Bob Dylan's Basement Tapes - where we're currently at (Part 4)

I'm right there, with you, Hodgo! I keep going back and forth myself.

 

Yeah, who would have suspected that the Basement Tapes weren't audiophile recordings?

If sound quality is really that much more important than music quality to you, then steer clear, but to me that seems like the craziest quibble in the world, now that these legendary recordings are finally being released.

 

My thoughts would be when buying anything, is this the BEST sounding the material is available in? Hence us seeking out different masters of whatever recordings. I know some people collect a variety, but I tend to (for financial reasons) find out what the 'best' is generally considered to be, and if I have to grab a few FLACs or MP3s from the net to support it with my own ears, then buy the best sounding to me.

This 6CD is the best sound that any of those tracks are available in, so it makes sense to get it.

 

do we know this for sure yet?

 

To me even the clips on the Pono store reveal a bit more clarity to every song, but whether that's better is a matter of opinion, so for me, yes.

 

DeeThomaz said: ↑
How does the "Minstrel Boy" sample compare to the ASP track?

HominyRhodes said: ↑

It actually sounds a little cleaner, less hissy.


But still mono, I presume?
slane, Today at 2:52 AM

When I first heard the ASP track, I thought it was mono, but someone informed me that it was actually narrow stereo. I think my first impression was correct. ​

 

It's a shame that they couldn't also issue this complete box set the way they did the Beatles Anthology, in multiple volumes, which would be a much more affordable way to purchase it.

 

Now that is a great idea!!

 

i duuno, guys--i can picture 3 separate 2-disc sets, each with its own "deluxe edition" with exclusive material (between-song chatter, marbles, scarves)...

SOME of us (ahem) would likely need them all, if only to match on the shelves...

kinda' think that, pricing issues aside, this one might be coming out right as rain the way it is.

smitquest

 

This release is coming out at the perfect time. Autumn is optimal Basement Tape weather, to me.

This month is just creeping along, though.

 

From the available clips, My Woman She's a-Leavin' sounds sort of like a rough sketch for Silent Weekend, with a few stretches of similar meter and a similar subject matter of absence (as punishment?) in one way or another.

Another thing that strikes me about My Woman She's a-Leavin' is that there's one phrase ('all messed up') where his voice and delivery are pushed in a way that recalls his tone from the Another Side sessions from 1964. (Perhaps they had some cheap red wine in the basement?) Offhand I can't think of any instances where he dips back a few years to recall a voice he'd previously discarded. His Nashville Skyline voice shows up a few places prior to NS (including the Basement Tapes) but never really afterward.

 

I think you're right too - the ASP version sounds completely mono to me in headphones, whilst the BS11 sample is definitely in stereo.

 

FWIW I think the ASP version is mono too, though looking at the waveform, it is very very slightly panned right.

 

bad transfer?

 

"Minstrel Boy" still sounds like a single room mic to me.
Sounds like Bob was singing close to it at first, then moved away a bit.

It's recorded differently than the rest, I think.

 

I felt the same way at first - like all I needed was the 2 cd set. But then I listened carefully through the Tree With Roots cds and found that many of my favorite tracks weren't on the 2cd set, but only on the big box. Add to that all the additional never-before-heard songs and I realized I couldn't live without the box.

 

I would have to think that one of the main selling points of the 2-CD set will be that most, if not all, the tracks will have optimum quality audio (not perfect, but the best they can do with hissy old consumer-grade tapes recorded at 3 3/4 or 7 1/2 ips) while not subjecting listeners to any of the grungier sounding offerings, like King of France, to name one. I'm sure the two discs/downloads will have more continuity from an audio standpoint.

 

Sorry if this is already elsewhere in the previous 3 threads -- I poked around and couldn't find it.

Has anyone made an accurate list of what's MISSING from this set? I mean, I don't have the Complete Basement Reels bootleg or any of the more exhaustive ones -- A Tree With Roots has served me quite well. And even if I had that exhaustive bootleg, it's a challenge to compare lists of 100+ items! Especially when song titles and stuff can change across editions. But now that we have song samples of everything in the set, it should be possible to have a better idea of what's included and what isn't. Has anyone done this?

Are there any notable things missing? (And I'm not counting The Band tracks without Dylan or the Tiny Tim stuff either). I'd love to know.

 

Nothing "notable" seems to be missing, near as I can tell. There might be an instrumental jam or two gone (which may not have involved Dylan at all) but no Dylan vocal performances.

 

That is shocking to me -- since when does Columbia actually give us everything? I bet they'll uncover another box of tapes in time for Christmas 2025.

 

Thanks!

 

It does seem most out of character, doesn't it?