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The Bootleg Series, Vol. 15: Travelin' Thru Image
Metascore
84

Universal acclaim - based on 10 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 9 Ratings

  • Summary: The latest release from Bob Dylan's Bootleg series feature recordings from the John Wesley Harding, Nashville Skyline, and Self Portrait sessions as well as recording sessions and television appearances with Johnny Cash and Earl Scruggs in the late 1960s.
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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. Mojo
    Oct 31, 2019
    100
    It's a damn good listen, all of it. Generous and revelatory, to borrow Rosanne's words, and at times mind-blowing. [Dec 2019, p.100]
  2. Oct 31, 2019
    90
    It’s rare to hear Dylan sound like a fan trying to be a peer, but that’s what’s evident here. Those sessions serve as the core of Travelin’ Thru, Dylan’s 15th “Bootleg Series” release, but since the Man in Black is spry and dominant throughout — he’s the true star here — it could also be a new entry in his own Bootleg Series.
  3. Nov 1, 2019
    80
    Even titans like Cash and Scruggs found themselves thrown a little off balance by the proposition of recording with the unpredictable and ever-gnomic Dylan, and “Travelin’ Thru” may be the best proof of the challenge.
  4. Q Magazine
    Nov 19, 2019
    80
    The result is music any Dylan admirer should get deeply immersed in. [Jan 2020, p.117]
  5. Oct 31, 2019
    75
    While longtime Dylan students will discover much to enjoy and ponder on Travelin’ Thru, casual observers should have no trouble resisting these abandoned experiments. Still, it’s enticing extra-credit listening for those who care.
  6. 75
    Overall, this material is essential listening for hardcore fans of Bob Dylan, recommended listening for fans of Johnny Cash, and somewhat life-affirming for folks who have Nashville Skyline as their favourite ever album. But for everyone else, there is the sense that this material making up its own standalone set shows either a lack of foresight or a thirst for dollars.
  7. Dec 5, 2019
    67
    Sadly, familiar streams – "Matchbox," "That's All Right, Mama," "Big River" – don't yield any gems. Constant studio chatter and fumbled lyrics frustrate rather than charm, and even when duetting, Dylan and Cash's aw-shucks mutual admiration smothers artistic collaboration. Disc three's bonus content with banjo legend Earl Scruggs fares better.

See all 10 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
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  2. Mixed: 0 out of
  3. Negative: 0 out of