I pulled out my old Columbia CD of Dylan's JOHN WESLEY HARDING just to be sure....

My thoughts exactly! I have it, but haven't opened it yet. I've been real behind on my "things I need to listen to." So much to listen to, so little time!

 

Some who have analysed the various releases, like Roger Ford, assert that only the four acoustic songs (side 2) of Bringing It All Back Home were re-mixed from the multi-tracks for the old CD.

 

I'm not sure I agree, I've compared the versions of Subterranean Homesick Blues on my BIABH cd and the Biograph SBM remaster disc on my pc.

The BIABH disc has clearly been remixed, it much louder and has much less hiss (not through NR tho) and a 'modern' feel.

The Biograph version is clearly an original 60's mix, but the tape sounds a bit 'chewed', possibly indicating why it was remixed.

I've not yet compared I'll Be Your Baby Tonight and Dear Landlord yet though, any one else tried this yet??

Jon Joyce

 

By all means, open up the Sundazed mono and listen to it! I was very impressed with it and really enjoy it. It has a very nice, smooth sound. The harmonica isn't as shrill and loud as some of the releases I've heard. The bass is really nice, especially on "Frankie Lee" and "Drifter's Escape." ("Frankie Lee" ROCKS with the strong bass!) Vinyl is dead quiet.

Listening to the Sundazed mono is what caused me to gain a new appreciation for this album. Now it's my second favorite Dylan album (behind Blood on the Tracks).

 

Loudness & tape hiss may not necessarily indicate remixing. One way to distinguish between the various mixes of BIABH is to compare the timings on the songs.

 

Just did another quick comparison.

Memory partly failed me, the Biograph version was louder, but it sounds much more like other electric Dylan mixes of the time IMO, it really has bite and depth where as the BIOBH cd sounds dull and recessed by comparison. For example the electric guitars in the left channel really grab you and the fuzz bass in the right sounds nice and raspy.

Although, this is by comparison with the BIOBH cd, i'm not saying its the best version out there, on the down side the tape sounds a bit worn and it may be a bit too 'hot' for some.

Now onto the JWH tracks....

Jon Joyce

 

The old redbook BIABH and the SBM Biograph,

i'd post a comparison mp3, but I don't have time right now.

JJ

 

On the old CD of Bringing It All Back Home they mixed "It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" so narrow, it might as well be mono. As a matter of fact, it maybe mono. When I first discovered the difference on "It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)," I thought maybe the stereo tape was damaged and they used the mono mix. It wasn't until years later, were I read about the re-mixing for the original CD, that the difference made sense.

 

But, of course the real mono mix has that reverb on the vocals, I was really surprised by this when I first got my Sundazed mono vinyl.

JJ

 

Yeah, those mono's are a different animal.

 

Actually, Roger Ford says the entire album was remixed for the 1987 CD. All the tracks on side one (except Bob's 115th Dream) run longer on the CD than on the old stereo LP. He provides some mix difference details here:
http://www.rdf.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/BIABHpart2/BIABHpart2.htm

 

According to Olaf <http://www.bjorner.com>, these three tracks were recorded at the 2nd of 3 recording sessions (but that doesn't mean that they didn't play with the eq during the sessions):



1640
Columbia Studio A, Nashville, Tennessee
17 October 1967
First John Wesley Harding session, produced by Bob Johnston.

1. Drifter's Escape
2. Drifter's Escape
3. Drifter's Escape
4. Drifter's Escape
5. Drifter's Escape
6. I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine
7. I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine
8. I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine
9. I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine
10. The Ballad Of Frankie Lee And Judas Priest

Bob Dylan (vocal, guitar & harmonica), Charlie McCoy (bass), Kenneth Buttrey (drums).

Notes.
. 3, 4 are false starts.
· 6 is interrupted
· Only released tracks are in circulation.
· Recorded 9 pm - 12 midnight.

CO-numbers:
NCO120927 Drifter's Escape
NCO120928 I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine
NCO120929 The Ballad Of Frankie Lee And Judas Priest

2, 9, 10 released on JOHN WESLEY HARDING, Columbia CL-2804, CS-9604, December 27, 1967.

2 released on single Columbia 4-44826, April 1969

References:
Michael Krogsgaard: Bob Dylan: The Recording Sessions (Part 2). The Telegraph #53, Winter 1995, pp. 67-69.
Clinton Heylin: Bob Dylan. The Recording Sessions [1960 – 1994]. St. Martin’s Press December 1995, pp. 69–71.

Stereo studio recordings.
Session info updated 15 March 1996.

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1641
Columbia Studio A, Nashville, Tennessee
6 November 1967
Second John Wesley Harding session, produced by Bob Johnston.

1. All Along The Watchtower
2. All Along The Watchtower
3. All Along The Watchtower
4. All Along The Watchtower
5. All Along The Watchtower
6. John Wesley Harding
7. John Wesley Harding
8. As I Went Out One Morning
9. As I Went Out One Morning
10. As I Went Out One Morning
11. As I Went Out One Morning
12. As I Went Out One Morning
13. I Pity The Poor Immigrant
14. I Pity The Poor Immigrant
15. I Pity The Poor Immigrant
16. I Pity The Poor Immigrant
17. I Pity The Poor Immigrant
18. I Pity The Poor Immigrant
19. I Pity The Poor Immigrant
20. I Pity The Poor Immigrant
21. I Pity The Poor Immigrant
22. I Pity The Poor Immigrant
23. I Am A Lonesome Hobo
24. I Am A Lonesome Hobo
25. I Am A Lonesome Hobo
26. I Am A Lonesome Hobo
27. I Am A Lonesome Hobo

Bob Dylan (vocal, guitar & harmonica), Charlie McCoy (bass), Kenneth Buttrey (drums).

Notes.
· 1, 4, 11, 13, 15, 19, 24 are false starts.
· 10, 17, 18, 20, 21 are interrupted
· Only released tracks are in circulation.
· Recorded 6-9 pm.

CO-numbers:
NCO120955 All Along The Watchtower
NCO120956 John Wesley Harding
NCO120957 As I Went Out One Morning
NCO120958 I Pity The Poor Immigrant
NCO120959 I Am A Lonesome Hobo

A splice of 3 and 5, 7, 12, 22, 27 released on JOHN WESLEY HARDING, Columbia CL-2804, CS-9604, December 27, 1967.

A splice of 3 and 5 released on BOB DYLAN'S GREATEST HITS, Columbia KCL-2663, March 27, 1967.

A splice of 3 and 5 released on BIOGRAPH, Columbia C5X & C3K 38830, October 28, 1985.

A splice of 3 and 5 released on MASTERPIECES, CBS/SONY 57 AP875-7, March 1978 in Japan, and later 1978 in Australia and New Zealand.

A splice of 3 and 5 released on THE BEST OF BOB DYLAN, Columbia SONYTV28CD, June 2, 1997.

A splice of 3 and 5 released in Sweden on THE VERY BEST OF BOB DYLAN, Columbia COL 498540 2, 5 May 2000.

A splice of 3 and 5 released in the UK on THE ESSENTIAL BOB DYLAN, Columbia C2K 85168, 31 October 2000.

References:
Michael Krogsgaard: Bob Dylan: The Recording Sessions (Part 2). The Telegraph #53, Winter 1995, pp. 69-70.
Clinton Heylin: Bob Dylan. The Recording Sessions [1960 – 1994]. St. Martin’s Press December 1995, pp. 69–71.

Stereo studio recordings.
Session info updated 27 May 2001.


[Top] --------------------------------------------------------------------


1642
Columbia Studio A, Nashville, Tennessee
29 November 1967
Third John Wesley Harding session, produced by Bob Johnston.

1. The Wicked Messenger
2. I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
3. Down Along The Cove
4. Dear Landlord

Bob Dylan (vocal, guitar & harmonica), Charlie McCoy (bass), Kenneth Buttrey (drums).
3, 4 Peter Drake (steel guitar).

Notes.
· No recordings sheets are available from this session..
· 1, 2 recorded 6-9 pm.
· 3, 4 recorded 9-12 midnight.

CO-numbers:
NCO120960 The Wicked Messenger
NCO120961 I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
NCO120962 Down Along The Cove
NCO120963 Dear Landlord

Released on JOHN WESLEY HARDING, Columbia CL-2804, CS-9604, December 27, 1967.

2 released on BOB DYLAN'S GREATEST HITS, Columbia KCL-2663, March 27, 1967.

2, 4 released on BIOGRAPH, Columbia C5X & C3K 38830, October 28, 1985.

2 released on MASTERPIECES, CBS/SONY 57 AP875-7, March 1978 in Japan, and later 1978 in Australia and New Zealand.

2 released in Sweden on THE VERY BEST OF BOB DYLAN, Columbia COL 498540 2, 5 May 2000.

2 released in the UK on THE ESSENTIAL BOB DYLAN, Columbia C2K 85168, 31 October 2000.

References:

Michael Krogsgaard: Bob Dylan: The Recording Sessions (Part 2). The Telegraph #53, Winter 1995, page 71.

Clinton Heylin: Bob Dylan. The Recording Sessions [1960 – 1994]. St. Martin’s Press December 1995, pp. 69–71.

Stereo studio recordings.

Session info updated 7 May 2000.

[TOP]


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

I'm so glad I listen to people every now and then. I got the orig. non remastered CD of John Wesley Harding today and really does sound good.

 

5 months later and still waiting for an answer to Sgt Peppers' question. Anyone?

 

I don't have the answer. i do remember an article when the sacd was released that it had very different mastering on purpose, trying to get the dynamics of the original performace and mix intact. Seemingly, they mixed the album with enough bass to make any needle mistrack due to the monitors they used. The original cutting engineers (vinyl this time) compressed the signal to reduce the popped P's and tame the bass somewhat. The new sacd is the proper eq and dynamics above say 300hz and there on down some eq or filtering was necessary. They determined that it was unlikely a home stereo could play a really flat transfer of the tape without equipment damage.

Or so the story went. No remix, just "bass taming"

 

You know, the best thing I've gotten out of this forum -- and there are many other things as well -- is the good feeling you've all inadvertently given me about having several different versions of many of my LPs/cassettes/CDs, etc.

I used to think, "Jeez, why am I keeping all these. I've got the latest and so-called greatest remaster ... "

Now I feel relieved when someone points out the benefits of an older title I held onto IN ADDITION TO a newer version.

And that definitely includes JOHN WESLEY HARDING, which I first purchased on CD in 1986 or so. And yes, I have the hybrid SACD as well. BTW, I never noticed anything wrong with it.

So thank you, Steve, and everyone else.

 

I picked up this disc and I agree that it sounds great. I only have my LP to compare it to, and I haven't compared it. Without specific knowledge of how these sessions were recorded, mixed, or mastered I wouldn't hazard a guess as to why Bob's voice sounds different on different tracks. Steve's information is either that the session eq is different for track 1, or that the mic eq is different. But the difference could be caused by other factors as well, and should be audible at least to some extent regardless of which remastering you're listening to unless in remastering the engineer figured out some way to compensate for the difference in the vocal sound only. But to me it's not as relevant as the fact that this is a well mastered disc of one of Dylan's best records. Too bad they weren't all done this well.

 

I can say pretty much the same thing. I have "John Wesley Harding" three times over: the original stereo LP, purchased around February of 1968 (with the inner sleeve which states "The Columbia Rock Machine turns you on"), The original CD, written about here, and the Sundazed mono LP reissue. My favorite is the Sundazed mono, but I'm glad that I have all three. And now I'm doubly glad that I didn't get rid of any of them to buy the SACD version.

 

I just picked up a MONO copy of the LP the other day at the local SA (along with a MONO SGT. Peppers, and a ton of other stuff). Anyway, is this truly a MONO mix, or is it a foldown?

Thanks

John Diamantis

 

I don't know which vinyl cutting I have....I bought it new in the mid-80's...but dang, that was the single ear-bleedingest record I have _ever_ heard. The harmonica was so severely sharp I had to turn the treble knob way down to listen to the record at all. And I've listened to it almost never since, for that reason.