Bob Dylan – The Bootleg Series Vol. 15: Travelin’ Thru Review

Did Bob Dylan tire of his voice? Or did he require a vocal change of pace? Was it the cigarettes? Creative discussions which bubbled away in the heart? Nothing proven just yet. All listeners can know is it sounds excellent. More of the Nashville Skyline style is what was needed and here it is, plenty of it to go around on this Bootleg Series entry, Travelin’ Thru. These pieces of good fortune set off strong enough with covers of the earlier works and soon trickle into The Johnny Cash Show and the turn of interesting artistic favour which Dylan was saddled with at the turn of the 1970s. These are the early pieces, the scorch marks of a booming new style for the man who captured the hearts and heads of a whole generation. Listening back, it is clear to see how it happened, and why it still does.  

Travelin’ Thru is an exceptional companion piece for listening to the later stages of the 1960s Dylan productions. Lending an ear to the first take of To Be Alone with You is a revolutionary moment for those who need something to turn their reflections inward and their hearts upside down. Lay, Lady, Lay is a sincerely perfect follow-up – a double bill of brilliance which leaves later room for Dylan covers of Johnny Cash songs. Hearing Ring of Fire from Dylan is an overwhelming surprise – one of many moments which fits in so well here as he rattles off the likes of Tell Me That It Isn’t True. These John Wesley Harding and Nashville Skyline sessions are impressive spins on songs which are just short of true classics for some, though for others, especially those having just listened to Travelin’ Thru, are primed and ready for reassessment. While it could be easy to cast aside this period as transitional and playful, the brilliance of Country Pie and Big River, the takes found within Travelin’ Thru, are far from it. 

Dylan takes himself as seriously as he usually does, vocal changes be damned. Take a listen closer to those Cash and Dylan collaborations. Despite this being a Dylan bootleg, the tone these tracks take is immediately identifiable with the usual Cash instrumentals. Although Dylan takes the lead on the likes of I Still Miss Someone, this is very much a Cash lead. Those chugging rhythms and slaps which bring his style to the forefront are a neat piece and it lingers on through the likes of Girl from the North Country and Wanted Man. With an Earl Scruggs collaboration towards the end of this one for good measure, it is no surprise Travelin’ Thru still holds a soft spot.  

Rightly so. It is a hell of an addition to the Bootleg Series – another collection of tracks where, had they not been re-recorded, whittled at and changed up to fit the times, could stand tall with the best of the Dylan discography. Such is the quality of a man whose vault of works is overflowing, the tide of which is now flowing over and over, much to the delight of those listening in. Ring of Fire and All Along the Watchtower (Take 3) are incredible efforts and two of the seemingly endless supply of great quality found in this collection of deep cuts and Johnny Cash collaborations.