One of the unique recordings of Bob Dylan, where he performed a new studio version of the ever-so classic Blowin’ in the Wind with a full band, has just been sold for about £1.5 Million. Christie’s auctioned the disc. And the catalog had an estimated value that was mere £1 million.
According to Christie’s, the disc is “the only copy of Bob Dylan’s 2021 recording… that will ever be manufactured. No other versions of this recording will be released or sold”.
So, when did Bob Dylan record the one-off disc? Well, Bob Dylan recorded the disc back in March 2021. The 81-year-old singer produced the recording with T Bone Burnett, his collaborator.
But the thing that makes the disc unique is that the recording is in the Ionic Original format. This new format combines both the aspects of CDs and Vinyl to create a durable and one-of-a-kind analog recording disc. And the format is pretty new. It was announced just in April, and it has faced much skepticism.
Basically, Ionic Originals has “lacquer painted onto an aluminum disc, with a spiral etched into it by music… which can be heard by putting a stylus into the spiral and spinning it.” Now, you might think that Ionic Original is pretty similar to test pressing.
However, compared to test pressing or even acetate, the Ionic Original will not degrade after a couple of plays. Wondering why? It has a coating of quartz and sapphire on top of the disc.
According to Burnett, the coating is “what they use on the Space Station to shield it from the direct light of the sun.” And the coating is here to improve the lifespan of the disc and make it highly resistant to cracking.
That said, Burnett explained the dust issue as well. He is aware that friction makes static electricity, which will inevitably attract dust. But he explained that the coating is capable of removing friction.
So, if some dust does end up on the disc, the coating will clean it. In other words, these discs have a self-cleaning power.
What is the sound quality like? According to Burnett, the Ionic Originals will provide a “pinnacle of sound” to the listener’s ears.
However, you will not require a special turntable to enjoy what the discs are capable of offering. The Ionic Originals will play perfectly fine on regular turntables.
Now, what does Burnett plans with Ionic Originals? As you can guess, the disc from Bob Dylan is one-of-a-kind. That is pretty similar to NFTs.
And Burnett hopes that the long-gestated project could go some way toward “reset[ing] the valuation of recorded music” in the future.
Slava is a man of mystery and no-one seems to know exactly where he is at any point in time. When he isn't enjoying writing about all things audio and technical he can be found researching his next project of interest. The man never rests.
