The Complete Basement Tapes, on five CDs, is the real deal. An essential recording for Dylan fanatics to be sure.
This poorly mastered, poorly packaged double CD is another matter.  The fraudulent Band tracks really do dilute this collection. Substituting Band recordings made AFTER "Music from Big Pink" for indisputable "real" basement tapes classics like "I Shall Be Released" and "Quinn the Eskimo" is truly unforgivable.  I admit that the 5-CD set may STILL not be a commericially viable proposition but why not release just the so-called "Basement Tapes Acetate".  This fourteen song "LP", rumoured to be recorded by Dylan to fulfill his expiring Columbia Records contract, purportedly consisted of the following tracks:
1. Million Dollar Bash
2. Yea! Heavy and a Bottle of Bread
3. Please Mrs. Henry
4. Down in The Flood
5. Lo and Behold!
6. Tiny Montgomery
7. This Wheel's On Fire
8. You Ain't Goin' Nowhere
9. I Shall Be Released
10. Tears of Rage
11. Too Much of Nothing
12. Quinn the Eskimo
13. Open the Door, Homer
14. Nothing Was Delivered
Throw in "Going to Acapulco", "Odds and Ends", "Clothesline Saga", and "Apple Suckling Tree" (all Dylan tunes) and you have a potential blockbuster.  I really wish Columbia would delete this two volume bulky monstrosity with its dopey circus pictures and treat these recordings with the respect it deserves.  Especially now since The Band numbers have been released properly on THEIR "remastered" series.
The Complete Basement Tapes, on five CDs, is the real deal. An essential recording for Dylan fanatics to be sure. This poorly mastered, poorly packaged double CD is another matter. The fraudulent Band tracks really do dilute this collection. Substituting Band recordings made AFTER "Music from Big Pink" for indisputable "real" basement tapes classics like "I Shall Be Released" and "Quinn the Eskimo" is truly unforgivable. I admit that the 5-CD set may STILL not be a commericially viable proposition but why not release just the so-called "Basement Tapes Acetate". This fourteen song "LP", rumoured to be recorded by Dylan to fulfill his expiring Columbia Records contract, purportedly consisted of the following tracks:
1. Million Dollar Bash
2. Yea! Heavy and a Bottle of Bread
3. Please Mrs. Henry
4. Down in The Flood
5. Lo and Behold! 6. Tiny Montgomery
7. This Wheel's On Fire
8. You Ain't Goin' Nowhere
9. I Shall Be Released
10. Tears of Rage
11. Too Much of Nothing
12. Quinn the Eskimo
13. Open the Door, Homer
14. Nothing Was Delivered
Throw in "Going to Acapulco", "Odds and Ends", "Clothesline Saga", and "Apple Suckling Tree" (all Dylan tunes) and you have a potential blockbuster. I really wish Columbia would delete this two volume bulky monstrosity with its dopey circus pictures and treat these recordings with the respect it deserves. Especially now since The Band numbers have been released properly on THEIR "remastered" series.