I just got the LP today. Have got through sides 1-3, haven't done side 4 yet. I think it would be a stretch to call it a "masterpiece" and I definitely have to listen more. There is a "flatness", sound wise, to the record that Ben describes above, without a doubt. I'd bet a lot of money the original master is digital not analog. While it sounds reasonable, I think it could've sounded much better with a bit more care in the studio. I find Bob's voice to be really miked hot on side 3 and think they should've dialed him down a bit. Then again, I've got a fairly big smudge and some scuffing on that side of the album (along with some problems on other sides including excessive label glue) which may be contributing to that but I doubt it. I like how Sony has a small blurb inside the record talking about the quality control etc. with their phone #. I'll be giving them a call but will probably just keep what I've got for fear that the replacement will be worse.
Bob taking writing credits for Rollin and Tumblin and Someday Baby is a bit of a joke. While he may have twisted a few words around on these ones, they are old blues songs that have been performed thousands of times. I like Bob, but he's really stretching it there.
