Expecting Rain

I'd also pick Desire, Hard Rain would be second choice.

This is just me, but I've never gotten that used to BOTT as a cohesive listening experience. Part of it is the Minnesota band being weak for me (imagine what that album would sound like if it was performed by a band with the same caliber as the musicians on H61, L&T, Infidels, even Together Through Life). Part of is other versions of songs being substantially better than those on the official release (e.g. Tangled on the test pressing and live in '84, Idiot Wind on both NY takes and live in '76 and possibly evern '92, etc). A BIG part of it is "Lily", I never truly accepted it being in the running order, it's too disruptive for me. The "New York Sessions" bootleg is a more cohesive listening experience, and it has A+ crackling warm vinyl rip sound, but "Lily" is still a drag to sit through and "If You See Her" sounds a little too weak for that magnitute of songwriting.

Thanks as always for sharing, Bennyboy. I haven't listened yet but I'm looking forward to a different version of Desire. The 2003 BOTT & Desire remasters are both too bright for me, and I already have you to thank for the BOTT half-speed (for me, listenable more for the vinyl rip than for the speed).

Desire will still sound like an album of demos to me, though. It's just a shame that I ever had to hear the '75 live versions -- damn did those songs come alive, and then forever "ruined" the Desire album. It's like hearing "Hard Rain" or "Girl From The North Country" on Freewheelin' and then having to go back and listen to them on the Witmark release.

As Blood on the Tracks is the best of the four albums listed, I guess it would be the one I would choose. That being said, there are numerous other Bob Dylan albums that I would select before any of the ones mentioned (basically anything from 1961 - 66).

It would have to be Desire for me. I love the sound of that record and the arrangements. Of all his records, it is my favourite.

I have not heard the quadrophonic mix.

This comment surprises me. While I can see why one might prefer the original Tangled Up In Blue for it's emotional content, I think the feel the band achieves on the album cut is a marvel; it's one of the reasons the lengthy, lengthy narrative passes by in a flash and surely a big part of why it's one of the 4 or 5 Dylan songs the average person could name. I bet the instrumental track would be a decent listen all on it's own. What kind of groove is it anyway?It sure moves. These local musicans, or at least some of them, were jazz cats and while they certainly aren't playing jazz, there's marvelous, breezy interplay as well as a sublety to that track. Idiot Wind on BOTT is more problematic in that both the earlier acoustic and later ('76) electric live versions blow it out of the water, but I don't think it's correct to say that this is because the musicians on it are poor by any standard. While I'm on my horse, I'd add that Simple Twist of Fate must have the best bass playing ever to grace a Bob Dylan album, over 50 years' time, wherever it was recorded. The groove and steel guitar solo on Meet Me In The Morning...I mean, come on, the music on BOTT is fantastic. I like Lily, a lot, but if you don't I could see how it might drag down side 2 a bit...

nice stomp Smoke! i'm with you on all those accounts. Big Girl and Idiot wind are the only two tracks on the album i have a hard time with...

The breadth and warmth (and sound quality) of Live 75 is pretty jaw dropping to any remotely casual fan. I can't pick an album i know too well already

I hope it didn't come off as a stomp...

No not a stomp, I think I meant stump. I also liked rivers thoughts on the matter, the full post is quite good

I'll admit that the Minnesota musicians nailed Big Girl (ha), and did a nice job on If You See Her. I should give 'em more credit! Somehow though the album seems less cohesive with the "mix"; perhaps that's psychological, maybe I wouldn't feel that way if I didn't "know" about the NY & MN sessions. Simple Twist and Buckets Of Rain are from NY, and they're recording perfection. The MN Tangled sounds too bouncy for me, though back in the day its slot on GH3 was part of what first got me into Dylan (so that speaks to your point). The '84 live version (e.g. Rome) is epic though -- always wish it would last longer!

Please do report back on your thoughts on the quad Desire.

If that fails for you, I dunno - after reading your comments above, I'd probably suggest a pillow, a gun and a supportive friend.

Hard Rain

Unsurpassable.
To me, the best live rock album ever.
And I don't mean Dylan's.

This.

And this.

Woah...
WOAH!

just realized a gross error in this poll entitled "Rolling Thunder era" - Planet waves is not listed? is that not an option??? i demand a recount! and that's the album i want.

Isn't Planet Waves glorious? It does not get the attention it deserves, but it does at my house!

yes, - it's not without faults, but it has nearly all of Mrs. 64s favorite songs, so it would probably quench my thirst on a desert island more than blood on the tracks....

what are mrs.64's favorite Dylan songs?

Live 1975. More discs, more music. When going to a desert island & your choice is between a great single album & a great double album, always take the great double album. And '75 is arguably his greatest live period. The entire Live 1975 works for me, cept perhaps the version of "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry."

Sure! Hell, I'd pick Live at Budokan...

The quad Desire gets a thumbs up from me, so whew, looks like I dodged a bullet! Anyone who's reading this and hasn't downloaded this version yet, do so now while you can. Not to my surprise, the vinyl sourcing gives it a warm, rich, deep sound -- actually much richer than I had expected. It's now a sound I want to immerse myself in (especially by headphones). Any differences in the mix itself that I've passively noticed so far seem to be in favor of the quad LP over the 2003 CD. Les Kokay summarized some differences in a different thread, and I particularly liked the change in how vocals vs instruments are spread out (though I haven't tried to specifically verify this with my own ears).

I kinda feel like I have a new Dylan album in my music library, now that I'm comfortable with the mix. [I've created my own playlist with the original 9 songs followed by Abandoned Love, Rita May (45 version), and, what the hell, People Get Ready (let me plug Paul Williams & his Performing Artist books to anyone who hasn't read them) & Abandoned Love live.] However, there are still serious problems with the album that I'm still coming to terms with, like the overly topical focus of some of the songs (I'm a bit biased against topical songs), the naive and simplistic intellectual attitude underlying some of the songwriting (see, for starters: Hurricane, Joey), my awareness of the greater energy in both vocals and band in the live 1975 performances (though I can now appreciate the LP as a cohesive and aurally rich artistic statement)...

One important question for you, Bennyboy: How do you tolerate Joey?!? My strategy right now is pretending it's a long instrumental interlude, with the human voices being mere instruments so as to minimize my conscious awareness of the lyrics. I think it's actually working! But I'm telling you, if they had this song playing at Guantanamo Bay, they would've gotten bin Laden at least 8 years ago...

Glad you like it mate. Welcome to the We Heart Quad Desire Club. Pull up a chair and a ModBob Monkey will take your order.

How do I tolerate Joey? Or Hurricane for that matter? Same way I tolerate Goodfellas or Raging Bull or The Godfather or Breaking Bad or Rocky or what have you. Your strategy for Joey is spot on - the thing about Dylan's work that not many really ever get is that you have to suspend that idiot society-conditioned part of your brain that puts pegs in holes, and just relax and let the primal pleasure buttons be pressed. I mean, how can anyone not get off on that incredible singing alone, not to mention that mystical, magical music? Enjoy the illusion, dont go looking at the smoke and mirrors. Songs as stories, as pieces of entertainment.

from that album, she likes the second Forever Young, because she watches Parenthood.
Something there is about you - she picked a line out of that one she wanted on our wedding program.
& Never Say Goodbye.

her favorite dylan 'voices' are RTR era and pre-electric...she has quite the ear for quality....

Good as Hard Rain is, BOTT's the masterpiece. Too bad Dylan didn't go ahead and add in the best alternate takes when they did the SACD.

Yep, that sounds about right. To reference Paul Williams again, I think he once wrote that most hardcore Dylan fans, when they actually spend time "listening" to Dylan, don't really focus on the lyrics. That usually applies to me -- I tend to focus on the sound of the voice and the overall ("primal") feel, but some of these particular songs were harder for me because I was stuck on journalistic inaccuracy and prior reviewer bias I guess. It's easier to overlook mediocre lyrics than "bad" lyrics. I was listening to the LP again this morning though (LOUD, which I can now do as the ear fatigue from the 2003 CD version is gone) and it is getting more and more rewarding. Even the sound of Joey was glorious! Oh, and love those drums on Black Diamond Bay. Quite a sonically vibrant album. Thanks yet again, Bennyboy, I'm eternally grateful.

That second Forever Young is a nice song, but that Pepsi commercial a couple years back with will.i.am (can't believe I went to the trouble of trying to spell it that way) is a horrible memory... "Sara, oh Sara, how could our son ever talk me into that?"

And that's funny, I love the Live 1975 It Takes A Lot To Laugh... That's one official release whose mix I love.