Bob Dylan – Biograph Review

Official compilations are too testy and safe. Even for Bob Dylan the efforts to compartmentalise his glory days in a neat package hold no surprises. Sure, a few punches are thrown and the odd left-field choice makes its way through, but for much of Biograph, the lack of an expected timeline for this collection of songs is baffling. Why bother calling it a biographical collection of his works, implying there is something to chart in the rise and rise of a folk musician, if it begins with Nashville Skyline cut Lay, Lady, Lay? There is a fine line between gunning for interest and the harsh facts of what are the relevant songs from Dylan. Snubbing Self Portrait and Desire, leaving out Infidels yet focusing on Shot of Love are some of the many baffling choices in this comprehensive, waning guide. 

Tremendous it is to hear some unreleased bits and pieces added to this selection, Biograph comes across as annoying more than anything. The format, copyright issues and rereleases from this piece are all part of the struggle which comes from piecing together the best bits. But this release feels more welcoming of retrospective taste than anything else – it releasing at a time of musical wilderness for Dylan makes sense. Tucked away between two of his lowest moments, Empire Burlesque and the frustratingly awful Knocked Out Loaded is a hefty reminder of his glory days. Whether it did more damage than good at the time is anyone’s guess, but it does give a nod to the chasm of difference, the Dylan of the time and the man found in these deep cuts and live recordings. 

Pieces like I’ll Keep It with Mine would later be pieced together on the wonderful Side Tracks though their inclusion here marks a first taste. If anything, Biograph can be credited for kindling an interest in the deeper cuts. It does what The Bootleg Series: Volume 1 to 3 also did, providing a new light on the songs which were not meant for public consumption. But demand is high and at the time Dylan provided low after low, and such is the life of the compilation record. For all which Biograph can be slated for, it was the tipping point for the release of all this fantastic extra material. Some are essential, the necessary Percy’s Song allows the burdens of the mind to float away, its soft composure so warming in times of struggle.  

The fine line of complaints rears its ugly head once more. What is included is a fascinating bunch of deep cuts and classics which try too hard to reinvent Dylan at a time when his career needed a push. But on the other hand, this is the spurring of a rich avenue and source of unearthed work. Visions of Johanna are there but in its acoustic, stripped-back Royal Albert Hall performance rather than the upbeat multitudes of its studio version. Biograph is essential in what it has done for bootleg hunters but a strange pocket of other intents lingers, the sense of reminding people of the glory days while dumping a few at-the-time newer tracks in there to stink up the package.