New Highway 61 Remaster

Just got in my hot little hands the new Bob Dylan HW61 Remaster. It is made is Austria, is a silver disk with black print and a red copyright protection banner just under the Columbia logo. Nowhere does it display a CD logo but instead a SMM, Sony Music Media Logo. This suggests it is not red book standard because of copy protection technology. Just a guess. Nice packaging, no jewel box, but glossy folded cardboard with the album artwork and notes. Will report what it sounds like as soon as time permits.

 

Roger Ford lists a 1996 Japanese 20-bit remaster of H61R on his website:

www.rdf.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk

Odds are pretty good that is all that this new one is. The tip-off is that it is an import from Austria. If this were one of the shelved remasters, it would have had a US release.

 

Perhaps Roger can get his hands on this one and let us know for sure. It played ok in my car. Will compare it to the red book CD and the Sundazed mono version and the Stereo LP when I get the chance.

 

Don't forget to listen to Steve's version for other comparison. For me, you can hear the difference in the 1st 10 seconds of "Like A Rolling Stone".

I agree that it's possibly a dupe of another issue, being Austrian. Lots of Austrian Cds are actually knockoffs of ther original issues from the UK & US, generally.

 

"Don't forget to listen to Steve's version for other comparison."

Sure, rub it in. If I could get my hands on Steve's version I would not have made this purchase!

 

Sowwy!! Steve did nail his HW61. And he had a lot of people shoveling through tape vaults until he had the "one". I'd love to say you're going to hit sonic pay-dirt, but I'd really strive to get one. You can actually hear how the room "breathes". Was worth every calorie and stressed brain cell for this CD to get mastered.

But if you like what you hear, let us know!

 

I spent big bucks for this one on eBay and can honestly say it was worth EVERY penny. Don't wait until they're collected out. Pay $80 now! (half tongue-in-cheek).

Seriously, this disc is tops and has it all. Killer sound, killer performances. Desolation Row and Ballad Of A Thin Man are among the most amazing songs ever to find their way on record. We're lucky that Steve got to this one!!

 

I've got a copy on order, and will write when I've heard it. I have the other three CD versions to compare it with.

My expectations are not great, if the Highway 61 tracks on the recent "remastered" Dylan compilations (The Essential, Best Of Vol.2) are anything to go by.

 

I've got a copy of this new edition now. It's just a repackaging of the standard European Sony CD release. To my ears it sounds absolutely identical. While the number printed on the disc is the new one used on the sleeve, the main matrix number (best viewed from underneath the disc) is the same as on the standard Austrian-pressed CD.

Incidentally, while the sleeve doesn't have the Compact Disc Digital Audio logo on it, the disc does. And the disc doesn't appear to be copy protected (though I can't see why anyone would want to copy it!)

I see that CDUniverse have now removed the "Remastered" description from this item on their web site - presumably someone pulled them up on this. It now says "Sweden" - presumably this is where they import it from. All Sony European CDs seem to be made in Austria, regardless of which particular countries they're marketed in. This edition certainly isn't in the shops here. The 2001 date on the sleeve suggests that maybe it's been out in Sweden since last year.

The packaging is actually quite nice, so I shall probably keep the CD rather than send it back to CDUniverse with a complaint. Whoever designed the package had the good taste to use the front sleeve of the US mono LP, which looks much better balanced than the old 360 Sound stereo design. (Steve, I know you had to follow the original stereo design exactly for the DCC issue).

Roger Ford

 

Sorry for my false report. My disk came the same day as my new 500V Sony SACD player and I apparently did not have the player set up properly. Must have been sending the left channel to the two front speakers. All is properly configured now.