{"product_id":"dylanhighw_2605-3","title":"Dylan, Bob - Highway 61 Revisited - Super Hot Stamper","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e*NOTE:\u003c\/strong\u003e There is a mark that plays 5 times at a light to moderate level and intermittently about 1\/4 from the end of track 1 on side 1, \"Like a Rolling Stone.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVintage covers for this album are hard to find in exceptionally clean shape. Most of the will have at least some amount of ringwear, seam wear and edge wear. We guarantee that the cover we supply with this Hot Stamper is at least VG.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat separates the better copies from the also-rans is more than just rich, sweet, full-bodied sound. The better copies make Dylan's voice more palpable -- he's simply more of a solid, three dimensional, real presence between the speakers. You can hear the nuances of his delivery more clearly on a copy like this.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNow it should be noted that some songs here definitely sound better than others. Do not expect \"Tombstone Blues\" to become a favorite demo track. It's upper midrangey here because that's the way they wanted it. One must assume that the songs sound the way Dylan wanted them too, because every other track has a slightly different tonal balance, and that change in tonality seems to be a conscious choice designed to bring out the best in each song.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOr not. Who's to say?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat The Best Sides Of Highway 61 Revisited Have To Offer Is Not Hard To Hear\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe biggest, most immediate staging in the largest acoustic space\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe most Tubey Magic, without which you have \u003ci\u003ealmost\u003c\/i\u003e nothing. CDs give you clean and clear. Only the best vintage vinyl pressings offer the kind of Tubey Magic that was on the tapes in \u003ca href=\"\/search?q=tag:%221965%22\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e1965\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTight, note-like, rich, full-bodied bass, with the correct amount of weight down low\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNatural tonality in the midrange -- with all the instruments having the correct timbre\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTransparency and resolution, critical to hearing into the three-dimensional studio space\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo doubt there's more but we hope that should do for now. \u003ci\u003ePlaying the record is the only way to hear all of the qualities we discuss above,\u003c\/i\u003e and playing the best pressings against a pile of other copies under rigorously controlled conditions is the only way to find a pressing that sounds as good as this one does.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat We're Listening For On Highway 61\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere are some of the things we specifically listen for in an Electric Folk Rock record from the 60s, even one as uniquely groundbreaking as Highway 61 Revisited.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis Hot Stamper copy is simply doing more of these things better than most other copies we played in our shootout. The best copies have:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGreater\u003cstrong\u003e immediacy\u003c\/strong\u003e in the vocals (most copies are veiled and distant to some degree)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNatural\u003cstrong\u003e tonal balance\u003c\/strong\u003e (many copies are at least slightly brighter or darker than ideal; those with the right balance are the exception, not the rule)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGood solid \u003cstrong\u003eweight \u003c\/strong\u003e(so the bass sounds full and powerful)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpaciousness\u003c\/strong\u003e (the best copies have wonderful studio ambience and space)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTubey Magic\u003c\/strong\u003e, without which you might as well be playing a CD\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnd last but not least, \u003cstrong\u003etransparency\u003c\/strong\u003e, the quality of being able to see into the studio, where there is plenty of musical information to be revealed in this sometimes simple, sometimes complex and sophisticated recording.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 360 label pressings are a mixed bag, running from mediocre to mindblowing. Most of the time they are too trashed to even consider playing on an audiophile turntable. Many of the later pressings are sterile, congested, and lean.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn a typical pressing of this record the harmonica can be shrill and aggressive, but on the best copies, it will sound airy and full-bodied (for the most part). There are times on every copy we've ever played where the harmonica solos get to be just a bit much.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe best tracks have fat, meaty, oh-so-analog drums and bass. There's a certain amount of opacity that modern mastering engineers would be tempted to fix by boosting the highs. This is a very bad idea. Brighter, in this case, is going to destroy what's good about the sound of the album.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eVinyl Condition\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMint Minus Minus and maybe a bit better is about as quiet as any vintage pressing will play, and since only the right vintage pressings have any hope of sounding good on this album, that will most often be the playing condition of the copies we sell. (The copies that are even a bit noisier get listed on the site are seriously reduced prices or traded back in to the local record stores we shop at.)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThose of you looking for quiet vinyl will have to settle for the sound of later pressings and Heavy Vinyl reissues, purchased elsewhere of course as we have no interest in selling records that don't have the vintage analog magic that is a key part of the appeal of these wonderful recordings.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you want to make the trade-off between bad sound and quiet surfaces with whatever Heavy Vinyl pressing might be available, well, that's certainly your prerogative, but we can't imagine losing what's good about this music -- the size, the energy, the presence, the clarity, the weight -- just to hear it with less background noise.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Dylan, Bob","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51867445199144,"sku":"dylanhighw","price":399.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0257\/3415\/2295\/products\/dylanhighw.jpg?v=1778611004","url":"https:\/\/better-records.com\/products\/dylanhighw_2605-3","provider":"Better Records","version":"1.0","type":"link"}