Bob Dylan: The Definitive Documentary by Martin Scorcese (2005)

No Direction Home Bob Dylan (207 mins., 2 discs) was first shown on American Masters and is now available on DVD (The American Masters DVD on Joan Baez is an excellent companion piece which illustrates well how their lives and music dovetailed).
Scorcese shows Dylan in his high-school days, in his early days in Greenwich Village, his folk songs and first success via the Newport Folk festival, then his transition into folk rock, his famous tour to England, and much more with many live performances including “Blowin’ in the Wind”, “Mr. Tambourine Man”, and “Like a Rolling Stone”. Scorcese has compiled many never-seen-before moments and footage from Don’t Look Back and Festival!, two older revealing documentaries.

I would also recommend the Companion CD set Bob Dylan No Direction Home: The Soundtrack Bootleg Series Vol. 7 which features fuller versions of the documentary songs and full versions of:
“Song to Woody”
“Blowin’ in the Wind” (live)
“Masters of War” (live)
“A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” (live)
“Mr. Tambourine Man” (alternate take)
“It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” (alternate take)
“Maggie’s Farm” (live)
“Tombstone Blues” (alternate take)
“Desolation Row” (alternate take)
“Highway 61 Revisited” (alternate take)
“Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again” (alternate take)
“Visions of Johanna” (alternate take)
“Ballad of a Thin Man” (alternate take)
“Like a Rolling Stone” (alternate take).

There are 28 tracks in all along with a nice photo album mini-book. A must-have for the hardcore Dylan listener.

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