We all know about this album as being a classic. The great musicianship of Al kooper and Robbie Robertson coupled with Dylan's songwriting make this and Highway 61 among Dylan's best albums. A majority of buyers doubtless own this already and are pondering jumping on the reissue wagon again. The packaging of the reissue is well done compared to the barebones earlier issue. I am probably in the minority, but I always thought the previous cd issue of this particular album (though not some of the other dylan discs) sounded pretty good. I have grown so used to it that the reissue somehow does'nt sound right in comparison. I got the re-release partly based on the recommendations posted here. I use a cd player only, and as a cd I found the reissue not as enjoyable to listen to. True there are a few more details on the new mix, from an analytical standpoint it may be "better". I put on the reissue and did'nt really find myself enjoying the music. I then played the original disc and found it to be more relaxed and enjoyable. One thing I noticed is Al Koopers organ on "Visions of Johanna" is underneath the mix on the reissue, coming through thin and faintly. Kooper's musicianship is more readily appreciated on the original disc. The vocals on all the tunes sound a bit warmer and natural on the original disc too, though they might not be as "clear" as the reissue. The guitars, especially Dylan's acoustic, sound better with less clarity on the original disc, the reissue brings them out a little more, while this initially may seem "better", eventually it is not, bringing out more of a tin sound. I'm not sure that greater clarity and resolution always make old rock recordings more enjoyable. I did find "Blood on the Tracks" to be superior to the previous cd version, being consistantly more musical. Overall I can't say the same for the "Blonde on Blonde" reissue, which is more ambiguous... neither version is anything to write home about from a strictly sonic standpoint- collector's may want this one for the variation of content though. If you want to hear the best recording available from this period of Dylan's voice, guitar, and harmonica in emotionally moving performances, play the acoustic set disc one of "live 1966".

I'm getting pretty sick and tired of people prattling on about Dylan the lyricist as though the sounds within which those lyrics were wrapped are of little account. Yes, it's quite true that Dylan works inside traditional musical forms and styles, but it's this very adherence to the familiar that makes a masterpiece like "Blonde on Blonde" all the more shocking in its impact. Here Dylan explores the full gamut of rock'n'roll's formal structures and themes up to 1966 and explodes them in messy, inspired ways. You get everything from potent three-minute pop classics ("I Want You") to over-the-top rockers ("Obviously 5 Believers," "Most Likely You Go Your Way") to various explorations into the blues, balladry, and even an epic elegy or two ("Sad Eyed Lady..."). Yes, the lyrics are brilliant, memorable, crackpot, obscure, maddening....but this is an album of SONGS, not mere words. Admittedly, coming to terms with Dylan's mid-'60s achievement is kind of tough because the soul and sensibility of his albums from this period were so influential that hardly anything that followed them escapes their impact. Perhaps the only real way to get a sense of how Dylan changed our "pop consciousness" is to listen to what came before him. Only then can you really recognize the divide for what it is. This is a painfully beautiful record, and it sounds as fresh and joyous to my ears as it must have sounded to all those stunned by it in 1966. There's no reason you shouldn't treat yourself to the pleasures of "Blonde on Blonde" - what are you waiting for?

There is no denying that this is one of the greatest albums ever released in the history of popular music. The brilliant Sad Eyed Lady Of the Lowlands is worth the price of admission alone. I will not go into any detail with regards to the individual songs on this album, as others have said all that needs to be said and also much more eloquently than I ever could. The fault with this double disc lies not with the music but with the remastering. I do not have the luxury of owning SACD or 5.1 Surround Sound so I am unable to comment on these particular layers, but I can say that the CD layer is just awful. It sounds as if it has been recorded in a tin can. Be sure to have a pair of earplugs close at hand as those harmonica breaks are piercing! And where is Al Kooper's lovely organ work? It has been buried so far in the mix that it is barely audible on some tracks. Let the buyer beware!

Blonde on Blonde is Dylan's absolute masterpiece. The two-record set featured the stoned celebration of "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" and the sweetly engaging "I Want You", but it was for it's ballads--"Visions of Johanna", "Just Like a Woman" and the side-long "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands"--that he drew forth the most dense, hypnotic music of his career, and poetry that overflowed not only with hypnotic wordplay but a depth of mood that language can rarely convey. Played by guitarist Robbie Robertson, the future leader of the Band, as well as by a group of ace Nashville studio musicians, the songs were hardly country songs, but the recording milieu certainly was--and it suggested the next turn Dylan might take.

I first heard Blonde on Blonde the week it appeared. I was 18. I put one of the two records on my cruddy little Decca record player, turned the volume up, and the lid of my head blew off! Since then, I've listened to it what must be thousands of times. I've listened to it while making love, while suffering depression, while partying, while meditating. And there is no end to that great album's impact and beauty. It has become more than any album the soundtrack of my life. Nothing else can touch it. It's got everything in it. And after thousands of listenings in all moods, all ages, all weathers, I still get chills. It's the one musical work that every time I hear it makes me so glad to be alive and so grateful that this strange, wonderful singer-poet came along to share his all-encompassing vision with us. Words fail me. Those who tell me they hate this album, well...I'll put it bluntly: They're not to be trusted.