Consider all the albums to come before it and Street-Legal stands out as one of the more ambitious, out-there efforts from Bob Dylan. Compared to what followed, it feels par for the course, but context is everything. Street Fairs: Street-Legal Outtakes adds to that context, to what drove Dylan towards songs of divorce and death. Sara Lownds and Elvis Presley played their part in that, but Dylan is the one channelling those feelings, the atmosphere quite unlike anything he had written up to this point or would ever write again. Street-Legal is built on a newfound interest and a fresh perspective, which would be abandoned as quickly as it was adapted, and that’s part of the charm to the songs featured on the album and on this, a bootleg of rare and raw cuttings from the studio. What Street Fairs successfully captures is the perfect storm Dylan was pushing through, the critical turn, the personal struggle, it’s all charted on this bootleg.
Personal consequences inevitably impact these demo recordings. What should be noted is not the circumstance, but the massive change between Hard Rain and those days writing on the final days before the end of love, to a series of studio sessions which are in the wake of its end. That’s a huge difference for Dylan here, and you can hear it immediately on two brief takes of Coming from the Heart. It and Stop Now are two songs understandably cut from Street-Legal. They are, frankly, not of the same quality as Dylan was working with on his 1978 release. They’re solid, but not quite Street-Legal quality. Two songs which are left in the vault and not exactly clamoured for by anyone. Still, nice to hear all the same. That’s the core point of these bootleg experiences, to hear what Dylan would’ve left unheard had someone not found these tapes in their hands. Stop Now, specifically the second take, is a chance to hear Dylan play around with some heavier jazz themes, and it’s not all that convincing.
Still, the return to classic tracks from his pre-1970s period is a welcome occurrence. Love Minus Zero/No Limit and Tomorrow is a Long Time are welcome moments pulled from the Rundown Rehearsals, a studio session well worth listening to in full. This is a nice taster session for those sessions, though. Street-Legal Outtakes does well to compartmentalise a period of change for Dylan, but it’s also a strong choice for those wanting to test the waters of a collection of bootlegs and live demos. Like a Stepchild, a song which still hasn’t been released in an official capacity, is captured well at both the Augusta and Oakland shows from 1978, while three demo tracks that follow it up land a must-listen triple bill for those who want to learn more about the Street-Legal period. Dylan lost, found, and lost himself again over a year and Street-Legal is the result.
Some of the tracks that were shelved during this period are understandably left to gather dust, but the reinterpretations of old classics and a few attempts at bringing live life to songs eventually scrapped are an interesting listen. It settles into that post-Live at Budokan period, where Dylan decided to bring lighter tones to even his heaviest songs. Shelter from the Storm and Mr. Tambourine Man performances from Street Fairs: Street-Legal Outtakes highlight this well, the desire to find another step through modern rock and pop ventures without sacrificing the integrity found in the songs. That passion goes on for Dylan, it remains crucial to his abilities as a songwriter, and even in those lesser, scrapped songs, you can hear that drive. It would be some time before Dylan reinterpreted his work with the same strengths as those of the Hard Rain and Rolling Thunder Revue experiences, but his decade in the dark is an interesting experience.
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