The Original Mono Recordings

Last updated
The Original Mono Recordings
Bob Dylan - The Original Mono Recordings.jpg
Compilation album by
ReleasedOctober 19, 2010 (2010-10-19)
RecordedNovember 20, 1961 – November 29, 1967, Columbia Recording Studios, New York City and Nashville
Genre
Length6:23:45
Label Columbia/Legacy Recordings
Producer
Bob Dylan chronology
The Bootleg Series Vol. 9 – The Witmark Demos: 1962–1964
(2010)
The Original Mono Recordings
(2010)
In Concert – Brandeis University 1963
(2011)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [1]
The Independent Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [2]
Classic Rock Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [3]
Entertainment Weekly A− [4]

The Original Mono Recordings is a box set compilation album of recordings by Bob Dylan, released in October 2010 on Legacy Recordings, catalogue 88697761042. It consists of Dylan's first eight studio albums in mono on nine compact discs, the album Blonde on Blonde being issued on two discs in its original vinyl format. It does not include the singles collection Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits released during the same time span. The set includes a 56-page booklet with photographs, discographical information, and an essay by Greil Marcus. It peaked at No.152 on the Billboard 200.

Contents

Content

Mono was the playback medium for most record players, car radios, and transistor radios during the 1960s. Stereo playback systems had been available since the late 1950s, but the equipment and the albums mixed to play on them were expensive, and the music industry continued to manufacture mono albums and singles through the decade. Monophonic as a format would not be discontinued in both the United States and the United Kingdom until approximately 1969. As stated in the liner notes by Marcus,

This box collects Bob Dylan's first eight 12-inch LPs...as most people heard them, as they were expected to be heard, and as most often they were meant to be heard: in mono. [5]

Moreover, the mixing of the album in mono was the chief priority of Dylan and his producers. Stereo was almost an afterthought. Producer Steve Berkowitz, who supervised the reissue of The Original Mono Recordings was told by Bob Johnston about the mixing of Blonde on Blonde: "We mixed that mono probably for three or four days, then I said, 'Oh shit, man, we gotta do stereo.' So me and a coupla guys put our hands on the board, we mixed that son of a bitch in about four hours!... So my point is, it took a long time to do the mono, and then it was, 'Oh, yeah, we gotta do stereo'." [6]

A similar box set compiling LP mono records by The Beatles had been released in 2009 to respectable sales results, awarded a platinum record by the RIAA. [7] This may have been impetus for Sony to issue this set. [8]

Most of the albums were mastered from the original, first-generation master tapes. Only two albums were not: The Times They Are A-Changin' and Highway 61 Revisited . The original master tape for the former could not be found so a new master was mixed from the original three-track tape, using the original vinyl pressing as a guide. Highway 61 Revisited was mastered from a second-generation overseas copy of the mono mix. [9]

The genuine mono mix for John Wesley Harding was presumably released only in the U.S., whereas the original mono LP issued in the UK was apparently a fold-down of the stereo master. For The Original Mono Recordings box set, the producers used the genuine mono mix issued in the U.S. [9]

Initial purchase of the box allowed for free download of the non-album single "Positively Fourth Street" in mono, as well as the entire set in MP3. "Positively Fourth Street" was also included on the simultaneously released single-disc collection, The Best of the Original Mono Recordings.

The original recordings were produced by John Hammond, Tom Wilson, and Bob Johnston.

Album listing

Bob Dylan (originally released March 19, 1962)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."You're No Good" Jesse Fuller 1:40
2."Talkin' New York"Bob Dylan3:20
3."In My Time of Dyin'"trad. arr. Dylan2:40
4."Man of Constant Sorrow"trad. arr. Dylan3:10
5."Fixin' to Die" Bukka White 2:22
6."Pretty Peggy-O"trad. arr. Dylan3:23
7."Highway 51" Curtis Jones 2:52
8."Gospel Plow"trad. arr. Dylan1:47
9."Baby, Let Me Follow You Down"trad. arr. Eric von Schmidt 2:37
10."House of the Risin' Sun"trad. arr. Dave Van Ronk 5:20
11."Freight Train Blues"trad., Roy Acuff 2:18
12."Song to Woody"Bob Dylan2:42
13."See That My Grave Is Kept Clean" Blind Lemon Jefferson 2:43
Total length:36:54
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (originally released May 27, 1963)

All songs written by Bob Dylan, except where noted: [10]

No.TitleLength
1."Blowin' in the Wind"2:48
2."Girl from the North Country"3:22
3."Masters of War"4:34
4."Down the Highway"3:27
5."Bob Dylan's Blues"2:23
6."A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall"6:55
7."Don't Think Twice, It's All Right"3:40
8."Bob Dylan's Dream"5:03
9."Oxford Town"1:50
10."Talkin' World War III Blues"6:28
11."Corrina, Corrina" (Traditional)2:44
12."Honey, Just Allow Me One More Chance" (Dylan, Henry Thomas)2:01
13."I Shall Be Free"4:49
Total length:50:04
The Times They Are a-Changin' (originally released January 13, 1964)

All songs written by Bob Dylan.

No.TitleLength
1."The Times They Are a-Changin'"3:15
2."Ballad of Hollis Brown"5:06
3."With God on Our Side"7:08
4."One Too Many Mornings"2:41
5."North Country Blues"4:35
6."Only a Pawn in Their Game"3:33
7."Boots of Spanish Leather"4:40
8."When the Ship Comes In"3:18
9."The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll"5:48
10."Restless Farewell"5:32
Total length:45:36
Another Side of Bob Dylan (originally released August 8, 1964)

All songs written by Bob Dylan.

No.TitleLength
1."All I Really Want to Do"4:04
2."Black Crow Blues"3:14
3."Spanish Harlem Incident"2:24
4."Chimes of Freedom"7:10
5."I Shall Be Free No. 10"4:47
6."To Ramona"3:52
7."Motorpsycho Nitemare"4:33
8."My Back Pages"4:22
9."I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)"4:22
10."Ballad in Plain D"8:16
11."It Ain't Me Babe"3:33
Total length:50:37
Bringing It All Back Home (originally released March 22, 1965)

All tracks are written by Bob Dylan.

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Subterranean Homesick Blues"2:21
2."She Belongs to Me"2:47
3."Maggie's Farm"3:54
4."Love Minus Zero/No Limit"2:51
5."Outlaw Blues"3:05
6."On the Road Again"2:35
7."Bob Dylan's 115th Dream"6:30
8."Mr. Tambourine Man"5:30
9."Gates of Eden"5:40
10."It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)"7:29
11."It's All Over Now, Baby Blue"4:12
Total length:47:21
Highway 61 Revisited (originally released August 30, 1965)

All tracks are written by Bob Dylan.

No.TitleLength
1."Like a Rolling Stone"6:09
2."Tombstone Blues"5:58
3."It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry"4:09
4."From a Buick 6"3:19
5."Ballad of a Thin Man"5:58
6."Queen Jane Approximately"5:31
7."Highway 61 Revisited"3:30
8."Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues"5:31
9."Desolation Row"11:21
Total length:51:26
Blonde on Blonde (originally released May 16, 1966)

All songs written by Bob Dylan.

Disc 1
No.TitleLength
1."Rainy Day Women No. 12 & 35"4:36
2."Pledging My Time"3:50
3."Visions of Johanna"7:33
4."One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)"4:54
5."I Want You"3:07
6."Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again"7:05
7."Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat"3:58
8."Just Like a Woman"4:52
Total length:39:55
Disc 2
No.TitleLength
1."Most Likely You Go Your Way and I'll Go Mine"3:30
2."Temporary Like Achilles"5:02
3."Absolutely Sweet Marie"4:57
4."4th Time Around"4:35
5."Obviously 5 Believers"3:35
6."Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands"11:23
Total length:32:42 72:37
John Wesley Harding (originally released December 27, 1967)

All songs written by Bob Dylan.

No.TitleLength
1."John Wesley Harding"2:58
2."As I Went Out One Morning"2:49
3."I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine"3:53
4."All Along the Watchtower"2:31
5."The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest"5:35
6."Drifter's Escape"2:52
7."Dear Landlord"3:16
8."I Am a Lonesome Hobo"3:21
9."I Pity the Poor Immigrant"4:12
10."The Wicked Messenger"2:02
11."Down Along the Cove"2:23
12."I'll Be Your Baby Tonight"2:34
Total length:38:24

Collective personnel

Additional musicians
Technical personnel

Chart positions

Chart (2013)Peak
position
Belgian Heatseekers (Ultratop Flanders) [11] 4
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [12] 100
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [13] 58
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [14] 42
US Billboard 200 [15] 152
US Top Rock Albums ( Billboard ) [15] 47

Related Research Articles

<i>Highway 61 Revisited</i> 1965 studio album by Bob Dylan

Highway 61 Revisited is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on August 30, 1965, by Columbia Records. Having until then recorded mostly acoustic music, Dylan used rock musicians as his backing band on every track of the album, except for the closing track, the 11-minute ballad "Desolation Row". Critics have focused on the innovative way Dylan combined driving, blues-based music with the subtlety of poetry to create songs that captured the political and cultural chaos of contemporary America. Author Michael Gray has argued that, in an important sense, the 1960s "started" with this album.

<i>Blonde on Blonde</i> 1966 studio album by Bob Dylan

Blonde on Blonde is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released as a double album on June 20, 1966, by Columbia Records. Recording sessions began in New York in October 1965 with numerous backing musicians, including members of Dylan's live backing band, the Hawks. Though sessions continued until January 1966, they yielded only one track that made it onto the final album—"One of Us Must Know ". At producer Bob Johnston's suggestion, Dylan, keyboardist Al Kooper, and guitarist Robbie Robertson moved to the CBS studios in Nashville, Tennessee. These sessions, augmented by some of Nashville's top session musicians, were more fruitful, and in February and March all the remaining songs for the album were recorded.

<i>Bringing It All Back Home</i> 1965 studio album by Bob Dylan

Bringing It All Back Home is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. It was released in March 1965, by Columbia Records.

<i>The Freewheelin Bob Dylan</i> 1963 studio album by Bob Dylan

The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on May 27, 1963 by Columbia Records. Whereas his self-titled debut album Bob Dylan had contained only two original songs, this album represented the beginning of Dylan's writing contemporary words to traditional melodies. Eleven of the thirteen songs on the album are Dylan's original compositions. It opens with "Blowin' in the Wind", which became an anthem of the 1960s, and an international hit for folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary soon after the release of the album. The album featured several other songs which came to be regarded as among Dylan's best compositions and classics of the 1960s folk scene: "Girl from the North Country", "Masters of War", "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall" and "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All Along the Watchtower</span> 1967 song by Bob Dylan

"All Along the Watchtower" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan from his eighth studio album, John Wesley Harding (1967). The song was written by Dylan and produced by Bob Johnston. The song's lyrics, which in its original version contain twelve lines, feature a conversation between a joker and a thief. The song has been subject to various interpretations; some reviewers have noted that it echoes lines in the Book of Isaiah, Chapter 21, verses 5–9. Dylan has released several different live performances, and versions of the song are included on some of his subsequent greatest hits compilations.

<i>John Wesley Harding</i> 1967 studio album by Bob Dylan

John Wesley Harding is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on December 17, 1967, by Columbia Records. Produced by Bob Johnston, the album marked Dylan's return to semi-acoustic instrumentation and folk-influenced songwriting after three albums of lyrically abstract, blues-indebted rock music. John Wesley Harding was recorded around the same time as the home recording sessions with The Band known as The Basement Tapes.

"4th Time Around" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, which was released as the 12th track on his seventh studio album Blonde on Blonde on June 20, 1966. The song was written by Dylan and produced by Bob Johnston. Commentators often interpret it as a parody of the Beatles' 1965 song "Norwegian Wood ". John Lennon composed "Norwegian Wood" after being influenced by the introspective lyrics of Dylan. Lennon later reflected on his feelings of paranoia when Dylan first played him "4th Time Around".

<i>Bob Dylans Greatest Hits</i> 1967 greatest hits album by Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits is a 1967 compilation album of songs by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. Released on March 27, 1967, by Columbia Records, it was a stopgap between Dylan's studio albums Blonde on Blonde and John Wesley Harding, during which time he had retreated from the public eye to recover from a motorcycle accident. It was Dylan's first compilation, containing every Top 40 single Dylan had up to 1967, plus additional album tracks which had become popular singles as recorded by other artists. It peaked at No. 10 on the pop album chart in the United States, and went to No. 3 on the album chart in the United Kingdom. Certified five times platinum by the RIAA, it is his best-selling album in the U.S.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest</span> 1967 song by Bob Dylan

"The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. It was released as the fifth track on his eighth studio album John Wesley Harding (1967). The track was written by Dylan and produced by Bob Johnston. It was recorded in one take on October 17, 1967, at Columbia Studio A in Nashville. The song's lyrics refer to two friends, Frankie Lee and Judas Priest. Lee asks Priest for a loan of money and Priest offers it freely. Lee spends it in a brothel over 16 days, then dies of thirst in Priest's arms. It has been suggested by commentators that the song refers to Dylan's relationship with his manager Albert Grossman or to his contractual negotiations with his record company. The song received a largely negative critical reception. Dylan has performed the song live in concert 20 times, from 1987 to 2000.

<i>Postcards of the Hanging</i> 2002 live album by The Grateful Dead

Postcards of the Hanging is a compilation album by the Grateful Dead. It consists entirely of Bob Dylan covers, performed live in concert, along with a rehearsal performance of "Man of Peace" featuring the Grateful Dead backing Dylan himself. Bob Weir sings lead on five tracks, Jerry Garcia on three, and Phil Lesh on one ; Weir and Garcia also alternate on one. Another Dylan covers collection, Garcia Plays Dylan, includes several performances by the Grateful Dead, but mostly by the Jerry Garcia Band and other Garcia side projects. An album of live performances containing Dylan and the Grateful Dead performing together was released in 1989 as "Dylan & the Dead."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pledging My Time</span> 1966 single by Bob Dylan

"Pledging My Time" is a blues song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan from his seventh studio album, Blonde on Blonde (1966). The song, written by Dylan and produced by Bob Johnston, was recorded on March 8, 1966 in Nashville, Tennessee. Dylan is featured on lead vocals, harmonica, and guitar, backed by guitarist Robbie Robertson and an ensemble of veteran Nashville session men.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)</span> 1966 single by Bob Dylan

"One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, which was released as a single on February 14, 1966, and as the fourth track on his seventh studio album Blonde on Blonde in June of that year. The song was written by Dylan and produced by Bob Johnston. It is the narrator's account of a burned-out relationship. It was recorded at Columbia studio A in New York on January 25, 1966, with Dylan and other musicians developing the song through over twenty takes during the session.

<i>The Basement Tapes</i> 1975 studio album by Bob Dylan and the Band

The Basement Tapes is the sixteenth album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan and his second with the Band. It was released on June 26, 1975, by Columbia Records. Two-thirds of the album's 24 tracks feature Dylan on lead vocals backed by the Band, and were recorded in 1967, eight years before the album's release, in the lapse between the recording and subsequent release of Blonde on Blonde and John Wesley Harding, during sessions that began at Dylan's house in Woodstock, New York, then moved to the basement of Big Pink. While most of these had appeared on bootleg albums, The Basement Tapes marked their first official release. The remaining eight songs, all previously unavailable, feature the Band without Dylan and were recorded between 1967 and 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mixed-Up Confusion</span> Song written and recorded by Bob Dylan

"Mixed-Up Confusion" is a song written and recorded by Bob Dylan and released as his first single.

Bob Dylan is an American musician, singer-songwriter, music producer, artist, and writer. He has been an influential figure in popular music and culture for more than five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly reluctant figurehead of social unrest.

<i>The Bootleg Series Vol. 12: The Cutting Edge 1965–1966</i> 2015 compilation album by Bob Dylan

The Bootleg Series Vol. 12: The Cutting Edge 1965–1966 is a compilation album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on Legacy Records in November 2015. The tenth installment in the ongoing Bob Dylan Bootleg Series, it comprises recordings from 1965 and 1966, mostly unreleased demos and outtakes from recording sessions for his ground-breaking albums Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde. The standard set peaked at #41 on the Billboard 200.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Obviously 5 Believers</span> 1966 song by Bob Dylan

"Obviously 5 Believers" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, which was released as the last track of side three of his double album Blonde on Blonde (1966), and was the B-side to the single release of "Just Like a Woman" for releases in America and some other countries. The song was written by Dylan and produced by Bob Johnston. It was recorded at Columbia Music Row Studios, in the early morning hours of a March 9–10, 1966 session. Four takes were recorded, although the first two were incomplete. It has been interpreted as a blues song about loneliness, with critics noting similarities in melody and structure to Memphis Minnie's "Chauffeur Blues". Dylan's vocals and the musicianship of the band on the track have both received critical acclaim, although the track has been regarded as insubstantial by some commentators.

"Down the Highway" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. It was recorded on July 9, 1962 at Studio A, Columbia Recording Studios, New York, produced by John Hammond. The song was released on The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan on May 27, 1963. It is a twelve-bar blues love song, which Dylan told his girlfriend Suze Rotolo he had written about her.

"I Pity the Poor Immigrant" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. It was recorded on November 6, 1967, at Columbia Recording Studios, Nashville, produced by Bob Johnston. The song was released on Dylan's eighth studio album John Wesley Harding on December 27, 1967.

"Dear Landlord" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. It was recorded on November 29, 1967, at Columbia Recording Studios, Nashville, produced by Bob Johnston. The song was released on Dylan's album John Wesley Harding on December 27, 1967. It is a piano blues that has been interpeted as an address to his then-manager Albert Grossman.

References

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  2. The Independent review
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  7. The Beatles in Mono Gold Record listing by the RIAA
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  10. Hentoff 1963
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