It Can Be Very Easily Done
Okay, a lot of this material has seen official release, and it's not likely to get re-packaged or augmented any time soon, so here's whatcha gotta do: download this from someplace legal (like here) so Bob will get his money (give him a string bean -- he's a hungry man!). Actually, just download these: Odds And Ends, Million Dollar Bash, Goin' To Acapulco, Lo And Behold!, Clothes Line Saga, Apple Suckling Tree, Please Mrs. Henry, Tears Of Rage, Too Much Of Nothing, Yea! Heavy And A Bottle Of Bread, Crash on The Levee, Tiny Montgomery, You Ain't Goin' Nowhere, Nothing Was Delivered, Open the Door Homer and This Wheel's On Fire.

Then get Quinn the Eskimo from Biograph. The Bootleg Series 1-3 has Santa Fe and I Shall Be Released. I'm Not There is on the soundtrack album of the same name. You now have twenty tracks with a running time of about 62 minutes. Burn it. The result gets five stars. This is the album that goes between Blonde On Blonde and John Wesley Harding on your Dylan shelf and in the artistic chronology. Yeah, it's rough (it's a home recording), but it's real. In lieu of a new package, cut out a picture of Bob and slide it into the jewel case. Tell him I said it was alright.

Dylan and robertson messed with this one
some of the bootlegs are better and some of the material is ' deformed by the ego of j r robertson'...see 'bob dylan the recording sessions ' book

Eavesdropping on the creative process
Fascinating double-album of the legendary basement sessions with Dylan and The Band. One has the distinct feeling of eavesdropping on the creative process rather than listening to a fully realised album. Like a master sculptor's workshop - there are plenty of off-cuts "Please, Mrs Henry", "Apple Suckling Tree", works in progress "Katie's Been Gone", "Goin' to Acapulco" and the odd fully realised masterpiece "Tears of Rage", "This Wheel's on Fire".

An absolute must have for all fans of Dylan and/or The Band.

'67 > '65 [and that's saying something]
As quickly as I can, the missing material being replaced by throwaway songs from The Band is not primarily a historical issue. It definitely is a historical issue, but the primary concern is of quality.

For those interested, here's a list of some [emphasis on some] of the best stuff missing from this collection:

All You Have to Do is Dream [version one is the better of the two]--one of Dylan's finest. Understated lyrics with an underlying depth that leave you second guessing each reading of the song. Beautifully performed by all involved.

Rock, Salt, and Nails--beautiful Utah Phillips' song. I've never heard a better vocal from Dylan or a more delicate performance from The Band.

Get Your Rocks Off--filthy lyrics, filthy performance. The lyrics remind me a bit of "Rainy Day Women" in that they front as a series of naughty puns but carry a greater weight. The song is just ideal. Dylan at his bluesy best.

Quinn the Eskimo--very fun song. And the two best versions of the song [un]available.

I'm not There (1956)--now available on the otherwise poor soundtrack for the film of the same title, many say it's the best song of all the Basement material. I don't, but it is beautiful and haunting.

Don't Ya Tell Henry--Dylan's version. Supremely better than The Band's. The lyrics remind me of "Ballad of a Thin Man," except, Dylan is having a poke at his own perceptions. I like to think of it as "Ballad of a Thin Man" ran through a deeply religious experience. The quirky brass reminds me a bit of some of Tom Waits' 80's material.

Too Much of Nothing V2--better than the version here. Great song either way.

I Shall Be Released--available on the Bootleg volume's 1-3 [disc 2], one of Dylan's greatest songs and greatest performances [the ultimate performance of the song].

Santa Fe--like "I'm not There," the lyrics are a bit difficult to make out at times, and like "I'm not There," the beautiful performance makes the lyrics almost unnecessary.

Silent Weekend--not my favorite, but a good number of people rate it as one of the better songs from the sessions. It's a good song.

Sing on the Cross--brilliant song. Dylan never wrote a more haunting chorus. It's very strange in that the verses and the drunken rant seem to be a good deal of nonsense swirling around that very pointed chorus, but it definitely works together.

I'm a Fool for You--starts beautifully and falls apart. Still worth hearing for said start.

Next Time on the Highway--great bluesy rock song. Clever lyrics, great performance by all involved.

See You Later, Allen Ginsberg--worth mentioning for its silliness.

Big River--after a warm up, Dylan out-man's Cash and out-sneers Lou Reed and Iggy Pop.

Ol' Roison Le Beau--beautiful drinking song. The distortion doesn't hurt any.

. . .

I'm stilling giving this poorly-selected collection five stars for the great songs it does have, but I have to believe that they'll eventually release the rest of the real basement tapes.

Great Stuff, but Some Important Songs are Missing
I first heard some of the songs on this record years before the record was finally released. I think everybody who was into Dylan back then had. Some of them appeared on that first Dylan bootleg Great White Wonder, and more on the Troubled Troubadour boot. Still it was nice getting the real deal. But why oh why did they leave off "The Mighty Quinn" and "I Shall Be Released". That made absolutely now sense at all. However, putting on the wonderful "Going to Acapulco" which was a complete shocker, as no one I knew had ever heard it. That song clued us all into the fact that there was more stuff from these sessions out there and boy was there ever. If you look you can find scads of it.

However, that said, I must say that as much as I enjoy these sessions I prefer the work Dylan did with the band on Planet Waves. Recorded differently I know, it's just my preference. Still, this is a must have for any Dylan fan. Great Stuff on this record, there is, you won't be disappointed.