I'm an audiophile, and I must admit it sometimes gets in the way of appreciating great music.  Possibly the greatest example of this is The Basement Tapes.  Being a long-time Dylan fan I excitedly bought this album  when it was finally released in '75.  With all the mystique behind it, I  had great expectations.  But it just sounded so lo-fi, and the songs were  not where my head was at in '75, so I never really gave it it's due.  Of  course, I purchased it again in the CD age, but still never really sat down  and gave it my undivided attention.  When I finally did, I realized what  I'd been missing all those years.  First, the album is not as lo-fi as I  thought.  Though recorded primitively, it is evident that great care was  taken to get a good balance between the instruments and vocals.  It's true  that the fidelity is better on some cuts, but I don't buy the fact that the  Band cut some of these tracks in the studio after the Basement Tapes  sessions.
Anyway, what matters here are the songs and the way they are  performed.  Man, are these guys hot! To my ear, this is the best vocals  you'll ever hear from Richard Manuel, Rick Danko and Levon Helm.  The  instrumental backing is superb, at once totally sympathetic yet totally  inspired.  Oh, and Bob's in pretty good form, too.  These songs have a wit,  humor and accesability that seems to get stronger on every hearing.
There is a reason that these sessions are legendary.  Buy it, listen to  it, and discover why so much mystique surrounded these sessions in the  first place.  Absolutely timeless music.
Sony, please give us the entire  sessions!
I'm an audiophile, and I must admit it sometimes gets in the way of appreciating great music. Possibly the greatest example of this is The Basement Tapes. Being a long-time Dylan fan I excitedly bought this album  when it was finally released in '75. With all the mystique behind it, I  had great expectations. But it just sounded so lo-fi, and the songs were  not where my head was at in '75, so I never really gave it it's due. Of  course, I purchased it again in the CD age, but still never really sat down  and gave it my undivided attention. When I finally did, I realized what  I'd been missing all those years. First, the album is not as lo-fi as I  thought. Though recorded primitively, it is evident that great care was  taken to get a good balance between the instruments and vocals. It's true  that the fidelity is better on some cuts, but I don't buy the fact that the  Band cut some of these tracks in the studio after the Basement Tapes  sessions. Anyway, what matters here are the songs and the way they are  performed. Man, are these guys hot! To my ear, this is the best vocals  you'll ever hear from Richard Manuel, Rick Danko and Levon Helm. The  instrumental backing is superb, at once totally sympathetic yet totally  inspired. Oh, and Bob's in pretty good form, too. These songs have a wit,  humor and accesability that seems to get stronger on every hearing. There is a reason that these sessions are legendary. Buy it, listen to  it, and discover why so much mystique surrounded these sessions in the  first place. Absolutely timeless music. Sony, please give us the entire  sessions!