Bob Dylan - 'Tell Tale Signs'

Bob Dylan's Tell Tale Signs provides, if anyone still needs it, proof of why he still matters to modern music. Sure, the studio albums he's put out over the past decade have been timely, impressive, relevant, and stirring in their own right. But, there's something about Dylan's unreleased recordings, mess-ups, live tracks, and outtakes that's far more compelling than the more polished efforts that make it into our collections.

Indeed, Bob Dylan's most interesting work has always been off the cuff. His live shows have become exercises in the exploration of the moment, reaching outside of the confines of the songs themselves to deliver performances that are anything but predictable and similar to what you could hear at home on the album. Nowhere is this more evidenced than on his performance of "High Water" from 2003, included on this disc (purchase/download).

Tell Tale Signs, like the other installments of his bootleg series, shows the entire spectrum of Dylan's expertise as an artist. "Can't Wait" (purchase/download), originally from Time Out of Mind, kicks off with a suggestion from the songwriter that they try it in B-flat. Rather than wait for a response, he starts the song on his own, on piano, and lets the band come in when they're good and ready. The resulting outtake is a slow, regretful blues tune driven largely by the late-to-the-table, plodding bass line and the piano and guitar's occasional momentary interjections.

The disc is hardly flawless. Songs start and stop in odd places, or all of a sudden. Much of the disc can be summed up by a line from "Everything is Broken" (purchase/download)--the version of which, on this recording, ends suddenly during what seems like the middle of the song: "Broken voices in a broken hall / broken beginnings, broken ends."

There's also the inclusion of two separate versions of "Mississippi" which, in itself, is a display of how many different ways a single song can be interpreted. The version that kicks off disc one (purchase/download) is languid and electric, in a higher key than its counterpart, deeply rooted in the blues. The version that inaugurates disc two (purchase/download) pulls Dylan's raspy voice to the lowest reaches of its register, until he's practically whispering. This one chugs along like a rusty old train on its way out of Mississippi. In their stark dissimilarities, these are the two tracks that most characterize Dylan as an artist and this record as a collection.

Still, even with all its broken moments, or perhaps because of them, Tell Tale Signs stands up as one of the most earnest moments in the career of a man who's known for his ability to balance earnestness with a near labyrinthine artistry. And, as such, it's one of the most notable releases of the year.