Session recordings, birthday celebrations and White House appearances mark an interesting selection of Bob Dylan rarities. Unofficial bootleg Better Days: Vol. 2 has an abundance of fascinating moments in a career which is not free from the corporate handshake. With those appearances, it is hard to place them in the cultural impact Dylan has had on the world. Surely the invitation to perform and experience these events is evidence enough of his influence. His agreement to participate in them remains fascinating. A man whose disinterest in television (as evidenced by a performance on David Letterman) and a frank disregard for moments in life which do not seem to benefit him, has kindled a rarity in his performances. Yet for the big stage moments, Dylan is happy to play the hits.
This is, to a wider point, the death of his popular songwriting. They are the advertisement fodder, the presidential claps and the awards show filler necessary to fund better outlets of artistic variety. Rough and Rowdy Ways, the tour to follow and even the preceding records of American songbook focus are not possible without those birthday appearances, the Live at the White House performance or various brushes with the awards bodies. These moments, particularly The Times They Are A-Changin’ are opportune moments to hear the motions of an intense song which has not lost its power, but has lost its charm, to Dylan. Polite applause and Amazon tie-ins with Watching the River Flow feel like uncomfortable realities for any touring artist, regardless of reverence. There may be millions in the back catalogue, but the way musicians survive is trickier still.
It means Once Upon a Time and Restless Farewell, performances paying tribute to the birthdays of Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra respectively, are even more special. Once Upon a Time is a charming piece and saddles up nicely alongside the Sinatra birthday performance. Those birthday bouts give Dylan some tremendous form at just the right time. Fortune was back in his favour and the result can be heard on Not Dark Yet. What’s more is the inclusion of It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry, a contemporary spin on a classic which would filter through the latter performances of the 21st century. It all came together and soon led to those live appearances.
No greater is this boom of change felt than the Standing In The Doorway outtake. Sessions for the Masked & Anonymous filming give Dylan some free time to fiddle with his contemporary tracks. Time Out of Mind is explored once more as I’ll Remember You was on the previous instalment. Benefit performances and the odd live appearance are no surprise in the long run, but for Dylan, it is a chance to switch his mind off with a hit before he shuffles back to the music he now cares more for. It is a sharp change in direction which would soon bubble over to the eradication of these hits. Very rare it is now in the Dylan live materials to hear the likes of Mr. Tambourine Man or Highway 61 Revisited. Instead, the new form of American songbook classics is performed and played up well with a new vocal range. Better Days Vol. 2 is a neat collection which hears the changing times over several years.
