Bob Dylan – Storyteller: Unreleased Live Recordings – Autumn 1992 Review

A constant appearance from It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue or Mr. Tambourine Man is expected of Bob Dylan in the early 1990s. His live performances at the time filtered through a rough studio period but his tone changed. Dylan found himself with reason to believe in the direction of his work. Good As I Been To You may not be held in high regard, but it is a certain dark horse of his discography, a real trailblazer who finds himself put through the live circuit. Unofficial bootleg Storyteller: Unreleased Live Recordings – Autumn 1992 does a stellar job of piecing together an otherwise lacklustre and loose period of touring. Under the Red Sky was almost forgotten and the road to World Gone Wrong was already being walked in a turning point collection of appearances in Autumn 1992. 

Shuffling some of his earliest works like Pretty Peggy-O into the mix gives this collection a youthful spirit. Dylan is keen to dip into those self-titled album days. His influences remain unchanged and what he hopes to find in his music when presenting it in this live form is a flicker of his old self. That was the whole point of Time Out of Mind, which had Dylan roar to the forefront of listeners’ minds once more – the first time in over a decade he had managed to do so. Storyteller, if anything, is a collection of Dylan at his earliest. All Along the Watchtower makes for a nice inclusion as the percussion hints at something larger, wilder and tense. But it is not until Boots of Spanish Leather that Storyteller finds its footing. An acoustic sharpness is present on this performance which is slack on Willing and Silvio.  

There is a wonderful lack of hits here which showcases Dylan’s lack of dependence on them. Instead, there are rarities and exceptional performances of Dear Landlord and Mama, You Been On My Mind. Sharp work on the latter is built on the harmonica and acoustics, which are constant and effective throughout this collection. Among those in the crowd screaming for this song or that comes an indifference from the stage. Instead, Dylan finds himself detailing a few chance tracks from demo tapes and recordings which never featured in his main body of work. Those which do feature from his proper releases are overhauled to the point of being unrecognisable. It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue and Cat’s In The Well might as well be deep cuts.  

But that feeling of rarity comes from discontentment. A frustration bubbles on Storyteller and despite the sudden surge of quality storytelling which comes to fruition in this collection, there is a sense Dylan wishes these details would spark some studio joy. They would a few years later but at this moment, an Autumn tour with an irksome Dylan comes to light. Simple Twist of Fate solidifies this. Tender and heartbreaking motions from a Blood on the Tracks rip which feels out of place when lined up with the rest of the Storyteller features. It is a strange and fractured performance which still serves as a strong example of Dylan trying to push through a rut. He did so, and Storyteller marks an impressive collection of tracks in an otherwise forgotten period.