Bob Dylan - Oh Mercy (2LP, Ultra Analog, Half-speed Mastering, 45 RPM)
ORDER LIMITED TO ONE ITEM PER CUSTOMER
Bob Dylan – vocals, guitar, piano, harmonica, twelve-string guitar, Hammond organ [click here to see more vinyl featuring Bob Dylan]
Malcolm Burn – tambourine, keyboards, on "Everything Is Broken", "Ring Them Bells", "Man in the Long Black Coat", "Most of the Time", "What Good Am I?", "What Was It You Wanted"
Rockin' Dopsie – accordion on "Where Teardrops Fall"
Willie Green – drums on "Political World", "Everything Is Broken", "Most of the Time", "Disease of Conceit", "What Was It You Wanted", and "Shooting Star"
Tony Hall – bass guitar on "Political World", "Everything Is Broken", "Most of the Time", "Disease of Conceit", and "Shooting Star"
John Hart – saxophone on "Where Teardrops Fall"
Daryl Johnson – percussion on "Everything Is Broken"
Larry Jolivet – bass guitar on "Where Teardrops Fall"
Daniel Lanois – Dobro, lap steel guitar, guitar, omnichord, bass guitar (performs on all tracks except "Disease of Conceit")
Cyril Neville – percussion on "Political World", "Most of the Time", and "What Was It You Wanted"
Alton Rubin, Jr. – scrub board on "Where Teardrops Fall"
Mason Ruffner – guitar on "Political World", "Disease of Conceit", and "What Was It You Wanted"
Brian Stoltz – guitar on "Political World", "Everything Is Broken", "Disease of Conceit", and "Shooting Star"
Paul Synegal – guitar on "Where Teardrops Fall"
2 LPs, gatefold sleeve
Limited to 4,000 numbered copies
Original analog Master tape : YES
Half-speed Mastering
Gain 2™ Ultra Analog
Heavy Press : 180g
Record color : black
Speed : 45RPM
Size : 12”
Stereo
Studio
Record Press : RTI
Label : MOFI
Original Label : Columbia
Recorded February–April 1989 at Mobile studio at 1305 Soniat St., New Orleans
Engineered by Daniel Lanois
Produced by Daniel Lanois
Remastered by Krieg Wunderlich
Originally released in 1989
Reissued in 2020
Tracks:
Side A :
- Political World
- Where Teardrops Fall
- Everything Is Broken
Side B :
- Ring Them Bells
- Man In The Long Black Coat
- Most Of The Time
Side C :
- What Good Am I?
- Disease Of Conceit
Side D :
- What Was It You Wanted
- Shooting Star
Reviews :
"Oh Mercy was hailed as a comeback, not just because it had songs noticeably more meaningful than anything Bob Dylan had recently released, but because Daniel Lanois' production gave it cohesion. There was cohesion on Empire Burlesque, of course, but that cohesion was a little too slick, a little too commercial, whereas this record was filled with atmospheric, hazy production -- a sound as arty as most assumed the songs to be. And Dylan followed suit, giving Lanois significant songs -- palpably social works, love songs, and poems -- that seemed to connect with his past. And, at the time, this production made it seem like the equivalent of his '60s records, meaning that its artiness was cutting edge, not portentous. Over the years, Oh Mercy hasn't aged particularly well, seeming as self-conscious as such other gauzy Lanois productions as So and The Joshua Tree, even though it makes more sense than the ersatz pizzazz of Burlesque. Still, the songs make Oh Mercy noteworthy; they find Dylan quietly raging against the materialism of President Reagan and accepting maturity, albeit with a slight reluctance. So, Oh Mercy is finally more interesting for what it tries to achieve than for what it actually does achieve. At its best, this is a collection of small, shining moments, with the best songs shining brighter than their production or the album's overall effect." AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Ultra Analog™ : The GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ Series stems from the use of the Gain 2 system, mastered at half speed from the original master tapes where possible, capturing and uncovering as before undiscovered sonic information.
Half-speed mastering. In half-speed mastering, the whole process is slowed down to half of the original speed. A typical 33 1/3 rpm record is cut at 16 2/3 rpm. The source material is also slowed down (reducing the pitch in the process) meaning the final record will still sound normal when played back. Slowing the whole process down allows more time, which means the end result sounds better and is more efficient — allowing engineering to minimize the effects of inherent limitations within the vinyl format. The result is a more accurate and more open high-frequency response in the half speed vinyl when compared with a normal speed recording.
Ratings :
AllMusic : 3,5 / 5 , Discogs : 4,3 / 5