Adventures In Mastering: "Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits" 360 Stereo Gold CD from AF..

Bob Lovely · Jun 9, 2016

Kimiimacman said: ↑

Hi Steve, I read your OP with great interest as you state GH uses unique mixes. I wondered if you or any others here know if the recent MFSL 45 rpm vinyl issue use these mixes. They say from the original tapes but that could mean a compilation they've created from the album tapes could it not? I've never bothered with compilations preferring original albums but your comments peaked my interest in GH this time round, it would complete the set
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Ask MFSL. It is their product...

Bob

lukpac · Jun 9, 2016

Kimiimacman said: ↑

Hi Steve, I read your OP with great interest as you state GH uses unique mixes.
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Where does he state that? It uses the original mixes, rather than remixes that have sometimes been used (such as on Blonde on Blonde), but I don't believe the mixes are unique.

alexpop · Jun 9, 2016

That's a keeper.
Ditto
Greatest hits vol 2

Kimiimacman · Jun 10, 2016

lukpac said: ↑

Where does he state that? It uses the original mixes, rather than remixes that have sometimes been used (such as on Blonde on Blonde), but I don't believe the mixes are unique.
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Sorry. I may have misread the OP but would stil like to know if anyone has both the AF and MFSL and compared if they are likely the same source and indeed which sounds best. The original albums on MFSL vary in source tapes and I dont really want to drop £50 on the same material. Theorectally those tracks from albums not 'original master series' should sound better, no?
I pulled out my DCC HW61R last night to remind myself of SH skills and wonderous it was so eagerly await GH 1&2!

George P · Aug 26, 2016

@Steve Hoffman

Any chance there will be an Audio Fidelity Dylan Greatest Hits Volume 3, Steve?

David P. Hill · Aug 26, 2016

Hope so!

rxcory · Feb 26, 2017

Kimiimacman said: ↑

Sorry. I may have misread the OP but would stil like to know if anyone has both the AF and MFSL and compared if they are likely the same source and indeed which sounds best. The original albums on MFSL vary in source tapes and I dont really want to drop £50 on the same material. Theorectally those tracks from albums not 'original master series' should sound better, no?
I pulled out my DCC HW61R last night to remind myself of SH skills and wonderous it was so eagerly await GH 1&2!
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The MFSL uses the remixes for the songs which were remixed. I much prefer the AF with the original mixes.

Kimiimacman · Feb 26, 2017

rxcory said: ↑

The MFSL uses the remixes for the songs which were remixed. I much prefer the AF with the original mixes.
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Well many thanks, that is what I feared which would have been a waste of money seeing as I have all the individual albums. I very nearly bought it Friday at the Bristol HiFi show as it was £45 sealed, glad I didn't. I have the AF CD which sounds great and will source an original vinyl copy sometime.

Steve Hoffman · Jul 6, 2018

Steve Hoffman said: ↑

When I was a lad it was in Summer Camp '65 that I first heard Bob Dylan. LIKE A ROLLING STONE came over the radio one day when we were going to horseback riding and it was STILL playing when we got there. It was a blowmind to us, first, that the song was so long. Not since EL PASO was there such a never-ending story song on the radio. Secondly, the guy seemed to be just yelling at this girl, really giving it to her.

We liked it, especially the "HOW DOES IT FEEL?" part which we used to scream out (to the dismay of the camp counselors). After a week or so we knew the thing by heart. Both KRLA and KFWB tried to get away with playing the short version of the song (cutting it off at the three minute mark initially) but it was too late, by the end of the first week it had to be the long version or the button was pushed on the car radio. LA radio quickly realized they had to play the entire song. They lost ad time but gained a generation of grateful kids. I still remember the wonder of hearing this (as it seemed to us) really long bitch-fest of a song. Dylan sang it like he really meant every word (and I'm sure he did)..

Well, that was my introduction to Bob Dylan and although I heard more Dylan (in the demo booth of Music City, Woodland Hills), my favorite LP at that time was his GREATEST HITS which was the first Dylan I actually bought (my Dad bought it for me). Must have been very late 1966 or so. I had my Zenith fold-out stereo so we got the "360 Stereo" Columbia LP and the stereo mixes of those 10 great songs are the ones that imprinted on my tiny brain.

In the 1970's when I got a job and actually had money, I got most of the old Dylan albums and I enjoy the man's work. I saw him live with THE BAND in 1974 and with TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS in 1985 or so. The soft spot in my heart for his original Greatest Hits album has never gone away.

When Marshall of Audio Fidelity (basically my boss since June 1, 1987) mentioned that he was trying to get Dylan's GH from SONY at the beginning of this year I welcomed the news. A chance to master that album from the correct stereophonic analog sources in my "style" was a pretty exciting thought.

It took about five months to get all the right versions together but a few days ago we finally mastered BOB DYLAN'S GREATEST HITS in 360 Stereo over at Marsh Mastering. Stephen Marsh has done hundreds of Sony projects and we both knew that eventually they would find exactly what we needed to make this project work. Stephen and I have worked together on many projects but the day we did the final mastering on Dylan, Stephen exclaimed with a tired look on his face "Never has it taken so long to do just 10 songs!"

Today I received the final check disk and I'm happy with the results. We resisted the temptation to "clean up" some of the acoustic songs by going back to the multi tracks and basically mastered each song like it was the only song that mattered in the world (in other words our usual deal).

Each and every song is an ORIGINAL era mix, no remixes.

Didn't want to lose that "Stressed Out" Columbia Studio sound that all of these songs have. A trademark sound of the era. After all, these songs would sag without that 30% distortion on the original Columbia Studio mixes. The attempted remixes (like the Motown remixes) lack that urgency and just don't sound right. Thanks to the help of East Coast Columbia Engineering Legend (and SH Forums member) MARK WILDER, we used all the tapes from that era, which means NO bass cut EQ'd cutting dubs, NO extra compression and NO lower treble screech that has been built into most every version of this album ever issued. We resisted the temptation to give every song a similar sonic signature, choosing instead to respect the tonality of each individual mix, not wishing to disturb the "energy" of the sound of each. Nothing sounds like anything else on the disk. This is intentional, a nod to the pioneering efforts of the original producers, engineers and artists.

So much Bob Dylan is out there already, why THIS album? Marshall and I both agreed that this album is an important stand-alone document of Bob Dylan's music. What he will be remembered for. His crucial recordings, now Audio Fidelity style.

I'm thrilled that the songs now have Dylan's voice sounding closer to a living person singing. At the right level it's sometimes spooky real. Blasting out it's powerful and exciting, like it was meant to be. The stereo mixes of songs like JUST LIKE A WOMAN, LIKE A ROLLING STONE, etc. now have more authority and stature, won't hurt your ears and can be really enjoyed for what they are: Monumental ground-breaking creations that really changed pop music forever.

Coming as soon as AF can get it pressed, final OK by Sony and into the hands of the distributors: Enjoy.

Below, cover mock-up, not actual song order.
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"Never has it taken so long to do just 10 songs!" Truth!

therockman · Jul 6, 2018

Wow Steve, thanks for a job well done.This is still my go to Dylan disc.

Trainspotting · Jul 6, 2018

Both of the first two Dylan Greatest Hits on Audio Fidelity are completely essential.

PhantomStranger · Jul 6, 2018

Trainspotting said: ↑

Both of the first two Dylan Greatest Hits on Audio Fidelity are completely essential.
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I think Volume II may be the best any music by Dylan has ever sounded on any format.

rxcory · Jul 6, 2018

PhantomStranger said: ↑

I think Volume II may be the best any music by Dylan has ever sounded on any format.
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The AF double-SACD sure blows away the original Columbia double-LP in terms of sound quality and sheer emotional response!

CBackley · Jul 6, 2018

Man, I *really* wish I had purchased that GH Volume II before prices skyrocketed. My loss.

Flaming Torch · Jul 7, 2018

The 2 AF Greatest Hits titles are both well worth buying. I like sacds so it is a bit of a pity the first Greatest Hits is cd only. However they are both superb and it is apparent from the info given on SHF that a lot of work went into these 2 releases.
Both albums in my opinion are important Dylan releases in their own right and I am very pleased AF did them.

David del Toro · Jul 19, 2018

Just out of curiosity, are any of the songs on this album unique mixes compared to their original album mixes?

Trainspotting · Jul 19, 2018

CBackley said: ↑

Man, I *really* wish I had purchased that GH Volume II before prices skyrocketed. My loss.
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It's about $75 right now on eBay. Not a bad price considering it's two discs and out of print.

Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II Audio Fidelity SACD (Hybrid, Compilation) | eBay

PhantomStranger · Jul 20, 2018

And $75 isn't that bad considering it was one of the more expensive Audio Fidelity SACDs to begin with. Having heard many, many SACDs and some that don't really offer much improvement, that set is worth it on a revealing system.

long gone john · Jul 22, 2018

Just snagged a sealed copy of the Audio Fidelity GH2 for £29.99 on eBay in the UK , so there are some bargains still out there. Really pleased, as somehow the set passed me by on its original release.

Steve Hoffman · Jul 27, 2018

Steve Hoffman said: ↑

I got this nice letter today from Ernie Campagna, VP at Audio Fidelity. Ernie is a music biz legend, having practically run A&M Records back in the day. Ernie and Marshall met when Marshall was running ODE Records which A&M distributed. He doesn't usually write me stuff like this, his emails to me usually consist of less than a sentence but after he heard the new AF Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits, he had a whole bunch to say:

Dear Steve,

I've had a chance to live with the reference disc of Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Volume 1 for a couple of days. It's especially easy to get caught-up in my own enthusiasm for many of the classic records we release of artists for whom I have the highest regard; I believed that was the case with this recording...nice nostalgic sounds. Old favorites, historically significant, socially responsible, refreshingly romantic, musically adventurous and lyrically stimulating whether the poetry was changing the world or simple streams of consciousness. But, wait a minute.

You're correct, this is the best version of, "Like A Rolling Stone" I've ever heard, and with that acknowledged the album is filled with more bests you failed to mention.

"Rainy Day Women" should come with a "save your woofers" sticker for the richness of that driving tuba would make John Phillip Sousa proud.

The acoustic tracks are my favorites, the pure folk songs are magnificent; "Blowin' In The WInd" will blow minds and "The Times They Are A-Changin' " will change minds, but babe, it's "It Ain't Me Babe" that has captured my heart. "It Ain't Me Babe" has to be an engineers sonic nightmare; how do you keep Dylan's erratic vocals level, how do you hold the lows and not have the peaks go screamin' into the red - and when that's accomplished how do you match it with the balance of tracks.

"Mr. Tambourine Man" eases into the electronic Dylan by warmly blending the acoustic strumming and electric picking with his harshly beautiful vocal.

These were the early-60's tunes that evolved as Dylan was becoming Dylan and by the time 1965 arrived I was programming a Boston Top 40 radio station, Bob Dylan had regularly appeared in the Cambridge coffee houses and along with Joan Baez, Phil Ochs and others folk music had become tremendously popular. It's about this time that Dylan plugged-in and I knew we had to play Dylan for our changing audience and the radio station owner had me write-out the lyrics to "Subterranean Homesick Blues" and I assured him there was nothing being sung that would cost him his FCC broadcasting license. Anyone over forty would likely miss the counterculture references and the song became Dylan's first big "radio" record.

However, it wasn't Dylan's words that would cause a stir and damn if you haven't enriched every single electric dynamic that is present on all the post-acoustic era tracks that pissed off all the folkie-purist this side of a Weavers concert.

As of today, this master is my Steve Hoffman masterpiece; I'm certain you have many more of these in you and I'm eager to hear what future work could possibly move this from the top of my list. For now, what you and Stephen Marsh have produced will deserve every enthusiastic expression that comes its way.

Congratulations, with an exclamation point from a guy who is prudent with his punctuation!

Ernie Campagna
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Ernie is one of the great guys in this business..

Vinylsoul 1965 · Jul 27, 2018

Pulled out both Greatest Hits I and II this week and finally had a serious listen. Wonderful is an understatement!

Steve, I am assuming that you went to original stereo mixes for Volume 2 - correct? I really wish someone would reissue Blonde on Blonde with the original stereo mix.

teag · Jul 27, 2018

Just Like a Woman sounds so fantastic on this CD. So much depth and balance. Nice.

vonwegen · Jul 27, 2018

Vinylsoul 1965 said: ↑

Pulled out both Greatest Hits I and II this week and finally had a serious listen. Wonderful is an understatement!

Steve, I am assuming that you went to original stereo mixes for Volume 2 - correct?
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Original 1960s stereo mixes all the way on Vol 1 & 2.

JeffMo · Jul 27, 2018

Shame Steve didn’t get to master GH V3.

Maybe in his next venture with Marshall?

Blair G. · Jul 27, 2018

Wasn’t Ernie involved with S&P?
What a great label that was

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Adventures In Mastering: "Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits" 360 Stereo Gold CD from AF..

Bob Lovely Super Gort In Memoriam

lukpac Senior Member

alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

Kimiimacman Forum Resident

George P Notable Member

David P. Hill Forum Resident

rxcory proud jazz band/marching band parent

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Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

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Trainspotting Senior Member

PhantomStranger Man of Mystery

rxcory proud jazz band/marching band parent

CBackley Chairman of the Bored

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Trainspotting Senior Member

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Adventures In Mastering: "Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits" 360 Stereo Gold CD from AF..

Bob Lovely Super Gort In Memoriam

lukpac Senior Member

alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

Kimiimacman Forum Resident

George P Notable Member

David P. Hill Forum Resident

rxcory proud jazz band/marching band parent

Kimiimacman Forum Resident

Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

therockman Senior Member In Memoriam

Trainspotting Senior Member

PhantomStranger Man of Mystery

rxcory proud jazz band/marching band parent

CBackley Chairman of the Bored

Flaming Torch Forum Resident

David del Toro Forum Resident

Trainspotting Senior Member

PhantomStranger Man of Mystery

long gone john Forum Resident

Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

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teag Forum Resident

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