Another Self Portrait (1969-1971):The Bootleg Series, Volume 10 (2013)


 

Disc One
  1. Went To See the Gypsy
  2. Little Sadie
  3. Pretty Saro
  4. Alberta #3
  5. Spanish is the Loving Tongue
  6. Annie's Going To Sing Her Song
  7. Time Passes Slowly #1
  8. Only a Hobo
  9. Minstrel Boy
  10.I Threw It All Away
  11.Railroad Bill
  12.Thirsty Boots
  13.This Evening So Soon
  14.These Hands
  15.In Search of Little Sadie
  16.House Carpenter
  17.All the Tired Horses
  
Disc Two 
  1. If Not For You
  2. Wallflower
  3. Wigwam
  4. Days of '49
  5. Working on a Guru
  6. Country Pie
  7. I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
  8. Highway 61 Revisited
  9. Copper Kettle
  10.Bring Me a Little Water
  11.Sign on the Window
  12.Tattle O'Day
  13.If Dogs Run Free
  14.New Morning
  15.Went To See the Gypsy
  16.Belle Isle
  17.Time Passes Slowly #2
  18.When I Paint My Masterpiece

 

There is a peculiar aura surrounding Bob Dylan’s Self Portrait (1970), long regarded—by critics and fans alike—as one of his most baffling and maligned releases. The general consensus has always been that the album was, at best, a cryptic exercise in self-sabotage; at worst, a deliberately poor offering meant to alienate a devoted audience. Yet with the subsequent release of Another Self Portrait (1969–1971)—a sprawling, 35-track compilation of alternate takes, unreleased songs, and live recordings—there emerges a compelling revisionist narrative.

This collection reveals that Dylan was far from uninspired during this controversial period. Rather, he seems to have been in full command of his musical faculties. The stripped-down arrangements, frequently anchored by sparse acoustic guitar and the occasional piano, strip away the overproduced artifice that marred the original Self Portrait. What’s left is something startlingly intimate, evocative, and—at times—profoundly moving.

Spanning sessions from John Wesley Harding through New Morning, the compilation resists any easy classification. While often lumped into the “country phase,” this set defies the genre’s confines. The music here is more elemental, more folk in spirit than Nashville Skyline ever dared to be. Dylan’s voice—often derided for its inscrutability—registers with new vulnerability and warmth.

Of course, unevenness is part of the territory. This is, ostensibly, a bootleg series entry, and as such, some material feels extraneous. Multiple takes of the same song appear throughout, but rather than fatigue, these variants offer a welcome glimpse into Dylan’s restless revisions. The original opener of Self Portrait, All the Tired Horses appears here in a starker, overdub-free form. Unfortunately, even this stripped version fails to redeem the track—it remains listless and oddly misplaced.

Still, the real revelation is just how strong the previously shelved material is. Many of the songs here—left off the 1970 release for reasons only Dylan could explain—outshine the cuts that made the final Self Portrait tracklist. The performances are measured, the musicianship crisp, and the emotional core far more authentic than the original album ever suggested. Had Dylan released Another Self Portrait in 1970 instead of its malformed twin, it’s conceivable that the trajectory of critical reception might have taken a very different shape.

This is, in the end, the Self Portrait that should have been.

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