A bit of a landmark this one, signalling the full transition from Greenwich Village folkie to an all electric sound that Bringing It All Back Home pointed the way to.
The standout track for me is still Like A Rolling Stone. The story of how Al Kooper's swirling organ got onto the track has been well told elsewhere, but Dylan's instinct to bring it up in the mix was undoubtably right.
Other tracks here can be a little on the bleak side, but it is a very sharp piece of work with an excellent band: Michael Bloomfield's guitar work in particular is striking, but the musicians all work well together to underpin Dylan's lyrics and vocals..
Everytime I purchase one of these remastered Dylan albums, I can't help but feel as though someone at Sony/Columbia weren't paying proper attention when these were first transferred onto cd in the late 80's and early 90's... Either that or technology has jumped so much in that period of time that the new releases simply sound sparkling in comparison... New instruments and melodies, literally appear as if from nowhere, the piano, harmonica and hammond organ in particular really come alive.. Even his diction on the vocals seems much clearer in the mix..
Highway 61 Revisited has always been one of my favourite Dylan albums. It contains serious classics such as 'Like A Rolling Stone', 'Highway 61 Revisited' ' Queen Jane' and my personal Dylan favourite 'Desolation Row'. If your a Dylan fan thinking of upgrading your collection to either cd or the newer versions of the back catalogue, then I would wholeheartedly recommend the jump. ++++++
My old highway 61 cd needed repacing as it was more than 20 years old and would skip tom thums blues , so good to have a playable copy again, thanks to ya! markmcgeachie56.
WHAT TO SAY? COULD GO ON FOREVER. NOT EASY TO FIND "OLDER"ALBUMS OF THIS NATURE BUT ON EBAY YOU CAN FIND ALMOST ANYTHING YOU WANT OR NEED. THIS IS AN EXCELLENT ALBUM, DESOLATION ROW IS A TRULY REMARKABLE TRACK. THE PRICE WAS UNBELIEVEABLE AND REALLY THAT IS ALL THAT I WANT TO SAY. EBAY IS EVERTHING(AND MORE)THAT I WANTED IT TO BE.
This is a brilliant album, especially to sing along to on long car journeys (when your on your own of course). I have also purchased Blonde on Blonde, though haven't got into it yet...I've heard it takes time? But anyway, this is my favourite album full of classic tracks!
Although Blonde on Blonde will always be my favourite Dylan album this one comes a close second.It feels a little more disjointed than B-o-B with a couple of, to my mind, fillers i.e. From a Buick 6,Highway 61 itself and Tombstone Blues. However, the rest are magnificent, with Like a Rolling Stone and Desolation Row particularly standing out. Always thought Positively 4th St should have been on it rather than a single only, after all its b side is. I think Dylan was in fine voice on this and Bringing it all back home and Blonde on Blonde. Have had Highway 61 on vinyl since the 60's but decided to upgrade to cd. This remaster is excellent too.
Exactly what I wanted. It filled a vacancy in my Bob Dylan library and buying from ebay was much more convenient that trawling shops looking for a classic album.