For fans of Bob Dylan's deeper catalog, the often overlooked period in his career when he became a "born again" Christian, 1979-1981, is also one of his most compelling times as an artist. Much more of his output from this era is soon to be uncovered, thanks to the latest installment of Dylan's ongoing Bootleg Series.
Trouble No More – The Bootleg Series Vol. 13 / 1979-1981 lands in the hands of Dylan disciples on Nov. 3, available as a two-CD set or a deluxe eight-CD set plus a DVD with previously unreleased footage.
As we revealed last month, this release comes in concert with a new documentary film about this era in Dylan's career and a new book by Dylan scholar Clinton Heylin, which also focuses on these "gospel years." According to Rolling Stone, Heylin said, "the set demonstrates, that, in fact, this was probably second only to the great creative burst in the mid-1960s in terms of the amount of material he was writing and the quality of the material he was writing."
Heylin's upcoming book, adventurously entitled Trouble In Mind: Bob Dylan's Gospel Years: What Really Happened, hopes to clarify some misconceptions about this era. It hits shelves Nov. 14 and is available for pre-order now.
So what are the recordings on the new Bootleg series that will provide this window into Dylan's mysterious yet complete transition into Christianity in his gospel years? Evidently, the three albums he recorded during this era, Slow Train Coming, Saved and Shot Of Love represent only a small portion of what Dylan wrote and recorded in that time. Trouble No More ... contains 14 unreleased songs performed in rehearsal or on stage, plus a slew of live material with some of the best musicians to ever accompany Dylan onstage in Spooner Oldham (keyboards), Jim Keltner (drums) and Tim Drummond (bass).
Needless to say, fans of any Dylan era are in for an enlightening treat.
