I pulled out my old Columbia CD of Dylan's JOHN WESLEY HARDING just to be sure....

Of Dylan's 1960s catalogue, the three remixes that were done by Columbia for the original 1987 CDs - Bringing It All Back Home, Blonde On Blonde and John Wesley Harding - were all left behind when Sony prepared the SACD box released that was released in 2003. It seems probable that this is because they were 16-bit digital mixes, which plainly wouldn't be suitable for issue as SACDs - see page 12 of this thread. The two earlier albums had to be remixed again, because the 1965/66 stereo master tapes were shot, and in the event they benefited a lot from Michael Brauer's remixing. With JWH they presumably felt they shouldn't remix it because the analogue masters were still in good shape. I think that's a shame, because like you I think the 1987 16-bit remix sounds a great deal nicer than the 2003 SACD/PCM remaster.

 

I actually haven't heard the 2003 version, just the two mono CD versions, the MFSL SACD, and the 1987 CD. The compression is a bit much on the stereo MFSL, though, in comparison to the 1987 CD. The bass is a bit too obtrusive and the acoustic guitar lacking in volume in places.

 

The harmonica on the 2003 CD will strip the paint off your walls.

 

What’s a shame is they didn’t use the first generation master tapes, which sound as good or better than the remix.

 

Thanks. I did not much care for the 2003 SACD/PCM remaster of JWH and I recall quite a few fans felt that way. The old 87 cd both UK and USA do sound good.