A recent whorish trend in CD marketing is the ol' remastered disc. You know the routine, they clean up the "original master tapes" and release them with purty new packaging. Lately they've also taken to releasing them in new audiophile formats like Sony's SACD configuration. Oftentimes they're a joke, not unlike the old "gold" CDs (hey, suckers, the actual material the disc is made of has no bearing whatsoever on sonic clarity). Some others, though are amazingly improved.
I've basically decided, for instance, that Rhino Records can do no wrong. Their slow re-re-release program of Elvis Costello's entire catalog has been jaw-dropping. Each album is now treated to a two CD package with new liner notes from EC. The sonic improvement is also absolutely amazing. If you're even a remote fan of Costello's foray into blue-eyed soul on "Get Happy!!" then must I insist that you pick up this disc. The old mix was fairly muddy and the bass was, for all practical purposes, buried. This album now sounds like it was recorded yesterday. I'm serious. It's like discovering a long-lost treasure.
Sony (Columbia) has also re-released Dylan's entire catalog in their hybrid SACD/standard CD format. I've yet to purchase a SACD player so I'm a bit reluctant to plunk down $150 for the entire set. Tonight, though, I bought yet another copy of "Blood On The Tracks." At various times I've called BOTT my favorite album. Released when I was just four years old, I've had this album in so many formats that it makes my head spin. Vinyl, eight-track, cassette, standard CD, import CD. I've had them all. I can't even begin to tell you how shocked I was to hear this new mix. It's almost as though Zimmy's in my living room. The harmonica is piercing, the guitar like a quiet tempest. I can't even begin to imagine what this would sound like in SACD.
So, I refused to drop $150 on Dylan but I spent $108 on various CDs tonight. Issues, man, issues.
Posted by mikewolf at October 01, 2003 08:42 PMI wish it was the entire Dylan catalog. But unfortunately. I'm still waiting for New Morning & Empire Burlesque to get the respect they deserve.
As great as BOTT is, it's almost *too* Dylan, you know what I'm saying? I stand (sit) in awe of it; but now, I don't hear the same intimacy - the tight connection to the heart - that I get from some of his other releases. Maybe it's temporary, like achilles. ;-)
Posted by: deano on October 2, 2003 10:27 AMToo Dylan? What could be better?!
BOTT has always been a touchstone for me. It's the album I obsessed over during my first big failed relationship (age 17!). "If You See Her Say Hello" said it all, though I had no idea where Tangiers is. Later, I learned to play guitar to BOTT. Another girl I met (age 19, much wiser) was able to play the songs much better than I could at that age. I never quite told her how I felt, and never got back to her somehow. Years later I found out she hadn't made it through those confusing years. Maybe she listened to BOTT too much, or not enough.
Dylan's been quoted as saying he doesn't how people could enjoy an album that was so painful. But all real music fans, IMO, have a morbid streak in them. Almost all the great musicians, too.
Posted by: Vernam on October 3, 2003 03:00 PMOh, as for the SACD . . . It's pretty startling. One reason the album is so popular is that it's produced better, in a more unified way than most of his stuff. That's ironic, because they chucked half the stuff just before release and re-recorded those songs, but it all still sounds of a piece. The mix is spacious, clear, without too much sheen. Vocals and guitars are up-front.
The new release exposes some flaws in the playing -- e.g., twice there are false notes as the chorus to Idiot Wind kicks in, and some off-key slide work on Meet Me in the Morning. But flawless musicianship isn't what you look for on Dylan's albums anyway, and overall, the clarity is a huge plus. The harmonica really comes to life, and so do the drums. The singing sounds immaculate, and Dylan's phrasing is a big treat. Only such an ingenious singer (not to mention writer) can pull off long narratives like Lily, Rosemary, etc. and Idiot Wind.
Posted by: Vernam on October 3, 2003 03:52 PMHey V, I hear thee. I'm far from even hypothetically entertaining the notion of dissing the Bloody Tracks. But I have to always cheerlead these other two albums, whenever possible, until justice is served.
And never forget - you gotta serve somebody, justine.
It's like this for me - it takes only one look, to know the Mona Lisa is Ultimate Art. Looking at it in detail reveals: 'yep, it's *still* amazing.'
But with a lesser appreciated piece - say something like that same guys Testa Di Donna Di Profilo - closer inspection brings out extra-ordinary reactions. It grows on me, in a different, possibly more profound, way.
But anyway, I think we can all agree that Dylan is a far greater talent than da Vinci, right? ;-O
Posted by: deano on October 3, 2003 07:03 PM