BOB DYLAN 1965 USA LP RARE MATRIX NEAR MINT

	£		125
	$		166

This is the 1965 MEGA RARE Original Bob Dylan USA STEREO Album titled “Highway 61 Revisited” on Red / Black Columbia CS 9189. The MEGA RARE MATRIX Side1 XSM 110640 1A & Side2 XSM 110641 1A. The tracks are as follows 1) Like A Rolling Stone; 2) Tombstone Blues; 3) It Takes A Lot To Laugh It Takes A Train To Cry; 4) From A Buick 6; 5) Ballad Of A Thin Man; 6) Queen Jane Approximately; 7) Highway 61 Revisited; 8) Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues; 9) Desolation Row. This very hard to find rarity has a completely different mix on the track “From A Buick 6” the distinctive difference is that the track is faster than the MONO release, but more importantly it has a very noticeable lead guitar riff running through the complete song. This is missing completely on the MONO release.       

No more acoustic side, but never you mind - he's finally learned to set his melodies to great electric backing as well. Maybe the record doesn't really deserve ALL of the hype that it gets, just like Blood On The Tracks, but it certainly deserves most of it. Out of the nine tunes that he's recorded this time, there ain't a single bad one... hell, not a single less-than-brilliant one. Okay, if you really want me to denounce some of the 'filler' on here, you should probably seek it out among the few songs whose melodies are indeed underdeveloped, left off in favour of the unforgettable lyrics. Thus, 'Tombstone Blues' is a simple ferocious blues-rock tune played at a terrific speed - garage rock indeed. Perhaps it might have been a couple verses shorter, but then again, if we start speaking in these kinds of terms, nearly everything on here should be a couple of verses shorter, and that's the main point of the record. These songs were intended to be long and long they will stay; take it or leave it. On the other hand, the furious, paranoid guitar breaks in between the verses, coming from axeman Mike Bloomfield, are enough to redeem any possible lengthiness. And, whatever you say, nobody played that fast at the time - not even the Stones. Another song that's more or less 'fillerish' is 'From A Buick 6': same old blues, same old blues, ladies and gentlemen. Even so, extremely memorable, if only for that naggin' refrain 'she's bound to put a blanket on my bed'. Plus, I really love how the instrumentation is handled on that particular track: the organ, the guitars, the bass, the drums, everything is tightly locked together in a fast, exciting 'rush-towards-the-end' groove, tighter than anywhere else on the album.

But that's it for the 'fillers'. All of the other tracks are, at best, classics, at worst, semi-classics. You probably all know the famous drum bang! that introduces the swirling Al Kooper organ riff of 'Like A Rolling Stone', Bob's personal signature and his most tattered musical visit card. Much as I've already got tired of the endless live versions, not to mention covers, of this song, the original still sounds awesome whenever I put it on. Probably because that energized, concentrated anger and 'musical termination' of the social female character he ridiculizes can never sound dated or out of place. But, huge as it is, the song never really overshadows all the rest of the classics on here. The title track is great fun, with all the whistles and the lyrics that use the notion of 'highway 61' as a metaphor for something positively mystical (death? life? God? Who knows? Go ask Mr Zimmerman himself!)

'Ballad Of A Thin Man', then, is one of his best counter-cultural products. The song borrows its unforgettable bombastic piano chords from Ray Charles' 'I Believe To My Soul', and the gloomy, heavy-handed interplay of Bob's electric piano with Paul Griffin's organ sets the perfect scene for his lyrics, an ideal composition that subtly alternates patches of utter silliness ('you're a cow! Gimme some milk or else go home') with masked, but very poisonous attacks on the braindead yuppies ('you've been with the professors, and they've all liked your looks/With great lawyers you have discussed lepers and crooks...', etc.), every single one of which ends with a devastating 'you know something's happening, but you don't know what it is, do you, Mr Jones?' If anything, 'Ballad Of A Thin Man' is Dylan's psycho equivalent of the completely straightforward 'The Times They Are A-Changin', and far more artsy, subtle, delicate and thought-provoking at that. And what a great polygon for philologists!

As you already understood, a lot of keyboards are heard all through the album, and they're good, solidifying and expanding the sound so that it never gets boring; particularly on 'Thin Man' and the great 'generic' blues 'It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry'. Yeah, I put the word 'generic' in quotes intentionally. The song is essentially just a slow, dreary blues tune, but the lyrics, Dylan's tinkling, crystal clear electric piano (what a great instrument that one is - why the hell don't people use it much more than they do?), and the skillful, powerful harmonica blasts throughout make it an instant classic with me. This is the kind of blues I've really been wanting to hear all my life, along with Cream's 'Strange Brew' and Led Zep's 'You Shook Me'.

Meanwhile, 'Queen Jane Approximately' is often viewed as more filler, but I disagree emphatically. Every time I hear it, it moves me to tears, and I'm serious. Are those lyrics really meaningless? Perhaps. But I think I sense an idea in the text, and the idea is that of the opposition of loneliness and friendship: the line 'won't you come see me Queen Jane' evokes visions of compassion and mercy in my head, and it's one of those songs that make me a better man whenever I listen to them. No kidding. There's great ethical potential here - you just have to see it. And I don't even care that the melody is generic...

Finally, the closing eleven-minute 'Desolation Row' is a gorgeous ballad which never gets boring: the title has long since become a cliche, the desperation, pain and pessimism of the sad, ironic lyrics has never been topped by Bob and the little acoustic guitar flourishes in between each line add an element of taste and musical beauty that would be lacking otherwise. I don't worship it nearly as much as 'Sad-Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands', though, because the melody is too simple and the arrangement too spare to justify eleven repetitive minutes. I can forgive him, though, as the lyrics are far too interesting to be cut off simply because of some stupid time limit. Anyway, you just push the 'stop' button whenever you feel tired, as it's the last track on the album. I know I never have to push it.

But I deceived you! I saved the tastiest bit for last! Yup, ladies and gentlemen, my personal long-time favourite on here is certainly 'Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues'. Ever heard that one? Slow, lengthy, dripping, yaaaawning and sleepy, it shuffles off at a moderate pace with Bob sounding as stoned out of his head as possible. Absurd and extremely humorous at the same time, this is probably his best effort at 'ridiculous psychedelia'. And the melody... I just love the melody: it sounds as if it is destined to put you off to sleep, but it never does. More electric piano. More powerful harmonica. More excitement. And my favourite lyrics on the whole album: 'now all the authorities they just stand around and boast/How they blackmail the sergeant at arms into leaving his post'. I won't explain why; I don't suppose I ever could if I tried, so you just think about it yourself.

The ridge record labels are in pristine condition (see pictures) with no wear, writing & barely any spindle marks at all & is graded NEAR MINT. This superb Bob Dylan album is pressed on thick heavy duty 60’s vinyl and still retains it’s just pressed look with a very shinny lustre. There are no visual defects and plays superb crisp & clean with no pops, crackles or jumps there is also no groove wear or distortion & is graded NEAR MINT. Simply Awesome. The thick cardboard sleeve is in VG++ Condition, which has just suffered a little age wear of the thin front cover picture (see pictures) there is NO writing or seem splits, the opening edges are crisp & straight.  

The Greatest attention to packaging with all albums housed in aluminium framed box complete with bubble wrap & thick cardboard. The vinyl is also removed from the sleeve to ensure safe delivery.

Postage Costs:

UK First Class = £2.80 Recorded Delivery = £5.50 & Special Delivery (next day, insured up to £250) = £7.00

Europe Air Mail = £4.00 Insured = £8.00

Overseas, non Europe USA, Japan, Australia etc Air Mail = £6.50 Insured £11.00

Doubles add extra £1.00, triples add extra £2.00

Extra albums add £1.00 in the UK, Europe £1.30 & USA, Japan, Australia £1.75

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