"Blonde On Blonde" by BOB DYLAN [CD Variants You Want] – June 1966 US 2LP Set on Columbia Records (August 1966 UK on CBS Records) in Both MONO and STEREO – Musicians Included Charlie McCoy, Wayne Moss and Kenneth Buttrey of Area Code 615 and Barefoot Jerry, Al Kooper of Blood, Sweat & Tears, Hargus Robbins, Jerry Kennedy, Joe South, Bill Aikins, Paul Griffin, Will Lee, Bobby Gregg of The Devil’s Anvil, Wayne Butler of Charlie McCoy & The Escorts, Henry Strzelecki of The Teenagers and Robbie Robertson of The Band (credited as Jamie Robertson) (September 2003 Columbia 2xSACD Reissue in STEREO, March 2004 CD Reissue in STEREO, October 2010 Reissue Inside A 9CD Box Set in MONO – Plus Outtakes in the November 2015 "Cutting Edge: The Bootleg Series Vol.12" Compilation Itself Released in 3 Different Variants) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"...Pledging My Time..."

Critiquing Bob Dylan's universally acclaimed 1966 double-album "Blonde On Blonde" in 2020 is hardly going to win me the 'Kellogg’s Cornflakes Truly Scrumptious Humanitarian and All-Round Tasty Guy Of The Century’ Award (yet again).

But having said that and as we start the new 20's decade – seriously - what CD variant of this 60ts humdinger do you buy? I'm going to go all reviewer-feral and suggest that this fantastically creative 2LP splurge is one of those very rare occasions in the excesses of reissueland where you can never get enough - so I'm plumbing for five purchases or more. Here are Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hats...

1. Rainy Day Women # 12 and 35 [Side 1]

2. Pledging My Time

3. Visions Of Johanna

4. One Of Us Must Know (Sooner Or Later)

5. I Want You [Side 2]

6. Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again (originally credited as 'Memphis Blues Again')

7. Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat

8. Just Like A Woman

9. Most Likely You Go Your Way And I'll Go Mine [Side 3]

10. Temporary Like Achilles

11. Absolutely Sweet Marie

12. 4th Time Around

13. Obviously 5 Believers

14. Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands [Side 4]

Tracks 1 to 14 are his 7th studio album "Blonde On Blonde" - released as a 2LP set 20 June 1966 in the USA on Columbia C2L 41 (Mono) and Columbia C2S 841 (Stereo) and 13 August 1966 in the UK on CBS Records DDP 66012 (Mono) and CBS Records SDDP 66012 (Stereo). Produced by BOB JOHNSTON - Rock's first double-album entered the US LP charts 23 June 1966 for the first time and the UK LP charts 20 August 1966 - peaking at No. 9 and No. 3 in each country respectively (it beat "Freak Out!" by The Mothers Of Invention by one week, 27 June 1966).

After some well-documented rubbish digital starts in the 80s and 90s when Columbia actually docked something like two whole minutes off the double-album in order to make it fit onto a sonically dullard single CD – enter renowned Audio Engineer GREG CALBI in 2003 to properly sort out huge chunks of the Mighty Zim's voluminous back-catalogue accompanied by MARK WILDER who coordinated and Mastered the amazing Mono Box Set in 2010 and large numbers of The Bootleg Series before and since that date. Here are details for all relevant CD reissues surrounding the "Blonde On Blonde" album…

ESSENTIAL "Blonde On Blonde" CD REISSUES TO CONSIDER: 

1. First up came the SACD reissues of 15 September 2003 that put all of the STEREO "Blonde On Blonde" onto a 2-Disc Hybrid Multi-Channel set with dual SACD-Audio and Stereo-Audio layers built into both discs (5.1 Channel Surround Sound too). Grammy-winning Audio Engineer GREG CALBI did the mastering honours. UK issued Columbia 512352 6 (Barcode 5099751235262) is currently on sale for about £10 used and more if new (Disc 1: 39:59 minutes, Disc 2: 33:02 minutes).

2. That STEREO Mix and Greg Calbi Remaster was then reissued 29 March 2004 onto a normal single CD – UK issued Columbia 512352 2 (Barcode 5099751235224) is currently on sale for just over £5 new and less used (73:01 minutes)

3. All of Bob Dylan's MONO variants from the 1960s appeared 18 October 2010 in the "The Original Mono Recordings" 9CD Box Set on Columbia MONO-88697761042 (Barcode 886977610424) including the double-album "Blonde On Blonde" (Disc 1: 40:07 minutes, Disc 2: 33:09 minutes).

4. "The Cutting Edge 1965-1966: The Bootleg Series Vol. 12" which features Previously Unreleased Outtakes from three albums "Bringing It All Back Home", "Highway 61 Revisited" and "Blonde On Blonde" was issued 6 November 2015 in three forms

(i) "The Best Of The Cutting Edge 1965-1966: The Bootleg Series Vol. 12" is a 2CD Hard-Card Slipcase set on (UK) Columbia/Legacy 88875124422 (Barcode 888751244221) - a 36-Track 2CD Compilation where the 11 songs on Disc 2 (Tracks 7 to 17) are Alternate Takes of "Blonde On Blonde" material (Disc 1: 70:21 minutes, Disc 2: 75:00 minutes)

(ii) "The Cutting Edge 1965-1966: The Bootleg Series Vol.12" is a 6CD Box Set with 111 Tracks on Columbia/Legacy 88875124412 (Barcode 888751244122) where the whole 30 songs of Discs 5 and 6 are given over to "Blonde On Blonde" outtakes (Disc 1: 69:16 minutes, Disc 2: 75:16 minutes, Disc 3: 65:32 minutes, Disc 4: 68:22 minutes, Disc 5: 76:01 minutes and Disc 6: 75:17 minutes). Of the 30 versions across both discs, three have been issued before on varying compilations whilst the fourth is the finished album cut of "Rainy Day Women No. 12 & 35" (Take 1) but it has added on some preceding studio dialogue. The other three are Track 2 on Disc 1 and Track 3 on Disc 2 - "Visions Of Johanna (Take 8)" and "Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again" (Take 5) both of which appeared on the 2005 issue of "The Bootleg Series Vol. 7". Fourth is Track 6 on Disc 1 ' "She's Your Lover Now (Take 15)" which first appeared in 1991 on "The Bootleg Series Vol.1-3".

(iii) "The Cutting Edge 1965-1966: The Bootleg Series Vo.12 - COLLECTOR'S EDITION" is a Worldwide Limited Edition of 5000 copies (Numbered Certificate Inside). This behemoth contains 379 tracks across the CDs, 9 Mono 7" singles in varying picture sleeves from around the world (18 songs), three hardback books and two further Digital Audios - the first that gives access to the entire set in varying Hi-Res forms - while the second entitled "Bob Dylan 50th Anniversary Collection: 1965" gives download access to a further huge cache of 208 songs, 14 full concerts with 10-hours of music. Whilst this has to be the actual 'motherlode' as far as Dylan geekozoids are concerned, accessibility for the rest of us in 2020 is now a problem. This beast has of course sold out, is deleted and last I saw, was happily garnishing an astonishing £1,250 price tag on a certain well-known auction site (with the distinctive blue hessian cover slightly damaged).

5. Before 2015 previously unreleased outtakes and live variants of tracks from 1966's "Blonde On Blonde" have also turned up on: 
(a) Three on the November 1985 5LP/3CD retrospective "Biograph"; "Visions Of Johanna (Live)" from 26 May 1966 at The Royal Albert Hall in London and two outtakes - "Jet Pilot" and "I Wanna Be Your Lover" 
(b) Two outtakes on the March 1991 5LP/3CD retrospective "The Bootleg Series Vol.1-3"; "I'll Keep It With Mine", "She's Your Lover Now" 
(c) Three outtakes on the August 2005 2CD retrospective "The Bootleg Series Vol.7 - No Direction Home - The Soundtrack"; "Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat (Take 1)", "Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again (Take 5)" and "Visions Of Johanna (Take 8)"  

Some might say that a body should just keep it simple - buy the 2004 Greg Calbi single-CD remaster in Stereo for a fiver and be done with it (Barcode 5099751235224 will locate it on Amazon). But as I said earlier, when you listen to any of "The Cutting Edge" releases, you realize the sessions between January and May 1966 were so ridiculously creative that these extracurricular releases aren't just padding - they finally allow us (young bucks and old codgers alike) hear what creative lightning in a bottle actually sounds like.

Rehearsals for "Visions Of Johanna" (he announces this is initially called "Freeze Out") and the acidic tongue-lashing giving to lovers in "She's Your Lover Now" are hair-raising moments. And to hear juicy alternates of "Just Like A Woman", "Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat" and the stunning rock-swing of "Pledging My Time" has me reaching for a clever words card index bigger than Alaska (see also my review for the Mono Box Set).

Will we ever see the likes of it again - maybe - maybe not. But Dylan's "Blonde On Blonde" is one of those releases where once in indeed never enough. Buy em all I say, big and small…

"Living The Blues" by CANNED HEAT – Third Album from November 1968 on Liberty Records (A 2LP set, UK and USA) featuring Bob 'The Bear' Hite, Alan 'Blind Owl' Wilson, Henry 'Sunflower' Vestine, Larry 'The Mole' Taylor and Adolfo 'Fito' de la Parra with Guests John Mayall, John Fahey, Joe Sample of The Crusaders, Dr. John and Jim Horn with Production from Skip Taylor (September 2003 [Reissued April 2022] UK Beat Goes On Reissue – 2LPs onto 2CDs - Andrew Thompson Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...Boogie Music..."

After two albums "Canned Heat" (July 1967) and "Boogie With Canned Heat" (January 1968) - the American Blues-Rock Boogiemeisters dropped the big one - the off-its-time but still brilliant double album "Living The Blues".

Old yet innovative, indulgent yet immersive - the first LP was a studio set with a 19-minute 9-Part Psych-Blues track on Side 2 - whilst Sides 3 and 4 took one 40-minute live song called (not surprisingly) "Refried Boogie" and split it into two. "Living The Blues" was also in the first vanguard of charting double-albums alongside Bob Dylan's "Blonde On Blonde", The Mothers Of Invention's "Freak Out" (both 1966), Donovan's "A Gift From A Flower To A Garden" (1967 USA, 1968 UK) and The Beatles' epoch-making 'White Album' released 22 days later in the same month – November 1968 (Canned Heat's double was issued Stateside on the 1st).

Like so many cool 2LP sets – there’s just something about them that makes me dip into them again and again - and I've returned to this boogie beast across the years (indulgent bits or no) and always loved it. Plus "Living The Blues" spanned that huge single that apparently broke the band worldwide. So let's get going up the country...

UK released 18 September 2003 (reissued April 2022) – "Living The Blues" by CANNED HEAT on Beat Goes On BGOCD591 (Barcode 5017261205919) is a 2CD Reissue and Remaster of their third album, a 2LP set from late 1968 originally on Liberty Records (UK and USA) that plays out as follows:

Disc 1 (49:39 minutes):

1. Pony Blues [Side 1]

2. My Mistake

3. Sandy's Blues

4. Going Up The Country

5. Walking By Myself

6. Boogie Music [incorporating 15 seconds of a 1929 recording of "Tell Me Man Blues" by Henry Sims]

7. One Kind Favor [Side 2]

8. Parthenogenesis

(i) Nebulosity

(ii) Rollin' And Tumblin'

(iii) Five Owls

(iv) Bear Wires

(v) Snooky Flowers

(vi) Sunflower Power (RMS Is Truth)

(vii) Raga Kafi

(viii) Icebag

(ix) Childhood's End

Disc 2 (41:11 minutes):

1. Refried Boogie (Part I) (20:10 minutes)

2. Refried Boogie (Part II) (20:50 minutes)

Disc 1 and 2 are the double-album "Living The Blues" - released 1 November 1968 in the USA on Liberty Records LST-27200 and late November 1968 in the UK on Liberty Records LDS 84001E. Produced CANNED HEAT and SKIP TAYLOR - Sides 1 and 2 are studio material with Sides 3 and 4 being one long live track divided into two (recorded at the Kaleidoscope in Hollywood, California). It peaked at No. 18 in the US Rock LP charts (didn’t chart UK).

CANNED HEAT was:

BOB 'The Bear' aka 'Big Fat' HITE – Lead Vocals

ALAN 'Blind Owl' WILSON - Vocals, Slide Guitar, Chromatic Harmonica and Jaw Harp

HENRY 'Sunflower' VESTINE - Lead Guitar (and Sitar)

LARRY 'The Mole' TAYLOR - Bass (Congas on "Snooky Flowers")

ADOLFO 'Fita' de la Parra - Drums

Guests:

Joe Sample of The Crusaders plays piano on "Sandy's Blues" (Miles Grayson did Horn Arrangements)

Jim Horn plays flute on "Going Up The Country"

John Mayall plays piano on "Walking By Myself" and "Bear Wires"

Dr. John plays piano and arranged horns on "Boogie Music" (Henry Sims plays Violin)

John Fahey plays guitar on "Nebulosity" - Part (i) of "Parthenogenesis"

The outer card slipcase lends the 2CD reissue a feeling of substance with longstanding liner-notes writer JOHN TOBLER providing us with a potted history of this famous American Blues-Rock band and a track-by-track analysis of this - their 2LP urge-to-splurge from November 1968. There's the inner gatefold sleeve artwork and the cover's title logo in-between text. The Remaster is cracking (probably ANDREW THOMPSON) and even if the live "Refried Boogie" is a tad hissy because of its live-nature it still rocks with presence, clarity and power. 

The 60ts Rockin' Blues account opens with Bob Hite croaking through a likeable and loud cover of Charlie Patton's "Pony Blues" itself followed by a wicked Al Wilson Bluesy original "My Mistake" - the 'Blind Owl' taking Lead Vocals with that famously effeminate singing of his (when the vocals and guitar do kick in, it has some punch). 'Big Fat' Hite returns with his own "Sandy's Blues" ably helped by Joe Sample of The Crusaders on Piano - a near seven-minutes of slow misery Blues where Bob needs a woman that won't play him for a fool (I believe pools of tears may have been involved in this lengthy troubled search). The brass and rolling feel sound fantastic in this Remaster, as does that Slide Guitar.

Then we get the single "Going Up The Country" which Liberty released 22 Nov 1968 Stateside as a 2:30 minute edit in a fetching picture sleeve (the album cut is 2:50 minutes) with the equally good (if not better) "One Kind Favor" on the flipside. The British issue followed a week later in their distinctive label bag - 29 Nov 1968 on Liberty LBF 15169 with the British spelling of "One Kind Favour" credited on the B-side. The hippy flute, girly plinging guitar and lyrical tie-in with the Woodstock Festival sent "Going Up The Country" up to the charts to No. 11 in America. If I'm honest I've always preferred the mean harmonica-blasting cover of Jimmy Rodgers' "Walking By Myself" that follows where Bob Hite sings gruff lead vocals, Al Wilson blows and moans the chromatic as John Mayall tinkers on the honky-tonk keys (fab stuff).

Talking about sweet Soul Music – Skip Taylor offers us the first of two inclusions – "Boogie Music" and "One Kind Favor" - both apparently containing the power to make a blind man see and the dance rise up and dance the Hoochie coo. Using the moniker of 'Lawrence Taylor Tatman III' as the song author, Skip Taylor's "Boogie Music" also features Dr. John on Piano (the great New Orleans Night Tripper also arranged those cleverly complimentary brass jabs) - while "One Kind Favor" is a Blind Lemon Jefferson cover that the original artwork again credits to 'arranged and adapted' by L.T. Tatman III. Sounding not unlike the kind of Blues riff Led Zeppelin circa 'I' and 'II' would have gargled for breakfast - "One Kind Favor" has great guitar interplay and Hite sounding invested and digging it.

After that wicked and steady compliment of varying boogie tunes, it feels like all of Side 2 has been leading up to the big experimental one (or astray whichever way you look at it) - the Psych Blues 9-part nonsense-titled "Parthenogenesis" – a fantastic 19-minute style-splash that sees Canned Heat venture into the weird and wonderful with Producer Skip Taylor at the helm. It opens with weird jaw-harp and Fahey guesting on guitar for about a minute and a half only to return to familiar Harmonica Blues Boogie with a double-header - "Rollin' And Tumblin'" and "Bear Wires" where John Mayall helps out on honky-tonk piano (Mayall's album "Bare Wires" was out at the time and with him staying at Bob Hite's home, the song is a play on words). Then as if out of nowhere, we get a drum solo assisted by congas called "Snooky Flowers" (apparently named after a musician they knew), the thankfully short Santana-like interlude is kept interesting by great playing and pans to the left and right of the speakers.

Then there's the heavy-heavy five guitars of "Sunflower Power" that can be described as grungy stoner Psychedelic Blues which 13:42 minutes flows beautifully into the Indian Sitar and warbling Chromatic Harmonica of the Indian sounding "Raga Kafi" which at 16:18 arrives at the Guitar Boogie of "Icebag" where Vestine is channeling his inner Albert Collins. At 18:51 minutes we float off into echoed Jaw Harp Land with "Childhood's End" bringing to a close a piece of music you can call genius and indulgence in equal measure. I love it. Now while the studio set is really good, Sides 3 and 4 of the live "Refried Boogie" can be both brilliant and testing, one way-too-long guitar solo that I'm sure the crowd loved on the night - but as you get to the beginning of Part II may leave you reaching for the stop button (others say it's the very essence of the band).

Like the indulgent dross that I felt populated much of the 'White Album' on Side 4 (Revolution No. 9) - "Living The Blues" is of course of its time. But man what a time it was. Boogie With Canned Heat in 2020 or 2022 (it's been reissued April as above)? Sounds like a good idea to me...

"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band: 2CD Anniversary Edition" by THE BEATLES (May 2017 Universal/Apple/Parlophone '50th Anniversary' 2CD Reissue, Remix and Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...Benefits For Mr. Kite..." 

Yet another review of The Beatles game-changing 1967 album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" is hardly what the world needs in 2020 - but I'd argue (until I'm 64 which is not that bloody far away frankly) that this truly eye-watering and ear-opening 2017 multi-disc reissue deserves all the scripture it can get. 

Man did the mixing desk hoards of transfer-boffins over at Apple and Abbey Road stump up good and do us old fogies proud. Let's get to Lucy and her sky-bound diamonds, lovely Rita and the Stereo holes she fixed and all the benefits being for Mr. Kite (splendid times ahoy)...

UK released Friday, 26 May 2017 - "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band: 2CD Anniversary Edition" by THE BEATLES on Apple/Parlophone 0602557455366 (Barcode 602557455366) features the STEREO MIX of the 1967 Album on CD1 with 18 Outtakes and Rarities on CD. It plays out as follows:

CD One "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" STEREO MIX 2017 (39:47 minutes):

1. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band [Side 1]

2. With A Little Help From My Friends

3. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds

4. Getting Better

5. Fixing A Hole

6. She's Leaving Home

7. Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!

8. Within You Without You [Side 2]

9. When I'm Sixty-Four

10. Lovely Rita

11. Good Morning Good Morning

12. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)

13. A Day In The Life

CD Two "The Sgt. Pepper Sessions" (60:27 minutes):

1. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Take 9)

2. With A Little Help From My Friends (Take 1 - False Start and Take 2 - Instrumental)

3. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds (Take 1)

4. Getting Better (Take 1 - Instrumental)

5. Fixing A Hole (Take 3)

6. She's Leaving Home (Take 1 - Instrumental)

7. Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite! (Take 4)

8. Within You Without You (Take 1 - Indian Instruments)

9. When I'm Sixty-Four (Take 2)

10. Lovely Rita (Take 9)

11. Good Morning Good Morning (Take 8)

12. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) (Take 8)

13. A Day In The Life (Take 1 and Hummed Last Chord)

14. Strawberry Fields Forever (Take 7)

15. Strawberry Fields Forever (Take 26)

16. Strawberry Fields Forever (Stereo Mix - 2015)

17. Penny Lane (Take 6 - Instrumental)

18. Penny Lane (Stereo Mix - 2017)

The outer card wrap houses a gatefold card sleeve of the famous album cover that cost £3000 at the time when most had a budget for £100. CD1 is in the first flap with the cardboard cut out that came with original LPs (disc  in the second flap) while both CDs sport the British black and yellow Parlophone label logo. The truly beautiful 40-plus-pages of the colour booklet break down everything – track by track details – names of all 87 things and people featured on the front sleeve – their jackets – tape boxes – even American and British trade adverts. A splendid time indeed guaranteed for all…

A team carried out the audio restoration work, remixes and remasters – Produced by GILES MARTIN (son of original LP producer George Martin) with SAM OKELL (Mix Engineer), MILES SHOWELL (Mastering Engineer), MATTHEW COCKER (Transfer Engineer), JAMES CLARKE (Audio Restoration), ADAM SHARP (Mix Coordination) and Mix Assistants Matt Mysko and Greg McAllister. Everything sounds incredible – like dust has been lifted off these mixes – the STEREO impact truly beautiful. I personally think it's the most impressive old Pepper Pot has even sounded. Deep cuts like "Fixing A Hole", "She's Leaving Home" and the ethereal brilliance of George Harrison's "Within You Without You" (practically introduced Eastern mysticism to the West) shine like new diamonds (and they're not out of reach up in the sky either).

The first couple of outtakes are interesting but not a lot else (that Billy Shears piano part before the segue guitar opening of "With A Little Help From My Friends" is the most fascinating) but then you get a genuinely insightful peek into genius - Take 1 of "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" where even if it isn't John's greatest ever vocal - the instrumentation is magical and so bloody inventive. You can actually hear Paul working out chords and melody as he tinkers on and then plays the Harpsichord (lead vocals too that are channeling his inner Liam Gallagher). Another eureka moment comes with the truly gorgeous Take 1 of "She's Leaving Home" where Mike Leander's instrumental-only arrangements of four violins, two violas, two cellos, double bass and harp will surely leave even the most jaded of Beatles nuts reaching for the superlatives (a true highlight on CD2).

The almost-serene pastoral feel to leaving home is quickly and abruptly followed by John's quirky circus music and vaudeville poster lyrics to "Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite" - his nasals telling us that "...the production will be second to none as Henry the Horse dances the waltz...". Swirl and swoon. The running order also demonstrates so vividly the two wildly differing songwriting talents Lennon and McCartney possessed - battling you suspect against each other all the time - something you’d have to argue made the finished listen so remarkable. Then we get genius number three when you throw in George discovering India, Sitars and Tabla beats with the stunning "Within You Without You" - here given to us as an almost perfect Take 1.

Back to Paul and his jaunty "When I’m Sixty-Four" ad-libbing the lyrics towards the fade out. Looking indeed a little like a military man, Take 9 of "Lovely Rita" has acoustic portions I kind of wish they had kept in the final version (and that final piano bit is a blast). Having never liked it and ever rated "Good Morning Good Morning" – Take 8 actually feels like a better song than the overly produced finished article which just came across as a meddle too far. Take 8 of the Reprise packs a surprisingly rocking kick – Ringo whacking that bass drum while Paul wails and John lets rip on the guitar in the background. As John starts singing Take 1 of "A Day In The Life" it feels shockingly similar to the finished song - just stripped back more (1000 holes in Lancashire). And what a blast to hear engineer Mal Evans count out the numbers one, two, three… each one more echoed than the last – Paul brilliant on the piano. And then that hummed note. The stand-alone single "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Penny Lane" issued around the album ends Disc 2 on a high with differing takes that scream creative brilliance – the outtakes capped of nicely with new Stereo Mixes of a Mono single for both songs.

If you want the much-applauded MONO MIX and more of those juicy outtakes along with the full LP-Sized impact – the Super Deluxe Edition weighing in at around a ton is the 'I heard the news today oh boy' for you. In the meantime, I'll settle for this 2017 sexy wee reissue belter – sonically splendid and spruced up to the flowerbed nines. Well done to all involved…