New York Sessions: Blood on the Tracks

I've already reviewed Blood on the Tracks in its "mainstream" version, and most of it still stands, so check that out. What makes this superior, and worth to listen, and return to, is how it flows without any faults and wrongs.

Don't get me wrong, the released version is amazing, and essential, but this bootleg doesn't shy away from being simple and more importantly, even, in its atmosphere, and sometimes, that's more important than being angry, thunderous and eclectic.

was basically already done after NYC 1974, but Dylan went back into a different studio at the last minute to re-record half the album with a different band, upping the tempo, and stepping back from the vulnerability of some of these tracks. Anger is an excellent mask, and Bob knew that well. And so these raw, honest, emotional tracks got buried for a couple decades. I've heard the official studio album a million times, and I love it, but I feel like these ten tracks—five I already know and those five lost originals—are the true album. Dylan has never ever made me cry, but this recording has made me tear up, much to my surprise. This—not the official release—is the greatest break-up album of all time, but perhaps it's for the best that Dylan re-recorded some of the songs after he cooled off. This one's a bit emotionally dangerous. For reference: the five re-recorded songs that are here preserved in their original form are “Tangled Up in Blue”, “You’re a Big Girl Now”, “Idiot Wind”, “Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts”, and “If You See Her, Say Hello”.