A month ago, Americana overlord T Bone Burnett announced the advent of a new analog audio format called Ionic Originals, released through Burnett’s company NeoFidelity, Inc. and billed as “the pinnacle of recorded sound.” Each disc is a one-of-a-kind artifact, supposedly containing sound quality that surpasses standard vinyl and high-quality digital audio. As explained by Burnett, “Not only is an Ionic Original the equivalent of a painting, it is a painting. It is lacquer painted onto an aluminum disc, with a spiral etched into it by music. This painting, however, has the additional quality of containing that music, which can be heard by putting a stylus into the spiral and spinning it.”

The announcement also included news that Bob Dylan had re-recorded some of his classic songs for release as Ionic Originals. Today Christie’s has announced that the first of those recordings, a new take on the early Dylan classic “Blowin’ In The Wind,” will go up for auction July 7 for an estimated price of £600,000-1,000,000. This is billed as Dylan’s first recording of the song since 1962, and I’m definitely curious to hear what it sounds like. (Can you imagine those lyrics sung in his current grizzled croak? Did he keep the old acoustic setup, or has the song been transformed into smoky blues or some kind of ethereal “Murder Most Foul” situation?) Alas, for now it appears this new “Blowin’ In The Wind” will only be released as an Ionic Original, to be enjoyed by one rich person and their friends.

Well, there is one way to hear it other than buying it. You simply have to express interest in buying it and convince the Christie’s people you’re a serious enough bidder to get a preview. The auction house will be hosting private listening sessions by appointment: first in Los Angeles on June 8, then in New York on June 15, and finally in London from July 2-7 leading up to the auction.

A statement from Burnett:

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. We’re grateful to Christie’s for their belief in the “Ionic Original” and for presenting Bob’s masterful recording to the world in a unique and meaningful way.

And here are some more pictures: