23 thoughts on “Updated: News about Bob Dylan Trouble No More – The Bootleg Series, Vol. 13 / 1979-1981”

1. Maybe, just maybe my extra $ to bobdylan.com will result in the surprise that came to cutting edge bootleg deluxe edition purchasers, when they got a whole mess of digital download extras when the release date came around.
   Over 200 Live Bob Dylan Tracks Gifted To Purchasers Of 18-CD Box Set. Here’s to hoping that buying the deluxe at bobdylan.com comes with some nice surprises.

2. Why is Bob Dylan releasing CD’s? I mean I understand why some people buy vinyl. And, of course, digital downloads make sense. But why CD’s, they are like 8- tracks or cassettes, no real reason! But you can’t get the “extra” Dylan 2-cd concert except for his site, and you pay $35 more than amazon.com. And for half the price you can get digital download at amazon. bobdylan.com is gauging…
   Disappointing!

   1. I tend to agree about the high cost. Ordering from Dylan’s website costs $174 U.S. and you get a bonus DVD with several extra songs, a book and 2 CD live bonus discs (no listing of what they contain but probably not a great deal different). It would be fun to have all that, but the 8 CDs from iTunes are $95 less. Not sure the extras will be worth all the additional cash — unless Bob decides to put his signature on the book!!

3. The first American songbook release, I played twice and found it sad and over hyped. The second one just didn’t move me and ended up becoming a gift, so I was certainly sceptical about a triple album of more old crooner tunes. I finally got it recently and find it strangely addictive, up there with his Christmas album in pace and warmth. ‘Bragging could almost be about Trump and his ilk, whose got the biggest nuke. Dylan’s singing, really, has it ever been better. Maybe during the gospel era but there is a great intimacy these days. He always sang other people’s songs pretty good, I reckon.

4. I wish they had complete shows instead of cherry picking songs from different tours. I’ve got several complete shows from this 1979-1981 era and they’re among Bob’s greatest performances. But not only was it the fantastic music, it was also Bob’s righteous indignation that came across in his singing and in between songs sermonizing. Alas these are not included in the new bootleg series. A missed opportunity. Still, the songs will sound great and will win many new converts to one of Bob’s most underrated and brilliant periods.

   1. I love the album that cherry picked for the Bootleg series vol.5 (1975 Rolling Thunder tour). And put my trust in the record company that this package will be equally good (better, and with two “full” concerts). We still have the bootlegs, but the upgrade of the audio is what does it for me.

      Thanks for the comment!

5. Well sure glad most people are happy with this, but for me it’s been a hard time these last years with the songbook releases and now a scattershot ensemble of different live shows, many songs repeated and only on the 8 disc set a complete concert. There are also only a few precious studio outtakes. I think I will let this pass, would have only bought the vinyl edition anyway as I am not into cd’s, but if that vinyl box is a version of the 2 cd set it is too meagre for me, just like bootleg series 12 was. The last time I was happy with a Dylan album was when we got the mad genius of Tempest, think I will put that one on right now, to console myself, (bootleg series 11 with Basement Tapes was okay as it came, though I tend to revert to my lp of Little White Wonder when I want to hear those beautiful songs from 67)

   1. I’m also looking forward to the next release of Dylan originals (loved Tempest), but in the meantime I’m going to immerse myself in this lovely box-set. I really like the archival aspect, and love to compare versions of songs. This is a goldmine for me, even if I almost every taping from those three years.

      thanks for the feedback!

6. Kinda of a bummer that you always have to order the deluxe edition for another $$$ to get a couple of extra CD’s. Series 8 was $100 for disc 3 right. And now it’s another $100 to get the DVD and 2 CD bonus concert, which are only available in the physical format. I don’t care about the booklets that I read once, nor the packaging and I realize the DVD cannot be an mp3 but to get the bonus 2cd’s have to pay another $100. Deluxe pricing, I’d say.

7. The official site is offering a 2-CD bonus concert if you pre-order from them.

8. At the -very- least, this set will — I hope — unsettle the image of Bob Dylan as a live performer who always ignored his audience. We’ll see if Sony left in the remarks before songs in which Dylan was trying to connect with people and to respond to them.

   I’m not sure that this came really easily to him. He’s not perhaps so very extroverted as a lot of popular performers.

   Some entertainers make you feel that you’re with them in a sort of one-on-one way, when they perform. Of course you aren’t, not really. I think Dylan may typically be aware of that, and would not feel like conjuring an illusion of intimacy. But during this period he did talk to, and listen to, members of his audience.

   Some of the exchanges were uncomfortable for all concerned. He could hear people yelling for rock and roll or for the women singing in support of some of the songs to strip off their clothes: “College kids showed the most disrespect…I mean it was fierce. We’d play theaters in the mission and Times Square districts in some of the larger cities, in the inner cities where industry has moved out and people don’t have work, some of the most beautiful theaters are there — the people that would come to the shows, you know, they’d be more or less from the neighborhood, prostitutes, pimps, whatever, shady looking characters, I guess they didn’t have anything better to do and most of these theaters were right in the heart where they operated but anyway in these areas, this particular show went down well, audiences would be very receptive and even if I say so myself, wildly enthusiastic, strange too because a lot of these people I don’t think they’d ever heard of me before. They understood what I was going through and they let me know that. Then we’d play the so-called colleges, where my so-called fans were. And all hell would break loose ‘take off that dress’, ‘we want rock ‘n’ roll,’ lots of other things I don’t even want to repeat…This really surprised me, that these kids didn’t know any better, all from good homes and liberal minded to boot… it was a tough challenge but I was happier with the pimps and the hookers…Fans? Now they were shouting abuses at the girls that were singing with me,” etc. (Comments with “Solid Rock” on the 1985 Biograph LP release).

   But it seems he did keep reaching out, at least for a time. I saw him 16 Jan. 1980 at the Paramount Theater, Portland, Oregon. The band had been delayed but at last the show began. There wasn’t a lot of interaction with the audience on this occasion, possibly it wasn’t one of the most high-energy shows of the tour, but I’m, sure glad I was there that night.

9. Firstly, the wonderful Triplicate and now this, another quality release. What a guy, what a great year to be a Dylan admirer, he has no equals.

10. This is pretty great news — I was searching for info on this bootleg on Dylan’s web site and on amazon just yesterday without any success. I should have known I’d hear it from you guys first! Thanks.

    Interesting that Trouble In Mind is apparently not on the 2-CD set, yet there are two live versions of several other tunes. Dylan was singing with such force in those days so I’m looking forward to hearing this stuff. The book, too, should be interesting.

    I’m not religious, but in my opinion Pressing On, Every Grain of Sand and Covenant Woman stand right up there among Dylan’s best work.

    1. Thank you, we try to serve 🙂 but seriously we are big fans of this period and have been on lookout for any news. Pressing On is one of my favourite Dylan songs no matter what period we’re looking at. If the sound on the clip from Drammen, Norway (When you gonna wake up) is an indication, we are in for something fantastic!

       Thanks again for your comments.

       br,
       Hallgeir

11. I would love to enter the contest ?
    In 1981 I arrived into a relationship with Jesus Christ and I was so excited to hear of Bob experiencing Jesus at the same time. I was sad for him though when “big business” of Christianity began to take advantage of him, (which is what I believe caused him to step out of the spotlight and live his faith in Christ in a more relationship way)
    I’m very happy to see this release come out at a time when it seems that people need to re-connect back to the “Prince of Peace” and find rest for their souls. May God bless all the searching souls of this era ??
    I, however, cannot afford this excellent series because I am at this time studying for Seminary and it is taking all my $s to do so for the next 2.5 years. But, I sure am happy that many will enjoy this amazing journey through Bob’s Troubled No More years ?✨❤️✨❤️✨❤️✨

12. I was fortunate to be contacted by Dylan’s management and Sony to contribute 10 original Dylan photographs to this new box set. I photographed 4 shows in Toronto 1980, 4 shows in Montreal 1980, 2 shows in Detroit, 1 show each in Montreal and Ottawa in 1981. The newest edition in Columbia/Legacy Recordings Bob Dylan bootleg series has been revealed. Trouble No More: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 13/1979-1981 gives us live recordings from his “christian” or “born again” years from Slow Train Coming, Saved and Shot of Love (79-81). Looking forward to the box set release. enjoy, Lawrence Kirsch

    1. Thanks for the comment, and congrats with the photos. I really look forward seeing them!

13. ‘gives us live recordings from his “christian” or “born again” years’

    Normally, the word “Christian” is capitalized.

    1. I am sorry, I did not mean to be disrespectful. it will be corrected asap.

14. Can’t wait! Do we have pricing on these sets?

    1. Only for the mp3s so far, “8disc/2disc” versions about 50£/13£ or 80$/15$

    2. Amazon (USA) has the price as $79.99 right now.

       1. for the mp3s isn’t it?

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