Bob Dylan

Springtime in New York
The Bootleg Series Volume 16 (1980-1985) (2021)

Sampler

 

Disc One
 1. Angelina
 2. Need a Woman
 3. Let's Keep it Betweenb Us
 4. Price of Love
 5. Don't ever Take Yourself Away
 6. Fur Slippers
 7. Yes Sir, No Sir
 8. Jokerman
 9. Lord Protect My Child
 10.Blind Willie McTell
 11.Don't Fall Apart on Me Tonight
 12.Neighborhood Bully
 13.Too Late
 
Disc Two
 1. Foot of Pride
 2. Sweetheart Like You
 3. Someone's Got a Hold of My Heart
 4. I and I
 5. Tell Me
 6. Enough is Enough
 7. Tight Connection to My Heart
 8. Seeing the Real You at Last
 9. Emotially Yours
 10.Clean Cut Kid
 11.New Danville Girl
 12.Dark Eyes
 
  
  

With the release of Springtime in New York, another chapter in Bob Dylan’s ongoing archival excavation arrives—this time illuminating the often-maligned early 1980s period. As with earlier volumes in The Bootleg Series, the collection presents outtakes, alternate versions, and rare tracks that chart the artist’s creative process. Yet unlike the revelatory power of the mid-'60s or the raw electricity of the '70s sessions, this installment poses a more complicated question: what happens when the vaults yield more curiosities than classics?

The compilation spans material from Shot of Love, Infidels, and Empire Burlesque , albums that marked a transitional, and at times uneven, period in Dylan's output. Of these, Infidels holds the most critical favor, with sharp production and moments of lyrical potency, yet even its discarded tracks reveal the challenges Dylan faced reconciling past forms with contemporary expectations. The songs that didn't make the final cut—many heard here for the first time—do not always rise above their outtake status.

What’s notable throughout is the presence of top-tier musicians, from Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare to Mick Taylor and Mark Knopfler, whose contributions often elevate the material beyond its songwriting foundations. And yet, the alternate takes and rare mixes seldom transcend the limitations of their era—stylistic indecision, dated production choices, and a lack of lyrical urgency.

This isn’t to say the collection is without value. For Dylan completists, the project remains essential—a forensic look at a misunderstood era. But for others, the appeal may wear thin. There’s a sense that the bottom of the vault may be in sight, and that historical curiosity alone can't always justify the listening experience.