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BIOGRAPH features 53 digitally remastered Bob Dylan
recordings spanning the years 1961-1981, 18 of which were
previously unissued.
This three-disc set was Columbia's first attempt to
anthologize Dylan in the box-set format. Unlike the later
BOOTLEG SERIES, though, BIOGRAPH does double duty as
treasure trove of previously unreleased material and
greatest hits package. From "Tangled Up in Blue"
to "I Want You," most of Dylan's FM radio
staples are here, painting a clear historical picture of
both his development as an artist and his transformation
from rabble-rousing underdog to popular culture icon.
The real gems here are, naturally, the previously
unreleased songs. Some, like "Isis" and the
surrealistic epic "Visions of Johanna are Dylan album
cuts heard here in revelatory live versions. Some are
Dylan's version of songs he wrote that were recorded by
others ("Mighty Quinn," a hit for Manfred Mann,
and "I'll Keep It With Mine," recorded by Nico
and others). The most striking tunes on BIOGRAPH are the
ones that had never been released before in any form, like
"Mixed Up Confusion" and the whimsical "Jet
Pilot."
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