**All of these copies have bent jackets, dinged corners, or seam splits.

1/4″ / 15 IPS analog copy to DSD 256 to analog console to lathe

For an artist whose career is flush with enigma, myth, and disguise,Nashville Skylinestill surprises more than almost any otherBob Dylanmove more than four decades after its original release.Distinguished from every other Dylan album by virtue of the smooth vocal performances and simple ease, the 1969 record witnesses the icon’s full-on foray into country and trailblazing of the country-rock movement that followed. Cozy, charming, and warm, the rustic set remains for many hardcore fans the Bard’s most enjoyable effort. And most inimitable. The result of quitting smoking,Dylan‘s voice is in pristine shape, nearly unidentifiable from the nasal wheeze and folk accents displayed on prior records.

Mastered on Mobile Fidelity’s world-renowned mastering system and pressed at RTI, this restored 45RPM version zeroes in on the shocking purity and never-again-replicated croon of Dylan’s vocals. Enhanced, too, are the images associated with the calmly strummed and picked acoustic guitars and decay connected to the fading notes. The dimensions and ambience of the Columbia studio translate via subtle echoes and natural blend of instruments melding with one another, akin to honey integrating with tea.Providing comparably soothing effects, relaxing vibes pour forth from this reissue, which affords this masterpiece the fidelity it’s always deserved.Wider grooves mean more information reaches your ears.

“Is it rolling, Bob?,”Dylanfamously queries producerBob Johnsonat the beginning of “To Be Alone With You,” indicating the laissez-faire feelings that surrounded the sessions and helped yield the laidback, convivial music defining the albumarguably the most unique in the artist’s vast catalog. While he dipped his toes into country waters on the precedingJohn Wesley Harding,Nashville Skylinethrows its collective arms around the style in bear-hug fashion and drops any obvious folk references. Everything from the songs’ moods to the amicable arrangements reacts against the era’s turmoil and popular sounds.

This beautiful and beautifully executed effort might stand as Dylan’s most effective protest ever, even if many missed the point upon original release. Advocating peace, love, and old-world allure without calling attention to any characteristic in an overly forward manner,Dylanframes the songs as ballads, rags, lullabies, and gentle honky-tonk dances.He adheres to expeditious brevity, keeping the arrangements tight and free of any filler, thus allowing the melodies to immediately work their magic and place hummable memories inside listeners’ heads.

Indeed, if anyDylanmasterpiece is overlooked, it’sNashville Skyline. In addition to his superb singing and infallible songs,Dylanenjoys backing from a crackerjack assembly of Nashville session musicians includingCharlie Daniels, Marshall Grant, W.S. Holland, Charlie McCoy, Ken Buttrey, andNorman Blake. Country pros, and their respective performances, don’t come any better.

As much as on any of his records,Dylanresides in a good place, mentally and emotionally. The idyllic, warmhearted environs ofNashville Skylinestand apart now just as they did in the late 1960s. The sincerity conveyed on the inviting “Lay Lady Lay,” relief sighed on the romantic “Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You,” and unlimited promise expressed on the jittery “To Be Alone With You” parallel the lessons-learned yearning and genuine desire found on “One More Night,” bracing “I Threw It All Away,” and eternal “Girl From the North Country,” performed to perfection withJohnny Cash.

Format / LP Vinyl
Released /
Catalog /
Barcode / 821797242417D
Artist / Bob Dylan
Label / Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
Genre / Pop / Rock