Appendix C: Notes on methods and source
materials
Comparison Methods
Some tolerance has to be allowed when comparing vinyl discs; different pressings can vary quite noticeably in their sound, and the quality of the vinyl used may vary. After allowing for these factors, it is sometimes hard to tell whether the same or different master tapes have been used for vinyl releases.
Comparing track lengths is particularly difficult. I have ignored the timings printed on album sleeves and labels, as these are very unreliable; and instead of comparing total track lengths, I have concentrated on timing the length of additional music in the longer of two versions; doing it this way, any error will be much smaller. For playing vinyl discs, the turntable speed was set stroboscopically.
Recordings Used
All comparisons were made using the following recordings:
Mono mix: UK pressing (CBS BPG 62515); Sundazed US reissue (LP 5070).
Stereo vinyl mix: UK early 70s pressing (CBS SBPG 62515); CD-R of early 70s US pressing (CS9128).
Original CD mix: UK copy titled Bringing It All Back Home (CD 32344); European copy titled Subterranean Homesick Blues (CDCBS 32344); CD-R of US copy (CK 9128).
SACD stereo and 5.1 mixes: UK hybrid SACD reissue (Columbia 512353 6).
Mixes for The Bootleg Series Vol.12 – The Cutting Edge 1965-66: 18-CD Collector's Edition (Columbia/Legacy 8887512440218).
Books, Magazines, Websites etc.
Information was drawn from the following:
M. C. Strong, The Wee Rock Discography, Canongate, 1996
John Bauldie: Interview with Steve Hoffman in issue 44 of The Telegraph, 1992
Rod MacBeath, Looking Up Dylan's Sleeves, Part 1, in issue 50 of The Telegraph, 1994
Michael Krogsgaard, Bob Dylan: The Recording Sessions, Part 1, in issue 52 of The Telegraph, 1995 (this can be seen online at http://www.punkhart.com/dylan/sessions-1.html )
Clinton Heylin, Behind Closed Doors, Penguin, 1996
Remastering engineer Steve Hoffman’s website, http://stevehoffman.tv/forums/
Catalogue of European Bob Dylan CD releases on Wim Vuijk’s Dylan website, http://odur.let.rug.nl/~vuijk/dylan/cds.htm, now apparently defunct.
Alan Fraser's "Searching For A Gem" website documenting Dylan's record releases worldwide, http://www.searchingforagem.com
Acknowledgements
My thanks to Martin Andrzejewski, Jon McAuliffe, Peter Coulthard, Jim Heppell, Nishant Patel, Anthony Perry, Mark Teehan and Bob Stacy, and to anyone else who has posted contributions on the subject to the newsgroup rec.music.dylan, or on the Steve Hoffman Music Forums, and whose name I've overlooked here.
Last updated November 2020