Nine essential Bob Dylan bootlegs and where to find them

There is plenty on offer to Bob Dylan fans hungry for more than just the artist’s sanctioned releases. Beyond those Bootleg Series offerings, studio and live albums, as well as ongoing tour, are bootleggers who have captured some of Dylan’s very best moments on and off stage. For those whose interest in Dylan goes beyond what we can hear, whose writings of it are what pay the bills, it’s a wise move to look that little bit deeper. A lift of the mighty studio album-shaped rock to see people like Eric Clapton, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr in the mix. Live shows, too, are in plentiful supply. Knowing where to start is an overwhelming ordeal, but these nine bootlegs are excellent places to begin listening to Dylan’s extra materials. They may not be officially released, but there is much to learn about Dylan as a performer and as a writer in listening to these shows each of which is truly fantastic.

New York Skyline

Though more experimental and similar in experience to Self-Portrait, it lacked that bigger thrill. New York Skyline finds that, puts it onto the pedestal it could’ve stayed on, and engages with Kooper’s bold vision. It didn’t settle with Dylan at the time, and we can merely speculate why. Perhaps it is because Dylan had a different idea in mind, and did not want to repeat the process of carrying ballads and brilliant interpretations of the world around him with the familiarity of his 1960s output. Whether that is the case or not, it is clear to hear how different New Morning and Dylan are when separated, but they feel like excellent complements to one another. New Morning may receive the lions share of strong material, but there’s much to enjoy about the Dylan tracks slotted into place across New York Skyline.  

You can read our review of New York Skyline here.

Saved: Live

Those three Ontario shows are of incredible tape quality, borderline professionally recorded. Likely a soundboard, to be fair, but it’s always a nice surprise to hear these live renditions without the crackles and clippings sometimes heard during this period of Dylan’s performances. Saved: Live is worth a listen for those who are infatuated with the early 1980s of Dylan’s career. Nothing much more to it than solid songs, which struggled to be the meat in the sandwich of a three-album run of religious materials. Saved does at least make the translation to live shows well, however brief it may have been to hear the bulk of this material featured. Like Every Grain of Sand on the Rough and Rowdy Ways tour, a few Saved tracks showed up from time to time in the years to follow, but not as much, perhaps, as they should have.  

You can read our review of Saved: Live here.

A Summer’s Dream

A Summer’s Dream is a delightful cap to a seven-hour bootleg that, even when split into three, is a lengthy listening experience. Well worth it all the same, but chopping it up into more agreeable listens is the way to go. An hour of material pulled from these summer shows is a treat for those who want to hear the detail and difference of songs performed hundreds of times over the span of just a few years. Dylan has, true to form, changed the form of his greatest songs and newest tracks in the hopes of finding fresh meaning. It works here, with the likes of My Own Version of You and False Prophet landing well. It’s in the little details, and here is where Dylan strips the songs back even further from their quiet but confident instrumentals. Those details are as interchangeable and inspired as the frequent re-evaluations Dylan makes on stage.  

You can read our review of A Summer’s Dream here.

Evergreens / Roll, Roll, Roll

At times on this compilation, Dylan sounds phenomenal. Head back to Watching the River Flow for an example of just how great he is. When he has the right set up on-stage, there’s no stopping how great Dylan can sound with these gentler arrangements. Some real delightful experiences to be found here, where the band seem to enjoy the lighter approach to some of the heavier-hitting material to be found in Dylan’s discography. He, too, sounds to be having the time of his life across this bootleg, a fantastic showcase of what the Rough and Rowdy Ways tour has done for his sound. Nothing short of monumental, but those lucky enough to attend any of the shows from Dylan on this tour would know that.  

You can read our review of Evergreens / Roll, Roll, Roll here.

Soon After Nobel

One of the many late career resurgences from Dylan here, who at the time of this award had hunkered down into cover albums as he had done in the early 1990s. There’s a difference, though. His stock had peaked once more, and he had a free pass to do what he wished to on stage. These are outstanding versions of his greatest hits and a few deep cuts, too. Beyond Here Lies Nothin’ is always a treat to hear, while the likes of Stormy Weather and Pay in Blood are treats, too. Variety is crucial but the fine line between what an audience wants, and what they think they want, is walked well. Soon After Nobel is a fantastic listen, its ties to the awards body tertiary at best, but it’s a neat wrap up of what Dylan did soon after receiving a well-deserved awards nod.  

You can read our review of Soon After Nobel here.

The Best of Hammersmith Apollo

He would bounce back, of course, writing and performing in a manner that rivals his golden period. But it was a rough road back for Dylan and The Best of Hammersmith Apollo does well to highlight what can be considered a difficult lull in the 1990s. This could’ve been the end, but thankfully, we’re far from that. A few moments of interest in a setlist that compiles the very best of three nights at the Hammersmith Apollo, and even then, some of these songs are a little thin. Still, it highlights that crucial part of any Dylan tour, no matter how poor or perfect his vocal work is. He wants to find that new route through his songs, the fresh direction of instrumental style or vocal play, and whether the audience likes it or not, they’re brought along for the experiment.  

You can read our review of The Best of Hammersmith Apollo here.

Dreams of Iron and Steel

Here, you can hear Dylan recapture his love for live performance. It had been some time since he had consistently performed live, and with The Band’s backing, Dylan shows signs of understanding not just pop culture, but where the future of his sound lay. Planet Waves would release around the time of this tour, but it has less impact on his sound here than you would expect a new album to have. No, the focus on reinvention comes from ongoing creative ideas and the flow of influence The Band provides. Dreams of Iron and Steel is still worth a listen, even with The Complete 1974 Recordings now available. These are alternate pieces for the listener wanting to know that little bit more about a tour better identified as a blowout for The Band than for Dylan.  

You can read our review of Dreams of Iron and Steel here.

The Complete Recordings 1976

What a decade it was for Dylan on stage, too. He would start slow and then the likes of The Complete Recordings 1976 would remind listeners, both of the time and now, just how innovative Dylan is. Hurricane and Lay Lady Lay are excellent, latter stage listens for this compilation which are just as groovy with Dylan’s lead vocals as they are without. That’s what this compilation effort will highlight for those just digging into the deeper cuts of this tour. There are plenty out there with the know-how to find them, or a knowledge of how the YouTube search bar functions. Incredible renditions were built off the back of these instrumentals. Listening to these is a real treat, the skill on display is obvious, but the nuance added to these songs is such a brilliant time.  

You can read our review of The Complete Recordings 1976 here.

Power, Greed, and Corruptible Seed

Elston Gunn isn’t so much an outtake as it is a copy of Jokerman with a note to Dylan’s little-known alter ego in the title. Bootleg recordings are a no man’s land of material. Step on a dud mine here or there, that’s fine enough, what you have to keep an eye out for is the stray, copyright bullet. These pieces can be pulled at a moment’s notice, should the Dylan team decide it is time for a Bootleg Series inclusion, for instance. Until that day comes, and we may be waiting a long while given the Infidels scraps are here, there, and everywhere, Power, Greed and Corruptible Seed is solid enough. Clean Cut Kid and Foot of Pride are thoroughly worth a listen. They, among all of this, are examples of Dylan songs which would be hits had they released, but were pulled for whatever reason. Who knows? No matter. They’re all here, and in excellent quality.  

You can read our review of Power, Greed, and Corruptible Seed here.