Dylan- Blood on the Tracks - "Test Pressing" version - RSD 2019*

They’re effectively divisions of the same company.

 

Already addressed, and moved on.

 

I keep hearing Phil Hartman's voice when I read this!
:--)

 

Alright, who is Phil Hartman? enlighten us.

There is no equivalency between an unreleased test pressing that
exists in only 1 or 2 copies from an LP (Piper) released everywhere.

 

I'm just down on the mentality of those TV "adult swim" cartoons.
I really can't stand them, that's the truth.

There was quite a bit of discussion about this test pressing in the BS 14
More Blood, More Tracks thread in which many people expressed regret
that the mix and the take of Idiot Wind were not part of the collection.
I myself only heard bootleg copies -- the unofficial kind -- over the decades.
With and without the skip. With noise and without noise. So, everybody,
be prepared for an upgrade in quality that may alter how the music sounds.
It won't be exactly the same as what we're used to on the test pressing /
acetate. But I'm glad the Dylan org. is finally releasing it.

A really nice gift to the fans.

I think it was Mbd77 who first told us it might be coming out soon.

 

CD for me too . . .

I'm past getting up and flipping a record when I'm trying to work.

And I can't play it in the car . . . pointless.

 

I'm sorry, I should have answered this sooner.
Phil Hartman was a graphic design artist in the 70's whose album covers included
Poco 'Legend', America's Greatest Hits, Steely Dan 'Aja' among others. I'm not sure what he
did after that.

:--)

 

Obviously the tapes exist - the performances were all released on BS14 but with different, newly-created mixes. The tapes that were lost (or, more to the point, have not yet been located) are the Minneapolis Sound 80 rehearsals from December.

 

Whoah! .. That would be something to kick back and listen to!
There's gold in them there hills somewhere..

 

Yes, but I presume we are talking about if the master tape with the vintage 1974 mixes, that was used for the test pressing, still exists.

 

Yes, true, but I think the question to ask is, "Why would it/they not exist?"

 

Thank you Gorts.. for taking our two posts down.
Peace @Richard--W

 

I have no information other than that they weren’t on the box, which seems like a major omission to me. It just seems foolish to leave them off if they had them. But maybe this was their plan all along.

 

A) They were lost or erased, even possibly mislabeled.

B) I would highly doubt they were misplaced, certain the place has been torn apart searching

C) Someone took the tapes. They may in fact still exist somewhere .. (known or unknown) ?


* Remember... The Beatles "That'll Be The Day"/ "In Spite Of All The Danger" acetate sitting
in John ''Duff'' Lowe's drawer ... Lost for 20+ years..

 

It's pretty reprehensible, actually. The commercial for the box specifically said it contains "Every surviving take from Blood on the Tracks", and "The complete New York Sessions". Hell, the CD's are mocked up to appear as though they're "Test Pressings". Ouch.

Clearly it should have been in the box - but you gotta feed the RSD monster....

 

That's the question. Can the 1974 mix be duplicated now? We don't
know if the tape exists. I will be pleasantly surprised if the RSD release
is exactly the same mix as the 1974 test pressing. I'm sure it will contain
the ethereal organ on "Idiot Wind" that so many people missed in the
big red box. Surely the Dylan org. must be aware of the public's reaction
to the new mixes.

 

Steve Berkowitz was fairly clear in his radio interview about the reason for presenting BS14 the way it was.

The Ramone mixes of the New York test pressing were not on the box, but the performances were, so the commercial was pretty much correct. (Some of the organ and pedal steel overdubs were not included.) I agree that it would have been good if the test pressing mixes were presented as a single disc in the box or as a second disc with the smaller CD release. Instead, they are being presented as an RSD LP.

 

Yes, that was probably a good move. Thanks.

 

I don't personally have any difficulty painting it black and white, rather than shades of gray. It's not right that it's not in the box. The box, clearly, is not complete. And then to ask people to pay more money after they forked out for the box..... and then in an RSD event which we know will push the cost to punters through the roof...... Nah, it's not right. IMO. It seems to me to have been decided in a rather cold and cynical fashion. Just my take....

 

I agree. It's the most cynical thing Dylan's management has done since the debacle over TTS Deluxe, over a decade ago.

Has Jeff Jampol taken over the management all of a sudden?

 

I'll be pleasantly surprised if the test pressing LP finds its way onto CD.

 

I said earlier on this or another thread that I wouldn't be surprised if the "Test Pressing" was originally going to be the second disc of the 2CD edition of More Blood, More Tracks because alone among the Bootleg Series , it's the only one released a s a single disc. Most of the others have come either as a deluxe box set and a 2CD highlights editions.
Maybe they pulled it so they would have something for RSD.

If I had bought the box set, I would feel cheated.

 

No, Jon Landau.....or maybe Janie Hendrix?

 

I have no desire to go out of my way to score or otherwise break a sweat (or the bank) to buy this release. As an object and a marketing scheme it has an uninspiring Franklin Mint collectible/replica tackiness, or QVC Today’s Special Value artificial scarcity unpleasantness — everything but an embossed Certificate of Authenticity... As delighted as I am by the Bootleg Series box and vinyl and of course the original album and Blood On the Tapes boot of yore, no thanks.

I guess if I somehow stumble on a retail-price copy I’ll weaken and pick it up. Mainly I’m content to just get a chance to hear it sometime , and will likely skip putting it up on the shelf next to the commemorative Beanie Babies and miscellaneous action figures in the original boxes.

 

Oh, come on. Beanie Babies and action figures in original boxes!

I bought the box, and I don't feel cheated. I'm delighted with it.

I already have the test pressing in excellent quality on various un-boots.