Thread: SACD Bob Dylan Discussion

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Post by Marpow June 20, 2015 (1 of 12)
The information I list below is from this SA-CD.net site only.

I was looking for some Bob Dylan discs on this site and I became confused so I thought I could ask the masses rather than make this a 4 hour review process.

All recommendations have high numbers and all reviews of all versions are somewhat positive.

I will always prefer multichannel, but if truly a version is better in stereo I am OK with that, including stereo remasters from MOFI who I have grown to respect there reissue philosophy.

This site offers:
SACD 1
Hybrid SACD Stereo 9
Hybrid SACD Multichannel 6
Hybrid SACD Multichannel box set, 16 discs 1
Hybrid SACD another box set only 3 discs 1
Audio Fidelity Hybrid SACD 1
Mobile Fidelity Hybrid SACD 11

As you see there is 30 separate choices/purchases for essentially the same music. Not to mention what is in RBCD or DVD~A?

If you like Bob Dylan and you happen to have some personal experience with the choices that SA-CD.net has it would be good to hear from you. If you have experience with disc formats not on this site that would be good to hear also.
And as I say above I am most interested in the mch's vs the stereo's, but any info is good.

Post by keskitalop June 21, 2015 (2 of 12)
"In late 2003, 15 of Dylan’s albums were simultaneously released as hybrid SACDs. Six of these titles also featured 5.1 surround sound and, because remixing is a prerequisite for surround sound, the standard CD layer of these titles was also remixed. The titles in question were “Another Side Of Bob Dylan”, “Bringing It All Back Home”, “Blonde On Blonde”, “Blood On The Tracks”, “Slow Train Coming” and “Love And Theft”.

The reason these particular titles were selected for release in surround sound is unclear. However, it is possible, even probable, that the master tapes for the three mid-sixties albums were in such poor condition that Sony had no other choice than to go all the way back to the original four-track studio tapes and remix for stereo. Because Sony was forced to remix for stereo, it was easier and more cost effective to also release those titles in 5.1 surround sound. As Roger Ford points out, “The surround treatment was apparently determined more by force of circumstance than by consideration of which would benefit most.” Roger goes on to point out the crazy consequences of this method of selection, “The result of this expediency is that the one-man-and-his-guitar “Another Side” got a surround mix while “Highway 61”, with its full electric band, didn’t.” (www.rdf.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk). “Blood On The Tracks” was almost certainly selected for 5.1 surround because of its classic status. The reasons for remixing “Slow Train Coming” and, even more so, “Love And Theft” are more difficult to fathom."
So write the folks at Isis magazine. They also go on to detail the rest of the reissues (MFSL SACDs, vinyl, RBCD, and Blu-spec cd2 formats) here: http://www.bobdylanisis.com/contents/en-uk/d94_Bob_Dylan_Remastered.html I'm happy with the Sony releases for the most part but I still want to compare them with MFSLs and am curious about the Blu-spec cd2 releases.

Post by Marpow June 21, 2015 (3 of 12)
keskitalop said:

The reason these particular titles were selected for release in surround sound is unclear.

Great info Paul, I will study and get back.

Sounds like the 5.1's are, well, not that great, which puts me in the direction of the MOFI's?

Post by Marpow October 9, 2015 (4 of 12)
keskitalop said:

So write the folks at Isis magazine. They also go on to detail the rest of the reissues (MFSL SACDs, vinyl, RBCD, and Blu-spec cd2 formats) here: http://www.bobdylanisis.com/contents/en-uk/d94_Bob_Dylan_Remastered.html I'm happy with the Sony releases for the most part but I still want to compare them with MFSLs and am curious about the Blu-spec cd2 releases.

Well I finally started my experiment ordering and listening first to “Bringing It All Back Home” in Sony Surround.

Good but veiled, meaning thin, not deep. Definitely room filling but I was wanting better sonic quality.

I have now ordered the same album but in the stereo only MOFI version. My gut is telling me I will prefer the stereo only Hybrid SACD over the MCH.

Having a large mch collection and every once in awhile the stereo trumps the surround sound.

I do have both BSCD 2 of Greatest Hits Vol 1 and 2. But again my money is on the MOFI.

Post by feinstei October 10, 2015 (5 of 12)
They missed a great opportunity in not reissuing the quad mix of "Nashville Skyline". The quad mix was created back in 1972 by one of the two original engineers on the album (Neil Wilburn) and was a pretty interesting mix. It would have cost them almost nothing to have included it and there was certainly room on the 30 minute SACD for it.....

Post by rammiepie October 10, 2015 (6 of 12)
feinstei said:

They missed a great opportunity in not reissuing the quad mix of "Nashville Skyline". The quad mix was created back in 1972 by one of the two original engineers on the album (Neil Wilburn) and was a pretty interesting mix. It would have cost them almost nothing to have included it and there was certainly room on the 30 minute SACD for it.....

Wasn't even aware of Nashville Syline's QUAD 70's mix. Hopefully, a GREAT candidate for Audio Fidelity down the road since they presently won't consider it due to the recent spate of MoFi Stereo SACD Dylan releases. One of my favorite Dylan albums.

Post by feinstei October 10, 2015 (7 of 12)
If you have Usenet news, you can download a DTS CD image of the Nashville Skyline quadraphonic mix from the newsgroup alt.binaries.sounds.dts. Properly decoded, its very interesting. The guy who mixed it for quad, Neil Wilburn, played a lot of fun "tricks" moving instruments around in the quad soundspace. Particularly interesting is the instrumental "Nashville Skyline Rag" where at the end, the instruments play a "call and answer" game -- he had a lot of fun with that having one corner "call" and answering from the opposite corner. I remember that it was the track that the stereo stores always used to demonstrate SQ quad to potential customers.

Post by rammiepie October 10, 2015 (8 of 12)
feinstei said:

If you have Usenet news, you can download a DTS CD image of the Nashville Skyline quadraphonic mix from the newsgroup alt.binaries.sounds.dts. Properly decoded, its very interesting. The guy who mixed it for quad, Neil Wilburn, played a lot of fun "tricks" moving instruments around in the quad soundspace. Particularly interesting is the instrumental "Nashville Skyline Rag" where at the end, the instruments play a "call and answer" game -- he had a lot of fun with that having one corner "call" and answering from the opposite corner. I remember that it was the track that the stereo stores always used to demonstrate SQ quad to potential customers.

Which makes all the more sense that down the road AF will release the QUAD encode of Nashville Skyline since it would be a VERY high profile release.

Fingers crossed!

Post by Marpow October 17, 2015 (9 of 12)
Regarding Mofi's stereo disc VS Columbia's Surround disc of "Bringing It All Back Home".

This is a super good stereo disc. I purchased this as I wanted to compare to the Columbia surround disc. Not sure what to say except they are both great, and of course carry a different sonic quality.

The question is what will be my go to disc? The stereo or the multichannel? Not sure, glad to have both but I might lean towards the stereo, not because of sq, but because of, easier to listen to, I don't have to engage as much.

Now the next question is will I double dip on the two discs? No, I don't think so.

Maybe I will go in a different direction and get the Flac 24/96 HDTracks downloads?

Post by Arell October 20, 2015 (10 of 12)
To these two ears, Blood on the Tracks is the one to go for if you want surround. The music envelopes you but without any gimmicks, it's just clearer than ever.
Silver medal goes to Blonde on Blonde. The drum crack that starts Like a Rolling Stone is fabulous, followed a blink of an eye later by the organ. (Oh, it's past 11.30 pm here. I can't wake up the family, can I?) And that's the first second only. The conclusion is magic: Sad Eyed Lady hugging you sonically from all around.
I haven't bothered to get the mch discs of Another Side of BD or Slow Train Coming, since I find those records rather boring. Amongst the stereo SACDs I like the pinpoint clarity in old favourites like Highway 61, Bringing, Infidels and (the very underrated) Oh Mercy.

(I might be confused [again]; one of Bringing or Highway may be more than 2ch. I haven't played them in a while.)

Edit: According to an earlier post by 'keskitalop' Bringing is in mch. I'll play that tomorrow. Regarding the last of BD's mch releases, Love & Theft, I'll have to check if I have it. It certainly has not left any lasting impression.

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