Blood on the Tracks

[Andy]

Anyone listened to the Absolute Analogue version of this record? If not are there any decent sounding reissues out there? I could if I really had to listen to a CD. It would be a sacrifice but I could do it for Blood on the Tracks.

[Sckott]

Both the AA Or the Skimply Vinyl don't sound that different to the CD. That might be a good or a bad thing, for ya. If the AA is around, buy it to feed the TT. Better yet, see if you can scoff up a sealed or mint Columbia, US. Some people said the UK pressing was great, but I don't know 'bout that.

I don't have them near, but I know the SV LP had put back the original artwork. Maybe you can find a copy of Blood on CBS/Columbia used and pristine. Not impossible!

[Andy]

I've seen the AA for not to much money. I guess I'll try it. No matter what it won't be the worst record I've ever bought.

[Metralla]

I've been waiting for the remaster of "Blood on the Tracks" on CD for a while.

"Blood on the Tracks", "Desire" and "Street Legal" are from one of Bob's most creative period with respect to insight into personal relationships and love affairs; and breaking up. These three albums form a trilogy, and in my opinion, are among the finest he ever made.

I know many won't agree with me, particularly on "Street Legal". That's fine - the relationship between an artist's work and the observer is meant to be personal.

Given my love for "Street Legal" I was very pleasantly surprised to see this remastered CD appear, and it is really very good. I don't think the LP was particularly well-mastered in the first place, and the remastered CD is stunning by comparison. A must have for all Dylan fans.

Since "Street Legal" came out, I figured it was just a matter of time before "Desire" and "Blood on the Tracks" were remastered so I keep checking for them. And they don't appear. I'm not a happy camper. I'm so pleased with "Street Legal" that I think they are going to do a good job on the remaster of the other two. I must add that the other two were much better sounding records than "Street Legal", so the improvement may not be as noticeable.

Now if they want to release these two on SACD I'd be beside myself.

Regards,
Metralla

[czeskleba]

Originally posted by Metralla
I must add that the other two were much better sounding records than "Street Legal", so the improvement may not be as noticeable.


Well, Street Legal was remixed. I doubt they will remix the other two.

A couple years ago the word was that Freewheelin', BOTT and Oh Mercy had been remastered and were set to be released. Someone (presumably good old Bob) pulled the plug on that indefinitely. Why? With Dylan, ours is not to reason why. Dylan's CD catalog is a mess. 90% of the Dylan CDs I own are bootlegs, because there is very little worth buying amongst the officially-released stuff. Sad.

[jligon]

I agree that there should be some better sounding Dylan CDs out there but, all in all, I think the official releases of the 60s material are, for the most part, acceptable. At least for the time being.

Other than "The Times They Are A' Changin'" (which I can barely stand to listen to) the majority of his accoustic stuff sounds pretty good on my system.

[Richard Feirstein]

I has been confirmed that several of Bob's albums have been gone over with additional tracks added. Bob at first objected then got involved in writing the notes. He then did the ususal Bob thing and turned that into a major self bio project. Thus the re-issue project has been put on hold. Bob's management has authorized Sundazed to release everything, yes everything on vinyl directly from the earliest masters! The first through Blond on Blond will be in mono. When Sundazed suggested putting out Freewheeln' with the early pulled tracks Bob's management said that Bob preferred the tracks on the final release thus that is how it got released. With hundreds of live tracks in the can I guess Bob's management would likely get some of that out first (in addition to the Japan only 1961 thorugh 2001 Live release they let out in 2001.) We can only hope for some interesting release decisions in 2002. Some SACD's would be real nice.

[PsychFan]

I have the Absolute Analogue LP of Blood (got it for a song from Red Trumpet 'cause the sleeve has a minor one-inch split along the top). I like it better than my CD, but it's not night-and-day.

I also have a sealed '80s Columbia LP pressing that I should probably open up and play just for kicks. Used originals aren't hard to find ...

[czeskleba]

Originally posted by Richard Feirstein
We can only hope for some interesting release decisions in 2002. Some SACD's would be real nice.

Some regular CD's would be nice, too. Speaking as a non-early-adopter (who is satisfied with the sound of a well-mastered regular CD), I find the concept of releasing a better mastering job only on one format (eg with the Blonde on Blonde SACD) to be really annoying.

[joelee]

Metralla,
Another fan of Street Legal(GREAT LP!)
Though we agree on Street Legal... I must be the only person that likes the sound of the original CD more than the re-mix/re-master.
In my car I prefer the new version but at home the original sounds much warmer and tighter, especially "Is Your Love In Vain".
I agree on most systems the newer version sounds better but on my home system I always play the original cd.

[peterredtrumpet]

Jeff Partyka has it right -- the Absolute Analogue is an improvement over the CD, but it's not drastic. We usually encourage people to spend money on sonic upgrades when the album is a favorite. Upgrading things you're not really going to listen to doesn't make much sense. But if you're going to be spinning regularly, you can be forgiven for the pursuit of the best sound. And in this case, it could well be your favorite album. It's definitely one of mine.

Peter

[ListenUp]

Wasn't there a Japanese remaster or reissue a year or two ago of Blood On The Tracks?I seem to remember seeing it on a retail website and thinking that the U.S. version should be out soon and I would wait for that one and save a few dollars.But it has never happened.
Still Waiting!!!