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Tell Tale Signs: the Bootleg Series Vol. 8 | 
| Artist: Bob Dylan
Label: Sony BMG
Category: Music
List Price: $22.98
Buy New: $14.97
You Save: $8.01 (35%)
New (44) Used (13) from $7.41
Rating:  126 reviews
Sales Rank: 86
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 2
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 5.7 x 4.8 x 0.6
MPN: 735795
UPC: 886973579527
EAN: 0886973579527
ASIN: B001D06SEI
Release Date: October 7, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
Disc 1
| • | Mississippi 6:04 (Unreleased, Time Out of Mind) | | • | Most of the Time 3:46 (Alternate version, Oh Mercy) | | • | Dignity 2:09 (Piano demo, Oh Mercy) | | • | Someday Baby 5:56 (Alternate version, Modern Times) | | • | Red River Shore 7:36 (Unreleased, Time Out of Mind) | | • | Tell Ol' Bill 5:31 (Alternate version, North Country soundtrack) | | • | Born in Time 4:10 (Unreleased, Oh Mercy) | | • | Can't Wait 5:45 (Alternate version, Time Out of Mind) | | • | Everything is Broken 3:27 (Alternate version, Oh Mercy) | | • | Dreamin' of You 6:23 (Unreleased, Time Out Of Mind) | | • | Huck's Tune 4:09 (From Lucky You soundtrack) | | • | Marchin' to the City 6:36 (Unreleased, Time Out of Mind) | | • | High Water (For Charley Patton) 6:40 (Live, August 23, 2003, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada) |
Disc 2
| • | Mississippi 6:24 (Unreleased version #2, Time Out of Mind) | | • | 32-20 Blues 4:22 (Unreleased, World Gone Wrong) | | • | Series of Dreams 6:27 (Unreleased, Oh Mercy) | | • | God Knows 3:12 (Unreleased, Oh Mercy) | | • | Can't Escape from You 5:22 (Unreleased, December 2005) | | • | Dignity 5:25 (Unreleased, Oh Mercy) | | • | Ring Them Bells 4:59 (Live at The Supper Club, November 17, 1993, New York, NY) | | • | Cocaine Blues 5:30 (Live, August 24, 1997, Vienna, VA) | | • | Ain't Talkin' 6:13 (Alternate version, Modern Times) | | • | The Girl on the Greenbriar Shore 2:51 (Live, June 30, 1992,Dunkerque, France) | | • | Lonesome Day Blues 7:37 (Live, February 1, 2002, Sunrise, FL) | | • | Miss the Mississippi 3:20 (Unreleased, 1992) | | • | The Lonesome River 3:04 (With Ralph Stanley, from the album Clinch Mountain Country) | | • | 'Cross the Green Mountain 8:15 (From Gods and Generals Soundtrack) |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Bob Dylan's unpredictable nature has always kept his audience on their toes. Given his mood, a song performed on one day can seem like an entirely different composition on the next. On the two-CD Tell Tale Signs: The Bootleg Series Vol. 8--certainly one of the most riveting of the Minnesota bard's collections of unreleased recordings, studio demos, alternate takes, and live tracks--two versions of "Mississippi," which Dylan originally wrote for Time Out of Mind, bear that out. The first, where he is backed only by producer Daniel Lanois' poignant electric guitar, finds him wistful in his memories of Rosie. But by disc two, where he reprises the song with a whole band, his reading of the same lyric is dispassionate, as if he were recounting the experience of "the stranger that nobody sees," as he puts it. While the second rendition disappoints, the 27-song album, which covers material from 1989's Oh Mercy through 2006's Modern Times, offers a king's riches. In replacing the banjo with cranked-up electric guitars on a blistering live performance of "High Water (For Charley Patton)," he makes the song nearly an angry manifesto. (Another live song, "Ring Them Bells," thrills with the stunning raw power of his early performances, and renders the studio original utterly bland.) Not everything seems up to Dylan's remarkable standards (conjuring a black R & B voice for "Can't Escape From You," an homage to early rock and roll, seems off kilter and silly). But the breadth and scope of the material (from sneering and tender folk originals, to covers of Jimmie Rodgers and Robert Johnson blues, to a collaboration with bluegrass king Ralph Stanley, and side excursions into ragtime and waltz) reinforce his position as the premier songwriter of his generation. -– Alanna Nash
Album Description
2 CDs with 27 songs in a brilliant box with a 60 page booklet.
Album Description
Two CD set of 2008 release of Bob Dylan Vol. 8 Tell Tale Signs: The Bootleg series with rare and unleashed material from 1989 - 2006. A treasure-trove of 27 songs spanning two discs, Tell Tale Signs features previously unreleased recordings and alternate versions of tracks from sessions which generated some of Bob Dylan's most acclaimed and commercially successful albums from the last two decades, including Time Out Of Mind, 'Love And Theft', Modern Times and Oh Mercy.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 121 more reviews...
 Excellent later Dylan round-up October 7, 2008
Elliot Knapp (Seattle, Washington United States)
110 out of 113 found this review helpful
Thank goodness for the Bootleg Series; not only does it constantly present us with new ways of approaching our favorite Dylan songs and reveal his often fascinating creative process, it's also provided me with some of my very favorite Bob Dylan albums, which I return to again and again. This most recent installment rounds up unreleased, alternate, and live material from what can generally be called Dylan's "late" period--from 1989's Oh Mercy to his most recent studio album, 2006's Modern Times. When I first heard about this release, I was really excited. I've really enjoyed Dylan's more recent work; Oh Mercy is one of my favorite Dylan albums, and to me it really marks the beginning of his latest comeback in terms of quality, which has fortunately lasted until today. As always, Dylan's more prolific than the final studio releases would have you believe, and, as often happens, much of the material that ends up off the records is as good or better than the album cuts.
The collection opens with a stripped down acoustic take of "Mississippi," one of Love and Theft's most memorable tracks. It's a good choice as a lead-off--it's more buoyant and conversational than the official version, and sets the tone of intimacy and warmth that really permeates this entire collection. A lot of people can't stand Dylan's voice these days, but I really enjoy it--not only does it convey the sometimes world-weary tone of a lot of his later material, I think it's the perfect instrument for forcefully transmitting the tenderness and occasional anguish that also appears in his recent work (not to mention enhancing the live reinventions of his extensive back catalog). On many of the tracks here, his voice is also a tool for wringing dry humor and fun out of his ever-playful words. "Most of the Time" follows suit, sounding almost like a Blood On The Tracks outtake. "Dignity" is a priceless inclusion (we get two versions here with vastly different production)--after reading Dylan's extensive notes on this song in Chronicles, Vol 1, it's great to finally hear the song's stark and moving imagery.
Although these songs span nearly 20 years, it's remarkable how well they sit alongside each other--the compilation isn't sequenced chronologically, and it's all the stronger for it: in many ways, it plays like a brand new double album. Sure, the moody, murky Daniel Lanois production from Oh Mercy and Time Out of Mind is noticeable, but the spirit and vibe of many of the songs is cohesive throughout. It seems that many of the best songs on this set simply weren't included in their original albums because they just didn't fit with the rest of the songs or mood--"Red River Shore" is a bit too playful for Time Out of Mind, while the driving "Dreamin' of You" was probably too fast for the album's languid pace.
This collection highlights a number of Dylan's other strengths, including slow blues--"Marchin' to the City" and the second version of "Mississippi" are weighty examples of his inimitable skill with preventing slow blues from being boring. It also shows that Dylan is still sometimes best experienced live--"High Water" (probably my favorite Love and Theft track) from 2003 rocks almost crushingly, and "Ring Them Bells" is achingly poignant, supplemented by the sounds of an appreciative audience. In addition, this set reminds us of Dylan's power as an interpretive singer--"32-20 Blues," "Miss the Mississippi" and "The Girl on the Greenbriar Shore" communicate this with humanity, and also act as a nagging reminder that he put out two excellent folk standard albums in the mid-90's (Good as I Been to You and World Gone Wrong), which are still largely neglected. Finally, tracks like the moving "'Cross the Green Mountain" demonstrate that Dylan the songwriter STILL unquestionably has something big to say.
I could wax poetic about each and every one of these songs, but it's a long album and this review is already long enough! I'll only mention that, like all of the other Bootleg releases, this one has excellent photos (charting the rarely-seen late 80's Dylan and into his more recent Col. Sanders cowboy outfit days) and exhaustive prose liner notes, as well as track-by-track notation. Unfortunately, I can't comment on the "Deluxe" edition, since I don't have $100 to spend on one more disc of material (not much of a value, by the looks of things), though it would be nice to hear more of the same. Whereas the No Direction Home installment sometimes begged the question "Haven't I pretty much heard all of these songs before?", this installment ties together unheard material with very fresh-sounding versions of more familiar tunes, making it a more necessary addition to a collection. If nothing else, this set is a resounding reminder that, as he turns his songwriting eyes on his cavernous past and to the strange and uncharted present and future, Dylan is producing some of the strongest material of his career.
Priceless documentation of one of the finest songwriters ever to live... October 8, 2008
Storylover (Philadelphia, PA USA)
34 out of 35 found this review helpful
The bootleg series has, if nothing else, provided an amazing document of some of the interesting side-roads that Dylan has taken. Some of the discs have been transcendental, showcasing little known or difficult to find songs; others have been full of alternate versions that have not been that different from versions that we know. Volume 8 is a revelation, shining a light on a period of Dylan's output that is much misunderstood for reasons that have never been completely clear to me. The 80's are a hard period for many musicians as they are changing from the 60's and 70's song craft that made them famous in the classic rock and roll or folk mold towards a more technology savvy and friendly time period. At worst, this decade has foisted an unconscionable amount of bad drum machine tracks onto otherwise amazing artists. At best, it has pushed legends like Dylan to find something genuine and timely. The early years of the 80's (not covered by this disc) found him searching--spiritually, musically, stylistically. By the late 80's and into the 90's, Dylan had reclaimed his visionary status.
This disk is an essential companion to some of his most listenable albums of his career. The opening track, Mississippi is an unreleased track from the Time Out of Mind album. For those who were agog at Daniel Lanois ability to coax more Bob out of Bob, this will be continued vindication of that period. Red River Shore, also from the same sessions is possessed of a languid beauty, and a raw power that is palpable.
In general, the rest of the tracks on this album are of similar quality--genuinely revelatory takes on pieces that you may have heard before in bootleg format or perhaps live, but always something new. Bob's gravelly baritone is shown in all its rough glory, and the production value on the tracks is generally high. The live tracks are, in my opinion, equally good, and show some of the live music spark that makes a Dylan show something special.
Probably none of this is revelation to you, if you are reading this. You probably already love Dylan, and are probably chomping at the proverbial bit to get this disc. You won't be sad that you did. For those of you who don't know much about Dylan, there are a lot worse places to get your feet wet than here. Sure, it isn't one of his albums, and therefore won't give you that sense of togetherness that his best vinyl collections give you, but the songs are uniformly strong. If you find yourself enjoying these songs, you've got some realy treasures yet to explore. Overall, it was all that I had hoped for from this much anticipated release, and I'm certain that Dylan fans will generally rank this among the most indispensable of his bootleg releases.
 Indeed a ripoff... October 8, 2008
C. Williamson (USA)
32 out of 42 found this review helpful
The price on this set is simply unconscionable, even with Amazon's heavy discount. The one good thing about it is that now there will be even more Dylan bootlegs...of the third disc...
RIP-OFF October 7, 2008
T. Sheridan (Chicago, IL United States)
27 out of 36 found this review helpful
The music may be great, but it is unconscionable that they would charge this much for a deluxe set with so little extra to offer.
the music and packaging is 5 star..the price=no star October 8, 2008
W. brown
17 out of 21 found this review helpful
yes..the price is a disgrace..what on earth sony are thinking is mind boggling..what is worse is there is a single disc version just to confuse everyone...why on earth sony didnt release this 3 disc version as the only version and retail it for 40 to 60 dollars is pathetic..HOWEVER,im sure its just as silly to give it a one star reveiw just because of the price..and have those who have canned this actually heard and seen it?? because the third disc is definetley 4 or 5 star...Marching to the city..why was this left of any album???, its a shuffling sleazy boogie number that should be heard and and and man the version of 'trying to get to heaven" is AWESOME..BEAUTIFUL..SENSATIONAL...as is the rest of the disc..and the lavish books have beautiful thick covers and lovely quality paper and printing...so please folks lets not let the price distract you as this is a truly awseome release..the packaging is beautiful and the music..well..its just wonderful..mississsipi..someday baby.an awesome slow haunting,much diferent CANT WAIT.and one of bobs greatest ever songs cross the green mountain...essential....
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