The iconic discography of American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan now reaches a new milestone: the release of the extensive archive titled "The Bootleg Series Vol. 18: Through the Open Window, 1956-1963," via Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings.
This massive collection offers a sonic fresco of the artist's early years, from his home recordings in Minnesota to his breakthrough into the Greenwich Village folk circuit in New York.
The most complete format is the 8-CD edition, which gathers 139 tracks, including 48 previously unreleased and 38 "super-rare" ones, accompanied by a hardcover book featuring an extensive essay by historian Sean Wilentz and over 100 unseen photographs.
From the first recorded take—a 78 rpm acetate from December 24, 1956, in St. Paul (Minnesota), when Dylan was just fifteen years old—to the full performance at New York's Carnegie Hall on October 26, 1963, the volume covers the transformation of a young musician into a figurehead of the protest song.
"The document also features informal cafe recordings, club concerts, studio sessions, and demos that show how Dylan moved from performing traditional compositions to shaping his own lyrical and musical voice."
The release of this archive responds not only to the interest of collectors but also to its historical value: it is a "living connection between past and present," according to Wilentz, and allows listeners to hear "the artist becoming himself—or, in Dylan's case, one of his first many mes."
In addition to the 8-CD deluxe edition, the work will be available in more accessible versions: a 2-CD edition and a 4-LP set that condense 42 selected tracks.
With this release, Dylan solidifies another chapter in his sonic saga, allowing both long-time followers and those wishing to delve into his early work to access a deep, curated archive full of discoveries.
