Alternate versions are a chance to hear a possible improvement in poor material. Under the Red Sky is nobody’s favourite album. Bob Dylan’s first and only dud release of the 1990s suffers from the star-studded quality in the studio. There are simply too many people at work, from Slash to Elton John, to form anything convincing of the songwriter getting back to his best. He had hinted at as much on Oh Mercy, but even on these Under the Red Sky Alternate Takes, you can hear rough moments on the final release already in place. It’s an album that suffered from too many prying eyes, an overwhelming sense that Dylan had lost his way as a studio man. These songs are nothing short of calamitous. They may be dedicated to his daughter, but the nursery rhyme-like adaptations Dylan makes for Under the Red Sky are abysmal. These are songs dead on arrival.
Crucially, though, they are the leaping off point for additions made by George Harrison and David Crosby. The trouble is not just the star power, but the lack of solid material coming their way. Opener Wiggle Wiggle is an all-time low for Dylan, liked only with a tinge of irony. An early version here highlights the rough writing, which would undo the few spots of sincerity on Under the Red Sky. Instrumentals on Wiggler Wiggle are enough to turn casual listeners wide-eyed with fear. Even the veteran digging through the archives must brace themselves for what appears on Under the Red Sky. There are moments worth salvaging, as Dylan found on recent Outlaw Music Festival tours. His title track is solid, and there is a sweet alternative here, one without Harrison’s guitar work. It feels a tad closer to what Dylan plays on stage, though it is hardly an improvement over the Beatles-featuring studio version.
Songs which could be excellent, like Born in Time and God Knows, benefit from these alternate versions. It is likely the worst Dylan has sounded in the studio up to this point, a vocal choice which would be all too easily overwhelmed by the instrumentals, but it serves its purpose. You had best enjoy the piano on Born in Time, it’s far louder than Dylan is. That lacklustre production is down to Dylan, whose Jack Frost moniker is at work here. He sounds out of his depth but uses the likes of Under the Red Sky and later cover albums like Shadows in the Night to expand his understanding of the studio. It all benefits future projects and collaborations. That excess of Under the Red Sky in the studio is Dylan likely getting into the habit of working with a revolving door of creative influences, many of contradictory themes and styles.
T.V. Talkin’ Song is far stronger, though. An example of how Dylan was working through these production difficulties. Clarity is lacking on many of these early versions, but this sounds the most complete of them all. Live versions of 10,000 Men and Cat’s in the Well are nice additions too, presumably made because the earlier versions are not available or too close to what was released. Solid live versions all the same. Stronger than the album versions, as would be the case for many Under the Red Sky songs. It is the truth now, too, as Dylan incorporates Under the Red Sky into his recent setlists. Hearing how they have evolved for the better is quite the experience, and it all starts with these studio sessions. Alternate takes are often a chance to hear the songs long before they were ripped apart when recorded, but here, it’s the early and lacklustre efforts which would be a live joy decades later that are featured.
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