Dylan’s first studio recordings of “Masters of War,” “Simple Twist of Fate” & “Gotta Serve Somebody” in 50 years are for sale
Three NeoFidelity Ionic Original Acetate Discs of Bob Dylan classics “Masters of War,” “Simple Twist of Fate,” and “Gotta Serve Somebody,” are for private sale via Christie’s New York. These unique, new Dylan recordings — created during recent special studio sessions with multi-Grammy winning producer T Bone Burnett — represent the second, third, and fourth recordings to ever be put to disc utilizing the patented Ionic technology from Burnett’s company, NeoFidelity, Inc. These discs follow the successful sale of the first-ever edition to employ this ground-breaking technology, a recent recording of Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind,” which was the highlight one year ago of Christie’s London Classic Week, selling on July 7, 2023, for $1.8 million.
This opportunity to acquire one of these new recordings of Bob Dylan’s seminal songs is a landmark moment. Burnett notes that the technology used to create the Ionic Original disc “advances the art of recorded sound and marks the first breakthrough in analog sound reproduction in more than 70 years, achieving dramatic improvements in listening experience and durability.” These three offerings, each available individually, present a unique opportunity for international collectors, music fans, historians, aficionados, and audiophiles. Upon purchase, each disc will be custom-cut and coated with NeoFidelity’s ionic deposition, and then personally signed by both Bob Dylan and Burnett.
“Masters of War” was first released on Bob Dylan’s classic second album, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan. He has performed the song live many times in the subsequent decades. The song has been famously covered by Pete Seeger, The Roots, Ed Sheeran, The Staple Singers, Eddie Vedder and countless others.
The most well-known version of “Simple Twist of Fate” was recorded on September 19, 1974 at A&R Recording Studios in New York City for Bob Dylan’s fifteenth studio album Blood on the Tracks.
The Ionic Original recording of “Gotta Love Somebody” notably features many new lyrics recently penned by Bob Dylan. Originally recorded on May 4, 1979, at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios in Sheffield, Alabama, “Gotta Serve Somebody” marks the beginning of Bob Dylan’s gospel period. It ultimately won him the Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance the subsequent year. The song was originally featured on his nineteenth studio album, Slow Train Coming, which achieved platinum status shortly after it was released in 1979. The song has continued to receive praise, being featured on lists such as Rolling Stone Magazine’s “100 Greatest Bob Dylan Songs”. Since its release, the song has been covered by over 50 musicians, including Shirley Caesar, Willie Nelson, and Etta James.
Burnett introduced the hybrid CD/vinyl format last year through his NeoFidelity, Inc. Ionic Originals are created from an aluminum disc like a CD, with a spiral etched into it by music like a vinyl. The vinyl-sized format features one-of-a-kind pressings that surpass the sonic fidelity of vinyl, CD and streaming platforms.
Dylan is the first to issue music on the format. In 2021, Dylan entered a studio with Burnett to re-record some of his iconic hits for the format.
