Bob Dylan – The Bootleg Series Vol. 17: Fragments – Time Out of Mind Sessions Review

Another dive into a near-endless backlog provides some of the strongest deep cuts Bob Dylan has to offer. An incredibly dense package of recordings from the Time Out of Mind sessions. Key to the new mixes of the Time Out of Mind tracks themselves is their bluesy feel. That may be through how much more refined they are on these new mixes. Some minimal changes, those slight alterations and sharper edges give Time Out of Mind enough of a difference from the original mix. The Bootleg Series Vol 17: Time Out of Mind Sessions opens up with a considered reworking of those Time Out of Mind tracks, but the real meat on the bone is the outtakes and extra pieces.  

Live versions, outtakes and alternatives are all in good supply here. A generous offering to say the least. The Water is Wide marks the first non-album track, a Coles Corner-like piece that is marked by beautiful, leading guitar work that lingers close to the style and presence Richard Hawley showcased on Darlin’ Wait for Me. A hefty chunk of these tracks, from the likes of Red River Shore to Marchin’ to the City, has featured on Volume 8 of the bootleg tapes. These are welcome and different versions though; the crispness of Red River Shore is a beautiful beginning of these first versions. There are plenty of highlights wedged into that first version stretch – integral moments that showcase the kindling of a new musical identity, a reformation of a patchy preceding period. 

Can’t Wait (Version 1) is a crucial standout – as autobiographical as it gets for Dylan, wading through “the graveyard of my mind.” Cutting lyrics like that are given different, evocative life on the varying versions now available. Consistency is key to this piece – and there are few like Dylan, whose collection here has a nice pace to it. It all comes down to personal preference on which piece is the best, but Version 1 feels much more fluid and quality than Version 2. Maybe it is the fragility of it in that early state. Can’t Wait’s lyrics feel drowned out by the guitar work and rock-like tone on that second turn. It is the same for many of the other Version 2 tracks. That rough patch of Version 2 begins to grate, the solid consistencies paling by comparison. At least the live offerings are of tremendous quality.  

Those live tracks are solid – repetitive after hearing the likes of Love Sick so many times over – but this is a key example of how the Bootleg Series is to be listened to. All in one go is not the way forward, clearly. Those live versions inspire new life, though. Can’t Wait, once again, is a stellar standout, reliant on a beautiful guitar solo halfway through that Nashville, Tennessee performance. Make You Feel My Love from the Los Angeles performance is a clear highlight here, where the unity of vocal brilliance and crisp recording quality meet. Some of those recordings are less than stellar, forgiven because they give the range of desire and brilliance Dylan brings to the stage. Those that have seen the man himself on the stage and in the flesh know exactly what that feeling is. It is replicated well here.  

For the new mixes of Time Out of Mind tracks, there is a sharpness to them but it lacks the initial mystery and qualities of the initial release. The fundamental history that backs them is rubbed clean by slick production, but in its place is a powerful new mix. Cold Iron Bound sound much better, and stronger. It sounds louder and clearer, a good alternative, but there was no real need for a mix. There was a need however for the quality deep dives Time Out of Mind Sessions provides. An integral piece not just of the Bootleg Tapes but of Dylan’s discography, with the scope to change how listeners engage with Time Out of Mind in its original form.