Each Volume of Bob Dylan’s Bootleg Series has its own unique charms, but this 3 disc set from Sony Legacy may be the most important and intimate. It finds Mr. Zimmerman at one of his creative peaks, featuring outtakes from his important John Wesley Harding and Nashville Skyline albums, as well as a couple tunes from his less popular Self Portrait session. For a variety of reasons listed in the richly composed liner notes, many of the outtakes were lost or destroyed. Also, many of the alternative takes were not vastly different from the final version, but the real reason you want this collection is the kindred spirit meeting between Dylan and Johnny Cash, as they seem to inspire one another throughout.
The first disc includes alternate takes of the two main sessions, with the major takeaway being that Dylan was at one of his most thoughtful and creative times of lyric writing. The Harding session contains arguably his most Biblical album, even more than during his “Christian” phase, as quotes from Scripture and religious themes dominate pieces like “I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine” and “All Along the Watchtower.” The other impressive feature of Dylan was his way of changing his vocal tone, having about 3 different voices to fit the various moods as on “Lay, Lady, Lay” and “I Threw It All Away” almost sounding like two different vocalists.
The meeting with Cash (and Carl Perkins as his sideman at this era for much of the summit) has an exciting rockabilly mood on “Mystery Train/This Train is Bound For Glory” and a rollicking “Matchbox” with some real red clay under the nails on a “Jimmie Rodgers Medley.” Most personal of all is when Cash asks Dylan if he knows any “religious” tunes, with the team breaking in to a early Sunday morning “Amen” and a pleading “Just A Closer Walk With Thee.” The rapport between the two is palpably warm, as they exchange vocals and harmonize on “I Walk The Line”, “Big River” and “Girl From The North Country.” They encourage one another like long time friends, and the sincerity is heart warming.
There are also a handful of songs with Dylan and Cash on The Man in Black’s 1969 TV show, with impressive “I Threw It All Away” and a hip “Living The Blues.“ The 1970 recording with Earl Scruggs at the home of Thomas B. Allen oozes of casual charm on “Honey Just Allow Me One More Chance” and “Nashville Skyline Rag.” This highly important boxed set shows the way that music has the power to not only inspire, but to unite people of various backgrounds and worldviews. Essential Americana.