Bob Dylan – The Intimate Time Out of Mind Review

As if a return to immaculate form was not enough, a reminder of tender style and stripped-back essentialism can be found for those searching hard enough. Bob Dylan and the rumble towards reinvention was on the wall long before Time Out of Mind came to be. As Good as I Been to You may be an understated release, but it was a change of pace and heart for a legend of the studio and stage. Time Out of Mind re-establishes Dylan as a contemporary artist worth noting and getting to the crux of why is even more fascinating when of a homelier and calmer variety. Enter The Intimate Time Out of Mind, a crushing and beautiful way to listen to the tracks which pulled Dylan back into mainline music circles. It is a collection rivalling the original and intended release. Immaculate acoustic versions of Time Out of Mind.  

With the spotlight firmly on the album as of late, what with a Bootleg Series induction of its dusty vault-stored recordings, Dylan fans can hear further insight into what made the album so special. It is a peculiar release too, one which brushes off the seemingly large divide between Dylan and his fans. He bridges the gap with intimate and honest displays like The Water is Wide. In this acoustic turn, it is a tearjerking experience, one of many. Not Dark Yet is an overwhelming experience. A fine blend of an aged voice with cutting guitar work. The history of the album certainly carries the burden of this acoustic collection, the shimmering, cooled-off Love Sick only works with an idea of where these grooves are placed in the original recording. If Time Out of Mind is the shot, then The Intimate Time Out of Mind is an unknown chaser that, when glanced at, is clawed for.  

Listen on in to Red River Shore and relax in its calmer tones. Even then the choppy waters are crashing onto the shores, your ears pricked by the intensity of a song with or without its electric components. For Dylan to have his songs rolled back to those intimate acoustic details is a real joy. Mississippi, from Love and Theft, makes for a neat inclusion. These Intimate Time Out of Mind sessions are plucked from the backlog of bootleg and unreleased material but are pieced together where a competent flow of narrative and album-like appeal is made. Few bootlegs can say they make such a feeling, but The Intimate Time Out of Mind makes for an extraordinarily natural experience. 

Dylan has more than his fair share of perfect acoustic tracks. Compilation efforts like The Intimate Time Out of Mind are exceptional reminders of his multi-format joy. Dylan does not need to strip these back to the acoustics but versions of such a slow, ballad-like quality, are available. It is the equivalent of the feverish, Americana blues laid over the top of his religious recordings on the Rough and Rowdy Ways tour. Whatever benefits the voice of his time. There is no escaping the inherent quality of Dylan when armed with just a guitar and a few seasoned musicians laying out lush rhythm and percussion sections. ’til I Fell in Love With You is a convincing track to see reason in this assessment. A travelling legend who finds solace in the simplicity and surreal depths of his instrumental roots.