Bob Dylan’s New Recording of ‘Blowin’ In the Wind’ Headed to Auction Before Song’s 60th Anniversary
Bob Dylan’s new studio recording of his classic, “Blowin’ in the Wind,” made on a new recording format pioneered by T Bone Burnett, will be auctioned off at Christie’s in London on July 7.
The one-of-a-kind recording has an estimated price of £600,000 to £1 million, or about $752,000 to $1.2 million. The lot is also billed as Dylan’s first studio recording of “Blowin’ in the Wind” since it was originally recorded in 1962. The song was officially released on The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan in 1963, but recorded on July 9, 1962 — meaning the Christie’s auction will take place two days before the 60th anniversary of the song’s recording.
On top of all that, Dylan’s new version of “Blowin’ in the Wind” was recorded during a special session with Burnett and pressed on the producer’s new “Ionic Original” disc. Burnett announced the new recording format — and an accompanying company, NeoFidelity — last month, boasting that the quality of Ionic Originals far surpassed recordings issued digitally, or on CD and vinyl. Though the discs bare a resemblance to vinyl LPs, and are played similarly, they are instead made from lacquer painted onto an aluminum disc, then etched with the sound recording.
“Sixty years after Bob first wrote and recorded ‘Blowin’ In The Wind’, he is giving us a new recording of his song; one that is both deeply relevant for our times and resonant with decades of the artist’s life and experience,” Burnett said in a statement.
Prior to the auction, Dylan’s new recording of “Blowin’ in the Wind” will be available to hear at special appointment-only, in-person listening sessions. The disc will first be in Los Angeles on June 8, then New York City on June 15, and finally at a pre-sale exhibition in London July 2 through 7.
While the “Blowin’ in the Wind” Ionic Original is the first proper release on Burnett’s new format, the song was reportedly one of several tunes Dylan recorded during the session. It’s unclear if, or when, those other recordings will see release, nor is it known what other songs Dylan re-recorded. A press release at the time stated only that Dylan had personally chosen the set list.
