The Bootleg Series Vol. 18: Through the Open Window 1956–1963 is an archival compilation album by the American folk musician Bob Dylan, released on October 31, 2025. The Bootleg Series Vol. 18: Through the Open Window 1956–1963 includes the earliest recordings by Dylan, spanning from 1956 to 1963.
Content The Bootleg Series Vol. 18: Through the Open Window 1956–1963 consists of 165 tracks, spanning from a recording in the Terlinde Music Shop, St. Paul, Minnesota, on Christmas Eve 1956 (when Bob Zimmerman was 15 years old) to an October 26, 1963, Dylan performance at the Carnegie Hall. The album is produced by Steve Berkowitz and Sean Wilentz; Wilentz also wrote the liner notes for the box set booklet.
The single "Rocks and Gravel (Solid Road)" was originally recorded for The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan album, but did not make the final tracklist, for reasons unknown.
Release and reception Release The Bootleg Series Vol. 18: Through the Open Window 1956–1963 was released on October 31, 2025, through Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings. It was issued as 8CD and 4LP sets, with a 2CD highlights compilation also released on the same day as the compilation. The first online single from the compilation was "Rocks and Gravel (Solid Road)", released on September 17, 2025.
Reception
On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized scale from 0 to 100 based on reviews from critics, Through the Open Window has a rating of 96.
Paste magazine critic Matt Melis gave it a positive review, concluding that "In many ways, Through the Open Window serves as Dylan's own roaming, rambling account of how he quite literally made it to that historic venue after only a few short years on the folk scene." Writing for Ultimate Classic Rock, critic Michael Galluchi summarized it "tells the story of how Robert Zimmerman from Duluth, Minnesota, became Bob Dylan, the voice of a generation. It's told through home recordings, club performances, outtakes from his first three albums, radio appearances and the complete 1963 Carnegie Hall concert". Sean Hinman concluded in a review for the music website SuperDeluxeEdition that the compilation is an "essential set for diehard Dylan fans".
Track listing
Standard edition
Deluxe edition
Charts + Chart performance for The Bootleg Series Vol. 18: Through the Open Window 1956–1963 Chart (2025) Peakposition Australian Albums (ARIA) 32 German Rock & Metal Albums (Offizielle Top 100) 3 Irish Albums (IRMA) 79 Japanese Rock Albums (Oricon) 12 Japanese Western Albums (Oricon) 17 Japanese Top Albums Sales (Billboard Japan) 45 Norwegian Albums (IFPI Norge) 66 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) 21 US Top Rock & Alternative Albums (Billboard) 38
Notes
References