The Bootleg Series Volume 14
More Blood, More Tracks (2018)



 

 1. Tangled Up in Blue
 2. If You See Her, Say Hello
 3. Up to Me
 4. You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome 
     When You Go
 5. Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts
 6. You're a Big Girl Now
 7. Shelter From the Storm
 8. Call Letter Blues
 9. Simple Twist of Fate
 10.Idiot Wind

 

In the ever-expanding architecture of Bob Dylan’s Bootleg Series, More Blood, More Tracks emerges not merely as a retrospective of a particular recording session, but as a re-examination of one of the most critically revered entries in his catalogue. Blood on the Tracks, long considered a towering achievement in singer-songwriter history, is given new context through these alternate takes, stripped arrangements, and studio permutations. For this release, Columbia issued both a comprehensive six-disc set and a more economical single-disc sampler—the latter being the subject of this review.

What distinguishes this release from prior Bootleg Series volumes is the extraordinary intimacy it achieves. Eight of the ten songs from the original album are featured here, most presented in earlier acoustic iterations. Gone are the fuller band arrangements that would later define the final studio release; in their place, the barest textures: voice, guitar, and the occasional harmonica. This sonic reduction yields profound results. The emotional clarity and lyrical precision of Dylan’s writing shine unimpeded.

Tangled Up in Blue, perhaps the album’s most celebrated composition, is rendered here with a quiet urgency that rivals its more familiar counterpart. Likewise, Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts, often noted for its narrative sprawl, gains a haunting resonance when delivered in a more skeletal form. These versions do not replace the canonical tracks—they reveal them. What we hear is the songwriter in real time, navigating emotional terrain still raw and unresolved.

It is worth noting that no entirely “new” songs are presented here. Two non-album tracks, previously available on other compilations, round out the set. Yet the value lies not in novelty, but in perspective. The sampler distills the essence of the full sessions without overwhelming the listener with repetition or exhaustiveness. It offers depth without indulgence.

For the devoted follower of Blood on the Tracks, this disc serves as both companion and counterpoint. It reaffirms the album’s status as Dylan’s most emotionally transparent work while illustrating the fragility of its construction. Whether the more exhaustive box set yields further revelations is debatable; for many, this single disc will suffice.

In sum, More Blood, More Tracks (sampler edition) stands among the most essential entries in the Bootleg Series—not for its scope, but for its restraint. It presents a master at the crossroads of heartbreak and craft, stripped to the essentials, yet still brimming with poetic fire.

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