BOB DYLAN JOHN WESLEY HARDING RARE SEALED ORIG '67 COLUMBIA STEREO LP STUNNING

$

231

WE CURRENTLY HAVE  MORE THAN 300  LISTED ITEMS

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·       BOB DYLAN - JOHN WESLEY HARDING - ORIGINAL 1968 COLUMBIA STEREO LP CS-9604

·       ORIGINAL U.S. PRESSING

*** STILL SEALED GUARANTEED ORIGINAL FIRST PRESSING ***

·       GUARANTEED ORIGINAL RED AND WHITE "360 STEREO" COLUMBIA LABEL, SUCH AS THE ONE SHOWN BELOW, FROM OUR PREVIOUS AUCTION.

·       THE THICKNESS OF THE VINYL, THE APPEARANCE AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE COVER, LABEL’S LOGO AND OTHER PERIPHERAL ELEMENTS OF THE COVER, ARE ALL PERFECTLY CONSISTENT WITH THE ORIGINAL, FIRST PRESSING OF THIS TITLE.

·       ONE “BREATHE” (AIR) HOLE NOTED ON THE SHRINK WRAP

·       THIS IS THE ORIGINAL, AUTHENTIC, FIRST U.S. PRESSING; THIS IS NOT A REISSUE, AN IMPORT, OR A COUNTERFEIT PRESSING.

·       ORIGINAL, THICK CARDBOARD COVER (AMERICAN STYLE)

·       THICK, HEAVY VINYL PRESSING

(►PLEASE SEE THE IMAGE OF THE COVER, LABEL OR BOTH, SHOWN BELOW)

(Note: this is a REAL image of the ACTUAL item you are bidding on. This is NOT a "recycled" image from our previous auction. What you see is what you’ll get.  GUARANTEED!)

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When you are bigger than The Beatles (and therefore bigger than Jesus) and can command all sorts of things from your entourage – those followers who are hungry for you to dribble or say a word so they can understand their meaningless lives and receive instruction for how to live that day - the quandary that you must face every waking moment is between producing art that you want to make and saying what you want to say, even if that is nothing, and giving the world what they are eagerly expecting and thereby taking up the lofty mantle of spokesperson for a generation.

Dylan had long ago dispensed with any sort of political commentary and indeed any delusions of grandeur and had been suiting himself as far as his musical output was concerned for many years which lost him a great many followers but ultimately gained him a lot more.  His lyrics had become more like poems, shrouded in imagery and quite possibly injected with meaning but also quite possibly completely devoid of any meaning, we may never know.  By the time he put out John Wesley Harding it seems that he had once again become tired of the style which he had become known for just as he had done a couple of years earlier when he brought out Bringing It All Back Home to shocked gasps, stunned silence and death threats.

This new side of Bob Dylan conjures up images of a slightly older man who seems to be presiding over some old dust bowl town in the position of temporary Sheriff in Residence.  Things are happening in this town, possibly great and significant things that say an awful lot about the state of the world and the intricacies of the human condition, but equally possibly the town is full of residents who are insular minded and slightly insane.  The town may also only exist in dreams, and maybe just my dreams.

The key to John Wesley Harding, I think, is "The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest" which tells the story of the two men in the title, the former of whom is a gambler, the other is trying to help his friend by introducing him to a house of desire and then the former of them dies.  I appreciate that this brief synopsis of the song would not make the Cliff Notes series but I really can't fathom it.  I think I know what is happening but then within the time it takes to have a thought I am questioning myself and suddenly feel very lost and alone, just like in a dream.  Perhaps John Wesley Harding is some kind of dust bowl mirage and I am just very thirsty, thirsty to understand.

Musically it is a laid back but groovy affair, all blues meets country with gentle melodies and just the right amount of minor chords to keep it cool.  Lyrically I can't fathom whether there is a theme or not and I think it is this that makes me thirsty.  There is something about Bob Dylan's voice that commands an audience; he may not be a singer of Céline Dion's calibre but if he were to be in a sing off against her I know that I would believe what Dylan was singing to be more true and important to know than whatever came out of Celine's mouth.  His voice is ideal for story telling, it holds an audience and we are left clinging desperately to every word, trying to fathom it out and derive wisdom from it through some form of osmosis, even when they are nonsensical letters to landlords or songs about immigrants which I don't understand the intentions behind at all.  There is always that sense that by not understanding you are missing out on something vital in your life and it is frightening to think that other people may understand it especially as one day you might end up having an intellectual duel with one of these holders of the knowledge and will almost certainly lose because you didn't quite grasp the deeper layers of meaning in "All Along the Watchtower" (which, for the record, is a good song, but I am on the Jimi Hendrix side of the fence in the inevitable debate that surrounds it - just so you know).

John Wesley Harding is a shock to the system after the "electric trilogy", but the kind of shock you get when something isn't there, as opposed to the shock that you get when you are confronted with the sudden appearance of something like a rapist or your killer.  It is also a mysterious and unknowable record which leaves you wanting and confused at the end of every short listen and that in turn leaves you wondering whether you had a good time listening to it or not.  Perhaps if it hadn't been recorded by such a name as Dylan then it wouldn't seem so cryptic and unusual and we could enjoy the laid back rock and roll, but maybe if it hadn't been recorded by Dylan then we wouldn't be listening to it at all.  One thing is for sure, nothing is black and white when it comes to Dylan and this is no exception.  Like its cover, John Wesley Harding is a monochrome brown through and through.  And what does that mean?  I’m afraid you'll have to decide for yourself because I really can’t tell.

 (EXCERPT FROM AN ANONYMOUS ONLINE REVIEW)

This album stands out from Dylan's other albums, the songs appearing to be semi linked vignettes from a mythical-pastoral American folk history. The strong themes of moralism and religion are part and parcel of the narrative and are not preachy like on Slow Train Coming. A dreamscape of magical realism pervades the lyrics, with vivid wild west period imagery. The simple, stripped down backing amplifies the intensity of the strong driving melodies, with some great bass lines and drumming defining the arrangements.It is in my personal top five and I am amazed I remember all the lyrics, 50 years later. I try not to play it too often to preserve that mysterious power contained within this masterpiece.

(EXCERPT FROM AN ONLINE REVIEW BY PHIL BRADBYRY, ALL MUSIC GUIDE  /ALLMUSIC.COM/)

One of three or four of Bob Dylan’s greatest works (for me, personally, this is a strong contender for # 3 spot - right after "Highway 61" and "Blonde on Blonde"), this 1968 album came mere months after Bob Dylan had a near-fatal motorcycle accident and a close encounter with his own mortality, which explains the doom-and-gloom-laden atmosphere, ascetic production, scaled-down arrangements and an abundance of Biblical references all over the place, which all make this wonderful album even more appealing and intriguing. This is a one-of-a-kind in entire Bob Dylan output. Nothing - absolutely nothing - matches this collection of songs in terms of sheer expressiveness and mysticism. So much so that Jimi Hendrix covered two songs from this album ("All along the Watchtower" and "Drifters Escape") , Janis Joplin and Joe Cocker both covered the same track ("Dear Landlord"), and the list of other artists who found these songs irresistible and very coverable goes on ! and on and on. And then, there are musicians: This album assembles in one place the cream of Nashville studio musicians circa 1968: Charles McCoy (Bass), Kenny Butrey (Drums) and Pete Drake (steel & other guitars). Finally, if all of this leaves you unimpressed you can always contemplate the cover photo of Dylan and the four musicians which, purportedly, shows the four Beatles ‘buried’ somewhere in the background. Hmmm. I could not find them. Maybe you will have better luck unearthing them…

For its extraordinary contribution to the modern music, superb production, craftsmanship, fine musicianship, revolutionary significance and influence it exerted on numerous generations of musicians, writers and general public, or for some other innate quality, this album was voted one of top-200 albums of all time in one of the largest poll of critics, music reviewers, professionals and producers ever organized: the poll, which was conducted by Paul Gambaccini, legendary BBC Radio A&R man, surveyed more than 50 top music professionals (including Roy Carr, Jonathan Cott, Robert Christgau, Cameron Crowe, Chet Flippo, Ben Fong-Torres, Charlie Gillett, Greil Marcus, Murray the K., Lenny Kaye , Bruce Morrow (a/k/a "Cousin Brucie"), Tim Rice (of "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Evita" fame), Lisa Robinson, Robert Shelton (who wrote liner notes for Bob Dylan's first album), Ed Ward, Joel Whitburn, Pete Wingfield, etc.). For more details, see: "Critics Choice: Top-200 albums" compiled by Paul Gambaccini, Omnibus Press, Library of Congress Catalog No.7855565 (or ► click here  for complete album listing)

For additional historical or discography information on this album, including track listing ►click here

TO SEE IF WE HAVE OTHER LISTED ITEMS BY THIS GROUP OR ARTIST ►  CLICK HERE

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·                               CONDITION:

·                               THE RECORD

(IMPORTANT NOTE: unless otherwise noted, ALL records are graded visually, and NOT play-graded!; we  grade records under the strong, diffuse room light or discrete sunlight)

(a)          THE ALBUM IS STILL FACTORY SEALED AND IS BELIEVED TO BE PERFECTLY MINT. Please note: sealed items are assumed to be mint and are sold as-is, as we have no way of inspecting them. For our policy on still sealed records ►click here (PLEASE READ BEFORE PLACING A BID).

(b)          The record is apparently pressed on a beautiful, thick, inflexible vinyl, which was usually used for the first or very early pressings. Usually, the sound on such thick vinyl pressings is full-bodied, vivid, and even dramatic. Do not expect to obtain such a majestic analog sound from a digital recording!

(c)           Of course, this is a full-bodied ANALOG recording, and not an inferior, digital recording!!!

·                               THE COVER

COVER IS NEAR MINT, STILL SEALED AND COVERED IN ITS ORIGINAL ►SHRINK WRAP

The following flaws or imperfections are noted on the cover:

-         Cover has JUST A HINT of ring wear (nothing significant); On the scale from 1 to 10 (1 being the least, and  10 being the most severe), we assess the severity of ring wear as 1.

-        Cover has a visible wrinkle (crease) in the cardboard base on the TOP back panel (a minor cover construction flaw)

-         Cover shows JUST A HINT of yellowing on both sides, apparently from aging.

-         Cover has two corners slightly worn / dinged (BARELY VISIBLE)

NO OTHER VISIBLE FLAWS OR IMPERFECTIONS ON THE  COVER

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POSTAGE & SHIPPING:

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WE OFFER UNCONDITIONAL MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE WITHIN 30 DAYS FROM THE RECEIPT OF THE MERCHANDISE, NO QUESTIONS ASKED (THE BUYER PAYS FOR THE RETURN POSTAGE); Still sealed items MUST be returned sealed in order to be eligible for a refund Some restrictions apply. Please read our complete refund policy before placing a bid. ►Click here  for the full text of our policy

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