More bits and pieces which do not quite fit the official bootlegs. Performances matter to those who have taken the time to seek them out, to fit in those extra bits of historic performances over decades of triumph and failure for Bob Dylan. Another Night: Volume 2 holds more of the same quality, hidden gem-like performances found in the first unofficial bootleg volume. Stretching this piece through to the early 2000s hears some of those wonderful deep cuts brought to life on stage and where better to start than 1962, with Two Trains Running? Not quite the Slow Train Coming experience which Dylan would profile on the stage two decades later but a certainly enjoyable start to this Thousand Highways bootleg experience.
Another Night: Volume 2 flirts with the usual consistencies of those extra pieces of live material. Not Fade Away has an underlining guitar riff which steals the spotlight from the rest of these fine instrumentals and a haggard-sounding Dylan who takes a backseat in a collection of these performances. A couple of demos make their way through this one, and rehearsals too. Jokerman is close to the studio release which would come through on Infidels – a fine piece from the 1980s which heard Dylan get to grips with some of his lacking tonal qualities. Bits and pieces spread across several decades is always a neat way to experience Dylan. Darting from this decade to that as though a best-of-live performance is underway, recorded from the beating heart of a crowd constantly in awe. It is hard to find a performance where Dylan is booed or blamed despite the questionable qualities of Dylan and the Dead, for instance.
There is much to love about the medieval tones and instrumental vibrancy found in If You See Her, Say Hello. Charms and chimes linger in the background of this piece and bring around some exceptional keyboard work. Once more the instrumental fascinations are given centre stage while Dylan meddles in the background, a vocal force to be reckoned with still but a groovy little sway held inside. The same can be said for the booming instrumentals of Mighty Quinn from the early 2000s. On the deep cuts go, the outtakes from the mid-1980s still linger as confused but desperate to make a splash. Sidewalks, Fences & Walls sounds prepped for a movie soundtrack which would make no noise at the box office. Perfect opening scene fodder from a man who would blast it through Wonder Boys over a decade later.
A mixed bag for Another Night: Volume 2 but this is the beauty of unofficial bootlegs. We never quite know where the quality will take us and when it hits upon true gold, we can revel in the passionate performances and the flagrant disregard for audience requests. Like a Rolling Stone remains garbled and slurred but it is to be expected of this period. Dylan is in a divide here. Half of these tracks are well-rounded outtakes or live performances while the other half is a horrifying collection of his voice, ruined by burnout and a wrong note away from breaking. Paced poorly and gravelly tones as the ones found in parts of Another Night: Volume 2 are still a fascinating listen for what they prove about Dylan. Even the best need a break.
