Bob Dylan - Another Self Portrait
The release of two CDs of outtakes from the Self Portrait and New Morning sessions, entitled Another Self Portrait, tells another story. The box set profiles demos and early versions of songs that eventually wound up on Self Portrait to show listeners how differently the album would have come off if Dylan’s early vision had been adhered to. The greatest impression these newly unearthed songs create is of an artist rediscovering the ease and joy that brought him to music in the first place. The songs sound exactly like what they are—a young man sitting down with his guitar and informally singing some of his favorite tunes with friends. The rough and ready recordings of songs like “Copper Kettle,” “Bring Me A Little Water” and “Pretty Saro” come off perfectly. “Days of ‘49” finally sounds as weary and regretful as we always knew it did under the gloss. It’s hard to pick favorites amongst the 35 songs that have been generously crammed onto two discs, but the simple demos of “Belle Isle” and “When I Paint My Masterpiece” come very close to the top of the list.
Beatles fans will enjoy the opportunity to hear selections from Bob Dylan’s unreleased recording sessions with George Harrison from 1970. Predictably, there’s a new version of “If Not For You” with added horns, but the off-the-cuff guitar rave-up “Working On A Guru,” which understandably was never released, is still a lot of fun to listen to. George Harrison’s loose and limber guitar leads and backup vocals on that song and “Time Passes Slowly” show a far more relaxed side of his style than he ever experimented with on any of his solo work.
