Fragments - Time Out Of Mind Sessions (1996-1997): The Bootleg Series Vol. 17

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Guitar lines seem to be on the verge of wandering entirely out of sync with the drums only to fall in on beat with a satisfied breath.

The first alternate take is in a different key, sending Dylan’s voice into a higher register and the song into ill-fitting sunlight; it’s a harmless little ramble. The editors of AllMusic scored this album three out of five stars, with reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine noting that Daniel Lanois' original production on Time Out of Mind had a "murkiness [that] nagged at Dylan" and that the recordings are a chronicle of Dylan attempting to find the right sound for these songs. The official story surrounding Time Out of Mind goes something like this: Bob Dylan, stricken by the death of Jerry Garcia and sensing a hellhound on his own trail, turned to his beloved old blues records to exorcise the quickening dread he felt upon realizing that the bell also tolls for Zimmerman. LPs gatefold jackets include photos, tracklist and credits, both sleeves titled each one as indicated on tracklist with a catalog number on its own.All in all at least 12 musicians found themselves crowded in Criteria, with Bob Dylan as their bandleader (“Two of everything, like Noah’s Ark,” marveled pedal steel guitarist Cindy Cashdollar). It's harder edged which fits the swaggering swing of world weariness tone throughout the album and becomes tender and contemplative at times with reflection. What becomes abundantly clear over the course of the set’s six hours is that Time Out of Mind is primarily the story of a mood, and one ensemble’s single-minded pursuit of it.

All tracks on disc four are previously unavailable with the exception of "Make You Feel My Love" (May 21, 1998, Los Angeles). It’s as devoted as he ever sounded, and behind him, Garnier and Mangurian play so subtly and understated they register as lighting. Dylan, who was only 55 at the time, read his resulting lyrics to producer Daniel Lanois, who was stunned by their unearthly power, and the pair headed into the studio to fashion a record falling somewhere between a seance and a last will and testament. And the final Tell Tale Signs disc, well I can see why it’s here it adds a piece to the journey of the songs on Time Out of Mind.The 2022 remix of Time Out of Mind is sharper, crisper and live-sounding; the performances are more intimate and immersive. For Dylan, the song had always been the thing: His catalog had always boasted the folk virtues of pliability. Tell Tale Signs, but it’s nice to have it as part of the box set for continuity and completist reasons. This set gets it right, consisting as it does of well over 60 minute discs but it also has more impact focussing on one album. Disc four presents songs from Time Out of Mind in a series of spectacular live performances from 1998-2001.