Boundary-pushing work from Bob Dylan comes thick and fast on Bringing it All Back Home. His electric controversies and the subsequent acclaim this challenging material still brings is monumental. But what if Bob Dylan had stayed the folk course? Would things have worked out differently for the man who found success in the gentle acoustic tones and brash cultural commentaries? Probably not. There is an immense talent in these Bringing it All Back Home songs that, even when paired with the acoustic fundamentals, still work. The flying electric feel and provocative pinwheel additions make for a fun buzz. Bringing it All Back Home: Acoustic Version is exactly what its title would suggest. An unofficial bootleg piecing together performances of these riotous, memorable songs but without the electric thrills. Incredible recording quality makes this well worth a listen. A fascinating, essential alternative to one of the best albums of all time.
Acoustic takes for the Bringing it All Back Home songs feel like a backup. A set of recordings just in case the electric pivot was not the correct artistic move. This is nothing to do with the reception or perception of Dylan as an artist – he was going to head into an electric wave of influence eventually, but a security net. Dylan could have backed out, brought out these acoustic recordings and moved away from what would have been a blip of influence. But he staggered on and brought out some of his finest songs. Hearing them stripped back after so much time has been spent with the original recordings is quite the change in tone. We know where those electric additions come into play, where the sleight of hand in the production room comes into play. Hearing Bringing it All Back Home: Acoustic Version cements the quality of Dylan as a lyricist as well as a musician.
Not every song is a definitive, full cut of acoustic work. Maggie’s Farm is the sore thumb of Bringing It All Back Home: Acoustic Version but credit where it is due, it sounds solid. Alternate versions for the run of Mr. Tambourine Man to It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue is a refreshing addition. Those tracks are essentially acoustic as they stand and seeking out different versions which still fit the core message and style of the album is charming. What becomes clear is the lack of punch in a few songs. Love Minus Zero / No Limit is still excellent here, but needs the thrill of electric. At Budokan got it right over a decade later. We can throw words around like essential or definitive as much as we like, but make no mistake, Bringing It All Back Home: Acoustic Version is as close as anyone will ever get to providing an exceptional, alternate version of a Dylan masterpiece worth hearing.
Consistency may be a rarity in Dylan’s pieces of work now but his ambition here, in fine-tuning the set, is marvellous. Powerful work which had been a staple of live performances in the months leading up to these studio efforts is one of the many signs of fine-tuning. Bringing It All Back Home: Acoustic Version has a quality many bootleggers can only dream of. Incredible rips right from the studio pieced together with such tremendous care. A tremendous new side to a monumental album. Nothing but quality in this collection of acoustic versions of now-established songs. This is one of the closest moments we have to a “what if” in history moment. What could have been, and how different the feel and meaning of these songs are, in the context of acoustic glory.
