The Bootleg Series Vol.8 : Tell Tale Signs

Rolling Stone - 4.5 stars out of 5 -- "TELL TALE SIGNS makes plain that Dylan knows the caprices of the world he lives in, now more than ever. Just as important, this collection bears witness to Dylan's reclamation of voice and perspective." Entertainment Weekly - "[T]he generally superb TELL TALE SIGNS repurposes known material in simple, languid, semi-acoustic settings that hark back to '70s classics like BLOOD ON THE TRACKS." -- Grade: A Mojo - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Dylan's second album with Lanois, TIME OUT OF MIND, is represented by a nice, slow blues alternative take of 'Can't Wait' and four songs that didn't make the final cut....Top prizes go to gutbucket 'Lonesome Day Blues' and harmony-laden 'Cocaine Blues'..." Record Collector - 4 stars out of 5 -- "The overriding lesson from these TELL TALE SIGNS is of Bob's immaculate role as performer. There is no one 'final version' of a track -- just the one that happens to make sense on the day." Rolling Stone - Ranked #2 in Rolling Stone's 50 Best Albums Of 2008 -- "The veering tempers of Dylan's medicine-rattle rasp are a wonder to themselves." Uncut - 5 stars out of 5 -- "TELL TALE SIGNS is awash with evidence of his staggering mercuriality, his evident determination even in the studio to repeat himself as little as possible..."

Tell Tale Signs is perhaps the most appropriately titled of all the volumes in Bob Dylan's official Bootleg Series thus far. Containing 27 tracks, the material here dates from the albums Oh Mercy through to 2006's Modern Times. It presents a carefully prepared sonic treat of a genuine enigma's musical world view. Even in some of its familiarities, Tell Tale Signs feels like a new Bob Dylan record, not only for the astonishing freshness of the material, but also for the organic feeling of everything here. It's a carefully presented set, but it's full of life and crackling energy and offers yet more proof -- as if any were needed -- that Dylan remains as cagey, unpredictable, and yes, profound and relevant, as he ever was. ~ Thom Jurek|

お馴染み〈Bootleg Series〉の第8弾は、89～2006年にかけて録音されたお宝の数々を大放出だ。未発表曲（どれも素晴らしい出来!）やライヴ音源などで近年のディラン史を補完できる内容であるが、既発曲の別テイクにすら新曲のような新鮮味を覚えさせるあたりに、ディラン・ナンバーの持つパワーが感じられる。そして何より、粗い音質で記録された、オリジナル・アルバム以上に生々しい彼の姿こそが最大の魅力だろう。　　
bounce (C)田中 幹也