Bob Dylan just announced the release of Springtime In New York, the 16th volume in his ongoing Bootleg Series of box sets. This time he’s focusing on the early to mid-’80s, the era of Shot Of Love, Infidels and Empire Burlesque. Between the whopping 54 unreleased tracks and guest appearances by Mark Knopfler, Mick Taylor, Sly and Robbie, Ringo Starr and others, it sounds like another doozy. Here’s the edited press release:
Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, will release Bob Dylan’s Springtime In New York: The Bootleg Series Vol. 16 (1980-1985) on Friday, September 17.
The latest chapter in the highly acclaimed Bob Dylan Bootleg Series revisits an often-forgotten, rich vein in Dylan’s vast and complex catalog, shining fresh light on the provocative new musical directions Dylan was taking as a songwriter and a recording artist from 1980 through 1985. In the early 1980s, while the music industry was grappling with the arrival of new trends and technology, from MTV to compact discs to digital recording, Dylan was writing and recording new songs for a new decade, creating an essential new chapter in his studio catalog. Springtime In New York (1980-1985) celebrates the rich creative period surrounding Dylan’s albums Shot Of Love, Infidels, and Empire Burlesque with previously unreleased outtakes, alternate takes, rehearsal recordings, live performances and more.
The deluxe five-CD edition of the album presents 57 rare Bob Dylan recordings, 54 of them previously unreleased in any format, from 1980-1985. The previously released cuts include two Shot Of Love outtakes: Let It Be Me (first released as B-side to Heart of Mine international 7″ single) and Don’t Ever Take Yourself Away (first released on Hawaii Five-O: Original Songs from the Television Series). A third previously released recording, Death Is Not The End (an Infidels outtake featuring Full Force) first appeared in an edited version on Down In The Groove.
Disc 1 was recorded in 1980 and 1981 and finds Dylan rehearsing a variety of his own catalog compositions (Señor (Tales of Yankee Power), To Ramona), rearranging some traditional folk tunes (Jesus Met the Woman at the Well, Mary of the Wild Moor) and revving up a selection of surprising covers (Mystery Train featuring Ringo Starr, Sweet Caroline, Fever, Abraham, Martin and John) with a group of musicians including Fred Tackett (guitar), David Mansfield (mandolin), Willie Smith (keyboards), Tim Drummond (bass), Jim Keltner (drums) and background vocals by Clydie King, Carolyn Dennis, Gwen Evans and Regina McCrary.
Disc 2 is devoted to outtakes and alternate takes of recordings produced by Chuck Plotkin for Shot of Love, while Disc 3 and Disc 4 are centered on the material Dylan wrote for Infidels, performed by the all-star band assembled for the album which featured Mark Knopfler (guitar), Mick Taylor (guitar), Alan Clark (keyboards), Robbie Shakespeare (bass) and Sly Dunbar (drums). The Infidels sessions, produced by Dylan and Mark Knopfler, include previously unreleased versions of Blind Willie McTell and Jokerman.
Disc 5 of the album includes live tracks (Enough Is Enough from Slane Castle, Ireland, and License to Kill from Late Night with David Letterman, March 22, 1984) alongside alternate takes and outtakes from the Empire Burlesque sessions, produced by Dylan, including premieres of new songs (Straight A’s in Love and New Danville Girl, an early draft of Brownsville Girl) and a previously unreleased performance of the canonical Dark Eyes.
According to the producer’s note in the album: “The alternate takes selected for this set are different than the ones released on previous volumes of The Bootleg Series. They are included here to illustrate the musical journey Bob Dylan undertook during these years.” In his liner notes, Damien Love writes, “And that’s the real story of this gloriously untrammeled collection. The songs. The songs stripped free of trappings, tampering, passing tastes, and judgments. The songs broken down to the sound of people really doing this, right now, acting on instinct. The songs rough and rowdy, bruised and tender, joking and crying, nagging and striving and yearning. The songs were always there, and here they are still, keeping pace with us.”
Springtime in New York: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 16 (1980-1985) Track List
DISC 1
1. Señor (Tales of Yankee Power) – Rehearsal
2. To Ramona – Rehearsal
3. Jesus Met the Woman at the Well – Rehearsal
4. Mary of the Wild Moor – Rehearsal
5. Need a Woman – Rehearsal
6. A Couple More Years – Rehearsal
7. Mystery Train – Shot of Love outtake
8. This Night Won’t Last Forever – Rehearsal
9. We Just Disagree – Rehearsal
10. Let’s Keep It Between Us – Rehearsal
11. Sweet Caroline – Rehearsal
12. Fever – Rehearsal
13. Abraham, Martin and John – Rehearsal
DISC 2
1. Angelina – Shot of Love outtake
2. Price of Love – Shot of Love outtake
3. I Wish It Would Rain – Shot of Love outtake
4. Let It Be Me – International 7″ Single B-side
5. Cold, Cold Heart – Shot of Love outtake
6. Don’t Ever Take Yourself Away – Shot of Love outtake
7. Fur Slippers – Shot of Love outtake
8. Borrowed Time – Shot of Love outtake
9. Is It Worth It? – Shot of Love outtake
10. Lenny Bruce – Shot of Love alternate mix
11. Yes Sir, No Sir – Shot of Love outtake
DISC 3
1. Jokerman – Infidels alternate take
2. Blind Willie McTell – Infidels outtake
3. Don’t Fall Apart on Me Tonight [version 1] – Infidels alternate take
4. Don’t Fall Apart on Me Tonight [version 2] – Infidels alternate take
5. Neighborhood Bully – Infidels alternate take
6. Someone’s Got a Hold of My Heart – Infidels outtake
7. This Was My Love – Infidels outtake
8. Too Late [acoustic version] – Infidels outtake
9.Too Late [band version] – Infidels outtake
10. Foot of Pride – Infidels outtake
DISC 4
1. Clean Cut Kid – Infidels outtake
2. Sweetheart Like You – Infidels alternate take
3. Baby What You Want Me to Do – Infidels outtake
4. Tell Me – Infidels outtake
5. Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground – Infidels outtake
6. Julius and Ethel – Infidels outtake
7. Green, Green Grass of Home – Infidels outtake
8. Union Sundown – Infidels alternate take
9. Lord Protect My Child – Infidels outtake
10. I and I – Infidels alternate take
11. Death is Not the End [full version] – Infidels outtake*
DISC 5
1. Enough is Enough [live] – Slane Castle, Ireland
2. License to Kill [live] – Late Night with David Letterman, March 22, 1984
3. I’ll Remember You – Empire Burlesque alternate take
4. Tight Connection to My Heart (Has Anybody Seen My Love) – Empire Burlesque alternate mix
5. Seeing the Real You at Last – Empire Burlesque alternate take
6. Emotionally Yours – Empire Burlesque alternate take
7. Clean Cut Kid – Empire Burlesque alternate take
8. Straight A’s in Love – Empire Burlesque outtake
9. When the Night Comes Falling from the Sky [slow version] – Empire Burlesque alternate take
10. When the Night Comes Falling from the Sky [fast version] – Empire Burlesque alternate take
11. New Danville Girl – Empire Burlesque outtake
12. Dark Eyes – Empire Burlesque alternate take
