This page lists the international releases of this unique set of the first eight mono Bob Dylan studio albums. These LPs were listed in Searching For A Gem because the mono versions of Dylan songs were unavailable on CD until this 2010 release. Mono LPs with rare tracks (e.g. mono versions with significant differences from the album tracks, such as different mixes, edits or fades) are listed in the main chronological pages. Mono singles up to 1976 have their own pages, see the links above. For releases of the single CD The Best Of The Original Mono Recordings, see the bottom of the page.
These pages are still incomplete - if you have any entries to add to the list or additions/corrections to existing entries, please let me know! Please note I cannot value your Dylan rarities - see the Mission page for reasons why. Contact the dealers on my Trading page for assistance!
Revised 16 September, 2024.
Mono Vinyl Releases
"Bob Dylan: The Original Mono Recordings" - 9LP set in 12"
box, Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music 88697761051 (USA), 21 Dec 2010; Columbia/Legacy/Music
On Vinyl MOVLP 239-246
(NL), 7 Dec 2010:
Thanks to "Isis" Newsletter 153½
for information about the vinyl box set - this was remixed by a different
engineer from the CD set and the sound is noticeably warmer. The records were
mastered at Sterling Sound, Edgewater, NJ. There are some
differences from the CD set: the black and white images on the reverse of the
box have been rearranged; there is no inner slipcase; the 60-page booklet has
been reduced to 46 pages by rearranging text and omitting some of the
photographs. The two US inner sleeves and the Highway 61 Revisited
portrait are included. There are also two flyers, one offering a digital
download of the eight albums, and the other advertising
The Bootleg Series Vol. 9 - The Witmark Demos 1962-1964.
Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music 88697761051 (USA):
Columbia/Legacy 88697761051 (USA) - front of box with stickers, scan by Gerd Rundel |
|
Columbia/Legacy 88697761051 (USA) - front sticker scan from Éamonn Ó Catháin (2016 expiry date for download) |
Columbia/Legacy 88697761051 (USA) - front sticker photo by Éamonn Ó Catháin (no expiry date for download) |
|
|
|
|
|
Columbia/Legacy 88697761051 (USA) - rear of first flyer, scan by Gerd Rundel |
Columbia/Legacy 88697761051 (USA) - front of second flyer, scan by Gerd Rundel |
|
Columbia/Legacy 88697761051 (USA) - booklet front scan by Gerd Rundel (rear is the same) |
|
Columbia/Legacy 88697761051 (USA) - detail of rear of box with numbered sticker, scan by Gerd Rundel |
|
Thanks to Gerd Rundel for scans of the US box, which has two front stickers and a rear wrapper under the shrink-wrap. It also has a limited edition numbered sticker on the rear of the box.
Éamonn Ó Catháin has a copy bought in 2019 that also has two stickers on the front, but the yellow sticker now has no expiry date, just new information that the contents can be downloaded online from "We Are Vinyl". He has also found online a picture of a sticker with an expiry date for the download of 2016, instead of the 2011 date on the sticker on Gerd Rundel's copy. Éamonn says the sleeves are stunning reproductions of the original American sleeves - quite unlike the European standalone reissues. The stickers are as the first US issue in US but not numbered. Although set is "© (P)2010" as per the original set, "Sony Legacy" appears on the rear of box, not on the rear of the box above. As stated, the included download card is now from "We Are Vinyl", which is a Sony enterprise introduced in 2015.
The inside of the gatefold sleeve of Blonde On Blonde has the revised seven photo layout without the photo of Claudia Cardinale although very few US mono copies of Blonde On Blonde were produced with the revised layout. As well as the original Columbia US "CL" catalogue numbers, the record sides are also numbered "88697761051-1A/B" - "88697761051-8A/B" (with the Blonde On Blonde sides numbered "88697761051-7A/B/C/D").
Thanks to Éamonn Ó Catháin for reminding me about this excerpt from "Isis" 153 from Roger Ford's interview with Steve Berkowitz and Mark Wilder regarding the mono reissue project. This applies to both the CD and vinyl box sets, but there are three albums where the original first-generation mono master could not be found. According to Steve Berkowitz: "There was no mono tape anywhere of The Times They Are A-Changin’ that we could find, period. We tried all over the world, we tried collectors, we tried bootleggers, we tried everything. So we mixed it from the original three track, and enslaved ourselves to matching a 1A pressing. I would do blind comparisons, trying just to listen to the sound and the frequencies, and the sound of the guitar and the space around it – does the reverb go on as long?, does the sound of the EQ of the echo match?, and so on. In the case of Highway 61 Revisited we looked, and we just didn’t have a mono tape in the United States. However, we found through the Sony Music archive in Germany a tape made in 1965 for manufacture in France of the album Highway 61 Revisited. And it is the best mono Highway 61 Revisited... And with Blonde On Blonde we had to go through a whole bunch of different tapes, and we found a 1960s mono mix of it that sounded terrific and fresh. I don’t think it was the first generation mono master mix, but it sure was an early one. It is the original mono mix."
Columbia/Legacy/Music On Vinyl MOVLP 239-246 (NL):
Éamonn Ó Catháin has found the following quote from the "Isis" web-site: "For vinyl Dylan releases any or all remastering work is carried out in New York by former Sony/Legacy executive producer Steve Berkowitz. Berkowitz (along with mastering engineer Mark Wilder) has been responsible for all of Dylan’s remastering work for a number of years. Berkowitz’s remastered tapes are sent to Music On Vinyl (MOV) as High Res digital audio files (96KHz/24 bit), MOV then make their test pressing which is sent to Berkowitz for approval. After final approval, vinyl pressing commences at MOV, Holland. In the case of the eight titles originally included in the Columbia box set Bob Dylan: The Original Mono Recordings however, the above convention did not apply. When the eight mono albums (MOVLP239 Bob Dylan to MOVLP246 John Wesley Harding), were released individually in 2010 by Music On Vinyl, they were pressed using the same new metal plates that were created for the manufacture of the Columbia “Mono Recordings” box set. The metal parts were delivered directly to MOV, Holland, by Sony/Columbia. These eight MOV albums are therefore truly AAA."
Thanks to Éamonn Ó Catháin for information that all these mono albums will be released on vinyl by Columbia/Legacy in Dec 2017.
Bob Dylan (mono) 0889854552718
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (mono) 0889854552817
The Times They Are a-Changin' (mono) 0889853443215
Another Side Of Bob Dylan (mono) 0889854552619
Bringing It All Back Home (mono) 088875146231
Highway 61 Revisited (mono) 088875146301
Blonde on Blonde (mono; 2LP) 0888751463110
John Wesley Harding (mono) 0889854516918
More information will be added when available.
CD Releases
"Bob Dylan 2010 Mono Box Set Advance CD" - promo compilation CD-R, Sony Music (no catalogue number) (France), Sep 2010:
"Bob Dylan: The Original Mono Recordings" - 9CD-R promo set, Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music (no catalogue numbers) (USA), 31 Aug 2010:
"Bob Dylan: The Original Mono Recordings" - 8CD-R promo set, Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music (no catalogue numbers) (UK), Sep 2010:
"Bob Dylan: The Original Mono Recordings" - 9CD set in 5" box, Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music 88697761042 (USA/Europe), 19 Oct 2010:
Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music 88697761042 (USA/Europe) - picture from www.bobdylan.com |
This set of Bob's first eight albums in the original mono mixes comes in
a cutaway card box inside an outer box. The CD albums are in thick card sleeves reproducing the original mono
album artwork (Blonde On Blonde is a double CD album). The vinyl releases will be in a 12" box with reproductions of
original full-sized sleeves.
Orders from the Sony Music Store will receive an exclusive reproduction of a
1965 advertising poster (see below). The package includes details on how to download all
the contents in MP3 format including Positively 4th Street, not included on
any of the albums themselves. Thanks to Éamonn Ó Catháin for information
that the albums can be downloaded in MP3 format from Play.com in the UK for
£6.99 each or £0.89 per track. The Positively 4th Street 7" mono single is included on the
single CD The Best Of The Original Mono Recordings, see
International
Compilations (Dylan-Only) 2010s.
Bob Dylan and
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan come in picture inner sleeves reproducing
contemporary Columbia US LP inner sleeves, the other CDs are in plain white
sleeves. The Times They Are A-Changin' has a double-sided insert
reproducing the original LP insert with the remaining poems from "11
Outlined Epitaphs". Highway 61 Revisited has an insert reproducing
the limited edition print given away with early US copies. Blonde On
Blonde comes on 2CDs in a gatefold sleeve. Nearly all the US Blonde On Blonde mono albums used the
9-photo inner layout with
Claudia Cardinale but this set uses the replacement 7-photo design that came
with a comparatively few later US copies and was never used for European
mono copies. It's very
disappointing that Columbia were not able to resolve the copyright issue for
the USA and Europe (if
they even tried), although they did for Japan - see below. |
||||
Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music 88697761042 (Europe) - front of outer box with sticker (my copy) |
|
|
Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music 88697761042 (Europe) - spine of inner box |
||
Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music 88697761042 (Europe) - front sticker |
|
||||
Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music 88697761042 (Europe) - detail of front of outer box |
Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music 88697761042 (Europe) - paper wrapper over rear of outer box |
Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music 88697761042 (Europe) - digital download voucher (rear of flyer 1) |
|
||
|
Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music 88697761042 (Europe) - rear wrapper unfolded |
Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music 88697761042 (Europe) - front of flyer 1, scan by Franck Faugere |
Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music 88697761042 (Europe) - front of flyer 2, scan by Franck Faugere |
|
Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music 88697761042 (USA/Europe) - exclusive poster with orders from the Sony Music Store |
Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music 88697761042 (Europe) - front of inner box |
Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music 88697761042 (Europe) - rear of inner box |
Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music 88697761042 - front of book |
Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music 88697761042 - rear of book |
||
Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music 88697761042-1/CL 1779 (Europe) - front of card sleeve |
Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music 88697761042-1/CL 1779 (Europe) - rear of card sleeve |
Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music 88697761042-1/CL 1779 (Europe) - front of inner sleeve |
|
|
Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music 88697761042-2/CL 1986 (Europe) - rear of card sleeve |
Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music 88697761042-3/CL 2105 (Europe) - front of card sleeve |
Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music 88697761042-3/CL 2105 (Europe) - rear of card sleeve |
Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music 88697761042-3/CL 2105 (Europe) - front of insert |
|
|
Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music 88697761042-4/CL 2193 (Europe) - rear of card sleeve |
Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music 88697761042-5/CL 2328 (Europe) - front of card sleeve |
Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music 88697761042-5/CL 2328 (Europe) - rear of card sleeve |
Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music 88697761042-6/CL 2389 (Europe) - front of card sleeve |
|
|
|
Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music 88697761042-7/C2L 41 (Europe) - inside of unfolded card sleeve (replacement design used in a few US mono copies only) |
Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music 88697761042-8/CL 2804 (Europe) - front of card sleeve |
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music 88697761042-3/CL 2105 (Europe) - detail of CD |
Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music 88697761042-4/CL 2193 (Europe) - CD |
|
Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music 88697761042-5/CL 2328 (Europe) - CD |
|
|
|
Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music 88697761042-7-1/C2L 41 (Europe) - CD1 |
|
|
|
|
|
Thanks to Éamonn Ó Catháin and Jeremy Mayle for information and to Franck Faugere and Gerd Rundel for scans. Thanks to Ian Woodward for the photo of the promotional "hockey puck" made of rubber or similar material. It splits open to reveal a USB connector. On the memory stick are The Bootleg Series Vol. 9 - The Witmark Demos 1962-1964 (see International Album Releases) and The Original Mono Recordings in MP3 format, but not the Brandeis concert (see 2010). Stuart Moore says his copy bought in Australia is exactly the same as the illustrated European release, but the bonus Brandeis concert CD is the Australian release. Harold Lepidus informs me of a US copy where the disc labelled John Wesley Harding is actually disc 2 of Blonde On Blonde and vice-versa, and such a copy has shown up for auction on eBay. "Norm" bought a copy on eBay where the CD was like this. The discs of my European copy are correctly labelled.
"Bob Dylan: The Original Mono Recordings" - 9CD-R promo set, Sony Music SICP 2951-59 (Japan), Oct 2010:
"Bob Dylan: The Original Mono Recordings" - 9CD set in 5" box, Sony Music SICP 2951-59 (Japan), 10 Nov 2010:
The discs are numbered from SICP 2151 to SICP 2159, and also have the "XLP" numbers as shown on the European discs above:
Bob Dylan - SICP 2151, x "Lp" 55619
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan - SICP 2152, x "Lp" 58717
The Times They Are A-Changin' - SICP 2153, XLP 75526
Another Side Of Bob Dylan - SICP 2154, XLP 77042
Bringing It All Back Home - SICP 2155, XLP 79421
Highway 61 Revisited - SICP 2156, XLP 110638
Blonde On Blonde - SICP 2157, XLP 113764; SICP 2158, XLP 113764
John Wesley Harding - SICP 2159, XLP 135309
Thanks to Anthony Perry for information and scans.
The Best Of The Original Mono Recordings
"The Original Mono Recordings Promo Sampler" - promo compilation CD, Sony Music (no catalogue number) (Germany), Sep 2010:
Gerd has also found a French sampler on eBay with a different song selection (picture not shown as it's a distorted digital photo):
Tracklist: Blowin' In The Wind; Bob Dylan's 115th Dream; Bob Dylan's Blues; Highway 51; In My Time Of Dyin'; Like A Rolling Stone; Man Of Constant Sorrow; Mr. Tambourine Man; Pledging My Time; Queen Jane Approximately; Subterranean Homesick Blues; Talkin' New York; Temporary Like Achilles; You're No Good.
Thanks to Hervé from France and Gerd Rundel for information
and scans.
"The Best Of The Original Mono Recordings" - compilation mono CD releases, Columbia/Legacy 88697791672 (USA/Argentina), 19 Oct 2010; Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music 88697791672 (Europe/Australia), 19 Oct 2010:
Columbia/Legacy 88697791672 (USA) - picture from www.amazon.com |
Thanks to Bill Hester for the tracklist from www.amazon.com of this mono compilation CD extracted from the 9CD set Bob Dylan – The Original Mono Recordings. | |
1. Song to Woody 2. Blowin' in The Wind 3. The Times They Are A-Changin' 4. Chimes of Freedom 5. It Ain't Me Babe 6. Subterranean Homesick Blues 7. Mr. Tambourine Man 8. Like a Rolling Stone |
9. Tombstone Blues |
Readers will notice the inclusion of the mono single Positively 4th Street, which does not appear on one of the eight original albums. The other non-album US single, Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?, missing from here, appeared in mono on 1985’s Biograph and the circulating stereo mix has never been officially released. (The single version released in Nov 2015 on the 18CD Collector's Edition of The Cutting Edge 1965-1966: The Bootleg Series Vol. 12 (CD10, track 12) may now be in stereo. Even if it is in stereo, it will still remain a rarity, because of the limited availability of this massive set.) This album actually contains all ten tracks of the 1967 US mono Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits plus Song To Woody; Chimes Of Freedom; Tombstone Blues; I'll Be Your Baby Tonight and All Along The Watchtower.
Columbia/Legacy 88697791672 (USA):
Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music 88697791672 (Europe):
The rear insert and CD of my European copy have "Made in the EU". The European release also has the Sony Music logo on the rear insert, but not on the CD.
Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music 88697791672 (Australia):
The Australian CD has the Sony Music logo at the top, above "COLUMBIA".
Columbia/Legacy 88697791672 (Argentina):
Columbia/Legacy 88697791672 (Argentina) - spine scan by
Sergio Mariano Romay
The Argentinean CD release has a CD that was made in Argentina, and the rear insert was also printed there. The front insert booklet appears to have been sourced from the USA, as there is no mention of Argentina anywhere.
Thanks to Bill Hester, Stuart Moore and Sergio Mariano Romay for information and scans.
CD-R and insert photo found by Gerd Rundel |
This "mega
rare" promo CD-R of The Best Of The Original Mono Recordings
purporting to be from Argentina is almost certainly a fake, so is listed in
Questionable Recordings. This is dated 2005 and the album is from 2010, by which time Sony BMG had become Sony Music with a new logo. Thanks to Gerd Rundel for finding this on eBay. |
Detail of insert, photo found by Gerd Rundel |
Missing 1960s Officially-Released Mono Recordings
These are the other official releases in mono not on the 8CD set (excluding Columbia acetates of songs that were never released officially, the withdrawn first release of The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan and the withdrawn album Bob Dylan In Concert):
R-0007 Mixed Up Confusion - A-side of 1962 US 7" single, original mono version
R-0008 Corrina, Corrina (traditional) - B-side of 1962 US 7" single, alternate mono take to The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan version
R-0044 Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window? - early, slower, version released on a 1965 Columbia US 7" single as Positively 4th Street by mistake and withdrawn very quickly, now released in stereo in Nov 2015 on the 6CD Deluxe Edition of The Cutting Edge 1965-1966: The Bootleg Series Vol. 12. Because R-0044 is in mono, it remains a rarity.
R-0045 Like A Rolling Stone Part 1 (3:02) and R-0070 Like A Rolling Stone Part 2 (3:02), A- and B-sides of 1965 CBS Holland 7" single
R-0048 With God On Our Side (Début) (5:21) and R-0595 With God On Our Side (Fin) - (1:43), split over A- and B-sides of 1966 CBS France mono EP plus Motorpsycho Nitemare from Another Side Of Bob Dylan on B-side
R-0049M Positively 4th Street - mono alternate mix (4:12), longer than standard single (3:56), from 1965 Witmark tape and Columbia Disco Teen 66 compilation album (note the version on this album is only 3:51)
R-0051 Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 - single edit (2:26) and R-0052 Pledging My Time - single edit (2:06) on 1966 CBS France mono 7" EP and 1966 Columbia US 7" mono single
R-0054 Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues - recorded live with the Hawks at The Odeon Theatre, Liverpool, England, 14 May 1966, B-side of 1966 Columbia US 7" mono single I Want You
R-0055 If You Gotta Go, Go Now - out-take from Bringing It All Back Home on 1967 CBS Holland mono 7" single (thanks to Tobias Levander for reminding me of this)
R-0145 Mixed Up Confusion - mono mix of the overdubbed, slowed down alternate take found on Mr D’s Collection #1 and #2 and Masterpieces
R-0282 Outlaw Blues - different mono mix from the one on the Bringin' It All Back Home album, from 1965 Columbia US 7" EP Discotheque Dance Music Vol. 9
R-0322 I Want You - slight edit, 2:54 (album version is 3:01), A-side of 1966 Columbia and CBS 7" mono singles
R-0323 Just Like A Woman - edit of Blonde On Blonde album version (2:56), the complete second verse ("Queen Mary") is removed and the harmonica solo at the end is truncated (the album version is 4:56), A-side of 1966 Columbia US 7" mono single
R-0368 Mr. Tambourine Man - edit of mono album track (2:25) on 1965 CBS France 7" mono EP
R-0447 Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat - edit (2:20, as opposed to 3:50 for album version), A-side of 1966 Columbia US 7" mono single
R-0471 Just Like A Woman - second 7" single edit (4:46), different from R-0323, 10 seconds shorter than the Blonde On Blonde album version (4:56), with a slightly earlier fade out, on 1966 CBS Australia and Greece 7" mono singles
R-0474 Highway 61 Revisited - 2:32 edit of mono album version on 1965 CBS France 7" mono EP (thanks to Paul S. Levine for reminding me of this)
R-0656M Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 - shorter single edit (2:06) from CBS UK mono compilation album Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits, not the 2:26 edit from 1966 Columbia US mono 7" singles (R-0051 above)
R-0739 Desolation Row - edited version shortened to the first two verses and the end harmonica solo on 1966 CBS Mexico 7" mono EP
These tracks remain rarities. All the mono tracks from these now-released mono albums that also appear on 7" singles and EPs that were given originally R-numbers because they were significantly different from the stereo album tracks have been reclassified as Released Rarities.
A Flying Pig production
Listings © 1998-2024
The rights to material from all quoted contributors remain
with them.
Copyright of all included artwork remains with the various record companies.
The previous Web Counter has now been discontinued. There have been around 12 million visits since mid-1998. New statistics from end Jun 2022 are here.