In the early eighties Bob Dylan was lost, looking for direction in the MTV era. He released a trio of albums that were not well received. ”Springtime in New York: The Bob Dylan Bootleg Series Volume 16” attempts to revisit that period, viewing it from a different point of view and shedding light on his creative process at that time.

The five album box set meticulously culls together previously unreleased outtakes, alternate versions, rehearsals and live performances mostly recorded for the albums "Shot of Love", "Infidels" and "Empire Burlesque."

The 57 tracks chronicle Dylan’s recording process revealing experiments with a wide variety of musicians from Mark Knopfler to Sly & Robbie to members of Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers and Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band.  

Some of the songs are superior to their original versions others pale in comparison but the attention to detail is what makes ”Springtime in New York: The Bob Dylan Bootleg Series Volume 16” a unique glimpse into a very misunderstood part of Dylan’s work.

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