Bob Dylan's new version of 'Blowin' in the wind' recording to auction for an estimated $1.2 Million

A unique recording of ‘Blowin' in the Wind’ by Bob Dylan, made in March 2021 on a brand-new record format, may fetch over $1 million on July 7 at auction. The album includes a rendition of the iconic Dylan song ‘Blowin' in the Wind’ that Dylan and his longtime friend and partner T Bone Burnett, created in 2021. Since Dylan composed the song in 1962, this is the first brand-new studio rendition of it. 

According to Burnett, it "felt holy." He told BBC News that "It always feels holy for me, playing with Bob — and I think we did it in one take, if I’m not mistaken."

The auction is taking place at Christie’s in London. 

The one-off edition also includes a brand-new record, which is a combination of the components that are used in CDs and vinyl. The mix of materials promises greater durability and sound quality in comparison to vinyl alone. Burnett, who assisted in the creation of the new format, calls it "the pinnacle of sound" and notes that it can be played on any standard turntable.

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The album can be heard by fans at Christie's in London before it is sold at auction. A side area designated for listening to Dylan's record in the auction house where the 10-inch disc is handled by a staff member wearing silk gloves and placed on a $35,000 hi-fi system. Listeners can feel the "warmth and precision" of the sound via headphones. 

Burnett says, "We’re only making one because we view this work as the equivalent of an oil painting," adding that he is hopeful about the future of music that will release in this format, which will help to "develop a music space in the fine arts." According to the Grammy award winner, this enables artists to combat "the devaluing of our work by the commoditization of the internet." Brunette’s award-winning tracks have featured in movies such as ‘O Brother’, ‘Where Art Thou?’ and ‘The Big Lebowski.’ 

The latest audio format, known as Ionic Original, was initially announced in April this year. It contains "lacquer painted onto an aluminum disc, with a spiral etched into it by music." This technology is implemented in the music industry to make test pressings, which are also called acetates or dubplates. Musicians agree that pressings that are developed in this manner sound far better than vinyl. However, the power of the needle pressing into the lacquer causes them to quickly deteriorate.

'Blowing In The Wind' song:-

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"So we started looking into what they use on the Space Station to shield it from the direct light of the sun," Burnett explains. "And we’ve been able to coat the acetate with that, and it removes enough friction that the acetate doesn’t degrade over thousands of plays," he adds. 

Because these discs cannot currently be mass-produced, they will probably continue to be valuable collectibles and could be profitable investment opportunities for the future. Burnett expects that they will eventually be widely used. "I don’t look at this as a replacement for anything," he says.

He further added, saying, "I just look at it as another arrow in the quiver for every musician in the world—a whole new way of earning a living that we’ve never had before."