#BOB DYLAN BIOGRAPH ZIP SERIES#

Photo Credit: Fair use images of the covers of Bob DylanвЂ™s Biograph and вЂњ Lay Lady Lay.This November, Sony Music are to release The Cutting Edge, Volume 12 of their long running Bob Dylan Bootleg Series which will open up the vaults (in a big way)В forВ the 1965-1966, and the Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited, and Blonde On Blonde sessions.ДЄ six-CD deluxe edition of The Cutting Edge offers an abundance of alternate takes, and demos from some of DylanвЂ™s most revered work including a whole disc devoted to Like A Rolling Stone (20 takes)В and the scrapped Blonde On Blonde sessions with The Band. In particular, The Bootleg Series release Tell Tale Signs, which collects out-takes and alternate versions from 1989 to 2006 is virtually the equal of any of his acclaimed albums from recent years. *This trait has been evident even since DylanвЂ™s return to artistic prominence. Even if this set only covers half of DylanвЂ™s career, what it shows about his work and why it matters makes it an invaluable collection. Whatever the path it took, though, вЂњCaribbean WindвЂќ sounds great on Biograph. Very similar in tone and approach to 1983вЂ™s вЂњ Jokerman,вЂќ it was left off of Shot of Love in favor of some more forgettable songs and only released four years later. Over the years, heвЂ™s often been one of the most erratic judges of his own work, letting excellent songs sit on the shelf while lesser material is released on his albums.*ДЄ case in point on Biographis вЂњ Caribbean Wind,вЂќ a fantastic song recorded for the 1981 album Shot of Love. The latter group spotlights one of the most curious aspects of Dylan as an artist. Hearing a song like this in the same sitting as an acknowledged classic such as вЂњ Tangled Up in BlueвЂќ highlights how true heвЂ™s been to himself as an artist over the years.ДЄnother key element of Biograph is the inclusion of both illuminating alternate versions of some familiar songs and others that had never been (officially) released in any form. A song like вЂњ I Believe in YouвЂќ might be more overtly religious in its lyrical content than some listeners will care for, but thereвЂ™s no denying the conviction of DylanвЂ™s vocals or the beauty of its melody. However, far from being jarring, these combinations allow one to better appreciate DylanвЂ™s enduring gifts as both a writer and performer. For all that great recent work, Biograph remains the collection that best balances all the varied sides of Dylan as an artist.ДЇavoring neither the obvious nor the esoteric, the three-disc collection mixes cornerstones of DylanвЂ™s songbook with work that still divides his fans, particularly some from his вЂњborn againвЂќ period.

In the years since then, particularly in the 15 year period from 1997вЂ™s Time Out of Mind to 2012вЂ™s Tempest, Dylan went on the kind of artistic roll that few artists manage, let alone 40+ years into their career.

As a result, despite only covering work through 1981, the set seemed more like a career summation at the time than a recap of the story so far.

Though Biograph was released in the wake of two reasonably good albums ( Infidelsand Empire Burlesque), the consensus seemed to be that his career was on the downside. But none make quite as strong a case for his artistry as the 1985 box set Biograph. Over the years, his work has been sliced and diced into numerous compilations, some of them ostensibly spanning (nearly) the entirety of his long career. In that time, he revolutionized popular music (far more broadly than many detractors wish to admit) while weathering more artistic peaks and valleys than any other major popular artist. While heвЂ™s very much a singular artist, there really is no single Bob Dylan within the nearly 60 years of recorded work. Perhaps no artistвЂ™s body of work presents a greater challenge to listeners than Bob Dylan. In the middle of a year in popular culture that seems to have been sponsored by the Grim Reaper, embracing an older artistвЂ™s legacy while theyвЂ™re still around remains appealing.

Bob dylan biograph zip