Is Bob Dylan trolling us?

That's the first reaction to this week's release of "The Bootleg Series, Vol. 10: Another Self Portrait (1969-1971)." The two-CD set gathers outtakes, live cuts and other unreleased material drawn largely from Dylan's 1970 albums "Self Portrait" and "New Morning." The former was Dylan's first true flop and is still considered one of the worst records in his catalog. Greil Marcus' infamous Rolling Stone "Self Portrait" review even opened with the oft-quoted line: "What is this s---?"

So it's curious, shall we say, that Dylan thinks his fans want even more of "Self Portrait." In 1973, when Dylan briefly left his longtime home at Columbia Records, the label "punished" him by issuing "Dylan," a collection of outtakes from the era that has an even worse reputation than "Self Portrait." Critics savaged it, and it has never been issued on CD in this country.

To be clear, Dylan's ongoing "Bootleg Series" stands as one of the most generous, thoughtful reissue programs in the business. Few still-living major artists have offered fans as much previously unheard material as Dylan. But with the promise that "Bootleg" sets based on his masterworks like "Blood on the Tracks" and "Blonde on Blonde" will surface, it's frustrating to think fans have to slog through the worst stuff to get to the gems.

That said, "Another Self Portrait" pulls off an amazing feat. It offers an intimate peek into Dylan's mindset at a low point in his career and suggests the possibility that "Self Portrait" didn't have to be so terrible.


There's little here for casual fans, who would be much better served by the previous "Bootleg" collections of key concerts from 1964 ("Vol. 6"), 1966 ("Vol. 4") and 1975 ("Vol. 5").

But for the faithful -- the patient faithful -- there are some real charmers on "Another Self Portrait." He freely bounces between rock, folk, country and the blues. "Spanish Is the Loving Tongue" is an obvious standout, with Dylan accompanying himself on piano. Two markedly different, stripped-down takes of the "New Morning" track "Went to See the Gypsy" are a revelation. George Harrison adds guitar to the previously unheard "Working on a Guru." And "Pretty Saro" features some of Dylan's sweetest, most tender vocals captured on tape.

The two-CD set includes a pair of live cuts from Dylan's historic 1969 Isle of Wight Festival performance with the Band. The deluxe, four-disc version of "Another Self Portrait" expands that show to fill an entire CD, with a newly remastered version of the original "Self Portrait" as the fourth disc.

What's next for the "Bootleg Series"? Knowing Dylan, maybe he will sink even deeper and give us two hours of outtakes from his mid-'80s slump or an expanded take on 1989's highly unloved "Dylan and the Dead" live album.

If nothing else, "Another Self Portrait" proves it will probably be worth the trip.
