| Review by FivePointOne September 19, 2003
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Performance:  Sonics: |
I've had this on LP, cassette, CD and I've got the outtakes on CD as well. I've always considered this to be a 'very good' representation of his early stuff. This SACD, however, makes me feel like I've never heard this music before. It is incredible. The sound quality is outstanding. The guitar is very full-sounding, as is Dylan's voice. Maybe someone else can add some other appropriate adjectives to this review.
Even though it isn't a 5.1 mix, don't hesitate to spend your money on this one--it is nothing short of magical.
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| Review by mschlack November 20, 2003
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Performance: Sonics: |
I've always loved this album. It was the first Dylan album I ever bought, around 1966 or so. It's one of the very few albums that you can say was "historic" and really mean it in more than a music history way, with Blowin in the Wind, Masters of War, Hard Rain -- a soundtrack for civil rights and the early '60s. I recently bought the Sundazed vinyl, which was nice. But the SACD is just unbelievable. Listening to "Corrina, Corrina" I got chills down my back. The main difference between the SACD and CD layers is the extra detail in his voice and the guitars -- that much closer to reality. My wife, who normally listens to internet radio on her computer, piped up from the den when she heard this album, and that has never happened before.
Some people prefer the 5.1 mixes of the Dylan reissues. I have the other early Dylan reissues and I listen to them all in stereo. Call me old school, but surround sound for music is just dumb to me, unless your going to get high and don't feel like putting the headphones on. If that's your thing, get the Pink Floyd SACD and wait for the Moody Blues, King Crimson, Crazy Arthur Brown and Jimi Hendrix reissues. I'll take Bobby D. in stereo.
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| Review by JW August 29, 2004 (1 of 2 found this review helpful)
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Performance:  Sonics: |
A few short lines this time: It struck me that the imaging is a bit peculiar: voice dead center, acoustic guitar to the right and mouth harp (harmonica) left, inside speaker. The effect is like Dylan has split himself into three parts. The guy is called Dylan and not Houdini right ?
Nice sound though.
Jw
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| Review by mukkachukka January 20, 2005 (2 of 3 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics:  |
| Well, by now, we've all heard the old cliche, "It sounds like he's really in the room when I listen to this SACD!" And for this release, it's true. Any fan of Dylan's will remember how awful the sound was on the old Columbia reissues. They make up for that in spades with the Dylan SACDs. This was Dylan's first great album and features many of his classic folk tunes. The harmonica just jumps out of the speakers on this disc. Listen to "Girl Of The North Country" and you will be amazed by the warmth and clarity. I gave 4 and one-half stars on the sonics, only because there still is just a tiny bit of hiss, and for the fact that I believe that too many SACDs here are given 5-star ratings. That being said, this SACD is well worth your hard-earned money!
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| Review by bublitchki January 21, 2005 (1 of 1 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics:  |
Certainly a wonderful album, and a magnificently-recorded one to boot (I even kind of like the weird image placement), but the SACD, good as it sounds, is not in the class of the old Columbia stereo LPs ('70s pressings).
On a good vinyl system, everything is larger in scale than on the SACD. I take this to be a digitally-related flaw, since it's common to all SACD's and CD's I've heard, even the best of them.
That said, compared to other digital issues of this album (basically, the original CD), the SACD is wonderful, as are all the Dylan releases.
For a totally different look at the sound of this album, you might want to give the Sundazed mono LP reissue a try. The sound is far less bright and peaky--it "errs" on the side of neutrality--and the mono image is far more natural than the ditzy stereo.
A monumental album--one of Dylan's very best--in whatever form.
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| Review by analogue February 25, 2009
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Performance: Sonics: |
It seems that Bob Dylan fans can be a picky bunch, huh???
Since I don;t have the vinyl or and older cd's to compare this sacd to......I do have a decent stereo systen and sacd player. I can only say that this is most likely one of the best Dylan sacd's for sound quality. I have about ten of them thus far but this one sounds pretty great. Dylan.s voice is extremely realistic and comes out of the speakers with tremendous presence.
This sacd is a little on the warm side and perhaps a little dry. The sound of the guitar is also pretty impressive.
Most of the songs are classic early Dylan.
Highly recommended.
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| Review by progboy September 15, 2012
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Performance: Sonics: |
Aside from the fact this album is amazing.......and remains one of 60's folklore most magical albums , the Sony SACD release is stunning! It really is like Bob Dylan is in your living room (or music room!).
Like all the Dylan SACD's "Freewalkin'" has been carefully remastered and presented and offers the best sound reproduction of this album I have ever heard.
There is a wide instrument separation with guitar clearly on the left.....harmonica on the right and vocals right in front giving a very defined sound throughout this disc.
"a hard rain's a-gonna fall" is still the real musical watermark song for me and IMHO Dylan's finest song!
I have not heard the 2012 MOFI version so I sadly can not compare them, but this one is superb and beats the &^%$ out of the Columbia Redbook CD Pressing!
Hunt this one down if you are a fan of Dylan or folk music
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