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Bob Dylan

Dreamin' of You

Rolling Stone: star rating
Community: star rating
5 3.5 0
August 21, 2008

Recently posted online to promote Dylan's new website and forthcoming Tell Tale Signs: The Bootleg Series Vol. 8, this track is the first studio outtake heard by Dylan fans since unused cuts from Oh Mercy surfaced in the Nineties. Originally written for 1997's Time Out of Mind, it provides a rare glimpse into Dylan's songwriting process. Many of the lyrics eventually found their way onto "Standing in the Doorway" with a radically different melody, but this primitive version is the rare Time Out of Mind track that doesn't seem intensely preoccupied with Dylan's increasing sense of his own mortality. Producer Daniel Lanois lends a swampy, atmospheric touch to the organ-heavy track, perhaps a bit too much at times, but Dylan's surprisingly clear vocals make "Dreamin' of You" a gem - a final hurrah before his voice descended into the wolf-man growl of recent years. It's a must-hear for Dylan aficionados, and his decision to scrap it for parts speaks volumes about his perfectionist ways.

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