Bob Dylan – Wicked Messenger Review

Hardened bootleg listeners looking for a change of pace from the usual unofficial Bob Dylan compilations should look no further than Wicked Messenger. Uninterested in his hits and still taking up new ideas and inspirations for deep cuts and darker periods of his career, Dylan turns to keyboards and new guitarists for his 2003 tour. This collection highlights the desire to keep spurning new ideas through classic tracks. Endless covers of Every Grain of Sand and Tangled Up in Blue are out there – from this year and before – but they hold a new and responsible premise for Dylan here. There is an unwieldy and almost volatile energy to these performances. It comes from those clanging, almost industrial-like tones on opener Cold Irons Bound. There is a feeling of distance between audience and artist, like always, but those crushing instrumentals add a new texture to the shadowy figure Dylan is on stage. 

Wicked Messenger collects performances from 2003 and makes the case for an underrated year of touring for Dylan. He is crisp, clear and croaky – his very best performances from the early 2000s can be heard here. Cold Iron Bounds could not have sounded better. It grips the core of those swinging, blues-like productions yet keeps firm with the steely reserve found on Time Out of Mind. The likes of If You See Her, Say Hello stick out because their blur of classic harmonica structure and the newfound guitar dependability of Dylan in the 21st century is the innovative next step he needed. Here his sound stays relevant but classy. This is the blur he attempted to find throughout his 1980s period and though it was filled with more than a few failures, the post-release highs of those materials, live on the stage in the next century, were truly innovative as Dylan finally found what makes the heart of these songs beat. 

Nashville Skylines is paid its dues with a subtle, crooning performance of Dear Landlord. Follow it up with another Nashville Skylines release, Wicked Messenger. Dylan sees himself as the protagonist more than ever, and this unofficial collection does well to construct the legend of the stage as he regains some of his vocal confidence. It can be heard on Shooting Star, where the gruff post-Time Out of Mind voice takes centre stage. Dylan would lean into this new range slowly but surely over the years to come yet this Wicked Messenger compilation does well to seek out the pride in a vocal range far different to his glory days. This Thousand Highways piece is the closest the unofficial bootlegs get to maturing into a quality better than the official releases. 

Slight crowd chatter on Born In Time explains why we continue searching for bootlegs. “I liked that last part a lot, man,” is assigned to an unknown in the audience. Whoops and hollers for the constantly changed Under the Red Sky piece bring out the sense of community in these crowds. It is no different to hearing any artist – legendary or grassroots. Spirited showcases from those strangers sifting through the audience are captured forever on tapes heard by just a few knuckling down and seeking them out. Seek out Wicked Messenger. The likes of Quinn The Eskimo and Every Grain of Sand are monumental experiences yet nothing shines through better than a crisp recording of Tangled Up in Blue. Dylan is in fine form throughout 2003, making listening to the extra bits and pieces, the booming percussion and steady rock tones a real pleasure to engage with.