It's hard not to feel divided by Bob Dylan's latest release, the tenth volume in his 'Bootleg Series”, which frequently leaves one awestruck at the casual brilliance of his performances while simultaneously remaining unable to banish the nagging doubt: 'has it really come to this?”

The Bootleg Series is in itself a monumental achievement, each volume containing between 2 and 4 CDs. That makes for over 30 CDs of previously unreleased material: alternative versions, live tracks, and a significant amount of previously unheard (outside rarefied collectors' circles) songs. And there seems no sign of it drying up any time soon. That's what keeps Dylan fans on tender hooks. The man has been so relentlessly creative that there are still many undiscovered gems.
For instance, the out-takes from his ground-breaking 1966 album Blond on Blond - rock's first double album - have never officially surfaced. Similarly unreleased is extra material from his gospel period, or a live collection from his 'Neverending Tour” (1988 till now).
What the Bootleg Series Vol 10 - Another Self Portrait (1969-1971) offers is slightly different: out-takes from a 1971 double set so widely reviled that Rolling Stone started their review with the immortal phrase: 'What is this shit?”
It was a fair reaction. The original Self Portrait is a mess, stretching from syrupy silliness – Dylan crooning 'Blue Moon” - to the roughly awful, a category including 'The Boxer”, where Dylan sings an out-of-tune harmony with himself while failing to remember the words he used on the first vocal.

And it gets worse
A couple of years later, Dylan finally moved on from CBS. The label, in a move that many thought was close to blackmail, released leftovers from the original Self Portrait album under the title Dylan. I have a copy; you don't want to hear it. It is the only one of his albums not currently available, though the tactic apparently did the trick as he quickly returned to the CBS fold (and gained full rights to all his unreleased material).
So it's fair to say that a collection of yet more stuff from the Self Portrait sessions was not high on the average Dylan fan's wish-list. When first mooted, everyone thought it must be a joke.
But no! It's the real deal and the new collection (the 2CD version at least – there is also a 'deluxe” 4CD edition) marks a significant improvement over the original, a feat made possible by adding in a few extra out-takes from Dylan's previous (Nashville Skyline) and subsequent (New Morning) albums. But it's the Self Portrait songs that really make you wonder again about Dylan's propensity for leaving his best material on the studio floor.
There is a stunning reading of the traditional 'Pretty Saro” which is possibly the finest bit of singing I've ever heard from the man; there's a lovely piano take of 'Spanish is the Loving Tongue; and there are half a dozen slices of perfect Americana, of which 'Annie's Going Top Sing Her Song” is my favourite. Amongst the alternative versions there's a gorgeous slow 'If Not For You”, a piano-backed 'When I Paint My Masterpiece” and a demo of 'Went To See the Gypsy” that demolishes the official take.
There is also a fair amount of unnecessary stuff that is fun for collectors ('New Morning” and 'Sign on the Window” with Al Kooper's excessive instrumentation restored). Ironically, just as the original Self Portrait would have made an adequate single album, this would have made an outstanding one. At two CDs it may be just for fans.

But wait
Even more 'just for fans” is the extended 4CD set. Costing $100 more than the 2CD set, it includes two extra things: a full version of Dylan's ramshackle concert from the 1969 Isle of Wight Festival and the original Self Portrait remastered onto one disc.
The former has been kicking around fan circles for over 30 years (I first got a vinyl copy in 1979) and is in no way highly sought after. Because it was a pretty rubbish gig, though there is a certain amusement factor in hearing Dylan forget the words of 'Like a Rolling Stone”. The latter? Well, it may be remastered, but that original review still holds pretty true...