Expecting Rain

Wow!! What a difference! I'd read here at ER that the 'Guitars Kissing...' boot's mix was superior to the official Live 1966. I was skeptical because that Columbia release was my introduction to the world tour in 66 by Dylan and the Hawks, and frankly, I was quite impressed. Plus, I've never been able to find the bootleg so all these years, I listened to my Columbia copy. However, I DID find the Jewels and Binaculars set awhile back and burned some of the better shows to CD. When picking and choosing though, I'd skip over disc 20 (Manchester) because I already had it, right? WRONG. Today I burned the Jewels and Binacular Disc 20 and listened to it in my car. The sound was astounding! It's as if a fog's been lifted, really. Mickey Jones's snare drum is much more crisp-sounding and Robbie's incindiary guitar licks are the most notable difference; shockingly loud...just right!! There's a good chance I'll never play BS Vol 4 again after hearing this today. Is this what Guitars Kissing and the Contemporary Fix sounds like? Never dreamed that show could be in such better quality.

Guitars Kissing and the Contemporary Fix sounds a lot better. Listen to this and you really know what the fog's been lifted means.

Ok, I'll have to seek that out then. I figured it must be like J&B since that was such an improvement.

i kinda like the harsh, wild sound of the official release but the other version is great, too.

Isn't Manchester on "Jewels & Binoculars" identical to the great "Guitars Kissing" boot (a revelation when it first appeared in 1996)?

The mix in question was an early mix prepared for the official release and then rejected by Dylan, IIRC. I would not call it "superior" without qualification of one's preferences. To me the official release sounds more "live" like you're in the venue, and the boot sounds more like a multitrack line recording. Much as with stereo versus mono mixes of the studio material, it sort of depends on whether you think better separation and definition of individual instruments or better overall cohesion and punch are preferable. The official release sounds more "60s" to me, more lively and organic, more representative of what was heard by the audience in the room, and it is the one I prefer.