Bob Dylan Bootleg Series Vol. 18: Through The Open Window, 1956-1963
Released Oct 31, 2025 Columbia
Established consensus 5 professional reviews Updated Nov 10, 2025
Strong critical consensus
Bob Dylan's Bootleg Series Vol.
How ChoruScore worksCritics' Top Tracks
The songs critics returned to most
Blowin' In The Wind
3 critic mentions
“We get the first-ever live performance of “Blowin’ in the Wind,” which shows how fully formed the song was from the start.” — Rolling Stone
Boots of Spanish Leather
1 critic mention
“An alternate take of epistolary parting tale “Boots of Spanish Leather” stands out among the very best” — Paste Magazine
K.C. Moan
1 critic mention
“A gut-wrenching ‘K.C. Moan’ for example” — Clash Music
Full critic consensus
Bob Dylan's Bootleg Series Vol. 18: Through The Open Window, 1956-1963 arrives as a meticulous origin story, gathering early demos, studio takes and live moments that map the young songwriter's apprenticeship. Across five professional reviews, critics point to definitive moments - from Carnegie Hall's urgent performances to intimate alternate takes - that make this collection essential for anyone asking "is Bootleg Series Vol. 18: Through The Open Window, 1956-1963 good?" The set earned an 86/100 consensus score across 5 professional reviews, and that score reflects widespread praise for its archival curation and revealing chronology.
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Let the Good Times Roll - Live at Terlinde Music Shop, St. Paul, MN - Dec. 24, 1956
I Got a New Girl - Home of Ric Kangas, Hibbing, MN - May 1959
Jesus Christ - Home of Bob Dylan, Minneapolis, MN - Sept. 1960
K.C. Moan (with Danny Kalb) - Madison, WI - Late 1960
Remember Me - Home of Bob and Sid Gleason, East Orange, NJ - Feb. 1961
Railroading on the Great Divide (with Jim Kweskin) - Live at Gerdes Folk City, NYC - Oct. 1, 1961
Man of Constant Sorrow - Rehearsal
He Was a Friend of Mine - Take 2
Ramblin' Round - Take 2
Story: East Orange, New Jersey - Home of Bonnie Beecher, Minneapolis, MN - Dec. 22, 1961
Po' Lazarus - Home of Bonnie Beecher, Minneapolis, MN - Dec. 22, 1961
Dink's Song - Home of Bonnie Beecher, Minneapolis, MN - Dec. 22, 1961
I Was Young When I Left Home - Home of Bonnie Beecher, Minneapolis, MN - Dec. 22, 1961
Cocaine - Home of Bonnie Beecher, Minneapolis, MN - Dec. 22, 1961
Talkin' New York - Live at Gerdes Folk City, New York, NYC - April 16, 1962
Corrina, Corrina - Live at Gerdes Folk City, New York, NYC - April 16, 1962
(I Heard That) Lonesome Whistle
Rocks And Gravel (Solid Road)
Let Me Die In My Footsteps - Live at The Finjan, Montreal - July 2, 1962
Tomorrow Is a Long Time - Home of Dave Whitaker, Minneapolis, MN - Aug. 11, 1962
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right - Live at The Gaslight Cafe, NYC - Oct. 1962
The Cuckoo - Live at The Gaslight Cafe, NYC - Oct. 1962
The Ballad of the Gliding Swan - BBC-TV, London, 1963
John Brown - Broadside Ballads Album Version, NYC, 1963
Dusty Old Fairgrounds - Live at Town Hall, New York, NY - April 1963
House Of The Rising Sun - Informal Recording, NYC, 1963
Seven Curses - The Times They Are A-Changin' Outtake, NYC, 1963
Masters of War - Freewheelin' Alternate Take, NYC, 1963
Girl from the North Country - Freewheelin' Alternate Take, NYC, 1963
Liverpool Gal - Party, Minneapolis, MN, 1963
Boots of Spanish Leather - The Times They Are A-Changin' Alternate Take, NYC, 1963
Moonshiner - The Times They Are A-Changin' Outtake, NYC, 1963
The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll - Party, Los Angeles, 1963
The Times They Are A-Changin' - Informal Recording, California, 1963
Who Killed Davey Moore? - Live at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY - October 1963
Lay Down Your Weary Tune - Live at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY - October 1963
Blowin' in the Wind - Live at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY - October 1963
North Country Blues - Live at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY - October 1963
A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall - Live at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY - 1963
Talkin' World War III Blues - Live at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY - 1963
Only a Pawn in Their Game - Live at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY - 1963
When the Ship Comes In - Live at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY - 1963
If You See Her, Say Hello - Take 2
Golden Loom - Studio Outtake - 1975
Catfish - Studio Outtake - 1975
Seven Days - Live at the Curtis Hixon Convention Center, Tampa, FL - April 1976
Ye Shall Be Changed - Studio Outtake - 1979
Every Grain of Sand - Demo - 1980
You Changed My Life - Studio Outtake - 1981
Need a Woman - Studio Outtake - 1981
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What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 7 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
The critic’s tone is admiring and precise: these are the best tracks on Bootleg Series Vol. 18 because they crystallize emotional honesty, political urgency and a performer learning his craft in real time. The narrative keeps the record’s arc in view, arguing that these standout songs both illuminate Dylan’s growth and justify the set’s revelatory purpose.
Key Points
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The album’s core strengths are documenting Dylan’s artistic development and capturing urgent live performances that reveal his emerging command.
Themes
Critic's Take
Robin Murray revels in the detective work of Bootleg Series Vol. 18: Through The Open Window, 1956-1963, singling out early gems like “K.C. The box’s narrative thrust — from clumsy high-school sketches to the hunger of Carnegie Hall — makes the best tracks on Through The Open Window feel like milestones, particularly the gut-wrenching “K.C.
Key Points
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“K.C. Moan” is the standout for its gut-wrenching intensity and sense of substance beyond youth.
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The box’s strengths are its narrative curation, evocative live atmosphere and the revelation of Dylan’s formative development.
Themes
Critic's Take
18: Through The Open Window, 1956-1963. He writes with scholarly gusto, noting how these tracks reveal Dylan's rapid ascension and moral imagination. The review frames the best tracks as archaeological finds—revelatory, formative performances that explain why these songs became touchstones. Read together, the set's highlights make a persuasive case for which tracks emerge as the collection's centerpiece and most essential listening.
Key Points
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The album's core strengths are its forensic documentation of Dylan's formative influences and the revelatory early performances captured across varied fidelity.
Themes
Critic's Take
Collette frames the best songs on Bootleg Series Vol. The review reads as both a guide to standout tracks and a case for the set’s broader historical and musical importance.
Key Points
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The album’s core strengths are its documentation of Dylan’s artistic evolution and the vivid archival context that frames his early mastery of folk tradition.
Themes
Re
Critic's Take
18 because they show Dylan fully in command. The reviewer’s tone is admiring and granular, highlighting rare takes and live rarities as the best tracks for understanding Dylan’s metamorphosis.
Key Points
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The album’s strength is its granular archival detail showing Dylan’s rapid artistic development and performance evolution.