HiRez Poll Dylan, Bob - BLOOD ON THE TRACKS [SACD]

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Rate the SACD of Bob Dylan - BLOOD ON THE TRACKS


  • Total voters
    89
This is one of my favorite Dylan albums and I feel the mix serves the music well. For the sparser numbers the band is primarily in front and instruments are added to the rears for the larger arrangements. The most effective surround track IMO is "Meet Me in the Morning" which features the lead guitar prominently in the center with the other 3 guitars spread nicely about. My only quibble is the overall sound is too bright for my tastes particularly on vocals and hi-hat. A solid 9 for me.
 
The clear favorite for me of all the Dylan albums released on Surround SACD.

The mix on "Tangled Up in Blue" is phenomenal, with drums, bass, and Dylan's voice anchoring the front, while the guitars are spread out all over the place.
Some tracks have a much simpler mix, like "Simple Twist of Fate", "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go", and "Shelter from the Storm". Not much surround in those. Same goes for the closing track, "Buckets of Rain".
"You're A Big Girl Now" has a lovely mix, with piano in the surround channels.
"Idiot Wind" is one of my favorite Dylan songs with one of the best insults in a song ("It's a Wonder that You Still Know How to Breathe!"). The organ on this song is great, and is one of the highlights of the surround mix for me. There's more good organ on "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts".
"Meet Me in the Morning" on the other hand is a great blues cut, full of discrete placements of guitars, followed by the beautiful ballad "If You See Her, Say Hello", which features more wonderful surround placements.

Been a while since I first got this disc and voted, but I think now if I could revote I would drop my vote down to a '9'. Just too many stellar mixes I have heard since then that give this one a run for its money. But given the material, it still works quite well.
 
This is awesome (for Dylan). Great mix. Usually quite immersive. Very tasteful.
Great songs. How is it I've never owned this record, but know all the songs?
I saw a concert around '99 or 2000. Maybe he sang 'em all?

Man, I don't care how good the mix is for Slow Train Comin'. I can't stand that record.
 
Bought through Simon A (thanks!). I was never the genuine Dylan fan (more of a Neil Young guy). Lately however I have slowly started to appreciate him the more. Stereo wise this is a good sounding disc, perhaps a bit bright in between but overall great separation and warmth. No need to flash with an overly aggressive surround mix IMO, and that's basically what this surround mix is about. It simply enriches the stereo picture to me and in a good way actually, making this a fine listening experience as opposed to looking at it from a sole surround point of view.

9 it is.
 
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I surprised myself and actually sat down and listened to this one and ENJOYED it! I probably won't buy any other Dylan sacd's; I really am not a fan. But this recording is a great reality check when I need to come down.
 
Weak 9 from Baggy. This disc makes the most of what is there, I'm sure. I'm not in love with Dylan's singing (surprise, surprise), but particularly during passages where he wails. It's annoying. If this entire album were like Buckets of Rain I'd be in love. Very Renbournesque. Great songs. Tasteful mix. Decent sound. Just ain't no Raven. :p
 
"If You See Her, Say Hello" is the highlight for me; lost love, haunting vocals, slightly off-key at times; for a guy that doesn't sing that well somehow he manages to get right into my heart. Dylan as the everyday man, just a doin' what he can.
 
I bought this disc because of the recommendations from this poll - and much like me this disc was cheap.

This has always been one of my top 5 Dylan albums and hearing it in surround may have bumped it up the list.

Who knew such a sparse recording could be so discreet? The main guitar part, vocals, harmonica, bass, and drums are spread across the front with keys, mandolin, and secondary guitars coming from the rears. I really enjoy the limited use of the centre channel. Instead of anchoring the vocal in the centre it is used to support the mix in the left/right channels and highlight guitar and/or harmonica solos. Although it is not my favourite track on the album, Meet Me In The Morning makes the best use of the surround with it's multiple guitar tracks.


I really love how the multichannel mix manages to capture the essence and spirit of the original stereo version. Simple tracks with lean arrangements like Buckets Of Rain, Shelter From The Storm, and Simple Twist Of Fate were tracks that I didn't think would benefit from a 5.1 mix. However these tracks manage to become even more intimate and profound when heard in surround. It sounds as though Bob is in my living room singing and playing these songs just for me.

The fidelity is great on this disc it is very warm and open. You can really hear the full tones of each instrument (I particularly enjoyed the keyboard sounds). As others have mentioned the harmonica can sound a bit harsh sometimes but I think that is to be expected with Mr. Dylan.

Thanks to everyone who voted on this poll and helped to influence my purchase:brew
 
I gave this one an 8 after many years of ownership and countless listens.

Both my favorite album from Mr. Dylan and my favorite surround mix of all the multi-channel Dylan albums, so high marks there (10). I do find the vocals, and at times additional elements of the music to have a slight harshness to them. Now this could be due to Bob's vocal delivery in general, my own mid-fi set up or the recording an/or mastering. I tend to lean toward the latter as the situation seems to be exacerbated as the volume is increased (-2).
 
Before I'd buy the deluxe White Album, I'm more likely to grab the 6-CD More Blood More Tracks.
It has much more personal resonance for me, and would get vastly more plays.
At a minimum, I'll grab the single CD as an alternate takes bonus.


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But no surround sound.😞
That's what DPL II is for.
Also, stereo will get a workout on earbuds on walks, headphones when the wife is asleep, and in the cars, individually and together.

No surround on all those Beatle bonus CDs, either.
I'm listening to the 5.1 now.
Not super discrete, I suspect I could get pretty close in fake surround.

Ending this thread jack now, before there's More Blood. :oops:
 
It's a subtle, discreet mix in that nothing is really leaping out at you from the rear speakers, yet the piano or keyboards are distinct. I have the SACD box from about 15 years or so ago, so I'll have to play the Zimmie albums which were given the surround sound treatment. This one rated the highest on this forum, so it's the first one I'm playing. It sounds fine but I've been playing a lot of quads and 5.1 mixes lately and I have to say this one is not blowing me away. Classic album though. 5-star. I'm giving the mix a 7.
 
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