Customer Reviews

Dylan (3CD) (Deluxe Edition)

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

Dylan is cropping up all over the place in the last few years, whether it's his (panned) 2003 flick MASKED AND ANONYMOUS, the Scorsese PBS documentary from 2005 NO DIRECTION HOME, his first number one album in 30 years, MODERN TIMES, the Mirror dvd chronicling his Newport concerts from 1964, and now this release. And that's not all. There are already some very heavy rumours Dylan is going to be recording MODERN TIMES's followup with producer Rick Ruben (!!!!) in early 2008. A lot of stuff going on for the Dylan community.

When we found out about this set, the Dylan fanbase met the news with trepidation. A lot of us thought ultimately it would be of little interest to us who already know his music. Then we found out Mark Ronson would be remixing "Most Likely You Go Your Way and I Go Mine", which was interesting, if little more than a novelty. Disappointingly enough, [that] this remix appears only on the single disc compilation issued in conjunction with the triple disc set. What a marketing ripoff. So how does the Dylan set came hold up? Depends on whose asking.

The problem with any Dylan anthology Columbia will put out is there are two primary audiences who will consider buying it.

The first audience are those [There are the] hardcore Dylan fans who have been listening to him (perhaps obsessively) for years, who read the bios, who haunt fan websites, and who collect as many boots as possible. I belong to this group, and have for the last several years.

The second audience are the casual fans, those who may have heard of Dylan but never really listened to him other than the few stray tracks they may have heard on the radio (and trust me, most of Dylan's work is NOT played on the radio). They have a vague notion of what he wrote, may know an album or two, but for whatever reason never really got into him, whether it be to lack of interest or a hard time adjusting to his voice. (As far as Dylan singing, he's a great singer, though not in a technical sense. I love Tom Waits, but for my money his voice is much harder getting adjusted too than Dylan's.).

Now, when doing a retrospective, these are the two primary audiences to keep in mind. Well, obviously Columbia has decided to forgo thinking about the first audience and focus on the second audience, because quite frankly this set is of little interest to the Dylan faithful. Despite Columbia's hype that the track selection was heavily influenced by fan input on the dylan07.com website, there are very few surprises here (oh look, we got "Dark Eyes". Woohoo). On the fansites I go to there was talk of flooding the ballot box with requests for rare and alternate takes, unreleased studio outtakes, and live material. Obviously, that didn't happen.

Looking at the set list, for those who are new to Dylan's work, this is an overall fair representation of his work. While there's much more than this (and I can think of several songs, namely "That's Alright Ma, I'm Only Bleeding" and "Desolation Row", that are missing), I already know Dylan is simply too prolific to fully capture his genius in a mere three discs, so I'm more forgiving in that regard that I have been in previous years. I've made my own "Essential Bob Dylan" CD-Rs before. There were two volumes, each double-disc, the first covering 1962-1975, the second covering 1975-2003 (this was just before MODERN TIMES came out), and I found myself cutting quite a bit of material I felt should belong there. To do a true retrospective, the best route would be to do two three discs set, each covering the first part, the second part, and the last part of his recording career. But that is neither here nor there.

While DYLAN may contain little surprises, what makes it all the more disappointing for the Dylan faithful is Bob Dylan's first boxset (and one of the first major boxsets by a major rock artist ever), BIOGRAPH manages to satisfy both audiences, and sets up the template that most bands and solo artists would use when constructing their own box sets. BIOGRAPH managers to capture Dylan's strength as a songwriter and paint an accurate and telling portrait of what makes Dylan so highly regarded by so many people.

While there's a large proportion of previously released work on BIOGRAPH, the genius of that box set is it incorporates a large number of studio outtakes and a handful of live tracks, weaving them seamlessly into the portrait of Dylan the songwriter that the set is weaving. The outtakes they released on BIOGRAPH is good as anything he's released, and some I count as among his best songs ("I'll Keep It With Mine", a particular favorite I wish they had seen fit to include here, "Lay Down Your Weary Tune," "Percy's Song", and "Up To Me", the BLOOD outtake that should have been on the album, to name but four.) BIOGRAPH, released in 1985 was the first major boxset to be commercially successful, with Clapton's CROSSROADS following in 1988, and most boxsets have followed Dylan's template of mixing previously released work with previously unreleased work.

The main problem with BIOGRAPH is it came out in 1985, so it only takes you so far into Dylan. While a second boxset was obviously called for to update that set, DYLAN is simply not [that set] BIOGRAPH's spiritual successor. Columbia played it like a simple retrospective, and a very predictable retrospective at that, despite the couple of curve balls they managed to throw in there. There's plenty of stuff in the vaults that hasn't been released, so where is it? Where's "To Fall In Love With You", one of Dylan's best unreleased songs from the 1980s (found on the Genuine Bootleg Series Vol 2).? Or "Freedom for the Stallion"? Or "Sidewalks, Fences, and Walls"? Or "Old Five and Dimer"? Or the awesome b-sides "Trouble in Mind" and "Band of the Hand"? Or the John Hiatt cover "The Usual", or "Night After Night", or the Infidel outtakes, or any number of other material?

Ultimately, DYLAN is simply nothing more than another retrospective on Dylan, which is sad as BIOGRAPH managed to do so much more than that. If you look at the three previous Greatest Hits albums, and the Essential Bob Dylan album, it is obvious this release is little more than an update of those releases, and ultimately rather redundant. For the newcomers, a good way to get into Dylan, approx 4 star intro. For ever one else, 1 star.

Overall, DYLAN serves as a fair introduction for newcomers. Unfortunately for everyone else who count themselves Dylan fans, this set is pretty much useless. Dylan has such active fanbase this release would be much more successful if Columbia tried to address both audiences, like they did so successfully in 1985. At the end of the day, this is more of a missed opportunity to update BIOGRAPH than anything else.

An album is not a "collector's edition" just because the record company says it is. "Collectors" are people who prowled the streets for those vinyl copies of Neil Young's "The Beach" or "Reactor" before he finally re-released them on CD. They are the ones who frothed at the mouth when Tom Waits released "Orphans"; they sniff around in underground record shops for volumes of "The Genuine Bootleg Series". A "Collector's Edition," in short, is valuable to "collectors" because it allows them access to prized moments in a songwriter's career that they could not have procured on their own.

Far from a "collector's" edition, this is a shamelessly cheap marketing stunt that contributes absolutely nothing to Dylan's legacy, and the only way to NOT see that is if you're consciously deluding yourself. But, hey, it's out just in time to take advantage of the imminent holiday shopping season, and that, plainly, is all these clowns in midtown care about.

Good job, Columbia: keep regurgitating recycled glories while those that languish under a film of dust in the vaults remain unheard.

The single redeeming attribute of this otherwise offensive gesture is that it will introduce lost gems like the incomparable "Dark Eyes" to new ears. But "Collector's Edition"? Puh-leeze! If "Dylan" is a collector's prize, then I'm a sea otter.

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Who should buy this? Someone who only owns one or two or three Dylan discs and wants to get a better sense of the whole career. No one who owns more than 10 Dylan discs needs this collection. Use the money to buy three more discs you don't have.

The "Deluxe Box Set" version is getting a lot of one-star reviews because it's so obviously a piece of overpriced product. THIS version costs no more than $35 at full price (compared to $50 for the deluxe version). That puts it at $10 more than "The Essential Bob Dylan," the two-disc career overview. (If you buy the greatest hits collections, volumes 1, 2, and 3, you get ripped off with volume 1, which has the short playing time of the original vinyl album, and you get ripped off with volume 2, which puts 78 minutes of music on two discs and then charges you accordingly.)

So, dollar for dollar, this box set is the best investment for a casual fan who wants to hear more. YOU GET THE MAXIMUM MINUTES OF MUSIC FOR YOUR MONEY, AND IT COVERS THE WHOLE CAREER.

However, there is absolutely nothing imaginative about the set of songs chosen here. There are no real rarities, either. At least "Greatest Hits Volume 2" was imaginative and offers rarities.

If you already have "Greatest Hits," I'd skip this and buy "Biograph." Now THAT was a great box set!

A few Months ago Columbia had announced this project as a retrospective of Dylan's career spaning four decades and this was to be a collection for the fans of Bob Dylan. Well, it aint! This is just Bob Dylan's Greatist Hits Volume 1, 2, and 3 with a few extra songs. This is a good set for someone who doesn't have any Bob Dylan albums but for the fans this is not worth the time or money.
Also, who chose this set list? Was it really necessary to include "Hurricane" and "Gotta Serve Somebody" again? What about "Gates of Eden", "Chimes of Freedom", "The Hour When the Ship Comes In",or even "Every Grain of Sand"? Also, Where is "Series of Dreams"? I just dont understand this.
I would have rather Columbia release another "Bootleg Series Release" How about Bob Dylan Live 1986? That great tour he did with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and the Queens of Rythm. That would be a great album.
Trust me, there is no one that loves Bob more than myself. I have seen him live at least 17 times , I own his entire catalog plus own several "boots". I was really looking forward to this and to my dismay, it is just another greatist hits album, and with a bad album cover to top it off.
"Biograph" is infinitely superior as so is "Bootleg Series- Volume 1,2.3".
Save your $50.00 and spend it on a Bob Dylan concert ticket instead.

My one-star rating is for the business concept behind this set, not the music itself. Obviously so many of these songs are legendary and amazing, so it would be 5 stars for the music itself. Here's the thing about this set... There have been SO MANY Dylan collections already -- this new one is really just the latest blatant case of the record companies endlessly re-packaging the same songs over and over to make a few extra bucks. Let me list just a few of the existing Dylan collections and box sets that are already available. There's The Essential Bob Dylan (2000); the Biograph 3-CD box set, remastered and reissued in 2002; plus the Greatest Hits Vol. 1-3, remastered and reissued in 2003 as a 3-CD box. And those mostly all contain the SAME SONGS as this new "Dylan" collection! True, this new one does have a few nice extras, and a book, but it's a sad thing if you have to buy the set just for those. I'll also acknowledge that the addition of a few more recent songs makes this new one the most "career-spanning" set of the many available ones, but won't the same thing be true when more new Dylan box sets are put out in 2010, 2014, etc.? There will always be an anniversary date to justify yet another re-packaging. And that's only while he's alive! Just think of what endless milking of the man's work will happen after he's gone!

I can't believe the amount of 1 star reviews on this set and how nearly all of them start off with "The music is fantastic but.....". Guys, c'mon!!! You're turning off potential new Dylan fans. If you own every Dylan CD out there this set is obvously not for you. If you're new to Dylan this is by far the best compilation on the market. FINALLY...."Dark Eyes" and "Blind Wille McTell" are given their due on this exquisite box set. Unlike previous greatest hits packages, this one keeps the story somewhat chronological which certainly helps the flow of these 3 CD's.
Yeah yeah...I know...there are other Dylan compilations out there. "Biograph", for instance, mixes up classics with rarities but it came out 22 years ago! If you were Columbia records and you were trying to drum up interest in Dylan's back catalog, you'd put out something new to lure a new generation, would'nt ya? That's what they're doing here. I'm all for it. The more folks who discover Dylan the better.

I don't think the intended audience for this CD set are the folks who already own every CD, cassette, and record upon which Dylan's music appears. I do not own any of his music. Not a single note of it. But I've realized that I like his music, and have for decades. I listened to the tracks of this set along the whole time span, and think that this set would be a good way to dive into Dylan's music. I could buy one of the older sets, but they would not have his most recent work (like "Someday Baby"). The man is still making music! New Dylan fans are born every day! Once I've listened to these tracks a few times, I'll know which other CDs to buy. I'd suggest other new Dylan fans do likewise.

While, it is missing a few gems like "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight", "Shelter From The Storm", and "Series Of Dreams", along with the hits "I Want You" and "The Mighty Quinn", "Dylan" is an excellent compilation covering 42 years in Bob's amazing career.

OF COURSE you don't need this set if you're a hardcore Dylan fan; the hardcore fans like myself have all of these songs on their respective albums.

However, this 3-disc retrospective is perfect for anyone who wants to explore Dylan's music for the first time. It includes essential cuts from his folk years, his electric years, his 70s resurgence, and his late career comeback.

Of course many great songs are missing; truthfully, in order to get all of Dylan's great work one must buy all of his albums. But this is an excellent starting point, and once a listener goes through this many, many, many times, they will definitely want to jump for the individual albums.

Hi. In case anyone out there is curious (as I was) about the sound reproduction of these "digitally remastered" discs, you need not be. Nothing has been newly digitally remastered.

I ran a series of A/B listening tests with half-decent ears and a fairly decent system and the results were quite puzzling. In all cases, nothing has been remastered anew, in fact on a few tracks there seemed to be less weight in the bass compared to earlier compilation and album editions.

I compared this box with all the previous "Greatest Hits" volumes (1-3), 1997's "Best Of", and 2000's "Essential". Every time it is exactly the same mastering; I cannot discern any improvements and I usually can if there are any. As well as concluding "You cheapskate b***ards Sony/Columbia" I wonder why there are so many different "Mastering Engineers" credited across those releases - Vic Anesini, Mark Wilder, Greg Calibi, Bob Irwin. Are they actually all the same person? Or is someone taking the mickey out of Columbia/Sony? Or maybe just out of us? What are they all being paid for?

So far my range of tests was between 1997 editions and this 2007 release. Imagine my surprise then when I pulled out 1985's Biograph and compared Quinn The Eskimo there with this 2007 release; exactly the same! This all smells a funny color.

There was however a very minor improvement in presence and lower end strength I felt between these discs and 1991's The Bootleg Series Vols. 1-3 box set. But I think these finite variations are the result of the pressings. The weird but unavoidable conclusion is that Columbia/Sony have remastered each of these songs once - starting as early as 1985 - and they have never bothered to touch them again since. Then they flog a new box set with the sticker "Digitally Remastered"...and forget to add "...since 1985". (That's twenty-two years before this release, you miserable cloth-eared scumbags!)

One other curious discovery: the Brownsville Girl version here is a different mix from every earlier version I have. Not a different remaster, just a different mix; there is an extra element of Spanish/classical guitar playing away quite noticably (in the first couple of miuntes alone you will notice it) which has appeared without any mention in the booklet. It's not worth getting excited about even for the fiercest of completists; it's just more dumb record company imbeciles playing little mind games with the people who pay their salaries. Either that or just good ol' fashioned incompetence.

Thankfully I am wary of Sony as a record label - very untrustworthy in my experience - so I only bought this box when my local store dropped the price w-a-y down in their New Year Sale. The booklet is all pictures and big font size, worth about three minutes of your time, and the postcards are spoilt by being numbered for some unfathomable reason. The first thing you notice is how spacious the inside of the box is for the volume of the contents. I was able to ditch the plastic jewel cases for several other Dylan discs and store the CD's and booklets inside this vacuuous box. So some good came from this purchase. Ha.