Please post your thoughts and comments on the SACD release from Columbia. 
HiRez Poll Dylan, Bob - Love and Theft [SACD]
- Thread starter JonUrban
- Start date
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LizardKing
2K Club - QQ Super Nova
Lets just say that you can tell that this isn't an early Bob Dylan album. I have a copy of Time Out Of Mind... and I thought he was losing his voice on that one, but it didn't prepare me for how he sounds on this...:yikes
Its a shame because I quite like the recording and music on this...
Its a shame because I quite like the recording and music on this...
I like it..I like it alot...a rock and roll release
Mix/Sonics: 9
Music: 7.5
Music: 7.5
I wasn't able to give this disc a rating of any higher than a '6', so that's what it gets.
I can't deny that this SACD has fantastic fidelity, but the combination of the tame surround mix combined with the absolutely atrocious sound of Bob Dylan's voice on this album brought the rating down a considerable amount for me.
I only recommend this disc if you are a huge Dylan fan or if you can find it cheap enough to where you're just that curious to pick it up and give it a spin.
I feel like I need a vocal detox after listening to this album. Too bad there's no Bad Company in surround. I could really use some of Paul Rodgers' singing right now… :violin
I can't deny that this SACD has fantastic fidelity, but the combination of the tame surround mix combined with the absolutely atrocious sound of Bob Dylan's voice on this album brought the rating down a considerable amount for me.
I only recommend this disc if you are a huge Dylan fan or if you can find it cheap enough to where you're just that curious to pick it up and give it a spin.
I feel like I need a vocal detox after listening to this album. Too bad there's no Bad Company in surround. I could really use some of Paul Rodgers' singing right now… :violin
Haven't heard the album...but does Dylan's voice on this particular release sound...unlike Dylan? I mean, he's no Klaus Meine...but certainly has a style we've come to expect.
Like I said in the "Listening to…" thread I own all of Bob Dylan's surround SACDs except for "Another Side of Bob Dylan".
I can easily tolerate his vocals on the other albums I own, but I simply can't do that with this one.
I think his voice probably had an expiration date sometime in the 80s, but he kept on making records cause not only is he a fantastic songwriter, but he's Bob (F***ing) Dylan, but at least I put forth my dislike of his voice on this album in my review.
Philip Spinner
1K Club - QQ Shooting Star
Actually Bad Company does have one song in surround. They have a concert on DVD called Merchants of Cool. After the concert is a video of a song called Joe Fabulous which has a 5.1 mix. Not the greatest mix but the background vocals do seem to come from the surrounds, best I can remember.
Four years on, not enough votes to show up on the poll list.
A ten from me.
Surround: 3/3
Discrete and immersive.
Fidelity: 3/3
State of the art studio, mics, and engineering.
Content: 3/3
Classic Dylan compositions.
The first time he produced himself and used his touring band rather than session musicians.
Wow factor bonus points: 1/1
Cheap, universally available new for 7 or 8 bucks.
Only surround artist to win the Nobel prize for literature.
Notes from me and quotes from Bob:
People have been saying for 55 years that Dylan can’t sing.
Not looking for a fight either, just an observation.
Dylan paved the way for artists who write and sing their own material, even if they had untrained and unusual voices.
The member who used terms like atrocious in his review of this record has been handing out 10s for discs from quirky singers like Andy Partridge and Adrian Belew.
Like Bob, these guys are originals, but not everyone’s cup of tea.
The first time I spun Oranges & Lemons in surround, it was a shock to hear Andy’s voice isolated and dry out of the center channel, had to turn it down a bit to enjoy it.
On this disc, the vocals are “wet”, and spread around the sound field, which helps.
But for heaven’s sake, if poor old Zimmy’s voice in his later years is like chalk on a blackboard to your ears, please don’t torture yourself.
Skip this one for Blonde On Blonde.
Surround mix:
Tame? Maybe to a prog fan of Wilson re-mixes.
I think it conforms to the artist’s vision of a live band in a room, with minimal overdubs. He produced the record himself (as Jack Frost).
Surround mix by Chris Shaw, who engineered the sessions and mixed the stereo CD.
The 5.1 SACD mix came two years after the original release date of 9/11/2001 (!).
High Water (For Charlie Patton) has banjo C, accordion RR, maracas & bowed bass drone LR, and thunderous bass bombs LFE.
Center channel on other tracks is often only low drum ambience, practically a quad sound field.
A few have subtle but discrete center content, like Bob’s barrel-house piano on Summer Days, fiddle and piano on Floater.
The rears always have something happening, Augie Meyers’ accordion, Vox Continental or Hammond B-3 organ, Charlie Sexton trading guitar licks with Larry Campbell, who doubles on banjo and fiddle.
Overall it's pros staying out of each other’s way and serving the song, not their egos or virtuosity.
Fidelity:
Tracks recorded to a Studer A800 mkIII @ 30ips on 2” BASF/Emtec 900 tape
Content:
Bob doesn't multi-track, but he'll do as many takes as he needs to get a tune down.
Just never the same way twice.
The version of the Never Ending Tour Band on this record was one of his best.
I was fortunate to see them a few times in those years.
This disc went gold and was well received by the critic’s when it was released.
Maybe one other person would condescend to rate it so it can show up on the polls.
Go ahead and be a smartass, Dylan always has been, and he damn sure doesn’t care what you or I or anybody else thinks.
As far as I can tell, he hasn’t yet acknowledged the Nobel Prize Committee.
A ten from me.
Surround: 3/3
Discrete and immersive.
Fidelity: 3/3
State of the art studio, mics, and engineering.
Content: 3/3
Classic Dylan compositions.
The first time he produced himself and used his touring band rather than session musicians.
Wow factor bonus points: 1/1
Cheap, universally available new for 7 or 8 bucks.
Only surround artist to win the Nobel prize for literature.
Notes from me and quotes from Bob:
People have been saying for 55 years that Dylan can’t sing.
Not looking for a fight either, just an observation.
Dylan paved the way for artists who write and sing their own material, even if they had untrained and unusual voices.
The member who used terms like atrocious in his review of this record has been handing out 10s for discs from quirky singers like Andy Partridge and Adrian Belew.
Like Bob, these guys are originals, but not everyone’s cup of tea.
The first time I spun Oranges & Lemons in surround, it was a shock to hear Andy’s voice isolated and dry out of the center channel, had to turn it down a bit to enjoy it.
On this disc, the vocals are “wet”, and spread around the sound field, which helps.
But for heaven’s sake, if poor old Zimmy’s voice in his later years is like chalk on a blackboard to your ears, please don’t torture yourself.
Skip this one for Blonde On Blonde.
Surround mix:
Tame? Maybe to a prog fan of Wilson re-mixes.
I think it conforms to the artist’s vision of a live band in a room, with minimal overdubs. He produced the record himself (as Jack Frost).
Surround mix by Chris Shaw, who engineered the sessions and mixed the stereo CD.
The 5.1 SACD mix came two years after the original release date of 9/11/2001 (!).
High Water (For Charlie Patton) has banjo C, accordion RR, maracas & bowed bass drone LR, and thunderous bass bombs LFE.
Center channel on other tracks is often only low drum ambience, practically a quad sound field.
A few have subtle but discrete center content, like Bob’s barrel-house piano on Summer Days, fiddle and piano on Floater.
The rears always have something happening, Augie Meyers’ accordion, Vox Continental or Hammond B-3 organ, Charlie Sexton trading guitar licks with Larry Campbell, who doubles on banjo and fiddle.
Overall it's pros staying out of each other’s way and serving the song, not their egos or virtuosity.
Fidelity:
Tracks recorded to a Studer A800 mkIII @ 30ips on 2” BASF/Emtec 900 tape
Content:
Bob doesn't multi-track, but he'll do as many takes as he needs to get a tune down.
Just never the same way twice.
The version of the Never Ending Tour Band on this record was one of his best.
I was fortunate to see them a few times in those years.
This disc went gold and was well received by the critic’s when it was released.
Maybe one other person would condescend to rate it so it can show up on the polls.
Go ahead and be a smartass, Dylan always has been, and he damn sure doesn’t care what you or I or anybody else thinks.
As far as I can tell, he hasn’t yet acknowledged the Nobel Prize Committee.
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In these times where high water really seems everywhere I'd gladly vote twice if I could. Unfortunately, since the poll is justly rigged and I already voted once, today I can only do so again with words. I liked yours plenty so they'll suffice. Still, here's a few more.
For me this album is a mighty bookend to Dylan's '60's triple threat. The album swings, rocks, creaks, croaks, taunts, swoons, and chuckles with glee, menace, the sound of a slyly winking, weather-beaten preacher-cum-sideshow barker trading in slanted smiles and sideways glances backed by a tight band that dusts off that thin, wild Mercury sound, dragging it through sawdust and smokey, mote-filled rooms with a mix damp like a rag that's wiped down the bar a few too many times between washes. That is to say, barkeep, I'll have another and make it a double.
Is the surround mix perfect? I don't know. Is it suited and sympathetic? Yeah, and it enlivens the rollicking, dour, rueful, and sentimental tunes alike in ways that I always enjoy the private, shambolic-to-some-ears command performance. Not everyone's cup of tea, bourbon, or elixir of choice. We all have our thing and this is mine. If this album and/or song and dance man is your thing it's easily worth seeking out. What's to lose? Time's piling up. Give this a spin while boxed in your listening room trying to escape.
HugoPhyrst
Well-known Member
I found this surround SACD for $8 at Barnes & Noble. If you can get past the fact that Bob Dylan has a raspy voice, it's very enjoyable. Personally, I accepted the gravelly Bob as the music and the mix do not rely on the voice as much as the delivery. Great fidelity, very good mix and solid songs. For me, it's an 8 ... almost 9!
This album is pretty much a continuation of 'Time Out Of Mind', which was an excellent album, and so is this one. I only wish TOoM had gotten a surround mix too.
Obviously I am in the minority here, but I really like Dylans vocals on this material - I think it’s a great match with the music, and this disk contains some excellent songs. The songs and performances rate a ten and the mix is an eight or so, thus my 9 rating.
KeithD
Member
I rate this album as being from Dylan's "Jazz/Blues" period. Agree this is a continuation of Time Out of Mind material/genre along with Together Through Life. IMO, Time Out of Mind is the best of the three, but this one's good. Given the Jazz/Blues genre, I'm not expecting a "robust" surround mix, but rather a subtle mix of "background" instruments in the rears, which is what you get here. I find a lot of Dylan does not translate well to quad mixes. I seldom turn my Sansui Synthesized Quad switch to "Surround" when listening to his music. I think we have to accept that some music is just not enhanced by a surround mix - or at least a "synthesized" quad effect. I think the surround mix works here because the choices were made by an engineer, are subtle, and respect the music/genre.
Cool, a good reminder to dig this one out and give it a listen!
