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Tell Tale Sings—The Bootleg Series, Volume 8
(Bob Dylan Strikes Again)

You might say he’s burnt out, sold out, checked out, wiped out, and just plain out of it—but you can’t deny he still plays and writes amazing music. “Tell Tale Sings”, the eighth in Bob Dylan’s Bootleg Series, is just plain stellar.
Dylan’s performances have always been known to be volatile, never playing one song the same way twice—always rewriting his music and himself. Tell Tale Sings is all of the songs he chose NOT to use in the last few albums he released. For some artists, they’re considered throwaways; for Dylan, they’re masterpieces. Each song on the album is either a version of a track Dylan rejected for the actual album, or a song he just decided couldn’t fit. This compilation of misfits rivals all the others—Dylan’s series 1-7, usually released long after they were recorded, delve far back into the musician’s past choices, and yet these are his current mental workings and the first of which he’s ever released.

While some of the recordings are just live versions or tracks with different musical backings, some of the songs are brand new, or so manipulated from their original form that they broach on being unrecognizable. Dylan’s “Mississippi,” recorded for “Time out of Mind,” but deemed too upbeat for the album and was released on “Love and Theft” a few years later, appears three times in this series, each stranger and more foreign than the next. He also included takes from his latest album “Modern Times,” which includes an amazing version of “Someday Baby,” which in juxtaposition to the album’s cocky, fast-rock-blues tone, came out slower—more of a breaking lament then anything else. “Ain’t Talkin’” the last track on “Modern Times,” is also featured here, but takes on the form of a battle march in contrast to the chosen, slow-paced track on the originally featured album.

There also appear a few shout outs—Dylan’s favorite songs that he chose to cover, and with Dylan’s multiplicity of his own personal songs to pick from, these come out as quite a large compliment. The second disk of Tell Tale Sings features a take of the blues master Robert Johnson’s 32-20 Blues, which Dylan copies strikingly well. There is also a version of his infamous “Duncan & Brady,” an old country song that he adapted for his tastes which becomes dangerously addicting after the second time you listen to it.

A few songs written primarily for movie soundtracks are also here, including songs from “North Country” (Tell Ol’ Bill) and “From Gods and Generals” (‘Cross the Green Mountain.) But one in particular that stands out is from the credits of the movie “Lucky You.” “Huck’s Tune” reaches the heights of Dylan’s classics, such as “Like a Rolling Stone,” and “Blowing in the Wind.” “Huck’s Tune” is beyond a masterpiece; soulful, deep, it seems to capture all of Dylan’s aging yet potent energy—the perfect ballad for his current voice and sound. The artist’s years have done him well, and while some argue he’s over the hill and past his prime as he sings one of his latest songs “Spirit on the Water,” he sings “let me see what you got—we could have a whoppin’ good time.” If you don’t believe me, or can’t handle Bob Dylan’s new Muddy Waters-esque voice, read “Huck’s Tune” as if it’s a poem. Even on paper it rings true to Dylan’s legacy and longevity. Keep rolling, Bob.

- Victor
Listen to "Huck's Tune"

Huck's Tune

Well I wandered alone,
Through a desert of stone,
And I dreamt of my future wife.
My sword's in my hand,
And I'm next in command,
In this version of Death called Life.
My plate and my cup,
Are right straight up,
I took a rose from the hand of a child.
When I kiss your lips,
The honey drips,
I'm gonna have to put you down for a while.

Every day we meet,
On any old street,
And you're in your girlish prime.
The short and the tall,
Are coming to the ball,
I go there all the time.
Behind every tree,
There’s something to see,
The river is wider than a mile.
I tried you twice,
You can't be nice,
I'm gonna have to put you down for a while.

Here come the nurse,
With money in her purse,
Here come the ladies and men.
You push it all in,
And you've no chance to win,
You play 'em on down to the end.
I'm laying in the sand,
getting a sunshine tan,
Moving along, riding in style.
From my toes to my head,
You knock me dead,
I'm gonna have to put you down for a while.

I count the years,
And I shed no tears,
I'm blinded to what might have been.
Nature's voice,
Makes my heart rejoice,
Play me the wild song of the wind.
I found hopeless love,
In the room above,
When the sun and the weather were riled.
You're as fine as wine,
I ain't handing you no line,
I'm gonna have to put you down for a while.

All the merry little elves,
Can go hang themselves,
My faith is as cold as can be.
I'm stacked high to the roof,
And I'm not without proof,
If you don't believe me, come see.
You think I'm blue,
I think so, too,
In my words you'll find no guile.
The game's gotten old,
The deck's gone cold,
And I'm gonna have to put you down for a while.

The game's gotten old,
The deck's gone cold,
And I'm gonna have to put you down for a while.

-Bob Dylan, 2007