Listeners are in no short supply when it comes to oddities from the Bob Dylan backlog. You could make the case for this song to be included, that one to be removed, but it matters not. With such a depth of material, such a dedicated series of bootleggers running rampant in recording studios and live performances, it is hard not to be swept up in the feverish wave. Odds and Ends is another chance to discover some new favourite live performance of a Dylan classic. All This Tangled Rope and Darkness at the Break of Noon offer such an experience, and so too does Odds and Ends. A selection of Dylan’s works from the early 1960s to the mid-1980s is a wide range of material, but keeping it in check is half the battle. Boisterous performances of Whatcha Gonna Do and Sally Gal paint an optimistic picture.
Contrast with the heavier tones of Hurricane and Lily, Rosemary, and the Jack of Hearts, and Odds and Ends has a delicate balance to it. These feel like a random assortment of Dylan performances, though the suddenness of tonal change, the bits of progress you can hear in his attitude on stage, is astounding. That harmonica reliance of early folk tracks is all but forgotten in the days of rock and roll-adjacent protest. Where Ramblin’ Down Through the World may prove to be a relatively light jaunt, it provides a moment of Dylan as an entertainer, not a performer. There is a clear contrast brought about by Odds and Ends as it summarises, rather well in fact, what the difference is. Stomp and holler-like music in those earlier moments soon turns sour as Dylan finds himself serving not the audience, but the artistic pursuit. Those interests would make him a stronger artist. A changed musician, too.
For listeners wanting a compartmentalised shot of Dylan’s progress as a performer and only have seventy minutes to experience a decades-long transition, Odds and Ends is the place to go. Those heavy messages from Blood on the Tracks and Desire are great listens, but so too are the unreleased pieces, like Am I Your Stepchild? A rare track there, one which never made it into the studio, but such a fascinating song, nonetheless. It is in these latter stages of Odds and Ends that interest really starts to pique. Mystery Train and Watered-Down Love from Slow Train Coming and Shot of Love respectively, still have the rooted, fundamental belief in the words and meaning which has always carried Dylan. Perhaps this is what Odds and Ends hopes to highlight.
These may be loose pieces, spare parts from the wider picture, which are not necessarily crucial to understanding Dylan as a performer, but they make for a great listen. Odds and Ends is as its title suggests. Moments of interest in the career of a songwriter who had seemingly lost his way in the 1970s and 1980s, yet proved he was just experimenting, in the studio and on stage. It is the latter half which shapes this most of all, but those early performances, the songs which appeared on official bootlegs from the Dylan camp, are crucial. Odds and Ends is an exceptional bootleg for those wanting a range of random moments from a storied stage career. You could do worse than to listen in, to pick out the pieces of interest, and to run from there. A nice smorgasbord of moments, of differing artistic styles, is on display here.
