Tell Tale Signs

Well I guess my love for the music of Bob Dylan goes back a few years now. Think the first album of his that I bought was Good As I've Been to You back in 1992. Now I am aware of course that that is nothing when placed in the context of how long Bob has actually been around. 30 years too late some might say, and in all honesty there would be very little I would be able to say in answer to that. But, better late than never and there is no doubt in my mind that although in comparison to countless others I am late on the Dylan scene, I have done my best to make up for it. In the 15 years from 1992 - 2007 I have managed to see Bob exactly 30 times and also bought a shitload of his CDs although I have managed to resist the temptation to delve into the murky world of Bob bootlegs, well, the unofficial ones at least.

As far as the offical bootlegs go Tell Tale Signs is the eighth instalment in the Sony Bootleg Series, a double CD that covers the period 1989-2006. I think that it was whilst I was playing the 2nd disc in the car last Friday afternoon on my way back to London from a business appointment in Suffolk that I realised Tell Tale Sings was very possibly the best Bob CD that I had yet heard, which, beleive me, is really saying something.

Drivin' back down to London, early October, warm and sunny Friday afternoon. Drivin' fast, playing Dylan loud, just like it should be played. Colours of autumn making the English countryside appear truly majestic, a beauty that is absolutely astounding. The angle of the road, a rising curve, the shape of a bend...when the time is right they all have the ability to make me feel so deeply in love with life that I could hardly imagine what it would be like to ever be unable to witness such boundless mystery. Go read the signs, the tell tale signs...