Fragments - Time Out Of Mind Sessions (1996-1997): The Bootleg Series Vol. 17

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Critics and fans hailed that one as a rebirth: here, seemingly, was Dylan riding high, Time Out of Mind’s Edgar Allan Poe rags tossed off in favor of a natty bowler hat and a riverboat gambler’s mustache.

“Fragments: Time Out of Mind Sessions (1996-1997)” now

Dylan’s character sketch of Lanois on a first impression is for the ages: “He was noir all the way — dark sombrero, black britches, high boots, slip-on gloves — all shadow and silhouette — dimmed out, a black prince from the black hills. For Dylan, the song had always been the thing: His catalog had always boasted the folk virtues of pliability. These are no doubt included here to make this a complete collection of recordings taken from this period.You could speed his songs up, slow them down, throw rock drums behind them or do any old thing, and the songs would remain, somehow, themselves: “Desolation Row” remains recognizably “Desolation Row” on take 5 and Take 13. Essential - one of the few artists where outtakes are are as valued and enjoyable as the published takes. Dylan last performed it live in 2019, and has sung it a modest three hundred or so times, but others have taken it and run with it.

Dylan – Fragments – Time Out Of Mind Sessions Bob Dylan – Fragments – Time Out Of Mind Sessions

The pretty standardised lyrics on these versions don’t show the massive amount of work Dylan put into the song, as manifested in his handwritten archival drafts.When the songs took shape in January of the following year, they moved to Criteria Studio in Miami, FL. As with previous Bootleg Series releases, this provides the listener with a real insight into the whole process of developing and recording the songs, and that whole journey towards the final product that we have enjoyed for so many years. The studio lineup was increased, and an illustrious mix of session musicians and members of Dylan’s touring band found themselves in Florida: Bucky Baxter (acoustic guitar, pedal steel), Duke Robillard (electric guitar/Gibson L-5), Robert Britt (Martin acoustic guitar, Fender Stratocaster), Cindy Cashdollar (slide guitar), Tony Garnier (bass, Upright bass), Augie Meyers (Vox organ, Hammond B3, accordion), Jim Dickinson (keyboards, Wurlitzer electric piano, pump organ) and drummers Jim Keltner, Brian Blade and David Kemper.

Dylan: Fragments - Time Out Of Mind Sessions (1996-97 Bob Dylan: Fragments - Time Out Of Mind Sessions (1996-97

Disc 4 contains 12 previously unreleased live versions of songs on the album although most seem to be sourced from unofficial recordings which have been circulating around the Dylan community for many years so may not be anything new to the most ardent of fans. Lines switch from song to song; the verses in “Dreamin’ of You” became much of “Standing in the Doorway,” for instance.

As the ’90s progressed, he started writing again, jotting down lyrics with a fervor he hadn’t experienced in some time. Announcing The Philosophy of Modern Song, Bob Dylan’s unique reflection on the ideas and philosophy contained in modern popular song.

Bob Dylan / Fragments: Time Out Of Mind Sessions 1996-1997

Disc Four of Bob Dylan – Fragments presents the songs in a series of spectacular live performances from 1998-2001 featuring Dylan and his touring ensemble: Larry Campbell (guitar, mandolin, pedal steel, and slide guitar), Bucky Baxter (pedal steel and slide guitar, 1998-1999), Charlie Sexton (guitar, 2000-2001), Tony Garnier (bass) and David Kemper (drums). The result became 1997’s Time Out of Mind, one of the most successful artistic “comebacks” of the rock era. Then came Good As I Been to You and World Gone Wrong in 1992 and 1993, respectively, two solo acoustic albums of folk and blues covers that to detractors underlined the possibility that Dylan’s best years were behind him.The unreleased outtakes on Fragments reveal some of the extraordinary moments they littered along the path. While some songs benefit from a slightly more stream-lined approach, others lost an almost undefinable quality. Dreamin’ of You’ (later soldered in part into ‘Standing In the Doorway’, which sounds nothing like it) follows, with a zingy, sparkling start that you can almost see, like a spinning disco ball, despite Dylan’s leadoff statement that “The light in this place is really bad. Home Music Reviews Album Reviews Bob Dylan: Fragments – Time Out Of Mind Sessions (1996-97) – Album.