Bob Dylan / Sessions and Outtakes Upgrade

Released in 2014, this album was highly praised by fans as a compact and convenient compilation of rare tracks from “THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN'” that were available at the time. However, it has not been reissued or upgraded like “THE FREEWHEELIN’ BOB DYLAN RADIO STATION DISC & SESSIONS.” As a result, a gray-zone CD has appeared that is a complete copy of “THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN’ OUTTAKES,” padded with live recordings from the same year, but this is also proof of how excellent the original album was. Moreover, with the film released last year still readily available on streaming services, the demand for rare early Dylan recordings is only increasing. The box set “THROUGH THE OPEN WINDOW 1956-1963,” officially released last fall, was also a release that came about in the midst of this trend. Naturally, demand for “THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN’ OUTTAKES,” which was released more than 10 years ago, is not only continuing but increasing. And so, this release is finally here. Fortunately, the time that has passed since the last release has allowed for the discovery of new recordings and upgrades from the “THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN'” sessions. So this time, it’s not just a simple re-release, but a complete overhaul of the content, upgraded to “SESSIONS & OUTTAKES.” In particular, the previous release was titled “OUTTAKES” because it only contained two session recordings from the album, but new recordings were discovered last year, expanding the session section. On the other hand, there are also alternate takes of the album’s title track with different performance keys, which were originally official releases but are now hard to find, ironically increasing their value. Thus, not only have the number of valuable alternate takes been increased, but the number of outtakes has also been increased thanks to new discoveries last year. Furthermore, the improved sound quality of tracks like “Farewell” compared to the previous release is also noteworthy. What’s shocking is that, as you can hear from the outtakes, Dylan recorded multiple takes of his piano accompaniment, but all of them were shelved. The recording order of the sessions has now been fully determined, revealing that most of these piano songs were recorded intensively in the latter half of the session, not as a warm-up. To top it all off, even “Key to the Highway,” which he played on piano, was ultimately shelved. In addition, the unreleased mono mix files compiled in the latter half are now difficult to obtain, and there are more tracks here that can only be heard here than before. As a result, tracks like “Lay Down Your Weary Tune” from “BIOGRAPH” and the instrumental “Suze (The Cough Song)” released in “BOOTLEG SERIES 1-3” can be enjoyed in a more raw, analog-like mono sound than the officially released stereo versions. Following the continued bestseller “THE FREEWHEELIN’ BOB DYLAN RADIO STATION DISC & SESSIONS,” the highly anticipated re-release of “THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN'” has finally been realized, upgraded in both content and sound quality, as a collection of sessions and outtakes in the highest possible sound quality throughout. (60:51) SESSIONS 1. The Times They Are A-Changin’ (Alternate take 23rd October 1963) 2. Ballad Of Hollis Brown (Early version from “Freewheelin” sessions 14th November 1962) 3. One Too Many Mornings (Take 1 24th October 1963) 4. Boots Of Spanish Leather (Take 5 6th August 1963) OUTTAKES 5. Farewell (Take 5 6th August 1963) 6. Eternal Circle (Incomplete early version 7th August 1963) 7. Bob Dylan’s New Orleans Rag (Remake, Take 3 7th August 1963) 8. Bob Dylan’s New Orleans Rag (Incomplete New Remake, 7th August 1963) 9. Hero Blues (Take 3 12th August 1963) 10. Eternal Circle (Take 4 12th August 1963) 11. Percy’s Song (Alternate Take 24th October 1963) 12. East Laredo Blues (Take 1 23rd October 1963) 13. Key To The Highway (Take 1 23rd October 1963) 14. That’s All Right Mama / Sally Free And Easy (Take 1 23rd October 1963) 15. Lay Down Your Weary Tune (Take 1 24th October 1963 Mono Acetate Mix) 16. Percy’s Song (Take 1 23rd October 1963 Mono Acetate Mix) 17. Suze (The Cough Song) (Take 1 24th October 1963 Mono Mix)