Bob Dylan navigated through two cultural rebirths. His first came when he was born again, and his musical influences became fixated on showcasing faith. This never changed but Dylan is much better at writing through it now than he was at the time of Saved. The second rebirth came just a decade later with Oh Mercy. It was this eponymous compassion which salvaged a rough decade in his career. A period where the high point was likely Infidels and the low point was, well, everything else. Reborn in Time: Unreleased Recordings Vol. 1 gets to grips with the unofficial releases of five years. The years just before Time Out of Mind was pieced together. But in the afterglow of Oh Mercy and some well-needed shake-ups to the live structure (clearly needed after the car crash Dylan and The Dead release), the tours of the early 1990s proved sufficient.
Within Reborn in Time is an overwhelming slice of behind-the-scenes experiences. Outtakes and unreleased sessions make up the bulk of this one, with a few rehearsals and a Willie Nelson live appearance thrown in for good measure. It makes a massive difference. Even Under the Red Sky is a welcome experience when compared to the previous decade of work. Opener 2X2 is that religious synergy mentioned earlier, though becomes a lazy continuation of the times table than anything exceptionally varied. Improvements are heard when Oh Mercy is given a brief platform. Born In Time is a flurry of all that is good and right with the fundamentals of a Bob Dylan song. This outtake has much the same quality to it. Reborn in Time pays loving tribute to the leftover mixes from MTV Unplugged. Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright was cut for whatever reason but thankfully lives on here.
Those outtakes from MTV Unplugged are worth the time it takes to download Reborn in Time alone. Roaring guitar work and a rare piece of form from Dylan create a perfect storm in an overlooked live set. The quality of the recordings is an absolute joy to behold and the real surprise through Reborn in Time. They are each of studio quality, even the live segment and rushed mixes of versions soon to be scrapped. It is a pleasant surprise and is as pure as any official bootleg tape. Where do they get these tapes from? Who knows? Who cares? All there must be is a dedication to seeking them out and bringing them to a listenable quality. Hard Times marks a beautiful rendition of an album rarely paid its dues. As Good as I Been To You may now be an overlooked piece of Dylan’s discography, but it is ultimately a mark of quality – and hearing those songs live is a stunning rarity.
With some additional alternates from Oh Mercy, a particularly unique version of Political World to boot, there is much to love about Reborn in Time. Make no mistake this is the rebirth of an artist whose time in the spotlight had dimmed over a decade. He returns in classy form, a new and subtle mixture to his tone. Intelligent work, that is key. Dylan brings plenty of those to the studio and scrapped plenty more, most of the latter are collected here. Note those MTV Unplugged sessions in particular, quality of this live variety is sought after during this period. Reborn in Time has a literal sensibility to it. Dylan was reborn into a glowing light of quality for the first time in nearly a decade. A consistent run of good form would follow.
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