A one-off re-recording of Bob Dylan’s 1963 song ‘Blowin’ In The Wind’ has sold for almost £1.5 million.
The record was sold by Christie’s in London on Thursday, and beat the auction house’s original estimate of £600,000 – £1 million. Bidding lasted just four minutes, and the name of the bidder is yet to be released. Christie’s said it was “pleased with the excellent result”.
It is the first new studio recording of the classic since Dylan wrote it in 1962, with this version of Blowin’ In The Wind presented on a unique “Ionic Original” disc. These discs are a type of patented technology that promise to deliver higher audio quality than traditional vinyl.
They are made out of aluminium, treated with a layer of nitrocellulose then coated with a sapphire and quartz gradient. It remains playable on any regular turntable.
T Bone Burnett helped produce and play on Dylan’s new recording. “We recorded it live,” he told the BBC earlier this week, “and I think we did it in one take, if I’m not mistaken. It felt holy. It always feels holy for me, playing with Bob.”
This new recording sees Dylan deliver the lyrics as a very different person to when it was first recorded. What was an angry, young man’s protest song, has become “a more contemplative reflection on humanity’s inability to learn from its mistakes,” writes the BBC.
Dylan is backed by a small band, including Greg Leisz on mandolin and Don Was on bass.
It’s likely, however, that the public never hear the song. It was sold as a one-off physical object, and the buyer has no rights to distribute it.
