Play this clip before you die - or live the life unlived

This incredible clip to Bob Dylan's Series of Dreams (unaccountably left off his Oh Mercy album but eventually issued on the first of CBS's retrospective Bootleg series) seems new, with a measly 550 YouTube viewers and only three comments to date.

Sadly I can't place it directly on the blog since the embed code has been officially disabled but I urge all to hit the link above - even those of you who don't count yourselves as fans.

The track is possibly the least well-known of Dylan's indisputably great songs. Unique in his canon, it benefits from an epic Daniel Lanois production inspired by Phil Spector's wall-of-sound (and in particular, Then He Kissed me - clearly referenced in the organ vamp that appears half-way through.

Haunting lyrics and a great vocal performance raise this to the heavens. Many thanks to Luke Buckmaster for bringing this to attention.

I was thinking of a series of dreams
Where nothing comes up to the top.
Everything stays down where it's wounded
And comes to a permanent stop.
Wasn't thinking of anything specific,
Like in a dream, when someone wakes up and screams.
Nothing truly very scientific,
Just thinking of a series of dreams.

Thinking of a series of dreams
Where the time and the tempo drag,
And there's no exit in any direction
'Cept the one that you can't see with your eyes.
Wasn't making any great connections,
Wasn't falling for any intricate schemes.
Nothing that would pass inspection,
Just thinking of a series of dreams.

Dreams where the umbrella is folded,
And into the path you are hurled,
And the cards are no good that you're holding
Unless they're from another world.

In one, the surface was frozen.
In another, I witnessed a crime.
In one, I was running, and in another
All I seemed to be doing was climb
Wasn't looking for any special assistance,
Not going to any great extremes.
I'd already gone the distance,
Just thinking of a series of dreams.

Dreams where the umbrella is folded,
And into the path you are hurled,
And the cards are no good that you're holding
Unless they're from another world.

I'd already gone the distance,
Just thinking of a series of dreams.
Just thinking of a series of dreams.
Just thinking of a series of dreams.

(Image: www.contactmusic.com)