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Title: Bob Dylan And The Band – The Basement Tapes (1975) [MFSL 2012]
Genre: Rock
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

The official release of The Basement Tapes — which were first heard on a 1968 bootleg called The Great White Wonder — plays with history somewhat, as Robbie Robertson overemphasizes the Band’s status in the sessions, making them out to be equally active to Dylan, adding in demos not cut at the sessions and overdubbing their recordings to flesh them out. As many bootlegs (most notably the complete five-disc series) reveal, this isn’t entirely true and the Band were nowhere near as active as Dylan, but that ultimately is a bit like nitpicking, since the music here (including the Band’s) is astonishingly good. The party line on The Basement Tapes is that it is Americana, as Dylan and the Band pick up the weirdness inherent in old folk, country, and blues tunes, but it transcends mere historical arcana through its lively, humorous, full-bodied performances. Dylan never sounded as loose, nor was he ever as funny as he is here, and this positively revels in its weird, wild character. For all the apparent antecedents — and the allusions are sly and obvious in equal measure — this is truly Dylan’s show, as he majestically evokes old myths and creates new ones, resulting in a crazy quilt of blues, humor, folk, tall tales, inside jokes, and rock. The Band pretty much pick up where Dylan left off, even singing a couple of his tunes, but they play it a little straight, on both their rockers and ballads. Not a bad thing at all, since this actually winds up providing context for the wild, mercurial brilliance of Dylan’s work — and, taken together, the results (especially in this judiciously compiled form with its expert song selection, even if there’s a bit too much Band) rank among the greatest American music ever made.

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Title: Bob Dylan – Another Side Of Bob Dylan (1964) [Monoural – MFSL 2018]
Genre: Rock
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

This mono hybrid SACD reissue of Bob Dylan’s Another Side of Bob Dylan (1964), limited to 3,000 copies and mastered from original tapes by Mobile Fidelity, captures Dylan’s raw emotional state with stunning clarity. The mono mix, preferred during the 1964 recording, places Dylan’s vocals at the heart of the music, free of artificial panning, as originally intended. It reveals Dylan’s unpolished delivery—laughs, false starts, and occasional off-key moments—evoking a candid, pub-staggering vibe that prioritizes authenticity over perfection. Compared to the stereo version’s less distinct separation, this mono edition offers a direct, immersive soundscape, historically significant as the format most listeners first experienced. Another Side of Bob Dylan showcases a departure from the protest-heavy The Times They Are a-Changin’, embracing a romantic, whimsical, and absurdist style. The album is more varied and successful, with Dylan expanding his musical and poetic scope beyond strict folk. Classics like “All I Really Want to Do,” “Chimes of Freedom,” “My Back Pages,” “I Don’t Believe You,” and “It Ain’t Me Babe” anchor the record. Lesser-known tracks shine with graceful, layered poetry and deeper musical complexity. The SACD’s DSD mastering enhances the intimate, warm sound, ideal for audiophiles and Dylan fans. This reissue, cataloged as MOFI SACD 0023, is a definitive presentation of one of Dylan’s finest, most versatile albums.

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Title: Bob Dylan – Another Side Of Bob Dylan (1964) [MFSL 2012]
Genre: Rock
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

The other side of Bob Dylan referred to in the title is presumably his romantic, absurdist, and whimsical one — anything that wasn’t featured on the staunchly folky, protest-heavy Times They Are a-Changin’, really. Because of this, Another Side of Bob Dylan is a more varied record and it’s more successful, too, since it captures Dylan expanding his music, turning in imaginative, poetic performances on love songs and protest tunes alike. This has an equal number of classics to its predecessor, actually, with “All I Really Want to Do,” “Chimes of Freedom,” “My Back Pages,” “I Don’t’ Believe You,” and “It Ain’t Me Babe” standing among his standards, but the key to the record’s success is the album tracks, which are graceful, poetic, and layered. Both the lyrics and music have gotten deeper and Dylan’s trying more things — this, in its construction and attitude, is hardly strictly folk, as it encompasses far more than that. The result is one of his very best records, a lovely intimate affair.

hraudio | allmusic | discogs

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