Fragments - Time Out of Mind Sessions (1996-1997): The Bootleg Series Volume 17 (2023)
Disc One
1. Love Sick
2. Dirt Road Blues
3. Standing in the Doorway
4. Million Miles
5. Tryin’ to Get to Heaven
6. ‘Til I Fell in Love with You
7. Not Dark Yet
8. Cold Irons Bound
9. Make You Feel My Love
10. Can’t Wait
11. Highlands
Disc Two
1. The Water is Wide
2. Dreamin’ of You
3. Red River Shore
4. Love Sick (Version 1)
5. ‘Til I Fell in Love with You (Version 1)
6. Not Dark Yet (Version 1)
7. Can’t Wait (Version 1)
8. Dirt Road Blues (Version 1)
9. Mississippi (Version 1)
10. ‘Til I Fell in Love with You (Version 2)
11. Standing in the Doorway (Version 1)
12. Tryin’ to Get to Heaven (Version 1)
13. Cold Irons Bound
Disc Three
1. Love Sick (Version 2)
2. Dirt Road Blues (Version 2)
3. Can’t Wait (Version 2)
4. Red River Shore (Version 2)
5. Marchin’ to the City
6. Make You Feel My Love (Take 1)
7. Mississippi (Version 2)
8. Standing in the Doorway (Version 2)
9. ‘Til I Fell in Love With You (Version 3)
10. Not Dark Yet (Version 2)
11. Tryin’ to Get to Heaven (Version 2)
12. Highlands
Disc Four
1. Love Sick (Live)
2. Can’t Wait (Live)
3. Standing in the Doorway (Live)
4. Million Miles (Lives)
5. Tryin’ to Get to Heaven (Live)
6. ‘Til I Fell in Love with You (Live)
7. Not Dark Yet (Live)
8. Cold Irons Bound (Live)
9. Make You Feel My Love (Live)
10. Can’t Wait (Live)
11. Mississippi (Live)
12. Highlands (Live)
Disc Five
1. Dreamin’ of You (Outtake)
2. Red River Shore (Outtake)
3. Red River Shore (Outtake)
4. Mississippi (Outtake)
5. Mississippi (Outtake)
6. Mississippi (Outtake)
7. Marchin’ to the City (Outtake)
8. Marchin’ to the City (Outtake)
9. Can’t Wait (Outtake)
10. Can’t Wait (Outtake)
11. Cold Irons Bound (Live)
12. Tryin’ to Get to Heaven (Live)
There was a time when a newly released Dylan “bootleg” volume brought with it a thrill of discovery—a glimpse behind the curtain of an artist whose mystique only deepened with each cryptic outtake or shelved recording. But as the vaults have opened wider, and the content more voluminous, that once-electric anticipation has given way to a quiet apprehension. The rarity of bootlegs, once prized in the pre-digital age, has eroded in the era of the unlimited archive. With so much now available, only the most distinctive offerings still shine.
Thankfully, Fragments, the 17th installment in Dylan’s expansive Bootleg Series, centered on the sessions for 1997’s Time Out of Mind, manages to do just that. Unlike some of its bloated predecessors, this set is relatively restrained—five discs, with one given over to a newly remixed version of the original album. It is a more digestible affair, and paradoxically, a more revealing one.
The heart of the collection lies in discs two and three. Here we hear the sound of a master craftsman circling the essence of a record he would ultimately perfect. These alternate takes and early versions reveal not only the development of the material, but also a notable shift in emotional register. The versions presented here are brighter, sometimes surprisingly so—less haunted, less hollow, and missing the cold echo that made Time Out of Mind such a spectral, aching work. And yet, their value lies in exactly that contrast. One gets the impression Dylan recorded the album multiple times, only to find the right mood on a final, stripped-down pass. These working versions are fascinating—not definitive, but vital.
Disc four shifts focus to live renditions from the period. As with much of Dylan’s later concert output, these performances can be erratic. His voice, always a contested element, often falters in presence and clarity. The crowd noise and ambient recordings lend an appropriately “bootleg” air, though not always to the album’s benefit. The renditions feel more like obligatory entries than illuminating reimaginings, lacking the dynamism that might justify their inclusion.
The final disc rounds out the set with the most skeletal of material—demos and stripped-back outtakes. While some tracks hint at untapped possibilities, there’s little here to demand repeated listening. The repetition of multiple versions of the same track—each stretching to six minutes or more—may test the patience of even the most devoted fan. Still, there is a certain archaeological pleasure in tracing the arc of a song from first breath to final form.
Fragments may not reclaim the magic of the Bootleg Series’ early volumes, but it does succeed in something rarer: contextualizing one of Dylan’s late-career masterpieces without diminishing its mystery. It may well be that further posthumous volumes await us, but if they approach their subject with the care and restraint seen here, there may yet be more to learn from the past.
Go to the next review
Go back to the main page