A final word on the Sundazed Dylan mono vinyl releases?

And just how much does a playable original mono run these days?

 

The only Sundazed mono I can directly compare to a mono original is The Times They Are A Changin'. The original sounds smoother to me and less tipped up. I described the Sundazed an earlier thread as "hot." The Sundazed has the benefit of being quiet though. No significant surface noise.

 

I got all mine locally for less than $10 each (less than a Sundazed) in VG+ to NM condition in the past three years.

 

I'm not sure the originals will stomp the Sundazed, but I'd bet the originals will sound significantly better to the kinds of listeners we have on this forum, for the reasons you give above--specifically the tube cuttings.

I'm breaking the thread rules on this, but the comparisons I can give are between some original CBS Byrds UK mono issues I have and their Sundazed mono counterparts which were released a few years back. I believe this comparison is relevant to the thread.

I felt just as you do--something was missing with the Sundazed presses (though they were good and I said so on one of those Byrds threads). IIRC Steve commented on one (or more) of those threads saying basically that yes, the difference is due to the tube cuttings.

What you find on originals is more life in the voice, the "tube bloom" I think they call it. It's nice -- a very satisfying quality to the sound.

Now, as to whether it's worth it to track down originals or not depends on the person and their budget. I went for originals and I got a complete NM mono Columbia two-eye set, debut through John Wesley Harding (over the course of about a year and a half) for roughly twice, maybe a bit more than twice what I would have paid for new Sundazed copies (except for John Wesley Harding, which I paid more than $40, can't exactly remember how much more though, and Blonde On Blonde, which I handed over $80 for...). I loved the original sound on the mono mix of "Like A Rolling Stone" so much that I ended up getting two original mono copies of Highway 61 Revisited.

Aaron, considering how critical your ear is (as I remember from the Beatles threads), I'd recommend just going for the originals.

Dale

 

Yes, I can read. As the original poster asked, I have compared all of the Sundazed Dylan Monos (not John Wesley Harding) to clean original monos, when they were first released and I was a Sundazed dealer.

I listened at a 'listening party' of sorts in upstate NY during the Summer of 2001.

Yes, Aaron, they will of course be different from the originals, but you asked if the Sundazed were above average. They are of course above average.

Some members are longing for that perfect mono sound from '66 or whatever which wasn't ever really perfect in '66 either. Like their hair, their first car and that Prom date that stood them up.

Don't let them dissuade you Aaron. If for other reasons, you want to track down the original Monos (in Australia), thats fine, go for it. But, if you're looking for some good sounding Dylan and want to enjoy the music, go for it.

 

The "original mono" sound is not nostalgia for me as I was born in '75. The Sundazed issues aren't bad at all it's just that it makes no sense to me, when original mono Dylan vinyl isn't that hard to find here, why pay more for a reissue that doesn't sound as good. For full disclosure the Sundazed copies that I had (and were replaced with originals) were Freewheelin', Times and Another Side.

 

Mono Dylan lp prices?

I bought a SUPER copy of 'Times They Are A-Changing' for $10
and a worn but listenable 'Blonde on Blonde' for $3. Both in the last year.
Torn covers bring the price down but have no effect on the sound fortunately.

I also have 2 mono 'Bring It All Back Home's and one each of 'Bob Dylan' (2nd press)
and 'Highway 61'. "Tubey" DOES describe the sound on all of these.

It's not a Dylan but my stereo Sundazed 'Love' (first lp) sounds very "tubey".

 

Is Dylan in stereo no good?

 

I saw a MONO "Highway 61 Revisited" here in Charlotte last weekend but they wanted I think $40 for it.

Pat

 

It's not that it's "no good", but rather that it's different. The early acoustic stuff is in wide stereo with the vocal and harmonica in one channel and the guitar in the other.

On Bringing It All Back Home and Highway 61 Revisited the stereos suffer from having near zero bass in the mix. I think a lot of people prefer the monos.

Dale

 

I purchased the Freewheeling Sundazed a while back to replace my trashed Canadian original. I was holding high hopes because my original was so bad but I've never made it through a whole side on the Sundazed. I'm no golden ears but it sounds dull and boring and just doesn't have the "pop" of the original, the edge warp didn't help either. I tried a few times to listen to it with the same results every time, yank it off and reach for the (noisy) original.

I got lucky and scored a US original off of eBay that plays almost NM and sounds much closer to the Canadian.

 

I'm actually in the other camp.

 

A playable copy VG or VG+ with no groove wear will run $8 to $20, but Blonde on Blonde will run you substantially more. $40-$80 or more depending on condition. John Wesley Harding will run you about the same.

 

You'll be lucky if you get them as cheap as that on ebay though.

 

Not really, here's a JWH mono that just ended:
http://cgi.ebay.com/BOB-DYLAN-album...goryZ306QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

That's a bargain.

But really while most of the mono Dylan LP's are not $5, they are not $40 either. Only Blonde on Blonde commands big bucks.

 

I wonder how good later pressings might be, ones with new catalog number stickers over the old catalog numbers, presumably '70s Masterworks versions rather than 360s. Not of any specific album, mind you--just in general.

Or is this impossible to know without listening to each record?

I'd like to get Columbia LPs of Bringing It All Back Home, Blonde on Blonde, Desire, and Another Side first, then some of the others. I like some of the SACDs fine, esp. Blood on the Tracks, but the Sundazed LPs have always seemed just alright. I play the LPs I have, because that's just what I do, opt for vinyl, but I can't say I really love any of them except Freewheelin'.

 

My mistake. Saw it again today and it was $50.00!

Pat

 

Firstly, I would like to thank everyone for their posts so far to this thread - it does look like it's shaping up to be an excellent source of information for future and present forum members to refer to.

Next, I would be interested in that as well. $50 is a lot to ask for what is essentially a crapshoot with 40-year old used vinyl - and as I'm sure everyone here knows, minty looking vinyl does not equate minty sounding vinyl.

 

I have some original 2-eye mono Dylans (Freewheelin', Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde On Blonde), and also two Sundazed Dylans (Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde On Blonde). The only two albums that I could compare are the latter two. In both cases I prefer the originals, despite their less-than-spectacular playing condition, due to their audible top-end boost in the Sundazed.

 

Guys, I would just like to add that I've tracked down in beautiful (true) NM/NM condition UK mono pressings of "Bob Dylan" and "Bringing It All Back Home" - orange-coloured, rough-textured labels with A1/B1 matrices. I cannot believe my luck, the vinyl is actually truly devoid of any noise(!)

I figured that I would get most of the US CBS mono sound for a fair compromise in price, as we all know how pricey those original US issues are in good condition... I'm not missing out on anything now, am I?

They sound wonderful, and BIABH is clearly a lot "meatier" sounding than the Sundazed issue of the same title - I borrowed a mate's copy to compare. Thanks all again for the recommendations!

PS: Dale, I just noticed your compliment on re-reading your post; thank you!

 

I have the UK CBS same as you and the US Columbia mono. You aren't missing out by not having the Columbia - on an a/b comparison, the UK CBS sounds just as good to my ears.

 

Aaron, good on ya for getting those UKs! Those will give 90 percent of the sound of the US issues, if not more, and they may even better the originals. They defy the "country of origin" audiophile rule we have about here on SH Forums, but there are exceptions to that rule, and UK Columbia monos are often the exception according to not just a few members here.

I haven't heard the UK Dylan monos, but I have heard a couple of Simon and Garfunkel Columbia UK monos and I have to say they sound great. I have some original US S&G monos back in the US (which I haven't listened to for a very long time), but I really don't remember them sounding as good as the UK presses I have here with me here in Japan. The lesson I've learned is never slag a UK Columbia mono--if it's originally a US recording, the UK Columbia press might actually sound better.

No problem on the compliment...actually just a kind of a recognition. I remember your unhappiness with the Japan '82 red mono Revolver, especially on "Got To Get You Into My Life." It doesn't bother me nearly as much as it did you ( the way the high end sounds on the JPN compared to the UK mono--to me, it's a problematic recording that doesn't sound great anyway), but the fact that it did bother you keyed me in to your critical ear...with those 60s Columbia monos that have been reissued in the past 10 years or so, I really think original is better given all the caveats (budget, ability to find good, clean vinyl, your rig, etc.). Whether or not it's worth it to you is dependent on whether or not you hear any difference. For me, that beautiful mid you hear on the originals is almost worth its weight in gold. At least it's worth my two cents!

Cheers,
Dale

 

Well, perhaps I may be able to answer the question I posed earlier about US vs UK for BIABH - I have a 1A/1A US mono copy of BIABH coming to join my UK mono issue.

Dale, any idea how the mono The Times They Are A Changin' stack up against BIABH sonically?

 

I have US mono copies of both...I'll give 'em a spin after work tonight.

Dale