Bob Dylan – Travelin’ Thru, 1967 – 1969: The Bootleg Series Vol. 15

“Since its inception in 1991, The Bootleg Series of Bob Dylan has evolved to the point where each successive release has become distinct and complete unto itself. Yet Vol. 15  is something of an exception to that rule because its contents abuts chronologically with The Complete Basement Tapes and, even more directly, with Another Self-Portrait. The three-CDs or LPs posit the Nobel Laureate continuing the musicological expeditions of those two aforementioned periods, reacquainting himself with a variety of styles in order to choose the optimum means of expression for himself as a songwriter. The content does not posit him as ‘the voice of a generation’ or the position of cultural bellwether he inhabited the prior decade, so there’s a certain kind of profundity is missing here (unless hearing Bob yodel qualifies: he does so on one of the ‘Jimmie Rodgers Medley’s). The cachet of Travelin’ Thru, 1967 – 1969 lies in part with a single song,”Western Road.” A Nashville Skyline outtake, it is the only version of the song ever sung by Dylan and he does so in the presence of Johnny Cash, a long-time admirer of the Bard from Minnesota. The country music icon was so enamored of another tune the pair performed, “Wanted Man,” that he opened with it a week later at his concert at San Quentin. The aforementioned rarity appears alongside a clutch of alternate taken from earlier sessions for the John Wesley Harding album that, when it appeared in all its spartan glory late in 1967, was so at odds with the psychedelic times. Those seven tracks here, including ‘Drifter’s Escape’ and ‘All Along the Watchtower’ (both subsequently covered by Jimi Hendrix), belie the impression that the record is of pristine simplicity as the result of one sustained moment of collective inspiration. Likewise, the seemingly assiduous collaborative approach to the sessions that produced Nashville Skyline beg the question of its twenty-seven-minute brevity. Except perhaps that Dylan, notwithstanding ‘I Threw It All Away’ and ‘Lay Lady Lay;’ was not especially prolific at this time. …”
glide (Video)
Bob Dylan Plays Nashville on Insightful Travelin’ Thru Bootleg Installment (Video)
Bob Dylan (Featuring Johnny Cash) – Travelin’ Thru, 1967 – 1969: The Bootleg Series Vol. 15 out now!
YouTube: Bob Dylan Bootleg Vol 15 1 / 15, YouTube: The Bootleg Series Vol. 15: Travelin’ Thru 1 / 7

NASHVILLE, TN – JUNE 7: Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash perform together with acoustic guitars on ‘The Johnny Cash Show’ on June 7, 1969 in Nashville, Tennessee.