Bob Dylan – John Wesley Harding (1967) [MFSL 2016] [SACD / Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab – UDSACD 2125]

Title: Bob Dylan – John Wesley Harding (1967) [MFSL 2016]
Genre: Rock
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Bob Dylan returned from exile with John Wesley Harding, a quiet, country-tinged album that split dramatically from his previous three. A calm, reflective album, John Wesley Harding strips away all of the wilder tendencies of Dylan’s rock albums – even the then-unreleased Basement Tapes he made the previous year – but it isn’t a return to his folk roots. If anything, the album is his first serious foray into country, but only a handful of songs, such as “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight,” are straight country songs. Instead, John Wesley Harding is informed by the rustic sound of country, as well as many rural myths, with seemingly simple songs like “All Along the Watchtower,” “I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine,” and “The Wicked Messenger” revealing several layers of meaning with repeated plays. Although the lyrics are somewhat enigmatic, the music is simple, direct, and melodic, providing a touchstone for the country-rock revolution that swept through rock in the late ’60s.

hraudio | allmusic | discogs

Tracklist:

01. John Wesley Harding
02. As I Went Out One Morning
03. I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine
04. All Along the Watchtower
05. The Ballad Of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest
06. Drifter’s Escape
07. Dear Landlord
08. I Am a Lonesome Hobo
09. I Pity the Poor Immigrant
10. The Wicked Messenger
11. Down Along the Cove
12. I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight

Note:

Mastered by Rob LoVerde at Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, Sebastopol, CA.

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