A debate about which version of Bob Dylan‘s Blood on the Tracks is better has split fans of the songwriter.
Dylan’s 1975 masterpiece was initially recorded with a focus on acoustic material but was redone at the request of his brother. Later versions and studio cuts were compiled on The Bootleg Series: More Blood, More Tracks, which was released in 2018. Some fans have since suggested the versions featured on the fourteenth instalment of The Bootleg Series are stronger than the original recordings. A user posting to the r/BobDylan subreddit wrote: “Am I the only one who prefers The Bootleg Series Vol. 14 recordings over the original Blood on the Tracks album?”
Those responding to the post were split on which they preferred, suggesting both had merit. One user suggested it may be hard to convince of More Blood, More Tracks, being better than the original version given the historic nature of Blood on the Tracks. They wrote: “It’s fascinating to consider… better? Depends on what I’m going through, you know?
“Currently listening to the solo version of Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts and it makes my life. So does listening to all the variations of Buckets of Rain. I love listening to the evolution of Shelter From The Storm, both in mood and lyrically… But in no case would anything be possible without loving the album first.”
But some have agreed with the original poster, suggesting the acoustic sound benefits the songs, giving them a “more melancholic and raw” feel. Fans of More Blood, More Tracks, pointed to Idiot Wind as an example of the changes.
They wrote: “I prefer nearly all the acoustic NY versions of the songs. They have a more melancholic and raw feel to them that I really love. That version of Idiot Wind is one of my absolute favorite songs.”
Another added: “I prefer it too. The emotion in Bob’s voice on You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go: Take Five is beautifully haunting. Also, the extra verses in Shelter From the Storm: Take One are such a treat. Maybe it’s also due to having heard the final recordings on the standard record so many times that the alternative tones are just more interesting to me now.”
A third wrote: “I feel individually a lot of the songs work well as acoustic solo compositions on an emotional level, however listening through as a whole album there isn’t enough musical variety to really work.
“The extra instruments and opening passages for You’re a Big Girl Now, If You See Her, Say Hello, and You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go on the album help mark them as individual songs as well as setting a melancholy scene musically.”
