Bob Dylan and fellow musician Joseph Henry “T Bone” Burnett were in the studio together with a very special concern: They are said to have re-recorded Dylan classics and now plan to release them on a new recording medium that has not been seen before has given.
“Breakthrough in analogue sound reproduction”
The reason for the new recordings of the Dylan songs is the presentation of the new high-fidelity medium “Ionic Originals”. According to the press release, the introduction of this new sound carrier represents the “first breakthrough in analogue sound reproduction in more than 70 years”.
According to Billboard, further information on which titles were recorded, when they will be released and what hardware is required to play them is not yet known.
Analogue sound should be valued again
Burnett, who has been involved in countless projects by well-known musicians as a singer, guitarist and producer and is also active solo, is said to have been an advocate of analog sound for years. The company “NeoFidelity”, which he has now founded, is proof of this. It is intended to produce and market “Ionic Originals” recordings by various musicians. The aim is to “restore the appreciation for analogue music.” The Bob Dylan record would only be the first project in this context.
Similar to vinyl, but very different
The “Ionic” format is similar to vinyl, but at the same time something completely new. Burnett is extremely optimistic in the press release: “Ionic Original is the pinnacle of recorded sound. It is of excellent quality. It’s future proof. It’s unique.”
He adds: “It is a varnish applied to an aluminum disc, with a spiral engraving caused by the music.” The varnish would have the “property of containing music that you can hear if you put a pen in the spiral stuck and it spins.”
Frozen: Burnett isn’t a fan of digital music
In Burnett’s eyes, analogue music is far superior to the digital music that is often preferred these days. In an attempt to describe what he likes about analog recordings, he goes on: “Analog sound has more depth, more harmonic complexity, more resonance, better sound imaging. Analogue sound has more feeling, more character. Digital sound is frozen. Analog sound is alive.”
Bob Dylan, who will be publishing a new book at the end of the year, and T Bone Burnett toured in the 70s with other musicians such as Joan Baez, Roger McGuinn and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott under the title “Rolling Thunder Revue”. This merger also resulted in Burnett’s later band project The Alpha Band, which, however, broke up a few years later.