More than almost any other artist on the planet, Bob Dylan has gone a long way to preserving and presenting the materials of his past. Though he hasn’t commented much on his decade’s long Bootleg series — Dylan interviews are admittedly rare in the first place — his continuing efforts at fleshing out the different stages of his career with expansive box sets has assisted both acolytes and casual fans alike to better understand both his frame of mind, and his growth as an artist.
The latest entry into the series, a nine-disc box set titled Trouble No More: The Bootleg Series Vol. 13 / 1979–1981, captures Dylan in one of the more divisive moments in his career when he found Jesus, converted to Christianity and released three, gospel-tinged records Slow Train Coming, Saved, and Shot Of Love. Today, he’s decided to give the world a small taste of the collection in the form of a previously unreleased track titled “Making A Liar Out Of Me.”
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The version of the song you hear above was taken during a rehearsal on September 26, 1980. It was apparently never played live, and has never made it onto an official release until now. The whole collection serves as a true testament to his powers as a live performer during these years, when so many of his fans were calling for a return to his classic-era hits from the 1960s.
You can pre-order Trouble No More: The Bootleg Series Vol. 13 / 1979–1981 here.
