Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Dear Music Appreciators, This "Best of" version is the one I heard first, streaming on NPR, and the 6 disc deluxe edition is the one I bought on Amazon because I couldn't resist the extras (more songs, more versions of songs, the hardbound book, etc.). But the 2 disc The Best of The Cutting Edge Provides the most accessible, traditional, and easily enjoyable listening experience from beginning to end. A particular highlight for this reviewer was "Sitting on a Barbed Wire Fence," which I missed the first time it came out (Bootleg Series 1-3). This song rocks. The guitar work stings and runs you over. Dylan yells. He sings some different lyrics. Words from "Tom Thumb's Blues" make an appearance. And Dylan picks his guitar player over a woman - "She's good alright but she ain't as good as this guitar player I got right now." A fitting tribute to the singular guitar work of Mike Bloomfield. For what it’s worth, I’ve created a little track-by-track/side-by-side guide to help you know some of the difference between what’s on the 2 disc version (The Best of The Cutting Edge) vs. what’s on the 6 disc version of this release (The Cutting Edge Deluxe Edition). - The 2 disc version contains 36 of the 111 tracks on the 6 disc version. - It appears the 2 disc version contains 2 tracks (disc 1 track 14 and disc 2 track 3) that are slightly shorter than their counterparts on the 6 disc version. There may be others with very minor differences of a few seconds as well. - The 2 disc version contains just 2 versions of “Like a Rolling Stone” whereas the 6 disc version devotes the entirety of disc four's 20 tracks to the song and I’ve read this is the full sessions for this particular song, but not sure if that is accurate. The 2 disc version contains the following number of tracks off each disc of the 6 disc version: - 10 out of the 23 tracks on disc 1 - 8 out of the 19 tracks on disc 2 - 2 out of the 20 tracks on disc 3 - 7 out of the 19 tracks on disc 4 - 4 out of the 15 tracks on disc 5 - 5 out of the 15 tracks on disc 6 How many songs (regardless of take or version) that appear on the 6 disc set do not appear on the 2 disc set? Answer = 12 Those songs are: - It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue - It’s All Right Ma (I’m Only Bleeding) - From a Buick 6 - Ballad of a Thin Man - Jet Pilot - I Wanna Be Your Lover - Unknown Instrumental - 4th Time Around - Most Likely You’ll Go Your Way (and I’ll Go Mine) - Temporary Like Achilles - Obviously 5 Believers - Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands So, other than that the 6 disc version is comprised of additional versions of these songs as well as additional versions of the same songs that appear on the 2 disc set. Disc 1 Track 1 on The Best of the Cutting Edge = Disc 1 Track 2 Love Minus Zero/No Limit (Take 2 Acoustic) on The Cutting Edge (6 disc) Disc 1 Track 2 on The Best of the Cutting Edge = Disc 1 Track 5 I’ll Keep it With Mine (Take 1, Piano Demo) on The Cutting Edge (6 disc) Disc 1 Track 3 on The Best of the Cutting Edge = Disc 1 Track 7 and 8 Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream (Takes 1 and 2 Solo Acoustic) on The Cutting Edge (6 disc) Disc 1 Track 4 on The Best of The Cutting Edge = Disc 1 Track 9 She Belongs to Me (Take 1 Solo Acoustic) on The Cutting Edge (6 disc) Disc 1 Track 5 on The Best of The Cutting Edge = Disc 1 Track 13 Subterranean Homesick Blues (Take 1 remake electric) on The Cutting Edge (6 disc) Disc 1 Track 6 on The Best of The Cutting Edge = Disc 1 Track 15 Outlaw Blues (Take 2 remake electric) on The Cutting Edge (6 disc) Disc 1 Track 7 on The Best of The Cutting Edge = Disc 1 Track 17 On the Road Again (Take 4 electric) on The Cutting Edge (6 disc) Disc 1 Track 8 on The Best of The Cutting Edge = Disc 1 Track 20 Farewell, Angelina (Take 1, Solo Acoustic) on The Cutting Edge (6 disc) Disc 1 Track 9 on The Best of The Cutting Edge = Disc 1 Track 22 If You Gotta Go, Go Now (Take 2, Alternate Take) on The Cutting Edge (6 disc) Disc 1 Track 10 on The Best of The Cutting Edge = Disc 1 Track 23 You Don't Have to Do That (Take 1, Solo Acoustic) on The Cutting Edge (6 disc) Disc 1 Track 11 on The Best of The Cutting Edge = Disc 2 Track 1 California (Take 1, Solo Acoustic) on The Cutting Edge (6 disc) Disc 1 Track 12 on The Best of The Cutting Edge = Disc 2 Track 4 Mr. Tambourine Man (Take 3 with Band, Incomplete) on The Cutting Edge (6 disc) Disc 1 Track 13 on The Best of The Cutting Edge = Disc 2 Track 6 It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry (Take 8, Alternate Take) on The Cutting Edge (6 disc) Disc 1 Track 14 on The Best of The Cutting Edge = a shorter version of Disc 3 Track 5 Like a Rolling Stone (Take 5, Rehearsal) on The Cutting Edge (6 disc) Disc 1 Track 15 on The Best of The Cutting Edge = Disc 3 Track 12 Like a Rolling Stone (Take 11, Alternate Take) on The Cutting Edge (6 disc) Disc 1 Track 16 on The Best of The Cutting Edge = Disc 2 Track 9 Sitting On a Barbed Wire Fence (Take 2) on The Cutting Edge (6 disc) Disc 1 Track 17 on The Best of The Cutting Edge = Disc 4 Track 12 Medicine Sunday (Take 1) on The Cutting Edge (6 disc) Disc 1 Track 18 on The Best of The Cutting Edge = Disc 2 Track 16 Desolation Row (Take 2, Piano Demo) on the Cutting Edge (6 disc) Disc 1 Track 19 on The Best of The Cutting Edge = Disc 2 Track 15 Desolation Row (Take 1, Alternate Take) on The Cutting Edge (6 disc) Disc 2 Track 1 on The Best of The Cutting Edge = Disc 2 Track 10 Tombstone Blues (Take 1, Alternate Take) on The Cutting Edge (6 disc) Disc 2 Track 2 on The Best of The Cutting Edge = Disc 2 Track 14 Positively 4th Street (Take 5, Alternate Take) on The Cutting Edge (6 disc) Disc 2 Track 3 on The Best of The Cutting Edge = a shorter version of Disc 4 Track 1 Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window? (Take 1, Alternate Take) on The Cutting Edge (6 disc) Disc 2 Track 4 on The Best of The Cutting Edge = Disc 4 Track 7 Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues (Take 3, Rehearsal) on The Cutting Edge (6 disc) Disc 2 Track 5 on The Best of The Cutting Edge = Disc 4 Track 3 Highway 61 Revisited (Take 3, Alternate Take) on The Cutting Edge (6 disc) Disc 2 Track 6 on The Best of The Cutting Edge = Disc 4 Track 10 Queen Jane Approximately (Take 5, Alternate Take) on The Cutting Edge (6 disc) Disc 2 Track 7 on The Best of The Cutting Edge = Disc 4 Track 19 Visions of Johanna (Take 5, Rehearsal) on The Cutting Edge (6 disc) Disc 2 Track 8 on The Best of The Cutting Edge = Disc 5 Track 5 She's Your Lover Now (Take 6, Rehearsal) on The Cutting Edge (6 disc) Disc 2 Track 9 on The Best of The Cutting Edge = Disc 5 Track 11 Lunatic Princess (Take 1) on The Cutting Edge (6 disc) Disc 2 Track 10 on The Best of The Cutting Edge = Disc 5 Track 14 Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat (Take 8, Alternate Take) on The Cutting Edge (6 disc) Disc 2 Track 11 on The Best of The Cutting Edge = Disc 5 Track 10 One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later) (Take 19, Alternate Take) on The Cutting Edge (6 disc) Disc 2 Track 12 on The Best of The Cutting Edge = Disc 6 Track 4 Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again (Take 13, Alternate Take) on The Cutting Edge (6 disc) Disc 2 Track 13 on The Best of The Cutting Edge = Disc 6 Track 6 Absolutely Sweet Marie (Take 1, Alternate Take) on The Cutting Edge (6 disc) Disc 2 Track 14 on The Best of The Cutting Edge = Disc 6 Track 8 Just Like a Woman (Take 4, Alternate Take) on The Cutting Edge (6 disc) Disc 2 Track 15 on The Best of The Cutting Edge = Disc 6 Track 10 Pledging My Time (Take 1, Alternate Take) on The Cutting Edge (6 disc) Disc 2 Track 16 on The Best of The Cutting Edge = Disc 6 Track 14 I Want You (Take 4, Alternate Take) on The Cutting Edge (6 disc) Disc 2 Track 17 on The Best of The Cutting Edge = Disc 4 Track 5 Highway 61 Revisited (Take 7, False Start) on The Cutting Edge (6 disc) Sincerely, Constant Listener