John Wesley Harding (Hybr)

John Wesley Harding (Hybr) Review

Bob Dylan John Wesley Harding

Ranking near the top of anyone's list of Dylan's masterpieces, this post-motorcycle-accident career-turning-point finds Dylan veering from the razor-edged desperation of "All Along the Watchtower" to the gentle, back-porch sway of "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" -- and all points in between. Back at last, in its ultra-rare original mono mix, this landmark LP -- cut with the cream of Nashville's studio cats and generally credited as a blueprint for the era's country-rock movement -- sizzles on Sundazed high-definition vinyl.

Freewheelin Bob Dylan (Hybr)

Freewheelin Bob Dylan (Hybr) Review

Dylan's outstanding second album is a tremendous jump from its predecessor. Whereas the debut established him as a peerless interpreter of folk and country-blues classics, and a singer like none before, this followup features some of the most pungent original songs of the '60s. "Blowin' in the Wind," "Masters of War," "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall," "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right," "I Shall Be Free": if this sounds like the lineup for a greatest-hits collection, you've got the idea. Nat Hentoff's liner notes are charmingly dated, but Dylan's idiosyncratic singing, unexpected lyrics, and inimitable guitar and harmonica playing are as immediate and relevant as whatever you heard on the radio today. (As great as this is, there's much more: a handful of top-rank outtakes from Freewheelin' appear on the Bootleg Series box set.) --Jimmy Guterman

Slow Train Coming (Hybr)

Slow Train Coming (Hybr) Review

Japanese remastered reissue packaged in a limited edition miniature LP sleeve. CBS/Sony. 2004.