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Jan 31, 2023Fragments: Time Out of Mind Sessions (1996-1997) serves the showman well, making this era sing, one of The Bootleg Series’ most intriguing investigations so far into Bob Dylan’s working practices and mindset.
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Jan 27, 2023The joy here is in basking in the creative process, how Dylan chipped away at differing tempos, alternate arrangements and revised lyrics for each composition, ultimately to arrive at the final 11 tracks.
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Mar 22, 2023It showcases the entire process and in doing so furthers one’s appreciation of a work of art that is so consequential as it already is. Along with a book of essays and ephemera to further instruct and illuminate, Fragments is as essential to the Dylan catalog as Time Out of Mind itself.
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Feb 8, 2023The Fragments box set offers enough weight and return to justify its weighty price tag. The remastered version of the original album is simply stunning, bringing clarity to the source material that wasn’t as evident before. So too, while repeated versions of certain songs may sometimes seem redundant, they are well in keeping with any Dylan devotee’s desire to peer well below the surface while gathering clues as to the germination of Dylan’s genius.
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Jan 27, 2023This indispensable and revelatory treatment is as loving and comprehensive as can be, giving us a sense of how Dylan and his various collaborators nailed down these spooky, funny, hard songs pondering loneliness, independence and the end of one's days.
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Jan 26, 2023No one thought that Dylan would make one of his finest albums in 1997 (or maintain that hot streak for the next quarter-century). No one thought, either, that the outtakes from such sessions could fill a compelling, sometimes revelatory box set. But here it is.
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Jan 26, 2023It contains some of his finest work, and this lengthy package is a profound expansion on the sessions, live shows, and experimentation that took him there. A terrific piece of Dylan lore, for casual fans and Dylanologists alike.
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Jan 30, 2023Disc One gives us the final studio album, remixed and scrubbed fresh so we can avail ourselves once more of its glorious shadows and submerge ourselves in its delicious mood. The remaining four discs—two of unreleased outtakes, one previously available, and a live set—repositions Time Out of Mind as a rebirth rather than a farewell.
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Feb 1, 2023Michael Brauer’s interpretation – same songs, different mix – alters the texture of familiar songs like Love Sick, the spectral Cold Irons Bound and Make You Feel My Love, now something of a standard thanks to Adele, Michael Bublé and, er, Nick Knowles. ... The live pieces are more informative, with songs performed between 1998 and 2001.
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Jan 27, 2023Ultimately, Fragments is yet another thought-provoking installment of the Dylan’s discography, not only in direct reflection of its source material but also on its very own terms.
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Jan 27, 2023Ultimately, Fragments highlights the solidly sound judgement that Dylan and producer Daniel Lanois applied when assembling Time Out of Mind: despite the merits of many of these alternative versions, you’re unlikely to want to argue with selections for the majestically atmospheric original album.
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Jan 26, 2023Living up to the title of the whole series, those concert tapes often sound like bootlegs; here and there, you can hear people in the audience commenting as the songs start up and end.
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Jan 26, 2023It's a lot of samey-sounding material to wade through just to find a slightly different version of "Mississippi." While the remix is instructive, offering insight into Dylan's intentions and making Time Out of Mind seem less like an outlier in his discography, this set is ultimately for the hardcore heads, who don't mind hearing minute variations on familiar themes.
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Feb 18, 2023
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Feb 1, 2023