A September 18, 1974, outtake of the song was released in 2018 on the single-CD and two-LP versions of The Bootleg Series Vol.
[citation needed] Spectrum Culture included "Buckets of Rain" on a list of "Bob Dylan's 20 Greatest Songs of the 1970s".
Black Midi's Geordie Greep selected "Buckets of Rain" noting that the "words are sparse and natural, strengthened in their purity by his undeniably emotive performance.
While not a complicated narrative or vividly painted scenario like some other songs on the album, the track still makes room for some dynamite lines.
[5] According to his website, Dylan has only played the song once live: on November 18, 1990, at the Fox Theatre in Detroit, Michigan.