Functionality does not cross the mind of those commanding The Bootleg Series. Here is a compilation of backlog tracks which have been released with context elsewhere. Cuts and early takes of songs which, heard in The Bootleg Series projects, make sense. It is the conditions of the time that we flock to this series for. Hearing those early takes slowly rumble into a vaguely recognisable classic is a joy. What a compilation opening with a first take of Up to Me into Blind Willie McTell from an early 1980s studio outtake will serve listeners is beyond comprehension. Yet here it is, a Bob Dylan compilation, put together by pieces of the series so far. Even then his best bits are missed and omissions throughout are glaringly obvious.
Any great compilation has a consistency to its tone. The Best of The Bootleg Series feels like the outcome of panicked deadlines and the impact of a Coronavirus lockdown. A release just in time to hit shelves for those needing a last-minute gift for their uncle. If anything, the compilation reduces the original releases and becomes an awkward sampler of materials which, if heard here, will have already been sought out on the original release. These are very solid releases and, with the context of the times, are even better than this release would suggest. A collection of tracks which are consistent enough to warrant a listen, but not in this order. Let the mind drift instead. Use the imagination you keep gestating in the back of your brain. Dust the cobwebs off and imagine Dink’s Song, played over and over in some dive bar. These are the joys of compilation material.
Utterly useless beyond being a decent bit of background noise for those who have already listened to these songs. There is no reason to listen to The Best of The Bootleg Series. If you have favourites from the already released moments of the series, then seek them out and make a playlist for yourself. Not doing so is an act of laziness. Visions of Johanna sounds wildly different on this fifth take than it does in its studio release. We know this because it was featured earlier. The Best of The Bootleg Series is an odd piece. We should never question the existence of any form of art but this is a superfluous release at best. These are great moments, with Johnny Cash and alternatives from Oh Mercy featured within.
And yet it remains pointless. A tremendous collection of powerful tracks in their earliest forms pieced together with no purpose. The Best of The Bootleg Tapes is a mere opinion on what are the best selections from thousands of songs. Variety like this is an interesting pot to pick from but the hurried feeling found on this piece gives way to opinion and not objectivity. Are there tracks on here which hold a candle to the very best of the period? Those influential moments which can define Dylan as an always-evolving artist, even if he did not appear to be in public? Absolutely. But then there is dreck too, the wash of extra pieces thrown in because they have forgotten a hit here or a period worth highlighting there. It is an impossible job and, as a result, makes for a hankered listen of enjoyable alternative takes.
