-1971: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 10 Reviews". Metacritic.com. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  13. 1 2 3 Jurek, Thom. "Another Self Portrait". AllMusic. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
  14. 1 2 3 Beviglia, Jim (August 14, 2013). "Bob Dylan: Another Self Portrait (1969-1971) The Bootleg Series Vol. 10". American Songwriter. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
  15. 1 2 3 Madden, Mike (August 29, 2013). "Album Review: Bob Dylan – The Bootleg Series Vol. 10 – Another Self Portrait (1969-1971)". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
  16. 1 2 3 4 Slate, Jeff (September 2, 2013). "Album Review: Bob Dylan — 'Another Self Portrait (1969-1971), The Bootleg Series Vol. 10'". Guitar World. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
  17. ↑ http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/18402-bob-dylan-bootleg-series-vol-10-another-self-portrait-1969-1971/
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Frick, David (August 14, 2013). "Bob Dylan: Another Self Portrait (1969-1971): The Bootleg Series Vol. 10". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 "Bob Dylan: Another Self Portrait". aCharts. Retrieved September 10, 2013.

External links

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