Bob Dylan’s Next Bootleg, ‘Springtime in New York,’ Arrives: Listen
by Best Classic Bands Staff
The next installment of Bob Dylan’s bootleg series has been released. Springtime in New York: The Bootleg Series Vol. 16 covers the period from 1980-1985 and celebrates the rich creative period surrounding his albums Shot of Love, Infidels, and Empire Burlesque with previously unreleased outtakes, alternate takes, rehearsal recordings, live performances and more. The collection, available as a deluxe 5-disc box set, as well as 2-CD and 2-LP highlight packages, arrived September 17, 2021, via Sony’s Legacy Recordings. Watch the official trailer and listen to several previously unreleased tracks below.
Listen to the previously unreleased rehearsal of “Need a Woman”
The deluxe 5-CD edition of the album, announced on July 21, presents 57 rare Dylan recordings, 54 of them previously unreleased in any format, from 1980-1985. The previously released cuts include two Shot of Love outtakes: “Let It Be Me” (first released as B-side to “Heart of Mine” International 7″ single) and “Don’t Ever Take Yourself Away” (first released on Hawaii Five-O: Original Songs from the Television Series). A third previously released recording, “Death Is Not The End” (an Infidels outtake featuring Full Force) first appeared in an edited version on Down In The Groove and may now be heard for the first time in full on Bob Dylan – Springtime in New York (1980-1985).
Watch the official trailer
The deluxe edition features a book with extensive liner notes written by Damien Love, previously unseen photographs, and more.
Watch the lyric video for “Too Late” (Band Version)
In 1983 renowned film makers the Maysles Brothers documented some of the recording sessions for the Infidels album at the Power Station in New York. This footage was never officially made public but a restored video for one of the songs, “Don’t Fall Apart on Me Tonight,” was made available on Sept. 16. Featured on the track are Dylan, Mark Knopfler, Mick Taylor, Sly Dunbar, Robbie Shakespeare and Alan Clark.
See the complete song listing for the 5-disc set and listen to many more tracks, below the links.
Springtime in New York: The Bootleg Series Vol. 16 (1980-1985) Deluxe Edition Track Listing
Disc 1
1. Señor (Tales of Yankee Power) (Rehearsal)
2. To Ramona (Rehearsal)
3. Jesus Met the Woman at the Well (Rehearsal)
4. Mary of the Wild Moor (Rehearsal)
5. Need a Woman (Rehearsal)
6. A Couple More Years (Rehearsal)
7. Mystery Train (Shot of Love Outtake)
8. This Night Won’t Last Forever (Rehearsal)
9. We Just Disagree (Rehearsal)
10. Let’s Keep It Between Us (Rehearsal)
11. Sweet Caroline (Rehearsal)
12. Fever (Rehearsal)
13. Abraham, Martin and John (Rehearsal)
Disc One was recorded in 1980 and 1981 and finds Dylan rehearsing a variety of his own catalog compositions (“Señor [Tales of Yankee Power],” “To Ramona”), rearranging some traditional folk tunes (“Jesus Met the Woman at the Well,” “Mary of the Wild Moor”) and revving up a selection of surprising covers (“Mystery Train” featuring Ringo Starr, “Sweet Caroline,” “Fever,” “Abraham, Martin and John”) with a group of musicians including Fred Tackett (guitar), David Mansfield (mandolin), Willie Smith (keyboards), Tim Drummond (bass), Jim Keltner (drums) and background vocals by Clydie King, Carolyn Dennis, Gwen Evans, and Regina McCrary.
Disc 2
1. Angelina (Shot of Love Outtake)
2. Price of Love (Shot of Love Outtake)
3. I Wish It Would Rain (Shot of Love Outtake)
4. Let It Be Me (International 7″ Single B-Side)
5. Cold, Cold Heart (Shot of Love Outtake)
6. Don’t Ever Take Yourself Away (Shot of Love Outtake)
7. Fur Slippers (Shot of Love Outtake)
8. Borrowed Time (Shot of Love Outtake)
9. Is It Worth It? (Shot of Love Outtake)
10. Lenny Bruce (Shot of Love Alternate Mix)
11. Yes Sir, No Sir (Shot of Love Outtake)
Disc Two is devoted to outtakes and alternate takes of recordings produced by Chuck Plotkin for Shot of Love, while Discs Three and Four are centered on the material Dylan wrote for Infidels, performed by the all-star band assembled for the album which featured Mark Knopfler (guitar), Mick Taylor (guitar), Alan Clark (keyboards), Robbie Shakespeare (bass) and Sly Dunbar (drums). The Infidels sessions, produced by Bob Dylan and Mark Knopfler, include previously unreleased versions of “Blind Willie McTell” and “Jokerman.”
Listen to “Blind Willie McTell” (Take 5 – Infidels Outtake)
Disc 3
1. Jokerman (Infidels Alternate Take)
2. Blind Willie McTell (Take 5 – Infidels Outtake)
3. Don’t Fall Apart on Me Tonight (Version 1) (Infidels Alternate Take)
4. Don’t Fall Apart on Me Tonight (Version 2) (Infidels Alternate Take)
5. Neighborhood Bully (Infidels Alternate Take)
6. Someone’s Got a Hold of My Heart (Infidels Outtake)
7. This Was My Love (Infidels Outtake)
8. Too Late (Acoustic Version) (Infidels Outtake)
9. Too Late (Band Version) (Infidels Outtake)
10. Foot of Pride (Infidels Outtake)
Disc 4
1. Clean Cut Kid (Infidels Outtake)
2. Sweetheart Like You (Infidels Alternate Take)
3. Baby What You Want Me To Do (Infidels Outtake)
4. Tell Me (Infidels Outtake)
5. Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground (Infidels Outtake)
6. Julius and Ethel (Infidels Outtake)
7. Green, Green Grass of Home (Infidels Outtake)
8. Union Sundown (Infidels Outtake)
9. Lord Protect My Child (Infidels Outtake)
10. I and I (Infidels Alternate Take)
11. Death is Not the End (Full Version) (Infidels Outtake)
Listen to an outtake of “Lord Protect My Child”
Disc 5
1. Enough is Enough (Live from Slane Castle, Ireland)
2. License to Kill (Live on Late Night with David Letterman 03/22/84)
3. I’ll Remember You (Empire Burlesque Alternate Take)
4. Tight Connection to My Heart (Has Anyone Seen My Love) (Empire Burlesque Alternate Mix)
5. Seeing the Real You at Last (Empire Burlesque Alternate Take)
6. Emotionally Yours (Empire Burlesque Alternate Take)
7. Clean Cut Kid (Empire Burlesque Alternate Take)
8. Straight A’s in Love (Empire Burlesque Alternate Take)
9. When the Night Comes Falling from the Sky (Empire Burlesque (Slow Version) Alternate Take)
10. When the Night Comes Falling from the Sky (Empire Burlesque (Fast Version) Alternate Take)
11. New Danville Girl (Empire Burlesque Outtake)
12. Dark Eyes (Empire Burlesque Alternate Take)
Listen to the Alternate Take of “Tight Connection to My Heart (Has Anyone Seen My Love)”
Listen to the epic “New Danville Girl”
Disc Five includes live tracks (“Enough Is Enough” from Slane Castle, Ireland, and “License to Kill” from Late Night with David Letterman, March 22, 1984) alongside alternate takes and outtakes from the Empire Burlesque sessions, produced by Bob Dylan, including premieres of new songs (“Straight A’s in Love” and “New Danville Girl,” an early draft of “Brownsville Girl”) and a previously unreleased performance of the canonical “Dark Eyes.”
Listen to the live version of “Enough Is Enough”
Related: Our review of Dylan’s July 2021 streamed concert
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