The Cutting Edge 1965-1966: The Bootleg Series, Vol.12

Being relatively new to Dylan's music I can only concur with the other, more knowledgeable reviewers here - I'm in the early stages of falling in love with it, even though I'm in my fifties. So I thought I would restrict my comments about this LP box set version as a product. While box sets are not new in the Classical and Jazz worlds (my wife has a 19 LP box set of Wagner's Ring Cycle dating from the 1950s), they are a relatively recent phenomenon in rock. This has coincided with the reawakening of interest in vinyl, with many so-called 'legacy artists' getting the vinyl box-set treatment. Having bought the excellent Beatles Mono Vinyl set along with Dylan's Original Mono Vinyl Recordings, it seems that record companies are finally getting their acts together and producing something of value - for both the audience and the artists. Such is the case with the vinyl version of Dylan's "The Best of the Cutting Edge 1965-1966". When I received it, I got that buzz of excitement. Here was a beautifully produced box-set - the outer thick-card slipcase felt sturdy, well constructed and beautifully designed. The 12"x12" soft back book included in the package is gorgeous, with possibly the coolest photograph I've ever seen of Dylan on the front. The print quality is excellent. The 3 LPs are presented inside old-style die-cut 78 rpm-style sleeves, each with differing designs and adorned with matching labels. If this wasn't enough, the LPs themselves are beautiful - heavy, flat, gleaming vinyl that sound incredible. Two CDs containing the same tracks are thrown in for good measure, housed in light card slipcases adapted from early Dylan EP covers. You're not only getting brilliantly curated alternative studio takes from this period in stunning clarity, but you get the added value of this set being a beautiful thing to own - an artefact, in fact. If you love Dylan and own a record player, get this and his vinyl Mono Box set - they complement each other perfectly, covering some of the same period. On the basis of these releases, I'm seriously tempted to get the "Another Self Portrait Official Bootleg No. 10" vinyl box set. Damn, this is getting expensive...but what a time we're living in when all these lost gems are available to be enjoyed and savoured in such winning style.

The Cutting Edge is an impressive collection of unreleased songs, outtakes, rehearsals and alternate versions of songs from his first three electric albums "Bringing It All Back Home," "Highway 61 Revisited" and "Blonde on Blonde" - undoubtedly the most productive and creative period of his career. The sound is mostly super and many tracks are so complete that they could have earned release on one the official albums - here it must be added that none, however, surpasses the known versions; though a couple come close. It is interesting to note how different many of these until now unknown versions are compared to the known versions. In several cases the beat is very different; e.g. "Just Like a Woman" which is almost like a completely different song. Also "Visions of Johanna" changed quite a bit along the way before it became the stunning ballad known from "Blonde on Blonde" - here it is in an up-beat rocking version. Among the songs that never found way to an official release is especially "She's Your Lover Now" a gem. The version here is a little more subdued than the version released on "The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961-1991" in 1991. Both versions are great and both crashing towards the end - unfortunately. Especially sad that Dylan never completed thw song. "Sitting on a Barbed Wire Fence" might have been a fine addition to "Highway 61 Revisited", but perhaps it was found a little too similar to some of the other songs; also the album had already quite a long playing time. A few songs were initially only known in other people's versions; including "If You Gotta Go, Go Now" by Manfred Mann and "Farewell, Angelina" with Joan Baez. Also interesting to get an insight in how Dylan continually adjusted his lyrics and how he constantly played with words and language

Nearly 50 years - that's right - after the last of the big 3, Blonde On Blonde was finished, this 2 CD version of his alternative and other takes has been released and it is wonderful. If you're not a Dylan fan, look away now. If you are, this fascinating collection concentrates only on the three best albums ever recorded (by miles) and reveals Dylan's processes in a startling new way. His Bob-hood created while recording - that much we knew. He tried versions of songs in the studio like he does on tour. He wrote in the studio if he felt like it. He didn't go in for a lot of re-recording technique (like the Beatles) preferring to keep things fresh. It was his vision, his band(s), his songs, his voice - and it was stunning. The 'Best of' is more than enough for me. I hated the 'Basement Tapes' released recently - this is another thing entirely. The collection is chronological -starting with Bringing It All Back Home (Tom Wilson) then Highway 61 and finally, Blonde On Blonde (Bob Johnson). The material is well recorded, the performances good, the results both surprising (check out the Visions of Johanna as a rock track) and beautiful. For those of us old enough to have heard these songs when they were first released, it is not like nostalgia. It's like revelation. His voice is great (not a brilliant voice, but a great singer), the musicians are sometimes very good, and the songs unmatched. To think these were recorded in 1965 (BIABH and Highway 61) and by the end of February1966 places Dylan ahead of all his contemporaries for quality. With the possible exception of Blood On The Tracks, he never came close to this, and never will. But Bob can relax - no one has come close to these albums. Whether you prefer Highway 61 or Blonde On Blonde (my favourite of all time), this, for once, is a real treat that Dylan fans should treasure.

Bob Dylan ganó el Nobel y de inmediato conseguir esta colección se volvió más difícil. Básicamente consiste en casi todo lo que grabó Bob entre 1965 y 1966. Hay una pequeñas joyas inéditas aquí o por fin limpiadas, como ese demo al piano de Desolation Row. Desquita cada centavo.

Excelente produto.

ディランを聴き初めてから38年、当時の新作から旧作、またこの手のブートレグ・シリーズが発売されるたびに買い続け（少し中断もあったが）、一応編集盤以外は聴いて集めているが、やっぱりオリジナル・アルバムとして1番カッコいいのは60年代の作品だろう。 その中でも「Bringing It All Back Home」「Highway 61 Revisited」「Blonde on Blonde」の3作は特別だ。 マイナーなフォークのスターからロックのスターへ。 フォークファンから非難、軽蔑されるも好きな音楽への転身を見事に成し遂げた時期だ。 楽曲、演奏、ただただ素晴らしいだけでなく、勢いだとか、人を引き付ける魔力がこの時期の音楽には存在しているように思う。 ディラン僅か24～25歳、ほとばしる想像力とエネルギー、こういったものが充満している。 今回の作品はその時期のアウトテイク、リハーサル・トラック、別ヴァージョンなどが収録されている。 まあ良いに決まっているわけだ。 音も最新リマスターで見違えるような向上、だから演奏の隅々までよく分かり、ディランとそのメンバー達がとても乗りのある上手い演奏をしていたのもよくわかる。 特には「Highway 61 Revisited」でのマイク・ブルームフィールドのブルース・フィーリング溢れるギターとアル・クーパーのメロディアスで印象的なキーボードがとても重要だったってことが再確認できる。 興奮、感動しました。

excellent music,some songs not recorded anywhere else, at least I don't believe so. Al Kooper is an asset as is Mike Bloomfield.

Muy recomendable este lanzamiento de temas inéditos, tomas falsas y alternativas de Dylan grabados durante las grabaciones de sus clásicos Bringing it all back home, Highway 61 (mi preferido de su época eléctrica) y Blonde on Blonde. Esta edición en triple vinilo es idéntica en temas al doble cd del mismo nombre. Viene en caja dura con los tres lp's, cada uno en su carátula vintage de Columbia (fantástico) y cada uno con su propio diseño de galleta. El librito es precioso (me gusta casi más que el del box mono) con unas fotos sensacionales. El contenido musical, a parte de imprescindible para fans de esta época revolucionaria del artista, no es sólo interesante desde un punto de vista histórico, sino también de entretenimiento, ya que las canciones están muy bien recopiladas y a diferencia de las ediciones en 8 cd's o el megabox colector de 16 cd's no se hace nada repetitivo. Yo me lo pongo constantemente, cosa que no puedo decir de todos los recopilatorios de temas inéditos como este. Claro que también ayuda que el sonido es fenomenal. Mejor que los discos originales reeditados (se nota que los masters están frescos y que no han sido utilizados una y otra vez como los discos originales. Suenan genial. Se ha hecho un gran trabajo en este lanzamiento! Añadir por último que en la edición de vinilo vienen también dos cd's con el mismo material en versión digital. Así que si dudáis si coger la versión en cd o vinilo yo no lo dudaría más e iría a por esta caja, que con su tamaño de 12" es preciosa. Sin duda Dylan era the cutting edge (vanguardia) en esta época!!