5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A truly fine remastering job -- worth the money, Aug 5 2005
This review is from: Bringing It All Back Home (Audio CD)
I was skeptical when the remastered Dylan CDs hit the shelves a year ago. I asked myself, "CBS/Columbia/Sony/Bob wants me to buy his CDs all over again - on top of his vinyl/cassettes?" True, some remasters shine: Layla by Derek & The Dominoes, The Beatles Yellow Submarine Songbook CD, the Zeppelin catalogue. However, others are cynical cash grabs that offer minimal improvement in sound (namely, the Stones reissues). Only after a year did I finally try one of the Bob remasters, one of my favourites, Bringing It All Back Home.
The verdict? Excellent.
Every track gains from remastering. Each song rings with warmth and detail. In the original 1990 CD issue, the instruments are lumped into one muddy, joyless mass of sound. Here, the lead guitar, bass, organ and drums speak are distinct. You can hear actually hear each instrument, each guitar lick, each drumbeat, each bass pattern and keyboard note. When blended together into a simple, but exciting mix, the instruments mesh perfectly with Bob's vocals. In other words, the songs rock.
That's clear from the opening notes of Subterranean Homesick Blues to the blues raunch of Outlaw Blues and Dada juggernaut of Bob Dylan's 15th Dream. The improved sound is also evident on the sublime love songs, She Belongs To Me and Love Minus Zero/No Limit which flow with a newfound grace.
The remastering has wiped the grime off of Dylan's vocals which are now are pungent and warm throughout, especially on the acoustic B-side starting with Mr. Tambourine Man.
It's a cliché, but Dylan has never sounded so good. It used to be chore to listen to the heavily compressed, flat Dylan CDs from the 90s, but now this music is a pleasure, whether on speakers or headphones.
Even the cover is sharper and more colourful than its predecessor. The booklet is more generous, but it shamefully omits the names of Dylan's session players, the men who helped Dylan go electric and revolutionize rock music. (If anyone from Sony is reading this, why?)
My only caveat is to buy these CDs at a good price. It's fair to say that most customers of these reissues already own the original CDs and shouldn't pay more than say $11 (Canadian) per disc. At that rate, I'll buy them all.
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