Bob Dylan's Bootleg Series has run to seven volumes now but the first is still probably the best and contains the broadest selection of his work under one title.

These are mostly rarities released for the Dylanophile, yet because of the quality of his output this is all fabulous stuff even for the uninitiated. Tangled Up in Blue in its scratchy acoustic guitar-backed form sounds so much clearer than it does on Blood On The Tracks, the emotional communication significantly stronger. If you haven't discovered Dylan, this may not be an obvious starting point but it's a very strong one. If you have, then prepare to be enthralled once again.

The often raw recordings of the Bootleg Series sound cleaner, fresher and more open than the original albums. It also helps that they frequently feature less instrumentation, leaving the voice and guitar to shine through with great clarity and precision.