Bob Dylan‘s many studio and live albums tell only part of his story.
Scattered throughout his 50-plus years as a recording artist are hundreds, if not thousands, of discarded songs and ideas. Some became other songs, some were reworked into familiar tracks, and others were just left on the shelves, as you will see in the list below of Bob Dylan’s Bootleg Series Albums Ranked.
The Bootleg Series launched in 1991 with a three-disc box set that included dozens of previously unreleased songs from throughout Dylan’s long career, filling in some of the missing pieces. Since then, Bootleg Series has given such fabled recordings as the Royal Albert Hall concert, the Basement Tapes and various leftovers from his classic mid-’60s trilogy of albums (including Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde) their long-hoped-for official releases.
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The series has even shed an entirely new light on at least one scorned LP (Self Portrait, from 1970, one of rock’s most reviled records) and put a divisive mid-’70s tour into perspective, as well as sharpened the dreaded born-again years and documented his comeback on 1997’s Time Out of Mind. But most of all, the series – which now includes more than a dozen volumes – has unlocked a treasure chest of rare gems by one of rock’s greatest artists.
No matter the consensus on some of Dylan’s albums, the Bootleg Series volumes are essential listening for anyone interested in understanding the history of one of popular music’s most enigmatic and legendary singer-songwriters.
Bob Dylan ‘Bootleg Series’ Albums Ranked
His many studio and live albums tell only part of his story.
Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci
