I do know Bob Dylan's music is reportedly, and has been since the 1960's, the most bootlegged music around - so much so that there is a series of officially released collections of bootlegged Dylan music.

These releases include songs that had no been previously released on Dylan albums, second and third versions of previously released songs and live versions and different live constructions and performances of songs previously released on studio albums. In other words, these releases are full of Dylan's music. Hurrah for that.

Tell Tale Signs is the eighth installment in the bootleg series and included material from 1989-2006.

This is a special collection of songs for me because of this:
I bought my first Bob Dylan album in 2004 or 2005 because I had seen a Rollingstone.com article that listed their 100 Albums of All-Time (I guess, up until 2002, right?).
Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited was ranked as their Number 1 album, ever. It was a homer of a choice because the song, Like A Rolling Stone is the very first song on the album, but who is paying attention...

At that time in my life, I was searching for good music and was tired of falling into the drizzle and fluff and weak music that was on the radio and ringing in from to pop culture icons.
I figured I would try this guy, Dylan. My dad was a big fan of his and he even had given me a Dylan cassette when I was seventeen, but I never listened to it (I think it was Dylan's Saved album).

So after I bought and loved Highway 61 Revisited, I wandered into a used CD store (and where have they gone?) soon after and scooped up the only Dylan CD's they had in stock.

I got Time Out of Mind (1997) and Love and Theft (2001).

I got home and played them and was very distraught because not knowing what I know now about Mr. Dylan's music or his career, I was shocked and hurt that neither of these albums sounded anything at all like Highway 61 Revisited. I summarily closed up those CDs and put them in the bottom of my CD rack.

I think the CDs stayed there for three or four years.

Did I mention that Time Out of Mind won a Grammy for Album of the Year in 1998?

So, fast forward to earlier this year, 2010.
I had just introduced my wife to the greatness that is Time Out of Mind and how it sinks you in it's low, moaning bluesy groaning.

I find Dylan's Modern Times for a steal at a local music shop.

I play it in my car a few days later and exclaim to my wife, "You know how great the music is on Time Out of Mind? Well, Modern Times has the same of kind of great music on it, but it's full of happier songs." My wife then sequestered Modern Times in her car for the next month.....

Love and Theft is a middle mixture of the two albums.

Tell Tale Signs contains different versions of songs found on both of these albums, and more.
Rejoice.

I love the version of Mississippi. I love the original album version, as well.
I get a kick out of this version of Someday Baby, but I understand why the more upbeat version was included on Modern Times.

I Can't Wait is a great song, but is way too cheerful here to have been included this way on Time Out of Mind.

Born In Time comes from Dylan's 1989 album Oh, Mercy - and I had heard it before and I it must have been from Eric Clapton.

So, listen to Time Out of Mind, Love and Theft, Modern Times and Tell Tale Signs.
It will taste like a hot fudge sundae with your favorite topping right on - yep - right on top.

And you may never turn on your radio again - 

Bob Dylan homepage.