He’s at it again. Hibbing, Minn. native and bum singer Robert “Bob” Dylan is once again releasing a huge volume of recorded material in the off chance someone might care to hear it. It’s the eleventh volume of his notorious “Bootleg Series,” a collection of songs that sound kind of different from what you may have heard before on other releases from this generally unknown singer/songwriter.
This time, Dylan desperately wants someone to remember and maybe listen to the double album of material he recorded with a little known band from Canada whose unoriginal tendencies caused them to call themselves “The Band.” It was called “The Basement Tapes.” Now Dylan is releasing more of that stuff.
He’s releasing a 6-disc set that includes 138 tracks worth of that material. And it’s called “The Basement Tapes Complete: The Bootleg Series Vol. 11.” So hold onto your hats, folks! You can finally experience roughly seven to nine hours of unreleased material of Dylan and The Band mucking around in a studio. Because Dylan wants people to hear it all. It’s been his attempt at throwing everything against the wall to see if it sticks since the first installment of the series was released in 1991. Roughly into his third desperate decade to get noticed for his music.
The somewhat reclusive singer has for years put out albums, some to critical acclaim. Who can forget such classics as “Down In The Groove” and “Empire Burlesque?” But aside from these classics, Dylan decided that some of his more unknown work (notably, his work from 1963-1966 has relatively been known to only record store employees, recluses and rare vinyl collectors) needed to be heard.
So, he began putting out the “Bootleg Series” to re-introduce his lesser known work.
But, as of late, his series has been hitting his more well known and loved work. Last year, he released the voluminous “Another Self Portrait” that expanded with more unreleased material from his most loved and popular album, “Self Portrait.”
Because, after bringing some notice to his rare works in only nine other separate multi-disc collections, he is now forging on to release more of his popular material, because it is Dylan’s vision to have every note, fart and take of everything he’s ever done be released. And that someone out there will listen to it. And that some day, he will finally be known by more than a handful of music fans.
So people, please throw this man a bone. He’s trying so hard to let you know he has recorded more than 30 albums, and could you just give the man a break and listen to one? I’m sure he would appreciate it.
The JOE-DOWN 