Thursday, May 30, 2024

Bob Dylan: Retrospective (1959-2024)

Bob Dylan

A Retrospective: 1959-2024

Overview:

Folk-rock singer/songwriter, guitarist, and harmonica player Bob Dylan was born Robert Allen Zimmerman on 5/24/1941 in Duluth, Minnesota. He took his stage name from poet Dylan Thomas. He gained a reputation as one of rock music’s greatest lyricists with his political and socially conscious songs, even winning a Pulitzer Prize in 2008 for his lyrics.

He went to New York City in 1960 and worked in folk clubs in Greenwich Village. He signed to Columbia Records in October 1961. He retired briefly following a motorcycle accident on 7/29/1966. He was born into a Jewish family but became a born-again Christian in the late ‘70s and released several gospel-oriented albums from 1979-81 before returning to more folk-rock oriented fare. He has steadily toured since the late 1980s on what has been dubbed the Never Ending Tour. He was also a member of the supergroup The Traveling Wilburys (1988-91).

Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone” and Jimi Hendrix’s cover of “All Along the Watchtower” are featured in the DMDB book The Top 100 Songs of the Rock Era 1954-1999. Three of his albums – Highway 61 Revisited (1965), Blonde on Blonde (1966), and Blood on the Tracks (1975) – are featured in the DMDB book The Top 100 Albums of All Time.

Links on this Page:

Links Beyond This Page:

Awards:

Hover over badge for details. Click to go to DMDB page for that award.

Studio Albums:

Compilations:

Under each album snapshot, songs featured on the anthologies are noted. If the song charted, the date of the song’s release or first chart appearance and its chart peaks are noted in parentheses. Click for codes to charts.

Live Albums:

Listed chronologically by recording date, not release date.

Under each album snapshot, songs featured on the live albums are noted. If the song charted, the date of the song’s release or first chart appearance and its chart peaks are noted in parentheses. Click for codes to charts.

Archives:

Listed chronologically by recording date, not release date.

Under each album snapshot, songs featured on the archival collections are noted. If the song charted, the date of the song’s release or first chart appearance and its chart peaks are noted in parentheses. Click for codes to charts.

Top 100 Songs

These are the top songs by Bob Dylan (recorded by him and other artists) as ranked by the DMDB. The codes beside the songs indicate which of the above albums the songs appear on. In addition, you can scroll farther down the page to see a snapshot of the individual albums with the singles from each indicated. The songs are again followed by the codes, but also for those songs that charted, the date of the song’s release or first chart appearance and its chart peaks are noted in parentheses.

DMDB Top 1%:

1. Like a Rolling Stone (1965)
2. All Along the Watchtower (Jimi Hendrix Experience, 1968)
3. Mr. Tambourine Man (The Byrds, 1965)
4. Blowin’ in the Wind (1963)
5. The Times They Are A-Changin’ (1964)
6. Tangled Up in Blue (1975)

DMDB Top 2%:

7. Subterranean Homesick Blues (1965)
8. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (1973)
9. Lay Lady Lay (1969)

DMDB Top 5%:

10. Hurricane (1975)

11. Positively 4th Street (1965)
12. Wagon Wheel (Darius Rucker, 2013)
13. Just Like a Woman (1966)
14. Blowin’ in the Wind (Peter, Paul & Mary; 1963)
15. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 (1966)
16. Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright (1963)
17. My Back Pages (The Byrds, 1967)
18. To Make You Feel My Love (Adele, 2008)
19. I Want You (1966)
20. Mr. Tambourine Man (1965)

21. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Guns N’ Roses, 1987)

DMDB Top 10%:

22. Handle with Care (Traveling Wilburys, 1988)
23. Desolation Row (1965)
24. Visions of Johanna (1966)
25. Mississippi (2001)
26. Things Have Changed (2000)
27. Forever Young (Rod Stewart, 1988)
28. End of the Line (Traveling Wilburys, 1988)
29. You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere (The Byrds, 1968)
30. Blowin’ in the Wind (Stevie Wonder, 1966)

31. It Ain’t Me Babe (The Turtles, 1965)
32. If Not for You (Olivia Newton-John, 1971)
33. Masters of War (1963)
34. All Along the Watchtower (1967)
35. A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall (1963)
36. All I Really Want to Do (The Byrds, 1965)
37. The Mighty Quinn (Manfred Mann, 1968)
38. Gotta Serve Somebody (1979)
39. It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue (1965)
40. Forever Young (1974)

41. I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight (1967)

DMDB Top 20%:

42. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Eric Clapton, 1975)
43. Maggie’s Farm (1965)
44. Shelter from the Storm (1975)
45. Everything Is Broken (1989)
46. Like a Rolling Stone (The Rolling Stones, 1995)
47. The House of the Rising Sun (1962)
48. I Threw It All Away (1969)
49. Ballad of a Thin Man (1965)
50. Dignity (1994)

51. Every Grain of Sand (1981)
52. Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat (1966)
53. Most Likely You Go Your Way and I’ll Go Mine (live with the Band, 1974)
54. If Not for You (1970)
55. Highway 61 Revisited (1965)
56. My Back Pages (1964)
57. A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall (Bryan Ferry, 1973)
58. Watching the River Flow (1971)
59. Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again (1966)
60. Like a Rolling Stone (John Mellencamp, 1992)

61. Can You Please Crawl Out My Window? (1966)
62. On a Night Like This (with the Band, 1974)
63. Blind Willie McTell (1983)
64. Girl from the North Country (1963)
65. It Ain’t Me, Babe (1964)
66. To Make You Feel My Love (Billy Joel, 1997)
67. Simple Twist of Fate (1975)
68. Jokerman (1983)
69. A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall (Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, 1990)
70. I Shall Be Released (with The Band, 1967)

71. I Shall Be Released (The Band, 1968)
72. My Back Pages (live with Roger McGuinn, Tom Petty, Neil Young, Eric Clapton, & George Harrison, 1992)
73. Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here with You (1969)
74. Blowin’ in the Wind (U2, 1984)
75. To Make You Feel My Love (Garth Brooks, 1998)
76. The Mighty Quinn (with the Band, 1967)
77. With God on Our Side (1964)
78. Idiot Wind (1975)
79. Chimes of Freedom (The Byrds, 1965)
80. You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere (with the Band, 1967)

81. One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later) (1966)
82. Lily, Rosemary, and the Jack of Hearts (1967)
83. Masters of War (Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder & Mike McCready live, 1992)
84. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Randy Crawford with Eric Clapton & David Sanborn, 1989)
85. Wigwam (1970)

Beyond the DMDB Top 20%:

86. I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight (Robert Palmer with UB40, 1990)
87. Not Dark Yet (1997)
88. The Times They Are A-Changin’ (Billy Joel, 1987)
89. Blowin’ in the Wind (Hooters, 1994)
90. Love Sick (1997)

91. Mozambique (1976)
92. It Ain’t Me, Babe (Johnny Cash & June Carter Cash, 1964)
93. She’s My Baby (Traveling Wilburys, 1990)
94. Isis (1976)
95. Wagon Wheel (Old Crow Medicine Show, 2004)
96. All Along the Watchtower (Indigo Girls, 1990)
97. Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright (Four Seasons, 1963)
98. Like a Rolling Stone (The Jimi Hendrix Experience, 1967)
99. You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go (1975)
100. Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright (Peter, Paul & Mary; 1963)

Top 50 Albums

These are the top albums by Bob Dylan. Dave’s Music Database lists are determined by album’s appearances on best-of lists as well as chart success, sales, critics’ ratings, and awards. Special and deluxe editions of albums are not included.

Ranked in Dave’s Music Database’s Top 1000 Albums of All Time:

1. Blonde on Blonde (1966)
2. Highway 61 Revisited (1965)
3. Blood on the Tracks (1975)
4. Bringing It All Back Home (1965)
5. The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan (1963)
6. Love and Theft (2001)
7. Time Out of Mind (1997)
8. Greatest Hits (compilation: 1962-66, released 1967)
9. John Wesley Harding (1967)
10. Desire (1976)

11. Modern Times (2006)
12. The Royal Albert Hall Concert (The Bootleg Series Volume 4) (live, recorded 1966)
13. Nashville Skyline (1969)
14. Traveling Wilburys, Vol. 1 (1988)
15. The Basement Tapes (archives, recorded in 1967 with the Band)
16. Biograph (box set: 1962-1981, released in 1985)
17. Another Side of Bob Dylan (1964)

Beyond Dave’s Music Database’s Top 1000 Albums of All Time:

18. Best of (compilation: 1963-2012, released 2013)
19. The Times They Are A-Changin’ (1964)
20. Greatest Hits Vol. II (compilation: 1962-71, released 1971)

21. Rare & Unrelreased (The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3) (archives: 1961-89, released 1991)n
22. Rough and Rowdy Ways (2020)
23. The Essential (compilation: 1962-1999, released 2000)
24. Before the Flood (live with The Band, 1974)
25. The Very Best of (compilation: 1963-2012, released 2013)
26. Best of the Original Mono Recordings (compilation:1962-67, released 2010)
27. Best of, Volume 2 (compilation: 1963-2000, released 2000)
28. Dylan (box set: 1962-2006, released 2007)
29. Oh Mercy (1989)
30. Planet Waves (with the Band, 1974)

31. The Witmark Demos (The Bootleg Series Volume 9) (archives, recorded 1962-1964)
32. The Cutting Edge (The Bootleg Series, Volume 12) (demos box, 1965-66, released 2015)
33. Slow Train Coming (1979)
34. Greatest Hits Volume 3 (compilation: 1973-90, released 1994)
35. Bob Dylan (1962)
36. Together Through Life (2009)
37. Masterpieces (compilation: 1962-76, released 1978)
38. Tempest (2012)
39. Live at the Isle of Wight Festival (recorded 1969, released 2013)
40. Beyond Here Lies Nothin’: The Collection (covers 1963-2009, released 2011)

41. Triplicate (2017)
42. No Direction Home (The Bootleg Series Volume 7) (archives/soundtrack, recorded 1959-1966, released 2005)
43. New Morning (1970)
44. At Budokan (live, 1978)
45. Playlist: The Very Best of the ‘60s (compilation: 1963-69, released 2008)
46. The Rolling Thunder Revue (The Bootleg Series Volume 5) (live, recorded 1975, released 2002)
47. Street Legal (1978)
48. Infidels (1983)
49.

  • Traveling Wilburys, Vol. 3 (1990)
    50. The Concert at Philharmonic Hall (The Bootleg Series Volume 6) (live, recorded 1964)

    51. Good As I Been to You (1992)
    52. Shot of Love (1981)
    53. World Gone Wrong (1993)
    54. Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (soundtrack, 1973)
    55. Don’t Look Back (soundtrack, 1967)
    56. Self Portrait (1970)
    57. Shadows in the Night (2015)
    58. Empire Burlesque (1985)
    59. Saved (1980)
    60. Under the Red Sky (1990)
    61. Knocked Out Loaded (1988)
    62. Hard Rain (live, 1976)

    • Bob Dylan

    Bob Dylan

    Released: March 19, 1962

    Peak: --

    Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, 1.0 world (includes US + UK)

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    3.302 out of 5.00 (average of 20 ratings)

    Tracks:

    1. You’re No Good
    2. Talkin’ New York
    3. In My Time of Dyin’
    4. Man of Constant Sorrow ND
    5. Fixin’ to Die
    6. Pretty Peggy-O
    7. Highway 51
    8. Gospel Plow
    9. Baby, Let Me Follow You Down (first recorded 11/20/61) WD, RA, BG
    10. The House of the Rising Sun
    11. Freight Train Blues
    12. Song to Woody ND, OM, MP, DE
    13. See That My Grave Is Kept Clean

    Total Running Time: 36:54

    Non-Album Tracks from That Era:

    • When I Got Troubles (recorded by Dylan’s high school friend Ric Kangas, 1959) ND
    • Rambler, Gambler (home recording, late 1960) ND
    • This Land Is Your Land (live, 11/4/61) ND
    • Man on the Street (first recorded 11/22/61) WD, RU
    • He Was a Friend of Mine (recorded 11/20/61) RU
    • House Carpenter (first recorded 11/22/61) AS, RU
    • Dink’s Song (Minnesota Hotel Tape, 12/22/61) ND
    • I Was Young When I Left Home (Minnesota Hotel Tape, 12/22/61) ND
    • Hard Times in New York Town (first recorded 12/22/61) WD, RU
    • Talkin’ Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues (first recorded 2/2/62) BU, RU
    • Poor Boy Blues (recorded Feb. ’62) WD
    • Ballad for a Friend (recorded Feb. ’62) WD
    • Rambling, Gambling Willie (first recorded Feb. ’62) WD, RU
    • Standing on the Highway (recorded Feb. ’62) WD

    About the Album:
    “Bob Dylan's first album is a lot like the debut albums by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones — a sterling effort, outclassing most, if not all, of what came before it in the genre, but similarly eclipsed by the artist's own subsequent efforts. The difference was that not very many people heard Bob Dylan on its original release…At the time of Bob Dylan’s release, the folk revival was rolling, and interpretation was considered more important than original composition by most of that audience. A significant portion of the record is possessed by the style and spirit of Woody Guthrie, whose influence as a singer and guitarist hovers over Man of Constant Sorrow and Pretty Peggy-O.” AMG He also covers House of the Rising Sun, later made famous by the Animals. Despite the rumors, their version was inspired by Josh White, not Dylan. AMG

    There are also “two originals here, the savagely witty Talkin’ New York and the poignant Song to Woody; and it's also hard to believe that he wasn’t aware of Jimmie Rodgers and Roy Acuff when he cut Freight Train Blues.” AMG They “serve as the bridge between Dylan's stylistic roots, as delineated on this album, and the more powerful and daringly original work that followed.” AMG

    “One can also hear the influences of Bukka White, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Blind Willie Johnson, and Furry Lewis…and this is where Dylan departed significantly from most of his contemporaries. Other white folksingers of the era, including his older contemporaries Eric Von Schmidt and Dave Van Ronk, had incorporated blues in their work, but Dylan’s presentation was more in your face, resembling in some respects (albeit in a more self-conscious way) the work of John Hammond, Jr., the son of the man who signed Dylan to Columbia Records and produced this album, who was just starting out in his own career at the time this record was made. There’s a punk-like aggressiveness to the singing and playing here.” AMG

    “His raspy-voiced delivery and guitar style were modeled largely on Guthrie’s classic 1940s and early 1950s recordings, but the assertiveness of the bluesmen he admires also comes out, making this one of the most powerful records to come out of the folk revival…Within a year of its release, Dylan…would alter the boundaries of that revival beyond recognition, but this album marked the pinnacle of that earlier phase, before it was overshadowed by this artist’s more ambitious subsequent work.” AMG

    Review Source(s):

    The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan

    Bob Dylan

    Released: May 27, 1963

    Peak: 22 US, 12 UK, -- CN, -- AU

    Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, -- UK, 3.5 world (includes US + UK)

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    4.678 out of 5.00 (average of 25 ratings)

    Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

    Tracks:

    1. Blowin’ in the Wind [2:49] (8/13/63, 1 CL) G1, ND, OM, BF, RT, MP, AB, BG, B1, ES, DE, SE, BN, VB, 40, MM
    2. Girl from the North Country [3:23] (first recorded 5/63) WD, RL
    3. Masters of War [4:38] (first recorded 3/63, 9 CL) BU, WD, ND, MP, BG, RL, DE
    4. Down the Highway [3:32]
    5. Bob Dylan’s Blues [2:28] (first recorded 4/63) WD
    6. A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall [6:53] (first recorded 12/62, 11 CL) WD, PH, ND, 60, G2, RT, MP, B2, DE, 40
    7. Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right [3:40] (first recorded 3/63, 5 CL) WD, PH, ND, G2, BF, MP, AB, B1, ES, DE, VB, 40
    8. Bob Dylan’s Dream [5:02] (first recorded 4/63) BU, WD
    9. Oxford Town [1:50] (first recorded 3/63) WD
    10. Talking World War III Blues [6:27] BU, PH
    11. Corrina, Corrina (traditional) [2:44]
    12. Honey, Just Allow Me One More Chance (Dylan/Thomas) [2:00] BU
    13. I Shall Be Free [4:47] (first recorded 4/63) WD
    Songs written by Bob Dylan unless noted otherwise.

    Total Running Time: 44:14

    Non-Album Tracks from That Era:

    • Sally Gal (recorded 4/24/62) ND
    • Let Me Die in My Footsteps (recorded 4/25/62) WD, RU
    • Talkin’ Hava Negeilah Blues (recorded 4/25/62) RU
    • Baby, I’m in the Mood for You (recorded 7/9/62) BG
    • Quit Your Low Down Ways (first recorded 7/9/62) WD, RU
    • Worried Blues (recorded 7/9/62) RU
    • No More Auction Block (recorded live, 10/62) RU
    • Long Ago, Far Away (recorded 11/1/62) WD
    • Kingsport Town (recorded 11/14/62) RU
    • The Death of Emmett Till (recorded Dec. ‘62) WD
    • Tomorrow Is a Long Time (first recorded Dec. ‘62) WD, G2, MP
    • Bound to Lose, Bound to Win (recorded Feb. ‘63) WD
    • All Over You (recorded Feb. ‘63) WD
    • I’d Hate to Be You on That Dreadful Day (recorded Feb. ‘63) WD
    • Long Time Gone (recorded Feb. ‘63) WD
    • Talkin’ John Birch Paranoid Blues (first recorded Feb. ’63) BU, WD, PH, RU
    • Farewell (recorded Mar. ‘63) WD
    • Walkin’ Down the Line (recorded Mar. ‘63) WD, RU
    • Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie (poem, recorded live 4/12/63) RU
    • Walls of Red Wing (recorded 4/24/63) RU
    • Seven Curses (recorded May ‘63) WD
    • Hero Blues (recorded May ‘63) WD

    About the Album:
    “It's hard to overestimate the importance of The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, the record that firmly established Dylan as an unparalleled songwriter, one of considerable skill, imagination, and vision. At the time, folk had been quite popular on college campuses and bohemian circles, making headway onto the pop charts in diluted form, and while there certainly were a number of gifted songwriters, nobody had transcended the scene as Dylan did with this record.” AMG

    “There are a couple (very good) covers, with Corrina Corrina and Honey Just Allow Me One More Chance, but they pale with the originals here. At the time, the social protests received the most attention, and deservedly so, since Blowin’ in the Wind , Masters of War, and A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall weren’t just specific in their targets; they were gracefully executed and even melodic.” AMG

    “Although they’ve proven resilient throughout the years, if that’s all Freewheelin' had to offer, it wouldn’t have had its seismic impact, but this also revealed a songwriter who could turn out whimsy (Don't Think Twice, It’s All Right), gorgeous love songs (Girl from the North Country), and cheerfully absurdist humor (Bob Dylan's Blues, Bob Dylan's Dream) with equal skill.” AMG

    “This is rich, imaginative music, capturing the sound and spirit of America as much as that of Louis Armstrong, Hank Williams, or Elvis Presley. Dylan, in many ways, recorded music that equaled this, but he never topped it.” AMG

    Review Source(s):

    In Concert: Brandeis University 1963

    Bob Dylan

    Recorded: May 10, 1963

    Released: April 11, 2011

    Peak: 128 US, -- UK, -- CN, -- AU

    Sales (in millions): --

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    3.283 out of 5.00 (average of 8 ratings)

    Tracks: (1) Honey, Just Allow Me One More Chance (2) Talkin’ John Birch Paranoid Blues (3) Ballad of Hollis Brown (4) Masters of War (5) Talking’ World War III Blues (6) Bob Dylan’s Dream (7) Talkin’ Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues

    Total Running Time: 38:22

    About the Album:
    A tape of this concert performed at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, was found in the basement of Ralph Gleason, a co-founder of Rolling Stone magazine, after his death. In the liner notes, critic Michael Gray calls it “the last live performance we have of Bob Dylan before he became a star.”

    The Times They Are A-Changin’

    Bob Dylan

    Released: January 13, 1964

    Peak: 20 US, 20 UK, -- CN, -- AU

    Sales (in millions): 0.5 US, -- UK, 2.0 world (includes US + UK)

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    3.778 out of 5.00 (average of 23 ratings)

    Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

    Tracks:

    1. The Times They Are A-Changin’ [3:15] (first recorded 10/24/63, released as single 3/25/65, 2 CL, 9 UK) WD, PH, G1, 60, OM, MP, AB, BG, RU, B1, ES, DE, SE, BN, VB, 40, MM
    2. Ballad of Hollis Brown [5:06] (first recorded 12/62) BU, WD
    3. With God on Our Side [7:08] PH, 60
    4. One Too Many Mornings [2:41] RA, IW
    5. North Country Blues [4:35]
    6. Only a Pawn in Their Game [3:33]
    7. Boots of Spanish Leather [4:40] (first recorded 4/63) WD, 60, BN
    8. When the Ship Comes In [3:18] ND
    9. The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll [5:48] PH, RT, BG
    10. Restless Farewell [5:32]
    All songs written by Bob Dylan.

    Total Running Time: 45:36

    Non-Album Tracks from That Era:

    • Seven Curses (recorded 8/6/63) RU
    • Paths of Victory (first recorded 8/12/63) WD, RU
    • Only a Hobo (recorded 8/12/63) WD, AS, RU
    • Moonshiner (recorded 8/12/63) RU
    • Whatcha Gonna Do (recorded 8/63) WD
    • Gypsy Lou (recorded 8/63) WD
    • Ain’t Gonna Grieve (recorded 8/63) WD
    • John Brown (recorded 8/63) WD
    • When the Ship Comes In (recorded 8/63) WD, RU
    • Percy’s Song (recorded 10/23/63) BG
    • Lay Down Your Weary Tune (recorded 10/24/63) BG
    • Eternal Circle (recorded 10/24/63) RU
    • Suze (The Cough Song) (recorded 10/24/63) RU
    • Who Killed Davey Moore? (recorded live 10/26/63) PH, RU
    • Guess I’m Doing Fine (recorded Jan. ‘84) WD

    About the Album:
    The Times They Are a-Changin’ is Dylan’s first collection of all originals. It “isn’t a marked step forward from The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan” AMG and “isn’t as rich” AMG “but it’s terrific by any other standard.” AMG With the title cut “he wrote an anthem that nearly equaled” AMG “Blowin’ in the Wind,” from Freewheelin’.

    “With God on Our Side and Only a Pawn in Their Game are nearly as good, while Ballad of Hollis Brown and The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll are remarkably skilled re-castings of contemporary tales of injustice.” AMG

    “Dylan has tempered his sense of humor considerably, choosing to concentrate on social protests.” AMG “His absurdity is missed, but he makes up for it with the wonderful One Too Many Mornings and Boots of Spanish Leather, two lovely classics.” AMG

    “If there are a couple of songs that don’t achieve the level of the aforementioned songs, that speaks more to the quality of those songs than the weakness of the remainder of the record.” AMG

    Review Source(s):

    Another Side of Bob Dylan

    Bob Dylan

    Released: August 8, 1964

    Peak: 43 US, 8 UK, -- CN, -- AU

    Sales (in millions): 0.5 US, -- UK, 1.5 world (includes US + UK)

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    4.206 out of 5.00 (average of 31 ratings)

    Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

    Tracks:

    1. All I Really Want to Do [4:04] PH, G2, AB, DE
    2. Black Crow Blues [3:14]
    3. Spanish Harlem Incident [2:24] PH
    4. Chimes of Freedom [7:10] ND, OM, 60
    5. I Shall Be Free, No. 10 [4:47]
    6. To Ramona [3:52] PH, IW, BG, BN
    7. Motorpsycho Nitemare [4:33]
    8. My Back Pages [4:22] (20 CL) G2, DE
    9. I Don’t Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met) [4:22] PH, RA, BG
    10. Ballad in Plain D [8:16]
    11. It Ain’t Me, Babe [3:33] (13 CL) PH, G1, OM, IW, BF, RT, MP, BG, RL, ES, B2, DE, BN, VB, 40
    All songs written by Bob Dylan.

    Total Running Time: 50:37

    Non-Album Tracks from That Era:

    • Mama, You Been on My Mind (recorded 6/9/64) WD, PH, RT, RU
    • I’ll Keep It with Mine (first recorded 6/64) WD, CE, BG, RU

    About the Album:
    “The other side of Bob Dylan referred to in the title is presumably his romantic, absurdist, and whimsical one — anything that wasn’t featured on the staunchly folky, protest-heavy Times They Are a-Changin', really. Because of this, Another Side of Bob Dylan is a more varied record and it's more successful, too, since it captures Dylan expanding his music, turning in imaginative, poetic performances on love songs and protest tunes alike.” AMG

    “This has an equal number of classics to its predecessor, actually, with All I Really Want to Do, Chimes of Freedom, My Back Pages, I Don’t Believe You, and It Ain’t Me Babe standing among his standards, but the key to the record’s success is the album tracks, which are graceful, poetic, and layered. Both the lyrics and music have gotten deeper and Dylan's trying more things — this, in its construction and attitude, is hardly strictly folk, as it encompasses far more than that. The result is one of his very best records, a lovely intimate affair.” AMG

    Review Source(s):

    Bringing It All Back Home

    Bob Dylan

    Released: March 22, 1965

    Peak: 6 US, 11 UK, -- CN, -- AU

    Sales (in millions): 1.5 US, -- UK, 3.5 world (includes US + UK)

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    4.567 out of 5.00 (average of 29 ratings)

    Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

    Tracks:

    1. Subterranean Homesick Blues [2:21] (4/3/65, 39 US, 52 CB, 53 HR, 6 AC, 2 CL, 9 UK) G1, CE, OM, MP, BG, RU, ES, B2, DE, SE, BN, VB, 40, MM
    2. She Belongs to Me [2:47] RA, ND, CE, IW, G2
    3. Maggie’s Farm [3:54] (6/19/65, 12 CL, 22 UK) ND, IW, G2, MP, RL, AB, ES, DE, SE, 40
    4. Love Minus Zero/No Limit [2:51] CE, RT, MP, AB
    5. Outlaw Blues [3:05] CE
    6. On the Road Again [2:35] CE
    7. Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream [6:30] CE
    8. Mr. Tambourine Man [5:30] (first recorded 6/64, single released 12/65, 4 CL) PH, G1, RA, ND, CE, OM, IW, 60, RT, MP, AB, BG, B1, ES, DE, SE, BN, VB, 40
    9. Gates of Eden [5:40] PH
    10. It’s Alright Ma, I’m Only Bleeding [7:29] PH, BF, AB, 60
    11. It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue [4:12] (16 CL) RA, ND, RT, B2, BG, ES, DE, BN, SK
    All songs written by Bob Dylan.

    Total Running Time: 47:21

    Non-Album Tracks from That Era:

    • If You Gotta Go, Go Now (Or Else You Got to Stay All Night) (first recorded live, 10/31/64) PH, CE, RU
    • Silver Dagger (recorded live, 10/31/64) PH

    About the Album:
    Go to the DMDB page for this album.

    The Witmark Demos: 1962-1964 (The Bootleg Series Vol. 9)

    Bob Dylan

    Recorded: February 1962 – June 1964

    Released: October 19, 2010

    Peak: 12 US, 18 UK, -- CN, 36 AU

    Sales (in millions): --

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    3.999 out of 5.00 (average of 16 ratings)

    Tracks, Disc 1: (1) Man on the Street (Fragment) (2) Hard Times in New York Town (3) Poor Boys Blues (4) Ballad for a Friend (5) Ramblin’, Gambling Willie (6) Talking Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues (7) Standing on the Highway (8) Man on the Street (9) Blowin’ in the Wind (10) Long Ago, Far Away (11) A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall (12) Tomorrow Is a Long Time (13) The Death of Emmett Till (14) Let Me Die in My Footsteps (15) Ballad of Hollis Brown (16) Quit Your Low Down Ways (17) Baby, I’m in the Mood for You (18) Bound to Lose, Bound to Win (19) All Over You (20) I’d Hate to Be You on That Dreadful Day (21) Long Time Gone (22) Talkin’ John Birch Paranoid Blues (23) Masters of War (24) Oxford Town (25) Farewell

    Tracks, Disc 2: (1) Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right (2) Walkin’ Down the Line (3) I Shall Be Free (4) Bob Dylan’s Blues (5) Bob Dylan’s Dream (6) Boots of Spanish Leather (7) Girl from the North Country (8) Seven Curses (9) Hero Blues (10) Whatcha Gonna Do? (11) Gypsy Lou (12) Ain’t Gonna Grieve (13) John Brown (14) Only a Hobo (15) When the Ship Comes In (16) The Times They Are A-Changin’ (17) Paths of Victory (18) Guess I’m Doing Fine (19) Baby, Let Me Follow You Down (20) Mama, You Been on My Mind (21) Mr. Tambourine Man (22) I’ll Keep It with Mine

    About the Album:
    This two-disc collection gathers demos Bob Dylan recorded with his first two publishing companies, Leeds Music and M. Witmark & Sons. It includes early versions of songs found on his first five studio albums as well as more than a dozen cuts not featured on any of Dylan’s studio albums.

    Concert at Philharmonic Hall, 1964 (The Bootleg Series Vol. 6)

    Bob Dylan

    Recorded: October 31, 1964

    Released: March 30, 2004

    Peak: 28 US, 33 UK, -- CN, -- AU

    Sales (in millions): --

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    4.104 out of 5.00 (average of 9 ratings)

    Tracks, Disc 1: (1) The Times They Are A-Changin’ (2) Spanish Harlem Incident (3) Talkin’ John Birch Paranoid Blues (4) To Ramona (5) Who Killed Davey Moore? (6) Gates of Eden (7) If You Gotta Go, Go Now (Or Else You Got to Stay All Night) (8) It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding) (9) I Don’t Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met) (1) Mr. Tambourine Man (11) A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall

    Tracks, Disc 2: (1) Talkin’ World War III Blues (2) Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right (3) The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll (4) Mama, You Been on My Mind (5) Silver Dagger (6) With God on Our Side (7) It Ain’t Me, Babe (8) All I Really Want to Do

    Total Running Time: 104:12

    About the Album:
    This is a live recording of a concert Bob Dylan performed on Halloween night in 1964 at the Philharmonic Hall in Manhattan, New York. It included a few songs which wouldn’t officially be released until Dylan’s 1965 album Bringing It All Back Home.

    Highway 61 Revisited

    Bob Dylan

    Released: August 30, 1965

    Peak: 3 US, 4 UK, -- CN, -- AU

    Sales (in millions): 1.5 US, 0.1 UK, 10.0 world (includes US + UK)

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    4.755 out of 5.00 (average of 28 ratings)

    Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

    Tracks:

    1. Like a Rolling Stone [6:13] (7/20/65, 2 US, 1 CB, 2 HR, 1 CL, 4 UK, 2 CN, 7 AU) G1, RA, ND, 60, CE, OM, IW, BF, BG, RU, MP, AB, B1, ES, DE, SE, BN, VB, 40, MM
    2. Tombstone Blues [6:00] ND, CE, OM, BG, RL, BN, SK
    3. It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry [4:09] ND, CE, RT, RU
    4. From a Buick 6 [3:19]
    5. Ballad of a Thin Man [5:58] RA, ND, BF, MP, RL, AB
    6. Queen Jane Approximately [5:31] CE, SK
    7. Highway 61 Revisited [3:30] ND, CE, IW, AS, BF, RL, B2
    8. Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues [5:32] RA, ND, CE, G2, MP, SK
    9. Desolation Row [11:22] RA, ND, CE, BN

    Total Running Time: 51:26

    Non-Album Tracks from That Era:

    • Farewell, Angelina (recorded 1/13/65) CE, RU
    • You Don’t Have to Do That (recorded 1/13/65) CE
    • California (recorded 1/13/65) CE
    • Sitting on a Barbed Wire Fence (recorded 6/15/65) CE, RU

    About the Album:
    Go to the DMDB page for this album.

    Blonde on Blonde

    Bob Dylan

    Released: June 20, 1966

    Peak: 9 US, 3 UK, -- CN, 4 AU

    Sales (in millions): 2.0 US, 0.3 UK, 10.0 world (includes US + UK)

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    4.694 out of 5.00 (average of 28 ratings)

    Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

    Tracks:

    1. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 [4:36] (4/16/66, 2 US, 2 CB, 2 HR, 2 CL, 7 UK) G1, OM, BF, MP, ES, B2, DE, SE, 40
    2. Pledging My Time [3:50] CE, SK
    3. Visions of Johanna [7:33] (5 CL) RA, ND, CE, BG
    4. One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later) [4:54] CE, BN
    5. I Want You [3:07] (7/2/66, 20 US, 25 CB, 22 HR, 9 CL, 16 UK) G1, CE, OM, 60, MP, AB, BG, B2, BN, VB, 40
    6. Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again [7:05] (16 CL) ND, CE, G2
    7. Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat [3:58] RA, ND, CE
    8. Just Like a Woman [4:52] (9/10/66, 33 US, 28 CB, 26 HR, 3 CL, 43 UK) G1, RA, CE, BF, RT, OM, MP, AB, BG, B1, ES, DE, SE, BN, VB, 40
    9. Most Likely You Go Your Way and I’ll Go Mine [3:30] (live: 7/27/74, 66 US, 47 CB, 79 HR, 20 CL) BF, BG, DE, 40, SK
    10. Temporary Like Achilles [5:02]
    11. Absolutely Sweet Marie [4:57] CE
    12. 4th Time Around [4:35] RA
    13. Obviously 5 Believers [3:35]
    14. Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands [11:20]
    All songs written by Bob Dylan.

    Non-Album Tracks from That Era:

    • Positively 4th Street (9/25/65, 7 US, 9 CB, 9 HR, 3 CL, 8 UK, 1 CN) G1, CE, OM, 60, MP, BG, ES, B2, DE, SE, 40
    • Medicine Sunday (recorded 10/5/65) CE
    • I Wanna Be Your Lover (recorded 10/65) BG
    • Jet Pilot (recorded 10/65) BG
    • Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window? (1/1/66, 58 US, 58 CB, 55 HR, 18 CL, 17 UK) CE, MP, BG
    • She’s Your Lover Now (recorded 1/21/66) CE, RU
    • Lunatic Princess (recorded 1/27/66) CE
    • Tell Me, Momma (live 5/17/66) RA

    Total Running Time: 72:57

    About the Album:
    Go to the DMDB page for this album.

    Greatest Hits

    Bob Dylan

    Recorded: 1962-1966

    Released: March 27, 1967

    Peak: 10 US, 6 UK, -- CN, -- AU

    Sales (in millions): 5.0 US, -- UK, 11.7 world (includes US and UK)

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    4.533 out of 5.00 (average of 12 ratings)

    Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

    Tracks: (1) Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 (2) Blowin’ in the Wind (3) The Times They Are A-Changin’ (4) It Ain’t Me Babe (5) Like a Rolling Stone (6) Mr. Tambourine Man (7) Subterranean Homesick Blues (8) I Want You (9) Positively 4th Street (10) Just Like a Woman

    Total Running Time: 40:44

    About the Album:
    Dylan released seven albums from 1962 to 1966 and, frankly, would have achieved legendary status if he never recorded again. Amongst the iconic songs recorded during this period and featured on this collection are Blowin’ in the Wind, The Times They Are A-Changin’, Rainy Day Women #12 & 35, and, of course, Like a Rolling Stone, one of the most legendary songs in the history of rock and roll.

    The Royal Albert Hall Concert (The Bootleg Series Vol. 4)

    Bob Dylan

    Recorded: May 17, 1966

    Released: October 13, 1998

    Peak: 31 US, 19 UK, -- CN, -- AU

    Sales (in millions): 0.5 US, 0.06 UK

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    4.388 out of 5.00 (average of 21 ratings)

    Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

    Tracks, Disc 1: (1) She Belongs to Me (2) 4th Time Around (3) Visions of Johanna (4) It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue (5) Desolation Row (6) Just Like a Woman (7) Mr. Tambourine Man

    Tracks, Disc 2: (1) Tell Me, Momma (2) I Don’t Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met) (3) Baby, Let Me Follow You Down (4) Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues (5) Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat (6) One Too Many Mornings (7) Ballad of a Thin Man (8) Like a Rolling Stone

    Total Running Time: 95:18

    About the Album:
    Go to the DMDB page for this album.

    No Direction Home Soundtrack (The Bootleg Series Vol. 7)

    Bob Dylan

    Recorded: 1959-1966

    Released: August 30, 2005

    Peak: 16 US, 21 UK, -- CN, -- AU

    Sales (in millions): 0.5 US, 0.1 UK

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    3.512 out of 5.00 (average of 10 ratings)

    Tracks, Disc 1: (1) When I Got Troubles (2) Rambler, Gambler (3) This Land Is Your Land (live) (4) Song to Woody (5) Dink’s Song (6) I Was Young When I Left Home (7) Sally Gal (8) Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right (9) Man of Constant Sorrow (10) Blowin’ in the Wind (live) (11) Masters of War (live) (12) A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall (live) (13) When the Ship Comes In (live) (14) Mr. Tambourine Man (15) Chimes of Freedom (live) (16) It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue

    Tracks, Disc 2: (1) She Belongs to Me (2) Maggie’s Farm (live) (3) It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry (4) Tombstone Blues (5) Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues (6) Desolation Row (7) Highway 61 Revisited (8) Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat (9) Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again (10) Visions of Johanna (11) Ballad of a Thin Man (live) (13) Like a Rolling Stone (live)

    Total Running Time: 144:31

    About the Album:
    This served as the soundtrack for No Direction Home, a PBS television documentary on Dylan by Martin Scorsese. The two-disc compilation gathered outtakes and live recordings covering Dylan’s seven studio albums from 1962 to 1966 and gathering some rare material from before he recorded his debut album.

    The Cutting Edge 1965-1966 (The Bootleg Series Vol. 12)

    Bob Dylan

    Recorded: January 13, 1965 to May 13, 1966

    Released: November 6, 2015

    Peak: 33 US, 12 UK (peaks for 2-disc version)

    Sales (in millions): --

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    4.150 out of 5.00 (average of 16 ratings)

    Tracks, Disc 1: (1) Love Minus Zero/No Limit (2) I’ll Keep It with Mine (3) Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream (4) She Belongs to Me (5) Subterranean Homesick Blues (6) Outlaw Blues (7) On the Road Again (8) Farewell Angelina (9) If You Gotta Go, Go Now (10) You Don’t Have to Do That (11) California (12) Mr. Tambourine Man (13) It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry (14) Like a Rolling Stone (short version) (15) Like a Rolling Stone (16) Sitting on a Barbed Wire Fence (17) Medicine Sunday (18) Desolation Row (take 2, piano demo) (19) Desolation Row (take 1, alternate version)

    Tracks, Disc 2: (1) Tombstone Blues (2) Positively 4th Street (3) Can You Please Crawl Out Your Wind? (4) Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues (5) Highway 61 Revisited (take 3, alternate take) (6) Queen Jane Approximately (7) Visions of Johanna (8) She’s Your Lover Now (9) Lunatic Princess (10) Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat (11) One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later) (12) Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again (13) Absolutely Sweet Marie (14) Just Like a Woman (15) Pledging My Time (16) I Want You (17) Highway 61 Revisited (take 7, false start)

    Total Running Time: 144:31

    About the Album:
    The Cutting Edge gathers demos and outtakes Dylan recording during the sessions for Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited, and Blonde on Blonde. It was released in three versions – the standard, six-disc version, the two-disc best of (track listing above), and a whopping 18-disc collector’s edition that included every take and alternate version of all songs recorded by Dylan from 1965-1966. See the full track listing and recording details for the collector’s edition at BobDylan.com.

    The Basement Tapes

    Bob Dylan & The Band

    Recorded: June – October 1967

    Released: June 26, 1975

    Peak: 7 US, 8 UK, 22 CN, -- AU

    Sales (in millions): 0.5 US, 0.1 UK, 1.5 world (includes US + UK)

    Genre: folk rock/Americana

    Rating:

    4.109 out of 5.00 (average of 28 ratings)

    Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

    Tracks, Disc 1:

    1. Odds and Ends
    2. Orange Juice Blues (Blues for Breakfast)
    3. Million Dollar Bash BG
    4. Yazoo Street Scandel
    5. Goin’ to Acapulco
    6. Katie’s Been Gone
    7. Lo and Behold!
    8. Bessie Smith
    9. Clothes Line Saga
    10. Apple Suckling Tree
    11. Please, Mrs. Henry
    12. Tears of Rage MP

    Tracks, Disc 2:

    1. Too Much of Nothing
    2. Yea! Heavy and a Bottle of Bread
    3. Ain’t No More Cane
    4. Crash on the Levee (Down in the Flood)
    5. Ruben Remus
    6. Tiny Montgomery
    7. You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere (first recorded 10/67, 47 CL) G2, 70, ES, DE, BN
    8. Don’t Ya Tell Henry
    9. Nothing Was Delivered
    10. Open the Door, Homer
    11. Long Distance Operator
    12. This Wheel’s on Fire MP

    Total Running Time: 76:41

    Non-Album Tracks from That Era:

    • The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo) (first recorded 7/67, 47 CL) IW, G2, MP, 70, BG, ES, B2
    • I Shall Be Released (first recorded 10/67, 47 CL) G2, BF, RT, MP, AB, BG, RU, B1, ES, DE
    • Santa-Fe (recorded fall 1967) RU
    • Minstrel Boy (recorded 1967) IW, AS

    About the Album:
    Go to the DMDB page for this album.

    The Basement Tapes Complete

    Bob Dylan & The Band

    Recorded: June – October 1967

    Released: November 4, 2014

    Peak: 41 US, 17 UK, -- CN, -- AU

    Sales (in millions): --

    Genre: folk rock/Americana

    Rating:

    4.495 out of 5.00 (average of 11 ratings)

    About the Album:
    The original Basement Tapes was already an archival collection of Bob Dylan and the Band’s 1967 recordings when it was released in 1975. This 2014 release expands the collection to a six-disc set, The Basement Tapes Complete (see track listing here) or the two-disc version, The Basement Tapes Raw (see track listing here).

    John Wesley Harding

    Bob Dylan

    Released: December 27, 1967

    Peak: 2 US, 113 UK, -- CN, 11 AU

    Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, -- UK, 4.0 world (includes US + UK)

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    4.123 out of 5.00 (average of 26 ratings)

    Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

    Tracks:

    1. John Wesley Harding TT
    2. As I Went Out One Morning TT
    3. I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine TT, IW
    4. All Along the Watchtower (5 CL) OM, TT, G2, BF, 60, AB, BG, B1, MP, ES, DE, SE, BN, VB, 40, MM
    5. The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest
    6. Drifter’s Escape TT
    7. Dear Landlord BG
    8. I Am a Lonesome Hobo TT
    9. I Pity the Poor Immigrant TT, IW
    10. The Wicked Messenger SK
    11. Down Along the Cove 60
    12. I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight (34 CL) OM, IW, AS, 60, G2, MP, BG, ES, B2, SK

    Total Running Time: 38:24

    About the Album:
    “Bob Dylan returned from exile with John Wesley Harding, a quiet, country-tinged album that split dramatically from his previous three.” AMG It is “a calm, reflective album” AMG that “strips away all of the wilder tendencies of Dylan's rock albums — even the then-unreleased Basement Tapes he made the previous year — but it isn’t a return to his folk roots.” AMG

    “If anything, the album is his first serious foray into country, but only a handful of songs, such as I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight, are straight country songs. Instead, John Wesley Harding is informed by the rustic sound of country, as well as many rural myths, with seemingly simple songs like All Along the Watchtower, I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine, and The Wicked Messenger revealing several layers of meaning with repeated plays.” AMG

    “Although the lyrics are somewhat enigmatic, the music is simple, direct, and melodic, providing a touchstone for the country-rock revolution that swept through rock in the late '60s.” AMG

    Review Source(s):

    Best of the Original Mono Recordings

    Bob Dylan

    Recorded: 1961-1967

    Released: October 19, 2010

    Peak: 97 US, 107 UK, -- CN, -- AU

    Sales (in millions): --

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    3.502 out of 5.00 (average of 8 ratings)

    Tracks: (1) Song to Woody (2) Blowin’ in the Wind (3) The Times They Are A-Changin’ (4) Chimes of Freedom (5) It Ain’t Me, Babe (6) Subterranean Homesick Blues (7) Mr. Tambourine Man (8) Like a Rolling Stone (9) Tombstone Blues (10) Positively 4th Street (11) Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 (12) Just Like a Woman (13) I Want You (14) I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight (15) All Along the Watchtower

    About the Album:
    In 2010, a box set of Dylan’s first eight studio albums (his mono recordings) was released. This one-disc retrospective gathered the best from those albums, effectively making for an expansion of Bob Dylan’s 1967 Greatest Hits release. It includes all ten songs from that compilation plus five more selections. That original set drew material from Dylan’s six studio releases between 1963 and 1966. This collection also includes “Song for Woody” from Dylan’s 1962 self-titled debut and a couple of songs from 1967’s John Wesley Harding.

    Nashville Skyline

    Bob Dylan

    Released: April 9, 1969

    Peak: 3 US, 14 UK, 3 CN, 2 AU

    Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, -- UK, 4.5 world (includes US + UK)

    Genre: folk rock/country

    Rating:

    3.929 out of 5.00 (average of 25 ratings)

    Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

    Tracks:

    1. Girl from the North Country (with Johnny Cash) TT, 40
    2. Nashville Skyline Rag TT
    3. To Be Alone with You TT, SK
    4. I Threw It All Away (5/14/69, 85 BB, 30 UK) TT, IW, AS, BN, 40
    5. Peggy Day TT
    6. Lay Lady Lay (7/12/69, 7 US, 8 CB, 7 HR, 19 AC, 5 CL, 5 UK) TT, IW, G2, BF, BG, B1, MP, ES, DE, SE, BN, VB, 40, MM
    7. One More Night TT
    8. Tell Me That It Isn’t True TT
    9. Country Pie TT, AS
    10. Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here with You (11/1/69, 50 BB) G2, RT, 60

    Total Running Time: 26:46

    Non-Album Tracks from That Era:

    • Western Road (recorded 2/13/69) TT

    About the Album:
    “John Wesley Harding suggested country with its textures and structures, but Nashville Skyline was a full-fledged country album, complete with steel guitars and brief, direct songs. It's a warm, friendly album, particularly since Bob Dylan is singing in a previously unheard gentle croon — the sound of his voice is so different it may be disarming upon first listen, but it suits the songs. While there are a handful of lightweight numbers on the record, at its core are several excellent songs — Lay Lady Lay, To Be Alone with You, I Threw It All Away, Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here with You, as well as a duet with Johnny Cash on Girl from the North Country — that have become country-rock standards. And there's no discounting that Nashville Skyline, arriving in the spring of 1969, established country-rock as a vital force in pop music, as well as a commercially viable genre.” AMG

    Review Source(s):

    Travelin’ Thru (The Bootleg Series Vol. 15)

    Bob Dylan

    Recorded: October 17, 1967 to May 17, 1970

    Released: November 1, 2019

    Peak: 27 US, 6 UK, -- CN, -- AU

    Sales (in millions): --

    Genre: folk rock/country

    Rating:

    3.600 out of 5.00 (average of 13 ratings)

    Tracks, Disc 1: (1) Drifter’s Escape (2) I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine (3) All Along the Watchtower (4) John Wesley Harding (5) As I Went Out One Morning (6) I Pity the Poor Immigrant (7) I Am a Lonesome Hobo (8) I Threw It All Away (9) To Be Alone with You (10) Lay Lady Lay (11) One More Night (12) Western Road (13) Peggy Day (14) Tell Me That It Isn’t True (15) Country Pie

    Tracks, Disc 2: (1) I Still Miss Someone (take 5) * (2) Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right/Understand Your Man * (3) One Too Many Mornings * (4) Mountain Dew (take 1) * (5) Mountain Dew (take 2) * (6) I Still Miss Someone (take 2) * (7) Careless Love * (8) Matchbox * (9) That’s All Right, Mama * (10) Mystery Train/This Train Is Bound for Glory * (11) Big River * (12) Girl from the North Country (rehearsal) * (13) Girl from the North Country (take 1) * (14) I Walk the Line * (15) Guess Things Happen That Way (rehearsal) * (16) Guess Things Happen That Way (take 3) * (17) Five Feet High and Rising * (18) You Are My Sunshine * (19) Ring of Fire *

    Tracks, Disc 3: (1) Studio Chatter ** (2) Wanted Man ** (3) Amen ** (4) Just a Closer Walk with Thee ** (5) Jimmie Rodgers Medley No. 1 (“Blue Yodel No. 1 (T for Texas)”/ “The Brakeman's Blues (Yodeling the Blues Away)” / “Blue Yodel No. 5 (It’s Raining Here)”) ** (6) Jimmie Rodgers Medley No. 2 (“Waiting for a Train” / “Blue Yodel No. 1 (T for Texas)” / “The Brakeman's Blues (Yodeling the Blues Away)”) ** (7) I Threw It All Away *** (8) Living the Blues *** (9) Girl from the North Country *** (10) Ring of Fire ^ (11) Folsom Prison Blues ^ (12) Earl Scruggs Interview ^^ (13) East Virginia Blues ^^ (14) To Be Alone with You ^^ (15) Honey, Just Allow Me One More Chance ^^ (16) Nashville Skyline Rag ^^

    Notes:

    • * with Johnny Cash, 2/17/1969
    • ** with Johnny Cash, 2/18/1969
    • *** with Johnny Cash, live at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on 5/1/1969. Broadcast on The Johnny Cash Show on 6/7/1969.
    • ^ Bob Dylan, studio sessions, 5/3/1969
    • ^^ with Earl Scruggs, 5/17/1970

    Total Running Time: 133:44

    About the Album:
    This three-disc archival collection gathers alternate takes from Dylan’s recording sessions for his John Wesley Harding and Nashville Skyline albums alongside more than a disc’s worth of material recorded with Johnny Cash for The Johnny Cash Show, and a few cuts from Dylan’s appearance with Earl Scruggs on the special Earl Scruggs: His Family and Friends. See full details on the dates of the recording sessions here.

    Live at the Isle of Wight Festival

    Bob Dylan

    Recorded: August 31, 1969

    Released: August 27, 2013

    Peak: 21 US, 5 UK, -- CN, -- AU

    Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.06 UK

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    3.950 out of 5.00 (average of 7 ratings)

    Tracks: (1) Intro (2) She Belongs to Me (3) I Threw It All Away (4) Maggie’s Farm (5) Wild Mountain Thyme (6) It Ain’t Me, Babe (7) To Ramona (8) Mr. Tambourine Man (9) I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine (10) Lay Lady Lay (11) Highway 61 Revisited (12) One Too Many Mornings (13) I Pity the Poor Immigrant (14) Like a Rolling Stone (15) I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight (16) Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn) (17) Minstrel Boy (18) Rainy Day Women #12 & 35

    Total Running Time: 60:41

    Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums:

    • Wild Mountain Thyme (recorded live 8/31/69) IW

    About the Album:
    This live performance at the Isle of Wight Festival was released in 2013 as part of the deluxe edition of Another Self Portrait: 1969-1971 (The Bootleg Series Vol. 10).

    Playlist: The Very Best of the ‘60s

    Bob Dylan

    Recorded: 1963-1969

    Released: December 16, 2008

    Peak: --

    Sales (in millions): --

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    3.663 out of 5.00 (average of 4 ratings)

    Tracks: (1) A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall (2) The Times They Are A-Changin’ (3) With God on Our Side (4) Chimes of Freedom (5) Boots of Spanish Leather (6) Mr. Tambourine Man (7) It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding) (8) Like a Rolling Stone (9) I Want You (10) Positively 4th Street (11) Down Along the Cove (12) All Along the Watchtower (13) I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight (14) Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here with You

    About the Album:
    Although Dylan had already been anthologized plenty when this release came out in 2008, the idea wasn’t bad. This was the first of three Playlist collections, each focused on a different decade. The biggest flaw with this set is the absence of such ‘60s classics as “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right,” “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35,” “Just Like a Woman,” and “Lay Lady Lay.” Clearly a set such as this can’t cover everything, but the omission of these classics is more glaring because of the inclusion of lesser cuts like “Boots of Spanish Leather” and “Down Along the Cove.”

    Self Portrait

    Bob Dylan

    Released: June 8, 1970

    Peak: 4 US, 11 UK, 4 CN, 3 AU

    Sales (in millions): 0.5 US, -- UK, 2.5 world (includes US + UK)

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    2.721 out of 5.00 (average of 22 ratings)

    Tracks:

    1. All the Tired Horses AS
    2. Alberta, No. 1
    3. I Forgot More Than You’ll Ever Know
    4. Days of ‘49 AS
    5. Early Morning Rain
    6. In Search of Little Sadie AS
    7. Let It Be Me
    8. Little Sadie AS
    9. Woogie Boogie
    10. Belle Isle AS
    11. Living the Blues
    12. Like a Rolling Stone (live)
    13. Copper Kettle AS
    14. Gotta Travel On
    15. Blue Moon
    16. The Boxer
    17. The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo) (live)
    18. Take Me As I Am Or Let Me Go
    19. Take a Message to Mary
    20. It Hurts Me Too
    21. Minstrel Boy (live)
    22. She Belongs to Me (live)
    23. Wigwam (7/25/70, 41 BB, 13 AC) AS, 40
    24. Alberta #2

    Total Running Time: 73:15

    Non-Album Tracks from That Era:

    • Pretty Saro (recorded 3/3/70) AS
    • These Hands (recorded 3/3/70) AS
    • Alberta #3 (recorded 3/4/70) AS
    • Annie’s Going to Sing Her Song (recorded 3/4/70) AS
    • Railroad Bill (recorded 3/4/70) AS
    • Thirsty Boots (recorded 3/4/70) AS
    • This Evening So Soon (recorded 3/4/70) AS
    • Tattle O’Day (recorded 3/4/70) AS
    • Working on a Guru (recorded 5/1/70) AS

    About the Album:
    This “baffling, double album” AMG feels like a deliberate “attempt to shed an audience.” AMG It is a “sprawling affair that runs the gamut from self-portrait to self-parody, touching on operatic pop, rowdy Basement Tapes leftovers, slight whimsy, and covers of wannabe Dylans from Paul Simon to Gordon Lightfoot. To say the least, it's confusing, especially arriving at the end of a decade of unmitigated brilliance.” AMG

    “Decades have passed and it still doesn’t make much sense, even for Dylanphiles.” AMG “This isn’t a matter of deciphering cryptic lyrics or interpreting lyrics, it’s all about discerning intent, figuring out what the hell Dylan was thinking when he was recording — not trying to decode a song.” AMG

    “There are times where it’s quite clearly played for a laugh — if his shambling version of The Boxer isn’t a pointed parody of Paul Simon, there was no reason to cut it — but he’s poker-faced elsewhere, and the songs (apart from such earthed gems as Mighty Quinn, which aren’t presented in their best versions) are simply not worth much consideration.” AMG

    Review Source(s):

    New Morning

    Bob Dylan

    Released: October 21, 1970

    Peak: 7 US, 11 UK, 5 CN, 4 AU

    Sales (in millions): 0.5 US, -- UK, 2.0 world (includes US + UK)

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    3.457 out of 5.00 (average of 22 ratings)

    Tracks:

    1. If Not for You (3/71, 47 CL) AS, G2, MP, 70, BG, RU, B1, ES, DE, 40
    2. Day of the Locusts
    3. Time Passes Slowly
    4. Went to See the Gypsy AS
    5. Winterlude
    6. If Dogs Run Free AS
    7. New Morning AS
    8. Sign on the Window AS
    9. One More Weekend
    10. The Man in Me BN, 40
    11. Three Angels
    12. Father of Night
    13. Time Passes Slowly AS, BG

    Total Running Time: 35:21

    Non-Album Tracks from That Era:

    • Spanish Is the Loving Tongue (recorded 6/2/70, 6/3/71, B-side of “Watching the River Flow”) AS,MP
    • Bring Me a Little Water (recorded 6/4/70) AS

    About the Album:
    “Dylan rushed out New Morning in the wake of the commercial and critical disaster Self Portrait, and the difference between the two albums suggests that its legendary failed predecessor was intentionally flawed. New Morning expands on the laid-back country-rock of John Wesley Harding and Nashville Skyline by adding a more pronounced rock & roll edge.” AMG

    While there are only a couple of genuine classics on the record (If Not for You, One More Weekend), the overall quality is quite high, and many of the songs explore idiosyncratic routes Dylan had previously left untouched, whether it’s the jazzy experiments of Sign on the Window and Winterlude, the rambling spoken word piece If Dogs Run Free or the Elvis parable Went to See the Gypsy. Such offbeat songs make New Morning a charming, endearing record.” AMG

    Review Source(s):

    Greatest Hits, Vol. II

    Bob Dylan

    Recorded: 1962-1971

    Released: November 17, 1971

    Peak: 14 US, 12 UK, -- CN, -- AU

    Sales (in millions): 5.0 US, -- UK, 6.0 world (includes US and UK)

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    4.099 out of 5.00 (average of 11 ratings)

    Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

    Tracks: (1) Watching the River Flow (2) Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right (3) Lay Lady Lay (4) Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again (5) I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight (6) All I Really Want to Do (7) My Back Pages (8) Maggie’s Farm (9) Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here with You (10) She Belongs to Me (11) All Along the Watchtower (12) The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo) (13) Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues (14) A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall (15) If Not for You (16) It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue (17) Tomorrow Is a Long Time (18) When I Paint My Masterpiece (19) I Shall Be Released (20) You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere (21) Down in the Flood

    Total Running Time: 77:31

    Non-Album Tracks from That Era:

    • When I Paint My Masterpiece (recorded 3/19/71, 49 CL) AS, G2, SK
    • Watching the River Flow (6/3/71, 41 US, 31 CB, 37 HR, 15 CL, 24 UK) G2, 70, BN, 40, SK
    • Wallflower (recorded 11/4/71) AS
    • George Jackson (11/12/71, --) MP, 40
    • Down in the Flood G2

    About the Album:
    This compilation only featured six songs representing the four studio albums released since Dylan’s first greatest hits. However, this set also added five new songs, a live cut from 1963, and another nine songs from Dylan’s earlier albums. It made for more of a mish-mash than the first compilation. Ideally, the two collections should be re-released as one set with the cuts compiled in chronological order.

    Another Self Portrait (The Bootleg Series, Vol. 10)

    Bob Dylan

    Recorded: 1969-1971

    Released: August 27, 2013

    Peak: 21 US, 5 UK, -- CN, -- AU

    Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.06 UK

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    4.150 out of 5.00 (average of 6 ratings)

    Tracks, Disc 1: (1) Went to See the Gypsy (2) Little Sadie (3) Pretty Saro (4) Alberta #3 (5) Spanish Is the Loving Tongue (6) Annie’s Going to Sing Her Song (7) Time Passes Slowly #1 (8) Only a Hobo (9) Minstrel Boy (10) I Threw It All Away (11) Railroad Bill (12) Thirsty Boots (13) This Evening So Soon (14) These Hands (15) In Search of Little Sadie (16) House Carpenter (17) All the Tired Horses

    Tracks, Disc 2: (1) If Not for You (2) Wallflower (3) Wigwam (4) Days of ’49 (5) Working on a Guru (6) Country Pie (7) I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight (8) Highway 61 Revisited (9) Copper Kettle (10) Bring Me a Little Water (11) Sign on the Window (12) Tattle O’Day (13) If Dogs Run Free (14) New Morning (15) Went to See the Gypsy (16) Belle Isle (17) Time Passes Slowly #2 (18) When I Paint My Masterpiece

    Total Running Time: 113:27

    About the Album:
    This two-disc archival collection gathers outtakes and alternate recordings from the sessions that produced Bob Dylan’s studio albums Self Portrait and New Morning.

    Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid

    Bob Dylan

    Released: July 13, 1973

    Peak: 16 US, 29 UK, 22 CN, 28 AU

    Sales (in millions): 0.5 US, -- UK, 1.5 world (includes US + UK)

    Genre: folk rock/soundtrack

    Rating:

    2.990 out of 5.00 (average of 19 ratings)

    Tracks:

    1. Main Title Theme (Billy)
    2. Cantina Theme (Workin’ for the Law)
    3. Billy 1
    4. Bunkhouse Theme
    5. River Theme
    6. Turkey Chase
    7. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (9/1/73, 12 US, 10 CB, 11 HR, 10 RR, 5 AC, 2 CL, 14 UK) BF, RT, MP, AB, 70, BG, B1, G3, ES, DE, SE, BN, VB, 40, MM
    8. Final Theme
    9. Billy 4
    10. Billy 7

    Total Running Time: 35:23

    About the Album:
    “This album was unusual on several counts. For starters, it was a soundtrack (for Sam Peckinpah's movie of the same title), a first venture of its kind for Bob Dylan. For another, it was Dylan's first new LP in three years — he hadn't been heard from in any form other than the single ‘George Jackson,’ his appearance at the Bangladesh benefit concert in 1971, in all of that time. Finally, it came out at an odd moment of juxtaposition in pop culture history, appearing in July 1973 on the same date as the release of Paul McCartney's own first prominent venture into film music, on the Live and Let Die soundtrack (the Beatles bassist had previously scored The Family Way, a British project overlooked amid the frenzy of the Beatles' success).” AMG

    “Interestingly, each effort reunited the artist with a significant musician/collaborator from his respective past: McCartney with producer George Martin and Dylan with guitarist Bruce Langhorne, who'd played with him on his early albums up to Bringing It All Back Home, before being supplanted by Mike Bloomfield, et al. But that was where the similarities between the two projects ended — apart from the title song, Live and Let Die was Martin's project rather than McCartney's, whereas Dylan was all over Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid as a composer, musician, etc. Additionally, whereas McCartney's work was a piece of pure pop-oriented rock in connection with a crowd-pleasing action-fantasy film, Dylan's work comprised an entire LP, and the resulting album was a beautifully simple, sometimes rough-at-the-edges and sometimes gently refined piece of country- and folk-influenced rock, devised to underscore a very serious historical film by one of the movies' great directorial stylists. It was also as strong as any of his recent albums, featuring not just Langhorne but also such luminaries as Booker T. Jones, Roger McGuinn, and Byron Berline.” AMG

    “Knockin’ on Heaven's Door may have been the biggest hit to come out of a Western in at least 21 years, since Dimitri Tiomkin and Ned Washington had given "High Noon" to Tex Ritter to sing in Fred Zinnemann's High Noon in 1952 (and Katy Jurado was in both movies), and he'd also outdone Ritter on two counts, writing the music — a full score, to boot — and getting a cameo appearance in the film.” AMG

    “‘Knockin’ on Heaven's Door’ was the obvious hit off the album, and helped drive the sales, but Billy 1, Billy 4, and Billy 7 were good songs, too — had any of them shown up on bootlegs, they'd have kept the Dylan semiologists and hagiographers busy for years working over them.” AMG

    “The instrumentals surrounding them were also worth hearing as manifestations of Dylan's music-making; Bunkhouse Theme was downright gorgeous.” AMG

    “It was the first time since New Morning, in 1970, that Dylan had released more than five minutes of new music at once, and it was a gift to fans as well as to Peckinpah — little did anyone realize at the time that it heralded a period of new recording and a national tour (with the Band), along with a brief label switch, and Dylan's greatest period of sustained musical visibility since 1966. This record also proved that Dylan could shoehorn his music within the requirements of a movie score without compromising its content or quality, something that only the Beatles, unique among rock artists, had really managed to do up to that time, and that was in their own movie, A Hard Day’s Night.” AMG

    “The album was later kind of overlooked and neglected in the wake of the tour that followed and the imposing musical attributes of, say, Blood on the Tracks and Desire, but heard on its own terms it holds up 30-plus years later.” AMG

    Review Source(s):

    Planet Waves

    Bob Dylan & The Band

    Released: January 17, 1974

    Peak: 14 US, 7 UK, 11 CN, 21 AU, 11 DF

    Sales (in millions): 0.5 US, -- UK, 3.5 world (includes US + UK)

    Genre: folk rock/Americana

    Rating:

    3.359 out of 5.00 (average of 26 ratings)

    Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

    Tracks:

    1. On a Night Like This (2/16/74, 44 BB, 30 CB, 43 HR, 19 CL) 70, BG, DE
    2. Going, Going, Gone AB
    3. Tough Mama
    4. Hazel
    5. Something There Is About You (4/74) --
    6. Forever Young (slow version) (12 CL) 70, BG, AB, B1, G3, ES, B2, DE, SE, 40, SK, MM
    7. Forever Young (fast version)
    8. Dirge
    9. You Angel You (25 CL) BG
    10. Never Say Goodbye
    11. Wedding Song

    Total Running Time: 42:12

    Non-Album Tracks from That Era:

    • Nobody ‘Cept You (recorded 11/2/73) RU

    About the Album:
    “Reteaming with the Band, Bob Dylan winds up with an album that recalls New Morning more than The Basement Tapes, since Planet Waves is given to a relaxed intimate tone — all the more appropriate for a collection of modest songs about domestic life. As such, it may seem a little anticlimactic since it has none of the wildness of the best Dylan and Band music of the '60s — just an approximation of the homespun rusticness. Considering that the record was knocked out in the course of three days, its unassuming nature shouldn't be a surprise, and sometimes it's as much a flaw as a virtue, since there are several cuts that float into the ether. Still, it is a virtue in places, as there are moments — On a Night Like This, Something There Is About You, the lovely Forever Young — where it just gels, almost making the diffuse nature of the rest of the record acceptable.” AMG

    Review Source(s):

    Before the Flood

    Bob Dylan & the Band

    Recorded: January – February 1974

    Released: June 20, 1974

    Peak: 3 US, 8 UK, -- CN, -- AU

    Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, 0.04 UK, 3.0 world (includes US and UK)

    Genre: folk rock/Americana

    Rating:

    3.838 out of 5.00 (average of 15 ratings)

    Tracks, Disc 1: (1) Most Likely You Go Your Way and I’ll Go Mine (2) Lay Lady Lay (3) Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 (4) Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (5) It Ain’t Me, Babe (6) Ballad of a Thin Man (7) Up on Cripple Creek (8) I Shall Be Released (9) Endless Highway (10) The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (11) Stage Fright

    Tracks, Disc 2: (1) Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right (2) Just Like a Woman (3) It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding) (4) The Shape I’m In (5) When You Awake (6) The Weight (7) All Along the Watchtower (8) Highway 61 Revisited (9) Like a Rolling Stone (10) Blowin’ in the Wind

    Total Running Time: 92:26

    Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums *:

    • The Weight (The Band, 8/8/68, 63 BB, 59 CB, 28 GR, 46 HR, 2 CL, 21 UK, 36 CN, 2 DF)
    • The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (The Band, 9/22/69, 7 CL, 10 CN, 3 DF)
    • Up on Cripple Creek (The Band, 10/18/69, 25 BB, 26 CB, 20 GR, 27 HR, 4 CL, 10 CN, 7 DF)
    • When You Awake (The Band, 9/22/69, album cut from The Band)
    • The Shape I’m In (The Band, 1/2/71, 9 CL)
    • Stage Fright (The Band, 9/5/70 album cut from Stage Fright, 12 CL)
    • Endless Highway (Bob Dylan & The Band, live 1974)

    * Chart information and dates are for original studio versions.

    About the Album:
    The Band started out as Bob Dylan’s backup band, The Hawks. In 1967, Dylan and The Band recorded The Basement Tapes, a collection which became pivotal in shaping Americana music. In 1974, Dylan and The Band got back together to record the album Planet Waves and tour together. This live album served as a memento of that reunion.

    Blood on the Tracks

    Bob Dylan

    Released: January 20, 1975

    Peak: 12 US, 4 UK, 12 CN, 4 AU, 13 DF

    Sales (in millions): 3.0 US, 0.1 UK, 10.0 world (includes US + UK)

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    4.602 out of 5.00 (average of 28 ratings)

    Tracks:

    1. Tangled Up in Blue [5:41] (3/8/75, 31 BB, 43 CB, 62 HR, 2 CL, 4 DF) RT, MB, 70, BG, RU, RL, B1, G3, ES, DE, SE, BN, VB, 40, MM
    2. Simple Twist of Fate [4:17] (19 CL) RT, MB, AB, B2, DE, BN, 40
    3. You’re a Big Girl Now [4:34] (37 DF) (Biograph version recorded 9/25/74) MB, BG
    4. Idiot Wind [7:47] (28 DF) MB, MP, RU
    5. You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go [2:55] (46 CL, 8 DF) MT
    6. Meet Me in the Morning [4:21] (38 DF) MT
    7. Lily, Rosemary, and the Jack of Hearts [8:52] (9 CL, 32 DF) MT
    8. If You See Her, Say Hello [4:47] MB, MP, RU
    9. Shelter from the Storm [5:00] (13 CL, 28 DF) MB, AB, B1, ES, 40
    10. Buckets of Rain [3:22] MB, 70

    Total Running Time: 51:46

    Non-Album Tracks from That Era:

    • Call Letter Blues (recorded 9/16/74) RU
    • Up to Me (first recorded 9/19/74) MT, BG

    About the Album:
    Go to the DMDB page for this album.

    More Blood, More Tracks (The Bootleg Series, Vol. 14)

    Bob Dylan

    Recorded: September and December 1974

    Released: November 2, 2018

    Peak: 25 US, 9 UK, -- CN, -- AU

    Sales (in millions): --

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    4.412 out of 5.00 (average of 9 ratings)

    Tracks: (1) Tangled Up in Blue (2) Simple Twist of Fate (3) Shelter from the Storm (4) You’re a Big Girl Now (5) Buckets of Rain (6) If You See Her, Say Hello (7) Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts (8) Meet Me in the Morning (9) Idiot Wind (10) You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go (11) Up to Me

    Total Running Time: 62:01

    About the Album:
    This collection of alternate takes from the sessions for Blood on the Tracks effectively recreates the album with all ten tracks represented as well as the song “Up to Me” from the same sessions. Most of these outtakes had actually been previously released via Biograph and The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3. A six-disc version was also released that included multiple takes of each song plus the songs “Call Letter Blues” and “Spanish Is the Loving Tongue.”

    Desire

    Bob Dylan

    Released: January 16, 1976

    Peak: 15 US, 3 UK, 3 CN, 13 AU, 11 DF

    Sales (in millions): 2.0 US, -- UK, 7.0 world (includes US + UK)

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    4.120 out of 5.00 (average of 26 ratings)

    Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

    Tracks:

    1. Hurricane (11/22/75, 33 BB, 27 CB, 66 HR, 3 CL, 43 UK, 4 DF) RT, MP, 70, G3, ES, B2, DE, SE, BN, VB, 40, MM
    2. Isis (15 CL) RT, BG
    3. Mozambique (3/13/76, 54 BB) MP
    4. One More Cup of Coffee (Valley Below) RT, MP, AB, 70, 40
    5. Oh, Sister RT, AB, B1
    6. Joey
    7. Romance in Durango RT, BG
    8. Black Diamond Bay
    9. Sara RT, MP

    Total Running Time: 56:13

    Non-Album Tracks from That Era:

    • Catfish (recorded 7/28/75) RU
    • Rita May (recorded 7/30/75, released 11/30/76, --) MP
    • Golden Loom (recorded 7/30/75) RU
    • Abandoned Love (recorded 7/75) BG
    • Seven Days (recorded live, 4/21/76) RU

    About the Album:
    “If Blood on the Tracks was an unapologetically intimate affair, Desire is unwieldy and messy, the deliberate work of a collective. And while Bob Dylan directly addresses his crumbling relationship with his wife, Sara” AMG “at his most nakedly emotional” AMG “on the final track, Desire is hardly as personal as its predecessor, finding Dylan returning to topical songwriting and folk tales for the core of the record. It's all over the map, as far as songwriting goes, and so is it musically, capturing Dylan at the beginning of the Rolling Thunder Revue era, which was more notable for its chaos than its music.” AMG

    “And, so it's only fitting that Desire fits that description as well, as it careens between surging folk-rock, Mideastern dirges, skipping pop, and epic narratives. It's little surprise that Desire doesn't quite gel, yet it retains its own character — really, there's no other place where Dylan tried as many different styles, as many weird detours, as he does here. And, there's something to be said for its rambling, sprawling character, which has a charm of its own. Even so, the record would have been assisted by a more consistent set of songs; there are some masterpieces here, though: Hurricane is the best-known, but the effervescent Mozambique is Dylan at his breeziest…and Isis is one of his very best songs of the '70s, a hypnotic, contemporized spin on a classic fable.” AMG

    “This may not add up to a masterpiece, but it does result in one of his most fascinating records of the '70s and '80s — more intriguing, lyrically and musically, than most of his latter-day affairs.” AMG

    Review Source(s):

    The Rolling Thunder Revue (The Bootleg Series Vol. 5)

    Bob Dylan

    Recorded: November 19-21 and December 4, 1975

    Released: November 26, 2002

    Peak: 56 US, 69 UK, -- CN, -- AU

    Sales (in millions): 0.5 US

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    3.837 out of 5.00 (average of 6 ratings)

    Tracks, Disc 1: (1) Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here with You (2) It Ain’t Me, Babe (3) A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall (4) The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll (5) Romance in Durango (6) Isis (7) Mr. Tambourine Man (8) Simple Twist of Fate (9) Blowin’ in the Wind (10) Mama, You Been on My Mind (11) I Shall Be Released

    Tracks, Disc 2: (1) It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue (2) Love Minus Zero/No Limit (3) Tangled Up in Blue (4) The Water Is Wide (5) It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry (6) Oh, Sister (7) Hurricane (8) One More Cup of Coffee (Valley Below) (9) Sara (10) Just Like a Woman (11) Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door

    Total Running Time: 101:48

    Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums:

    • The Water Is Wide (recorded live 11/21/75, recorded in studio 8/19/96) RT, FM

    About the Album:
    This entry into Dylan’s Bootleg Series covers the 1975 Rolling Thunder Revue tour in support of his Blood on the Tracks and yet-to-be-released Desire albums. The 1976 release Hard Rain covered the second leg of the same tour.

    Hard Rain

    Bob Dylan

    Recorded: live May 16 and 23, 1976

    Released: September 13, 1976

    Peak: 17 US, 3 UK, -- CN, -- AU

    Sales (in millions): 0.5 US, -- UK, 2.0 world (includes US and UK)

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    3.121 out of 5.00 (average of 11 ratings)

    Tracks: (1) Maggie’s Farm (2) One Too Many Mornings (3) Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again (4) Oh, Sister (5) Lay Lady Lay (6) Shelter from the Storm (7) You’re a Big Girl Now (8) I Threw It All Away (9) Idiot Wind

    Total Running Time: 51:06

    About the Album:
    This live album was recorded during the second leg of Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue tour, which supported his Blood on the Tracks and Desire albums. Rolling Stone critic Janet Maslin wrote that while the tour was “so joyful and electrifying in its first performances…[it] had just plain run out of steam” by the time this set was recorded. In 2002, The Rolling Thunder Revue (The Bootleg Series, Vol. 5 captured the first leg of the tour. In 2019, Martin Scorsese directed a documentary of the tour, Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story, that was accompanied by a 14-disc collection documenting the tour.

    Masterpieces

    Bob Dylan

    Recorded: 1962-1978

    Released: March 12, 1978

    Peak: --

    Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, 0.24 world (includes US and UK)

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    4.469 out of 5.00 (average of 7 ratings)

    Tracks, Disc 1: (1) Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (2) Mr. Tambourine Man (3) Just Like a Woman (4) I Shall Be Released (5) Tears of Rage (6) All Along the Watchtower (7) One More Cup of Coffee (Valley Below) (8) Like a Rolling Stone (live) (9) Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn) (live) (10) Tomorrow Is a Long Time (live) (11) Lay Lady Lay (live) (12) Idiot Wind (live)

    Tracks, Disc 2: (1) Mixed-Up Confusion (2) Positively 4th Street (3) Can You Please Call Out Your Window? (4) Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues (live) (5) Spanish Is the Loving Tongue (6) George Jackson (7) Rita May (8) Blowin’ in the Wind (9) A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall (10) The Times They Are A-Changin’ (11) Masters of War (12) Hurricane

    Tracks, Disc 3: (1) Maggie’s Farm (2) Subterranean Homesick Blues (3) Ballad of a Thin Man (4) Mozambique (5) This Wheel’s on Fire (6) I Want You (7) Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 (8) Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right (9) Song to Woody (10) It Ain’t Me Babe (11) Love Minus Zero/No Limit (12) If Not for You (13) If You See Her, Say Hello (14) Sara

    About the Album:
    This now out-of-print box set was released in Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. It features five songs never released on a Dylan album as well as live versions of “Like a Rolling Stone” and “Quinn the Eskimo” (both from Self Portrait), “Tomorrow Is a Long Time” (from Greatest Hits Vol. II), and “Lay Lady Lay,” “Idiot Wind,” and “Maggie’s Farm” (from Hard Rain). There’s also a live version of “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues” from 5/14/1966 at the Odeon Theatre in Liverpool, England, which was previously released as the B-side of the “I Want You” single.

    Street Legal

    Bob Dylan

    Released: June 15, 1978

    Peak: 11 US, 2 UK, 4 CN, 5 AU

    Sales (in millions): 0.5 US, 0.3 UK, 3.5 world (includes US + UK)

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    3.195 out of 5.00 (average of 24 ratings)

    Tracks:

    1. Changing of the Guards (12/78, --) 70, G3, B2, DE, BN, 40
    2. New Pony
    3. No Time to Think
    4. Baby Stop Crying (5/78, 13 UK) VB
    5. Is Your Love in Vain? (10/28/78, 56 UK) AB
    6. Señor (Tales of Yankee Power) (49 CL) BG
    7. True Love Tends to Forget
    8. We Better Talk This Over
    9. Where Are You Tonight? (Journey Through Dark Heat)

    Total Running Time: 49:56

    About the Album:
    “Arriving after the twin peaks of Blood on the Tracks and Desire, Street Legal seemed like a disappointment upon its 1978 release, and it still seems a little subpar, years after its release. Perhaps that's because Bob Dylan was uncertain himself, not just writing a set of songs with no connecting themes but replacing the sprawl of the Rolling Thunder Revue with a slick, professional big band, featuring a horn section and several backing vocalists. The interesting thing about this is that the music and slick production don't jibe with the songs, which are as dense as anything Dylan had written since before his motorcycle accident. So, Street Legal becomes an interesting dichotomy, filled with songs that deserve close attention but recorded in arrangements that discourage such listening. As such, Street Legal is fascinating just for that reason — in another setting, these are songs that would have been hailed as near-masterpieces, but covered in gloss, they seem strange. Consequentially, it's not surprising that there are factions of Dylanphiles that find this worth the time, while just as many consider it a missed opportunity.” AMG

    Review Source(s):

    At Budokan

    Bob Dylan

    Recorded: February 28 and March 1, 1978

    Released: August 21, 1978

    Peak: 13 US, 4 UK, -- CN, -- AU

    Sales (in millions): 0.5 US, -- UK, 2.0 world (includes US and UK)

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    3.115 out of 5.00 (average of 13 ratings)

    Tracks, Disc 1: (1) Mr. Tambourine Man (2) Shelter from the Storm (3) Love Minus Zero/No Limit (4) Ballad of a Thin Man (5) Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right (6) Maggie’s Farm (7) One More Cup of Coffee (Valley Below) (8) Like a Rolling Stone (9) I Shall Be Released (9) Is Your Love in Vain? (10) Going, Going Gone

    Tracks, Disc 2: (1) Blowin’ in the Wind (2) Just Like a Woman (3) Oh, Sister (4) Simple Twist of Fate (5) All Along the Watchtower (6) I Want You (7) All I Really Want to Do (8) Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (9) It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding) (10) Forever Young (11) The Times They Are A-Changin’

    Total Running Time: 99:41

    About the Album:
    Critics weren’t enamored by At Budokan, Dylan’s third live album in four years. It was recorded in Japan during his 1978 “greatest” hits tour. It was released in Japan in August 1978 and worldwide in April 1979. A four-disc box set was released in November 2023 that included the complete performance from the same two dates from which the original release draws.

    Slow Train Coming

    Bob Dylan

    Released: August 18, 1979

    Peak: 3 US, 2 UK, 13 CN, 12 AU

    Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, -- UK, 3.5 world (includes US + UK)

    Genre: folk rock/Christian

    Rating:

    3.491 out of 5.00 (average of 24 ratings)

    Tracks:

    1. Gotta Serve Somebody (9/8/79, 24 BB, 37 CB, 42 HR, 13 CL) 70, BG, TM, B1, G3, ES, DE, 40
    2. Precious Angel (8/79, –) 70, TM, DE
    3. I Believe in You (47 CL) BG, TM
    4. Slow Train * (3/80, 8 AR) TM
    5. Gonna Change My Way of Thinking TM
    6. Do Right to Me Baby (Do Unto Others) TM
    7. When You Gonna Wake Up? TM
    8. Man Gave Names to All the Animals (10/79, --) TM
    9. When He Returns TM

    * First released as a single on 3/80, but AR charted version is actually a live performance with the Grateful Dead that didn’t chart until 2/4/89.

    Total Running Time: 46:19

    Non-Album Tracks from That Era:

    • Ye Shall Be Changed (recorded 5/2/79) RU

    About the Album:
    “Perhaps it was inevitable that Bob Dylan would change direction at the end of the '70s, since he had dabbled in everything from full-on repudiation of his legacy to a quiet embrace of it, to dipping his toe into pure showmanship. Nobody really could have expected that he would turn to Christianity on Slow Train Coming, embracing a born-again philosophy with enthusiasm. He has no problem in believing in a vengeful god — you gotta serve somebody, after all — and this is pure brimstone and fire throughout the record, even on such lovely testimonials as I Believe in You. The unexpected side effect of his conversion is that it gave Dylan a focus he hadn't had since Blood on the Tracks, and his concentration carries over to the music, which is lean and direct in a way that he hadn't been since, well, Blood on the Tracks. Focus isn't necessarily the same thing as consistency, and this does suffer from being a bit too dogmatic, not just in its religion, but in its musical approach. Still, it's hard to deny that Dylan doesn't sound revitalized here, and the result is a modest success that at least works on its own terms.” AMG

    Review Source(s):

    Playlist: The Very Best of the ‘70s

    Bob Dylan

    Recorded: 1970-1979

    Released: February 20, 2009

    Peak: --

    Sales (in millions): --

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    4.100 out of 5.00 (average of 3 ratings)

    Tracks: (1) If Not for You (2) You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere (3) Forever Young (4) Watching the River Flow (5) Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (6) On a Night Like This (7) The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo) (8) Precious Angel (9) Tangled Up in Blue (10) Gotta Serve Somebody (11) One More Cup of Coffee (Valley Below) (12) Changing of the Guards (13) Hurricane (14) Buckets of Rain

    About the Album:
    Three Playlist albums were released in 2008, 2009, and 2010 to gather up Dylan’s best material from the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s. While Dylan’s output in the ‘70s wasn’t as strong as his material from the ‘60s, this collection does a decent job of capturing his highlights from 1970 to 1979.

    Saved

    Bob Dylan

    Released: June 20, 1980

    Peak: 24 US, 3 UK, 30 CN, 18 AU

    Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, 1.5 world (includes US + UK)

    Genre: folk rock/Christian

    Rating:

    2.379 out of 5.00 (average of 21 ratings)

    Tracks:

    1. A Satisfied Mind
    2. Saved (6/80, --) TM
    3. Covenant Woman TM
    4. What Can I Do for You? TM
    5. Solid Rock (5/80, 50 CL) BG, TM
    6. Pressing On TM, 80
    7. In the Garden TM
    8. Saving Grace TM
    9. Are You Ready TM

    Total Running Time: 42:39

    About the Album:
    “If Saved did anything, it proved that the born-again Christianity of Slow Train Coming wasn't merely a passing fad, and that it did, in fact, mean something significant to Dylan. Whether it meant something significant to his audience was another matter entirely, since this is where his religion overshadows his music, turning the album into a sermon to an audience that is nearly certainly unconverted — and never will be, either. Dylan himself may be part of that audience, since he did back away from such a staunchly dogged viewpoint not long afterward, but that doesn't change Saved’s status as being a fairly flat — and, for Dylan, fairly pedestrian — testament to his faith. And, if Slow Train Coming found him at a fairly creative peak of songwriting and supported by a supple backing band, he's turning out routine songs here, and the backing follows suit, resulting in his flattest record yet.” AMG

    Review Source(s):

    Shot of Love

    Bob Dylan

    Released: August 12, 1981

    Peak: 33 US, 6 UK, -- CN, 22 AU

    Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, 1.5 world (includes US + UK)

    Genre: folk rock/Christian

    Rating:

    2.926 out of 5.00 (average of 22 ratings)

    Tracks:

    1. Shot of Love (8/29/81, 38 AR) (Biograph version: live, 8/81) BG, TM
    2. Heart of Mine (6/81, 50 CL)
    3. Property of Jesus
    4. Lenny Bruce (9/81, --)
    5. Watered-Down Love TM
    6. The Groom’s Still Waiting at the Altar (49 CL) BG, TM, G3, DE, 80, BN
    7. Dead Man, Dead Man TM
    8. In the Summertime TM
    9. Trouble
    10. Every Grain of Sand (34 CL) BG, TM, RU, 80

    Total Running Time: 44:27

    Non-Album Tracks from That Era:

    • Caribbean Wind (first recorded live 11/12/80 at the Warfield Theatre, San Francisco, CA) BG, TM
    • You Changed My Life (recorded 4/23/81) RU
    • Angelina (recorded 5/4/81) SN, RU
    • Need a Woman (recorded 5/4/81) SN, RU
    • Let’s Keep It Between Us SN
    • Price of Love SN
    • Don’t Ever Take Yourself Away SN
    • Fur Slippers SN
    • Yes Sir, No Sir SN

    About the Album:
    “Shot of Love finds Dylan still in born-again mode, but he's starting to come alive again — which isn't as much a value judgment as it is an observation that he no longer seems beholden to repeating dogma, loosening up and crafting songs again. And it's not just that his writing is looser, the music is, too, as he lets himself — and his backing band — rock a little harder, a little more convincingly. Shot of Love still isn't a great album, but it once again has flashes of brilliance, such as Every Grain of Sand, which point the way to the rebirth of Infidels.” AMG

    Review Source(s):

    Biograph

    Bob Dylan

    Recorded: 1962-1981

    Released: November 7, 1985

    Peak: 33 US, -- UK, -- CN, -- AU

    Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, -- UK, 1.0 world (includes US and UK)

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    4.605 out of 5.00 (average of 16 ratings)

    Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

    Tracks, Disc 1: (1) Lay Lady Lay (2) Baby, Let Me Follow You Down (3) If Not for You (4) I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight (5) I’ll Keep It with Mine (6) The Times They Are A-Changin’ (7) Blowin’ in the Wind (8) Masters of War (9) The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll (10) Percy’s Song (11) Mixed-Up Confusion (12) Tombstone Blues (13) The Groom’s Still Waiting at the Altar (14) Most Likely You Go Your Way (15) Like a Rolling Stone (16) Lay Down Your Weary Tune (17) Subterranean Homesick Blues (18) I Don’t Believe You

    Tracks, Disc 2: (1) Visions of Johanna (2) Every Grain of Sand (3) Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn) (4) Mr. Tambourine Man (5) Dear Landlord (6) It Ain’t Me, Babe (7) You Angel You (8) Million Dollar Bash (9) To Ramona (10) You’re a Big Girl Now (11) Abandoned Love (12) Tangled Up in Blue (13) It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue (14) Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window? (15) Positively 4th Street (16) Isis (17) Jet Pilot

    Tracks, Disc 3: (1) Caribbean Wind (2) Up to Me (3) Baby, I’m in the Mood for You (4) I Wanna Be Your Lover (5) I Want You (6) Heart of Mine (7) On a Night Like This (8) Just Like a Woman (9) Romance in Durango (10) Señor (Tales of Yankee Power) (11) Gotta Serve Somebody (12) I Believe in You (13) Time Passes Slowly (14) I Shall Be Released (15) Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (16) All Along the Watchtower (17) Solid Rock (18) Forever Young

    Total Running Time: 214:50

    About the Album:
    This box set captured 20 years of Bob Dylan’s career, pulling tracks from studio albums from 1962’s Bob Dylan through 1981’s Shot of Love. 18 of the 53 cuts from the box were previously unreleased. While many of Dylan’s best-known songs are featured, there are notable exceptions such as “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35” and “Hurricane.”

    Trouble No More (The Bootleg Series, Vol. 13)

    Bob Dylan

    Recorded: 1979-1981

    Released: November 3, 2017

    Peak: 49 US, 21 UK, -- CN, -- AU

    Sales (in millions): --

    Genre: folk rock/gospel

    Rating:

    4.232 out of 5.00 (average of 10 ratings)

    Tracks, Disc 1: (1) Slow Train (2) Gotta Serve Somebody (3) I Believe in You (4) When You Gonna Wake Up? (5) When He Returns (6) Man Gave Names to All the Animals (7) Precious Angel (8) Covenant Woman (9) Gonna Change My Way of Thinking (10) Do Right to Me Baby (Do Unto Others) (11) Solid Rock (12) What Can I Do for You? (13) Saved (14) In the Garden

    Tracks, Disc 2: (1) Slow Train (2) Ain’t Gonna Go to Hell for Anybody (3) Gotta Serve Somebody (4) Ain’t No Man Righteous, No Not One (5) Saving Grace (6) Blessed Is the Name (7) Solid Rock (8) Are You Ready? (9) Pressing On (10) Shot of Love (11) Dead Man, Dead Man (12) Waterd-Down Love (13) In the Summertime (14) The Groom’s Still Waiting at the Altar (15) Caribbean Wind (16) Every Grain of Sand

    Total Running Time: 2:32:58

    Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums:

    • Ain’t No Man Righteous, No Not One (live 11/16/79 at the Warfield Theatre, San Francisco< CA) TM
    • Blessed Is the Name (live 11/20/79 at Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, CA) TM
    • Ain’t Gonna Go to Hell for Anybody (live 6/29/81 at Earls Court, London, England) TM

    About the Album:
    This entry in The Bootleg Series keys in on Dylan’s gospel years from 1979 to 1981. Based on previous collections, one would assume this is going to be a collection of outtakes and alternate recordings from the three albums covered by those years. Instead, this is a two-disc collection of live recordings of songs from various dates and venues but focused on the songs recorded and released from 1979 to 1981.

    A deluxe edition expands the two-disc standard version to eight discs plus a DVD. There’s even a limited edition which adds two more discs. Considering the gospel years are considered some of the weakest in Dylan’s history, the bloated collections are only necessary for full-fledged collectors and even the standard version is more than the average fan needs.

    Infidels

    Bob Dylan

    Released: November 1, 1983

    Peak: 20 US, 9 UK, 14 CN, 6 AU

    Sales (in millions): 0.5 US, -- UK, 2.0 world (includes US + UK)

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    3.294 out of 5.00 (average of 22 ratings)

    Tracks:

    1. Jokerman (5/84, 23 DF) SN, B1, G3, ES, DE, 80, BN, 40
    2. Sweetheart Like You (12/17/83, 55 BB) SN, 80
    3. Neighborhood Bully (12/17/83, 37 AR) SN
    4. License to Kill RL, B2
    5. Man of Peace
    6. Union Sundown (10/83, –)
    7. I and I RL, SN
    8. Don’t Fall Apart on Me Tonight SN

    Total Running Time: 41:39

    Non-Album Tracks from That Era:

    • Someone’s Got a Hold of My Heart (recorded 4/25/83) SN, RU
    • Foot of Pride (recorded 4/25/83) SN, RU, 80
    • Lord Protect My Child (recorded 5/3/83) SN, RU
    • Blind Willie McTell (recorded 5/5/1983) SN, DE, RU, 80
    • Too Late SN
    • Tell Me SN

    About the Album:
    “Infidels was the first secular record Bob Dylan recorded since Street Legal, and it's far more like a classicist Dylan album than that one, filled with songs that are evocative in their imagery and direct in their approach. This is lean, much like Slow Train Coming, but its writing is closer to Dylan's peak of the mid-'70s, and some of the songs here — particularly on the first side — are minor classics, capturing him reviving his sense of social consciousness and his gift for poetic, elegant love songs. For a while, Infidels seems like a latter-day masterpiece, but toward the end of the record it runs out of steam, preventing itself from being a triumph. Still, in comparison to everything that arrived in the near-decade before it, Infidels is a triumph, finding Dylan coming tantalizingly close to regaining all his powers.” AMG

    Review Source(s):

    Real Live

    Bob Dylan

    Recorded: July 5-8, 1984

    Released: November 29, 1984

    Peak: 115 US, 54 UK, 68 CN, -- AU

    Sales (in millions): --

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    2.996 out of 5.00 (average of 9 ratings)

    Tracks: (1) Highway 61 Revisited (2) Maggie’s Farm (3) I and I (4) License to Kill (5) It Ain’t Me, Babe (6) Tangled Up in Blue (7) Masters of War (8) Ballad of a Thin Man (9) Girl from the North Country (10) Tombstone Blues

    Total Running Time: 50:15

    About the Album:
    This live album was recorded over three dates in July 1984 from a tour in support of Dylan’s 1983 studio album Infidels. The tour featured former Rolling Stones’ guitarist Mick Taylor and Faces’ keyboardist Ian McLagan as well as a guest appearance from Carlos Santana. Dylan has said that the live version of “Tangled Up in Blue” from this album is better than the original.

    Empire Burlesque

    Bob Dylan

    Released: June 8, 1985

    Peak: 33 US, 11 UK, 21 CN, 7 AU

    Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, 1.0 world (includes US + UK)

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    2.915 out of 5.00 (average of 22 ratings)

    Tracks:

    1. Tight Connection to My Heart (Has Anybody Seen My Love?) (6/15/85, 19 AR) SN
    2. Seeing the Real You at Last SN
    3. I’ll Remember You
    4. Clean Cut Kid SN
    5. Never Gonna Be the Same Again
    6. Trust Yourself
    7. Emotionally Yours SN
    8. When the Night Comes Falling from the Sky (8/85, --) RU
    9. Something’s Burning, Baby
    10. Dark Eyes SN, DE, 80

    Total Running Time: 46:24

    Non-Album Tracks from That Era:

    • Enough Is Enough (live) SN
    • New Danville Girl SN

    About the Album:
    “Say what you want about Empire Burlesque — at the very least, it's the most consistent record Bob Dylan has made since Blood on the Tracks, even if it isn't quite as interesting as Desire. However, it is a better set of songs, all deriving from the same place and filled with subtle gems — the most obvious being Tight Connection to My Heart (Has Anybody Seen My Love?), but also Emotionally Yours and Dark Eyes — proving that his powers are still there. The rest of the album may not be as graceful, but it's still well-crafted songwriting that never fails to be interesting. The record's biggest flaw is its state-of-the-art production; this is every bit as slick as Street Legal, but now sounds more focused and more of its time — thanks to a reliance on synthesizers and mildly sequenced beats — than it did upon its original release. All this makes Empire Burlesque seem more transient than it actually is, since — discounting the production — this is as good as Dylan gets in his latter days.” AMG

    Review Source(s):

    Springtime in New York (The Bootleg Series, Vol. 16)

    Bob Dylan

    Recorded: 1980-1985

    Released: September 17, 2021

    Peak: 40 US, 6 UK, -- CN, 20 AU

    Sales (in millions): --

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    4.151 out of 5.00 (average of 9 ratings)

    Tracks, Disc 1: (1) Angelina (2) Need a Woman (3) Let’s Keep It Between Us (4) Price of Love (5) Don’t Ever Take Yourself Away (6) Fur Slippers (7) Yes Sir, No Sir (8) Jokerman (9) Lord Protect My Child (10) Blind Willie McTell (11) Don’t Fall Apart on Me Tonight (12) Neighborhood Bully (13) Too Late

    Tracks, Disc 2: (1) Foot of Pride (2) Sweetheart Like You (3) Someone’s Got a Hold of My Heart (4) I and I (5) Tell Me (6) Enough Is Enough (live) (7) Tight Connection to My Heart (Has Anybody Seen My Love) (8) Seeing the Real You at Last (9) Emotionally Yours (10) Clean Cut Kid (11) New Danville Girl (12) Dark Eyes

    Total Running Time: 122:00

    About the Album:
    This two-disc entry in The Bootleg Series gathers outtakes and alternative recordings from sessions from 1980 through 1985 for the Shot of Love, Infidels, and Empire Burlesque albums. While previous archival collections in the series focused more on alternative versions of songs from Dylan’s studio albums, this set is dominated by previously unreleased songs. This was also released in a five-disc box version.

    Knocked Out Loaded

    Bob Dylan

    Released: August 8, 1986

    Peak: 53 US, 35 UK, 47 CN, 27 AU

    Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, 1.0 world (includes US + UK)

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    2.257 out of 5.00 (average of 18 ratings)

    Tracks:

    1. You Wanna Ramble
    2. They Killed Him
    3. Driftin’ Too Far from Shore
    4. Precious Memories
    5. Maybe Someday
    6. Brownsville Girl G3, D3, 80, BN
    7. I’ve Got My Mind Made Up (8/2/86, 2 AR
    8. Under Your Spell

    Total Running Time: 35:18

    About the Album:
    “It's easy to dismiss Knocked Out Loaded out of hand, considering it an extension of the slick professionalism of Empire Burlesque, only not written completely by Dylan. He collaborates with everyone from Tom Petty to Sam Shepard, relying on recordings cut at various times in the mid-'80s, which makes its scattershot effect perhaps not so surprising. Still, that scattershot approach has its charms, especially when it results in winding epics like the Shepard collaboration Brownsville Girl. But even with songs as good and interesting as that, the record follows too many detours to be consistently compelling, and some of those detours wind down roads that are indisputably dead ends. By 1986, such uneven records weren't entirely unexpected by Dylan, but that didn't make them any less frustrating.” AMG

    Review Source(s):

    Down in the Groove

    Bob Dylan

    Released: May 31, 1988

    Peak: 61 US, 32 UK, 46 CN, 41 AU

    Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, 0.75 world (includes US + UK)

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    2.315 out of 5.00 (average of 19 ratings)

    Tracks:

    1. Let’s Stick Together
    2. When Did You Leave Heaven?
    3. Sally Sue Brown
    4. Death Is Not the End
    5. Had a Dream about You, Baby
    6. Ugliest Girl in the World
    7. Silvio (6/11/88, 5 AR, 22 DF) G3, D3, 80
    8. Ninety Miles an Hour Down a Dead End Street
    9. Shenandoah
    10. Rank Strangers to Me

    Total Running Time: 32:04

    About the Album:
    “If the diffuseness of Knocked Out Loaded was excusable due to its collaborators and various recording sessions, Down in the Groove has less of an excuse, since it's relatively from the same time period, even if it's culled from several different sessions with several different backing band. Nevertheless, the main difference is that, while Down in the Groove was ambitious, this is positively unassuming, at best hoping to capture the mellow roots rock of the Grateful Dead (which it does, on Dylan's irresistible collaborations with Robert Hunter, Ugliest Girl in the World and Silvio). The rest of the record strolls through covers with amiable ease, whether he's backed by ex-punks or lifetime pros. That may not make for a great record by any stretch, but it's a rather ingratiating one, a little more focused than Knocked Out Loaded and a little looser and funkier than Empire Burlesque. Actually, not as heavy on great moments as either (especially Burlesque), but it's still rather nice in its low-key way.” AMG

    Review Source(s):

    Traveling Wilburys Volume 1

    Traveling Wilburys

    Released: October 25, 1988

    Peak: 3 US, 16 UK, 19 CN, 12 AU

    Sales (in millions): 3.0 US, 0.3 UK, 4.64 world (includes US + UK)

    Genre: rock

    Rating:

    4.247 out of 5.00 (average of 27 ratings)

    Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

    Tracks:

    1. Handle with Care (10/22/88, 45 BB, 30 AC, 2 AR, 21 UK, 3 AU, 8 DF)
    2. Dirty World (19 DF)
    3. Rattled (38 DF)
    4. Last Night (11/19/88, 5 AR, 8 DF)
    5. Not Alone Any More (25 DF)
    6. Congratulations (8 DF)
    7. Heading for the Light (38 DF)
    8. Margarita (40 DF)
    9. Tweeter and the Monkey Man (1/14/89, 41 AR, 11 DF)
    10. End of the Line (2/4/89, 63 BB, 28 AC, 2 AR, 52 UK, 12 AU, 8 DF)

    Total Running Time: 36:22

    About the Album:
    The Traveling Wilburys may be the biggest supergroup of all time. In 1988, George Harrison needed to record a B-side for a single from his 1987 album Cloud Nine. He was having dinner with that album’s co-producer, Jeff Lynne, and Roy Orbison, who was also using Lynne to produce his Mystery Girl album. The three decided to record a track the next day. In need of a studio, Harrison reached out to Bob Dylan about using his garage studio. That night, Harrison went by Tom Petty’s house to pick up a guitar he left and invited him to join them the next day.

    The next day the five musicians gathered at Dylan’s studio and wrote and recorded Handle with Care. Realizing it was too good for a B-side, the five musicians assembled together in May and worked up another nine cuts for a full-fledged album. They billed themselves as the Traveling Wilburys, assuming identities as the Wilbury brothes Nelson (Harrison), Otis (Lynne), Lucky (Dylan), Lefty (Orbison), and Charlie T. Jr. (Petty).

    The resulting album was a top-five, multi-platinum success that generated three top-five album rock songs, including “Handle with Care,” End of the Line (featuring Harrison, Lynne, Orbison, and Petty on lead vocals), and Last Night (with Petty on lead vocals). Dylan took the lead on Tweeter and the Monkey Man, Congratulations, and Dirty World.

    A 2007 reissue added the bonus tracks “Maxine” and “Like a Ship.”

    Oh Mercy

    Bob Dylan

    Released: September 19, 1989

    Peak: 30 US, 6 UK, 23 CN, 26 AU, 2 DF

    Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, 1.5 world (includes US + UK)

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    3.743 out of 5.00 (average of 24 ratings)

    Tracks:

    1. Political World (2/90, --)
    2. Where Teardrops Fall
    3. Everything Is Broken (9/30/89, 8 AR, 12 DF) B1, ES, TT, 80
    4. Ring Them Bells (22 DF) G3, DE, TT, BN
    5. Man in the Long Black Coat
    6. Most of the Time TT, 80
    7. What Good Am I?
    8. Disease of Conceit
    9. What Was It You Wanted SK
    10. Shooting Star

    Total Running Time: 38:46

    Non-Album Tracks from That Era:

    • Series of Dreams (recorded 3/23/1989) RU, G3, TT, 80
    • Dignity (recorded March/April 1989, charted 5/20/95, 33 UK, 12 DF) G3, B2, DE, TT, 80
    • Dreamin’ of You TT
    • God Knows TT

    About the Album:
    “Oh Mercy was hailed as a comeback, not just because it had songs noticeably more meaningful than anything Bob Dylan had recently released, but because Daniel Lanois' production gave it cohesion. There was cohesion on Empire Burlesque, of course, but that cohesion was a little too slick, a little too commercial, whereas this record was filled with atmospheric, hazy production — a sound as arty as most assumed the songs to be. And Dylan followed suit, giving Lanois significant songs — palpably social works, love songs, and poems — that seemed to connect with his past. And, at the time, this production made it seem like the equivalent of his '60s records, meaning that its artiness was cutting edge, not portentous. Over the years, Oh Mercy hasn't aged particularly well, seeming as self-conscious as such other gauzy Lanois productions as [Peter Gabriel’s] So and [U2’s] The Joshua Tree, even though it makes more sense than the ersatz pizzazz of Burlesque. Still, the songs make Oh Mercy noteworthy; they find Dylan quietly raging against the materialism of President Reagan and accepting maturity, albeit with a slight reluctance. So, Oh Mercy is finally more interesting for what it tries to achieve than for what it actually does achieve. At its best, this is a collection of small, shining moments, with the best songs shining brighter than their production or the album's overall effect.” AMG

    Review Source(s):

    Rare & Unreleased (The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3)

    Bob Dylan

    Recorded: 1961-1989

    Released: March 26, 1991

    Peak: 49 US, 32 UK, -- CN, -- AU

    Sales (in millions): 0.5 US, 0.06 UK, 0.75 world (includes US and UK)

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    3.976 out of 5.00 (average of 22 ratings)

    Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

    Tracks, Disc 1: (1) Hard Times in New York Town (2) He Was a Friend of Mine (3) Man on the Street (4) No More Auction Block (live) (5) House Carpenter (6) Talkin’ Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues (7) Let Me Die in My Footsteps (8) Rambling, Gambling Willie (9) Talkin’ Hava Negeilah Blues (10) Quit Your Low Down Ways (11) Worried Blues (12) Kingsport Town (13) Walkin’ Down the Line (14) Walls of Red Wing (15) Paths of Victory (16) Talkin’ John Bich Paranoid Blues (live) (17) Who Killed Davey Moore? (live) (18) Only a Hobo (19) Moonshiner (20) When the Ship Comes In (21) The Times They Are A-Changin’ (demo) (22) Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie (poem, live)

    Tracks, Disc 2: (1) Seven Curses (2) Eternal Circle (3) Suze (The Cough Song) (4) Mama, You Been on My Mind (5) Farewell, Angelina (6) Subterranean Homesick Blues (alternate take) (7) If You Gotta Go, Go Now (8) Sitting on a Barbed Wire Fence (9) Like a Rolling Stone (alternate take) (10) It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry (alternate take) (11) I’ll Keep It with Mine (12) She’s Your Lover Now (13) I Shall Be Released (14) Santa-Fe (15) If Not for You (alternate take) (16) Wallflower (17) Nobody ‘Cept You (18) Tangled Up in Blue (alternate take) (19) Call Letter Blues (20 Idiot Wind (alternate take)

    Tracks, Disc 3: (1) If You See Her, Say Hello (2) Golden Loom (3) Catfish (4) Seven Days (5) Ye Shall Be Changed (6) Every Grain of Sand (demo) (7) You Changed My Life (8) Need a Woman (9) Angelina (10) Someone’s Got a Hold of My Heart (11) Tell Me (12) Lord Protect My Child (13) Foot of Pride (14) Blind Willie McTell (15) When the Night Comes Falling from the Sky (alternate take) (16) Series of Dreams

    Total Running Time: 229:37

    About the Album:
    This three-disc set was the first of The Bootleg Series, which focused on previously unreleased material from Dylan’s vaults. While follow-up collections tended to focus on specific eras, this one gathered up a lot of loose ends over three decades. A decent chunk of this material would appear on future Bootleg Series albums.

    Best of, Volume 1

    Bob Dylan

    Recorded: 1963-1989

    Released: June 2, 1997

    Peak: -- US, 6 UK, -- CN, 15 AU

    Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.1 UK, 1.5 world (includes US and UK)

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    4.514 out of 5.00 (average of 8 ratings)

    Tracks: (1) Blowin’ in the Wind (2) The Times They Are A-Changin’ (3) Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right (4) Mr. Tambourine Man (5) Like a Rolling Stone (6) Just Like a Woman (7) All Along the Watchtower (8) Lay Lady Lay (9) I Shall Be Released (10) If Not for You (11) Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (12) Forever Young (13) Tangled Up in Blue (14) Oh, Sister (15) Gotta Serve Somebody (16) Jokerman (17) Everything is Broken (18) Shelter from the Storm (alternate version)

    Total Running Time: 76:10

    About the Album:
    This UK-only single-disc anthology covers more than 25 years of Dylan’s career. It’s a great place for a casual fan to start.

    Playlist: The Very Best of the ‘80s

    Bob Dylan

    Recorded: 1980-1989

    Released: October 12, 2010

    Peak: --

    Sales (in millions): --

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    4.303 out of 5.00 (average of 3 ratings)

    Tracks: (1) Silvio (2) Foot of Pride (3) Blind Willie McTell (4) Jokerman (5) Pressing On (6) Everything Is Broken (7) Series of Dreams (8) Most of the Time (9) The Groom’s Still Waiting at the Altar (10) Every Grain of Sand (11) Sweetheart Like You (12) Brownsville Girl (13) Dignity (14) Dark Eyes

    About the Album:
    The third album in the Playlist series may be the best – not because it has the biggest songs – but because it covers the Dylan years that often get short-changed in other compilations. The two earlier sets in the Playlist series focused on the ‘60s and ‘70s, which are well documented via other collections. The ‘80s, however, aren’t covered in this much detail in other collections.

    Under the Red Sky

    Bob Dylan

    Released: September 11, 1990

    Peak: 38 US, 13 UK, 39 CN, 38 AU

    Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, 1.0 world (includes US + UK)

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    2.554 out of 5.00 (average of 14 ratings)

    Tracks:

    1. Wiggle Wiggle
    2. Under the Red Sky G3, D3
    3. Unbelievable (9/29/90, 21 AR)
    4. Born in Time TT
    5. T.V. Talkin’ Song
    6. 10,000 Men
    7. 2 X 2
    8. God Knows
    9. Handy Dandy
    10. Cat’s in the Well

    Total Running Time: 35:21

    About the Album:
    “Dylan followed Oh Mercy, his most critically acclaimed album in years, with Under the Red Sky, a record that seemed like a conscious recoil from that album's depth and atmosphere. By signing Don Was, the king of mature retro-rock, as producer, he guaranteed that the record would be lean and direct, which is perhaps exactly what this collection of simplistic songs deserves. Still, this record feels a little ephemeral, a collection of songs that Dylan didn't really care that much about. In a way, that makes it a little easier to warm to than its predecessor, since it has a looseness that suits him well, especially with songs this deliberately lightweight. As such, Under the Red Sky is certainly lightweight, but rather appealing in its own lack of substance, since Dylan has never made a record so breezy, apart from (maybe) Down in the Groove. That doesn't make it a great, or even good, record, but it does have its own charms that will be worth searching out for Dylanphiles.” AMG

    Review Source(s):

    Greatest Hits Volume 3

    Bob Dylan

    Recorded: 1973-1990

    Released: November 15, 1994

    Peak: --

    Sales (in millions): --

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    4.150 out of 5.00 (average of 6 ratings)

    Tracks: (1) Tangled Up in Blue (2) Changing of the Guards (3) The Groom’s Still Waiting at the Altar (4) Hurricane (5) Forever Young (6) Jokerman (7) Dignity (8) Silvio (9) Ring Them Bells (10) Gotta Serve Somebody (11) Series of Dreams (12) Brownsville Girl (13) Under the Red Sky (14) Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door

    Total Running Time: 77:24

    About the Album:
    While the third official Greatest Hits from Dylan covers some of his leaner years, the song selection makes this a worthy collection. Included are “Dignity” and “Series of Dreams,” both outtakes from the sessions for his 1989 Oh Mercy album.

    Traveling Wilburys Volume 3

    Traveling Wilburys

    Released: October 29, 1990

    Peak: 11 US, 14 UK, 6 CN, 14 AU, 2 DF

    Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, 0.1 UK, 1.27 world (includes US + UK)

    Genre: rock

    Rating:

    3.364 out of 5.00 (average of 18 ratings)

    Tracks:

    1. She’s My Baby (10/27/90, 2 AR, 79 UK, 45 AU, 23 DF)
    2. Inside Out (12/22/90, 16 AR, 28 DF)
    3. If You Belonged to Me
    4. The Devil’s Been Busy (35 DF)
    5. 7 Deadly Sins (35 DF)
    6. Poor House
    7. Where Were You Last Night?
    8. Cool Dry Place (35 DF)
    9. New Blue Moon
    10. You Took My Breath Away
    11. Wilbury Twist (3/9/91, 46 AR, 27 DF)

    Total Running Time: 36:13

    About the Album:
    The assemblage of Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, and Tom Petty as the Traveling Wilburys in 1988 made for perhaps the greatest supergroup of all time. Sadly, Orbison died before the end of that year, making it his final project and rendering a full reunion of the five impossible. However, two years later the surviving four gathered together again and recorded the cheekily titled Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3. While the second outing wasn’t as successful, it still went platinum and generated the #2 album rock hit She’s My Baby.

    A 2007 reissue added the bonus tracks “Nobody’s Child” (from a 1990 various artists collection of the same name) and a cover of Del Shannon’s “Runaway,” which was originally the B-side of “She’s My Baby.”

    Good As I Been to You

    Bob Dylan

    Released: November 3, 1992

    Peak: 51 US, 18 UK, 38 CN, -- AU, 2 DF

    Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, 0.75 world (includes US + UK)

    Genre: folk rock/covers

    Rating:

    3.268 out of 5.00 (average of 24 ratings)

    Tracks:

    1. Frankie and Albert
    2. Jim Jones
    3. Black Jack Davey
    4. Canadee-I-O
    5. Sitting on Top of the World
    6. Little Maggie
    7. Hard Times
    8. Step It Up and Go
    9. Tomorrow Night
    10. Arthur McBride
    11. You’re Gonna Quit Me D3
    12. Diamond Joe
    13. Froggie Went A-Courtin’

    Total Running Time: 55:31

    Non-Album Tracks from That Era:

    • The Girl on the Greenbriar Shore (live 6/30/92) TT
    • Miss the Mississippi (recorded 1992) TT

    About the Album:
    “Given the acclaim of The Bootleg Series and the perceived disappointment of Under the Red Sky, it seemed like it was time for Dylan to bounce back with a convincing album of original material. Instead, he delivered a record of folk songs, his first straight covers album ever, not to mention his first guitar, harmonica, and voice record since the early '60s. That alone would make it an anomaly, but Good as I Been to You is more than that, because it's a really good traditional folk album, having just enough familiar tunes — Frankie & Albert, Blackjack Davey, Sittin’ on Top of the World, Froggie Went a Courtin’ — to provide an entryway to the less familiar numbers, which are delivered equally well. Yes, this could be seen as a rather unassuming record, but that's what's special about it. In 1992, not even folksingers were working with this material, but Dylan did, reviving folk's (and rock's) ties to the past at an unexpected time and with unexpectedly strong results. A minor high point in his catalog.” AMG

    Review Source(s):

    World Gone Wrong

    Bob Dylan

    Released: October 26, 1993

    Peak: 70 US, 35 UK, 37 CN, -- AU

    Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, 0.3 world (includes US + UK)

    Genre: folk rock/covers

    Rating:

    3.213 out of 5.00 (average of 24 ratings)

    Tracks:

    1. World Gone Wrong
    2. Love Henry
    3. Ragged & Dirty
    4. Blood in My Eyes D3
    5. Broke Down Engine
    6. Delia
    7. Stack-A-Lee
    8. Two Soldiers
    9. Jack-A-Roe
    10. Lone Pilgrim

    Total Running Time: 43:51

    Non-Album Tracks from That Era:

    • 32-20 Blues TT

    About the Album:
    “If Good as I Been to You was a strong traditionalist folk record, World Gone Wrong was an exceptional one, boasting an exceptional set of songs given performances so fully realized that they seemed like modern protest songs. Much of this record is fairly obscure to anyone outside of dedicated folk fans; Delia (covered by Johnny Cash the following year) and Stack-A-Lee are the most familiar items, yet they're given traditional readings, meaning that the latter doesn't quite seem like Stagger Lee. But even if these are traditionalist, they're spirited and lively renditions, and Dylan seems more connected to the music than he has in years. That sense of connection, plus the terrific choice of songs, makes this one of his best, strongest albums of the second half of his career.” AMG

    Review Source(s):

    Time Out of Mind

    Bob Dylan

    Released: September 30, 1997

    Peak: -- US, 10 UK, 27 CN, 24 AU, 15 DF

    Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, 0.1 UK, 2.5 world (includes US + UK)

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    4.101 out of 5.00 (average of 28 ratings)

    Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

    Tracks:

    1. Love Sick (7/11/98, 64 UK) TT, FM
    2. Dirt Road Blues FM
    3. Standing in the Doorway FM
    4. Million Miles FM
    5. Tryin’ to Get to Heaven FM
    6. ‘Til I Fell in Love with You FM
    7. Not Dark Yet (23 DF) FM, ES, B2, DE, 40
    8. Cold Irons Bound FM
    9. Make You Feel My Love (12 DF) FM, DE, SE, BN, VB, 40, MM
    10. Can’t Wait FM, TT
    11. Highlands FM

    Total Running Time: 72:50

    Non-Album Tracks from That Era:

    • Red River Shore (recorded 9/26/96) FM, TT
    • Mississippi (recorded 1/11/97, later released on Love and Theft) TT, FM
    • Cocaine Blues (recorded live 8/24/97) TT
    • Marchin’ to the City TT

    About the Album:
    Go to the DMDB page for this album.

    Fragments

    Bob Dylan

    Recorded: 1996-1997

    Released: January 27, 2023

    Peak: 63 US, 9 UK, -- CN, -- AU

    Sales (in millions): --

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    3.892 out of 5.00 (average of 10 ratings)

    Tracks, Disc 1 (2022 Remix): (1) Love Sick (2) Dirt Road Blues (3) Standing in the Doorway (4) Million Miles (5) Tryin’ to Get to Heaven (6) Till I Fell in Love with You (7) Not Dark Yet (8) Cold Irons Bound (9) Make You Feel My Love (10) Can’t Wait (11) Highlands

    Tracks, Disc 2: (1) The Water Is Wide (2) Red River Shore (3) Dirt Road Blues (4) Love Sick (5) Tryin’ to Get to Heaven (6) Make You Feel My Love (7) Can’t Wait (8) Mississippi (9) Standing in the Doorway (10) Not Dark Yet (11) Cold Irons Bound (12) Highlands

    Total Running Time: 149:46

    About the Album:
    This two-disc collection combines a 2022 remix of Time Out of Mind (originally released in 1997) with a second disc of alternative versions and outtakes from the 1996-97 sessions for the album.

    The Essential

    Bob Dylan

    Recorded: 1962-2000

    Released: October 31, 2000

    Peak: 67 US, 9 UK, -- CN, 36 AU

    Sales (in millions): 2.0 US, 0.3 UK

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    3.972 out of 5.00 (average of 7 ratings)

    Tracks, Disc 1: (1) Blowin’ in the Wind (2) Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right (3) The Times They Are A-Changin’ (4) It Ain’t Me, Babe (5) Maggie’s Farm (6) It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue (7) Mr. Tambourine Man (8) Subterranean Homesick Blues (9) Like a Rolling Stone (10) Positively 4th Street (11) Just Like a Woman (12) Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 (13) All Along the Watchtower (14) Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn) (15) I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight

    Tracks, Disc 2: (1) Lay Lady Lay (2) If Not for You (3) I Shall Be Released (4) You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere (5) Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (6) Forever Young (7) Tangled Up in Blue (8) Shelter from the Storm (9) Hurricane (10) Gotta Serve Somebody (11) Jokerman (12) Silvio (13) Everything Is Broken (14) Not Dark Yet (15) Things Have Changed

    Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums:

    • Things Have Changed (2/19/00, 2 AA, 58 UK, 17 DF) ES, B2, DE, SE, 40, MM

    About the Album:
    Cramming four decades of the most celebrated songwriter in rock history into two discs is no easy task, but this compilation does an admirable job of gathering up a nice sampling of some of Dylan’s most significant songs. It includes “Things Have Changed,” which was featured in the movie Wonder Boys. This marks its first inclusion on a Dylan release.

    A limited edition of this collection offered a third disc with the songs “Thunder on the Mountain,” “Mississippi,” “Blind Willie McTell,” “Make You Feel My Love,” “Beyond Here Lies Nothin’,” and “Dark Eyes.”

    Best of, Volume 2

    Bob Dylan

    Recorded: 1963-2000

    Released: November 28, 2000

    Peak: -- US, 22 UK, -- CN, -- AU

    Sales (in millions): --

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    3.990 out of 5.00 (average of 9 ratings)

    Tracks: (1) Things Have Changed (2) A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall (3) It Ain’t Me, Babe (4) Subterranean Homesick Blues (5) Positively 4th Street (6) Highway 61 Revisited (7) Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 (8) I Want You (9) I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight (10) Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn) (11) Simple Twist of Fate (12) Hurricane (13) Changing of the Guards (14) License to Kill (15) Silvio (16) Dignity (17) Not Dark Yet (18) Forever Young

    Total Running Time: 79:15

    About the Album:
    This British-only release is a companion to the Best of compilation released in 1997. Clearly these aren’t as essential as the songs on the first set, but the two collections together offer a nice overview of Dylan’s career.

    Mixing Up the Medicine

    Bob Dylan

    Recorded: 1963-2000

    Released: June 1, 2024

    Peak: --

    Sales (in millions): --

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating: --

    Tracks: (1) The Times They Are A-Changin’ (2) Blowin’ in the Wind (3) Like a Rolling Stone (4) Subterranean Homesick Blues (5) All Along the Watchtower (6) Lay Lady Lay (7) Forever Young (slow version) (8) Tangled Up in Blue (9) Hurricane (10) Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (11) Make You Feel My Love (12) Things Have Changed

    About the Album:
    This collection was put together as a companion to a book of the same name, which as stated on Bob Dylan’s website, “will included nearly 1,000 images.” The website describes the CD as a “career-spanning compilation” even though it ignores the last 24 years of his career. In addition, 10 of the 12 tracks are from 1963 to 1974. There are no songs from the 1980s, one from the 1990s, and one from 2000. A single-disc retrospective can’t possibly cover all the important songs, but this set is even more problematic in that it could easily have added another half dozen songs and still been contained on a single disc.

    Love and Theft

    Bob Dylan

    Released: September 11, 2001

    Peak: 5 US, 3 UK, 3 CN, 6 AU, 11 DF

    Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, 0.1 UK

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    3.890 out of 5.00 (average of 29 ratings)

    Tracks:

    1. Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum
    2. Mississippi
    3. Summer Days
    4. Bye and Bye
    5. Lonesome Day Blues TT
    6. Floater (Too Much to Ask)
    7. High Water (For Charley Patton) DE, TT
    8. Moonlight
    9. Honest with Me
    10. Po’ Boy DE, BN
    11. Cry a While
    12. Sugar Baby

    Total Running Time: 57:25

    About the Album:
    Go to the DMDB page for this album.

    Modern Times

    Bob Dylan

    Released: August 29, 2006

    Peak: 11 US, 3 UK, 11 CN, 11 AU, 12 DF

    Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, -- UK, 2.7 world (includes US + UK)

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    4.071 out of 5.00 (average of 28 ratings)

    Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

    Tracks:

    1. Thunder on the Mountain (12/24/06, 22 AA, 30 DF) BN, VB
    2. Spirit on the Water
    3. Rollin’ and Tumblin’
    4. When the Deal Goes Down DE
    5. Someday Baby (9/23/06, --) DE, SE, TT
    6. Workingman’s Blues #2
    7. Beyond the Horizon
    8. Nettie Moore
    9. The Levee’s Gonna Break
    10. Ain’t Talkin’ TT

    Total Running Time: 63:04

    About the Album:
    Go to the DMDB page for this album.

    Dylan

    Bob Dylan

    Recorded: 1962-2006

    Released: October 2, 2007

    Peak: 36 US, 10 UK, -- CN, 25 AU

    Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, 0.84 world (includes US and UK)

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    4.246 out of 5.00 (average of 7 ratings)

    Tracks, Disc 1: (1) Song to Woody (2) Blowin’ in the Wind (3) Masters of War (4) Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right (5) A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall (6) The Times They Are A-Changin’ (7) All I Really Want to Do (8) My Back Pages (9) It Ain’t Me, Babe (10) Subterranean Homesick Blues (11) Mr. Tambourine Man (12) Maggie’s Farm (13) Like a Rolling Stone (14) It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue (15) Positively 4th Street (16) Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 (17) Just Like a Woman (18) Most Likely You Go Your Way and I’ll Go Mine (19) All Along the Watchtower

    Tracks, Disc 2: (1) You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere (2) Lay Lady Lay (3) If Not for You (4) I Shall Be Released (5) Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (6) On a Night Like This (7) Forever Young (8) Tangled Up in Blue (9) Simple Twist of Fate (10) Hurricane (11) Changing of the Guards (12) Gotta Serve Somebody (13) Precious Angel (14) The Groom’s Still Waiting at the Altar (15) Jokerman (16) Dark Eyes

    Tracks, Disc 3: (1) Blind Willie McTell (2) Brownsville Girl (3) Silvio (4) Ring Them Bells (5) Dignity (6) Everything Is Broken (7) Under the Red Sky (8) You’re Gonna Quit Me (9) Blood in My Eyes (10) Not Dark Yet (11) Things Have Changed (12) Make You Feel My Love (13) High Water (For Charley Patton) (14) Po’ Boy (15) Someday Baby (16) When the Deal Goes Down

    Tracks (Single Disc Standard Edition): (1) Blowin’ in the Wind (2) The Times They Are A-Changin’ (3) Subterranean Homesick Blues (4) Mr. Tambourine Man (5) Like a Rolling Stone (6) Maggie’s Farm (7) Positively 4th Street (8) Just Like a Woman (9) Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 (10) All Along the Watchtower (11) Lay Lady Lay (12) Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (13) Tangled Up in Blue (14) Hurricane (15) Make You Feel My Love (16) Things Have Changed (17) Someday Baby (18) Forever Young

    About the Album:
    The deluxe edition of Dylan is a three-disc retrospective covering 45 years. In addition to the myriad of album cuts, the set features “Blind Willie McTell,” a cut never released on a Dylan studio album. The standard edition is a one-disc collection.

    Tell Tale Signs (The Bootleg Series Vol. 8)

    Bob Dylan

    Recorded: 1989-2007

    Released: October 7, 2008

    Peak: 6 US, 9 UK, -- CN, -- AU

    Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.06 UK, 0.42 world (includes US and UK)

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    3.077 out of 5.00 (average of 8 ratings)

    Tracks, Disc 1: (1) Mississippi (2) Most of the Time (3) Dignity (4) Someday Baby (5) Red River Shore (6) Tell Ol’ Bill (7) Born in Time (8) Can’t Wait (9) Everything Is Broken (10) Dreamin’ of You (11) Huck’s Tune (12) Marchin’ to the City (13) High Water (For Charley Patton) (live)

    Tracks, Disc 2: (1) Mississippi (2) 32-20 Blues (3) Series of Dreams (4) God Knows (5) Can’t Escape from You (6) Dignity (7) Ring Them Bells (live) (8) Cocaine Blues (9) Ain’t Talkin’ (10) The Girl on the Greenbriar Shore (11) Lonesome Day Blues (live) (12) Miss the Mississippi (13) The Lonesome River (14) Cross the Green Mountain (15) Love Sick

    Total Running Time: 137:07

    Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums:

    • Cross the Green Mountain (from the movie Gods and Generals, released 2/21/03) TT
    • Tell Ol’ Bill (from movie North Country, released 9/12/05) TT
    • Can’t Escape from You (recorded 12/05) TT
    • Huck’s Tune (from movie Lucky You, released 5/4/07) TT
    • The Lonesome River TT

    About the Album:
    This is somewhat a companion to Rare & Unreleased, the first of Bob Dylan’s The Bootleg Series. That three-disc collection gathered archival material from 1961 to 1989. This two-disc set picks up where that left off, gathering material from 1989 to 2007.

    Together Through Life

    Bob Dylan

    Released: April 27, 2009

    Peak: 11 US, 12 UK, 4 CN, 5 AU

    Sales (in millions): 0.36 US, 0.1 UK, 0.46 world (includes US + UK)

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    3.433 out of 5.00 (average of 16 ratings)

    Tracks:

    1. Beyond Here Lies Nothin’ (3/31/09, --) BN
    2. Life Is Hard
    3. My Wife’s Home Town
    4. If You Ever Go to Houston
    5. Forgetful Heart
    6. Jolene
    7. This Dream of You
    8. Shake Shake Mama
    9. I Feel a Change Comin’ On
    10. It’s All Good

    Total Running Time: 45:33

    About the Album (Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine at AllMusic.com):
    “Together Through Life arrived quickly, cut swiftly by Bob Dylan and his touring band in the fall of 2008.” “It’s an old-fashioned ten tracks, clocking in at 45 minutes, a simple set of songs co-written with Robert Hunter – Jerry Garcia’s lyricist.” It “has a spontaneous, kinetic kick, feeling so alive that it’s a little messy, teeming with contradictions, crossed signals, and frayed ends. That liveliness turns Together Through Life into a much lighter affair than its weighty predecessor, Modern Times, which was tinged with doom and had thematic unity, two things missing from this comparatively breezy affair.”

    “If Together Through Life is about any one thing, it is – as its title and cover photo elliptically suggest – the enduring power of romance, how it provides sustenance and how its absence can make life hard. But all this suggests that Dylan has turned in a meditation on the meaning of life and love here, when its core charm is its very modesty.”

    “Sonically, this is right in line with Dylan's 2000s albums, the sound of a well-lubricated traveling band easing into the same chords it plays every night, but this isn’t strictly roadhouse rock & roll: Dylan remains fixated on pre-rock & roll American music, emphasizing the blues but eager to croon love-struck ballads.” “Its clean yet earthy production slyly emphasizing the musical variety here.”

    “In this context, David Hidalgo’s accordion – which appears so often it soon ceases to be noteworthy -- can suggest a romantic stroll down Parisian streets or a steamy sojourn with Doug Sahm in a Tex-Mex border town, but everything here is recognizably, thoroughly Dylan’s mythic picturesque America that stretches from the hazy past to the barbed present. While the music is proudly, almost defiantly, rooted in the past, with Dylan borrowing Willie Dixon’s ‘I Just Want to Make Love to You’ wholesale for the riotous My Wife’s Home Town, there’s no avoidance of the present here, with Bob even going so far as to turn the omnipresent catch phrase It’s All Good into a mordantly funny rocker. Dylan’s not just aware of the modern-day vernacular, he’s wound up with an album that fits the spirit of 2009: it’s troubled but hopeful, firmly in favor of love and romance.”

    Beyond Here Lies Nothin’: The Collection

    Bob Dylan

    Recorded: 1963 to 2009

    Released: October 24, 2011

    Peak: -- US, 156 UK, -- CN, -- AU

    Sales (in millions): --

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    4.558 out of 5.00 (average of 4 ratings)

    Tracks, Disc 1: (1) The Times They Are A-Changin’ (2) Blowin’ in the Wind (3) Boots of Spanish Leather (4) It Ain’t Me, Babe (5) To Ramona (6) Mr. Tambourine Man (7) Subterranean Homesick Blues (8) It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue (9) Like a Rolling Stone (10) I Want You (11) Just Like a Woman (12) Tombstone Blues (13) Desolation Row (14) All Along the Watchtower (15) One of Us Most Know (Sooner or Later) (16) Watching the River Flow (17) I Threw It All Away

    Tracks, Disc 2: (1) Lay Lady Lay (2) You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere (3) The Man in Me (4) Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (5) Tangled Up in Blue (6) Simple Twist of Fate (7) Hurricane (8) Jokerman (9) Changing of the Guards (10) The Groom’s Still Waiting at the Altar (11) Ring Them Bells (12) Brownsville Girl (13) Po’ Boy (14) Thunder on the Mountain (15) Make You Feel My Love (16) Beyond Here Lies Nothin’

    About the Album:
    This two-disc retrospective offers a decent highlight of Bob Dylan’s nearly half-century career. It still manages to miss some of his most important songs like “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right,” “Positively 4th Street,” and “Rainy Day Women & 12 & 35” but it isn’t a bad place for beginners to start.

    Christmas in the Heart

    Bob Dylan

    Released: October 13, 2009

    Peak: 23 US, 40 UK, 33 CN, -- AU

    Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, 0.14 world (includes US + UK)

    Genre: Christmas

    Rating:

    1.904 out of 5.00 (average of 10 ratings)

    Tracks:

    1. Here Comes Santa Claus
    2. Do You Hear What I Hear?
    3. Winter Wondland
    4. Hark the Herald Angels Sing
    5. I’ll Be Home for Christmas
    6. Little Drummer Boy
    7. The Christmas Blues
    8. O Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles)
    9. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
    10. Must Be Santa (11/09, --) 40
    11. Silver Bells
    12. The First Noel
    13. Christmas Island
    14. The Christmas Song
    15. O Little Town of Bethlehem

    Total Running Time: 42:21

    About the Album:
    In the early ‘90s, Bob Dylan recorded a pair of poorly received albums (Good As I Been to You and World Gone Wrong) that focused on covers of old folk and blues songs. At least that was in his wheelhouse. Here he tackles classic Christmas songs with little success. The problem is two-fold: first, Christmas music is considered jaunty and joyful and Dylan is neither. Second, Dylan has always been celebrated for his songwriting and people have often reluctantly accepted his nasally voice as part of the package. Here you get the second without the first. Consider this album a warning. In the 2010s, Dylan would record a trio of albums of standards. You can file this and those all under “For Extreme Fans Only.”

    Tempest

    Bob Dylan

    Released: September 10, 2012

    Peak: 3 US, 3 UK, 4 CN, 8 AU, 11 DF

    Sales (in millions): 0.27 US, 0.1 UK, 0.4 world (includes US + UK)

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    3.499 out of 5.00 (average of 19 ratings)

    Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

    Tracks:

    1. Duquesne Whistle (8/27/12, 30 DF) VB, 40
    2. Soon After Midnight
    3. Narrow Way
    4. Long and Wasted Years
    5. Pay in Blood
    6. Scarlet Town
    7. Early Roman Kings (8/7/12, --)
    8. The Angel
    9. Tempest
    10. Roll on John

    Total Running Time: 68:31

    About the Album (Review by Thom Jurek at AllMusic.com):
    Since 1997’s i>Time Out of Mind, Bob Dyan has “been rambling through American musical styles – blues, country, folk, rockabilly, swing – that were popular before he was even on the scene. Tempest continues the exploration, but more urgently than on Modern Times and Together Through Life.”

    “Duquesne Whistle opens nostalgically with steel and acoustic guitars playing a swing melody reminiscent of Bob Wills. When the band enters, it becomes a rockabilly shuffle with teeth.” “Soon After Midnight is a ballad with hazardous warnings.” “Narrow Way is a blues wailer that faintly looks back at ‘Maggie's Farm.’” Tin Angel “is Dylan at his storytelling best; its twists and turns would be right at home on Blood on the Tracks and Desire.”

    “Pay in Blood is a rocking venomous boast with one of his more memorable refrains: ‘I pay in blood, but not my own.’” “Early Roman Kings is a basic rewrite of Muddy Wates’ ‘Mannish Boy.’ David Hidalgo’s old-world accordion plays the signature swaggering, razor-sharp guitar riff underscoring the notion that the blues are universal, timeless. Dylan’s nasty rasp fueled by lust, vengeance, and power is balanced by his wicked humor: ‘I can strip you of life, strip you of breath / I can ship you down, to the house of death...I ain’t dead yet, my bell still rings / I keep my fingers crossed like the early Roman kings.’”

    “It’s a gritty, cantankerous record with abundant images of violence, lust, and humor, though the latter is often black. His protagonists settle scores with lovers, enemies, and power brokers; they’re often self-aggrandizing and self-deprecating simultaneously.”

    The Very Best of

    Bob Dylan

    Recorded: 1963 to 2012

    Released: November 12, 2013

    Peak: -- US, 16 UK, -- CN, -- AU

    Sales (in millions): --

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    4.363 out of 5.00 (average of 4 ratings)

    Tracks: (1) Like a Rolling Stone (2) Blowin’ in the Wind (3) Subterranean Homesick Blues (4) Lay Lady Lay (5) Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (6) I Want You (7) All Along the Watchtower (8) Tangled Up in Blue (9) Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right (10) Hurricane (11) Just Like a Woman (12) Mr. Tambourine Man (13) It Ain’t Me, Babe (14) The Times They Are A-Changin’ (15) Duquesne Whistle (16) Baby Stop Crying (17) Make You Feel My Love (18) Thunder on the Mountain

    About the Album:
    This UK-only release covers a half century of Bob Dylan’s music. While this one-stop shop may seem appealing to a casual fan, it proves to be problematic. By purporting to be a career retrospective, it skips over nearly twenty years with no songs from 1979 to 1996. While these are some of Dylan’s leaner years regarding commercial success and critical acclaim there are still songs, such as “Gotta Serve Somebody,” “Blind Willie McTell,” “Everything Is Broken,” and “Dignity” which would be fitting representations of this “lost” era.

    There are only three songs (“Make You Feel My Love,” “Thunder on the Mountain,” and “Duquesne Whistle”) from Dylan’s latter years from 1997 to 2012. A collection focused on this era would be a welcome addition to Dylan’s catalog, highlighting some lesser known but worthy tracks. However, in this context it’s hard not to see these songs as poor substitutes for missing early classics like “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall,” “Positively 4th Street,” “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35,” and “Forever Young.”

    Shadows in the Night

    Bob Dylan

    Released: February 3, 2015

    Peak: 7 US, 11 UK, 10 CN, 8 AU

    Sales (in millions): --

    Genre: standards

    Rating:

    3.311 out of 5.00 (average of 16 ratings)

    Tracks:

    1. I’m a Fool to Want You
    2. The Night We Called It a Day (1/19/15, --)
    3. Stay with Me
    4. Autumn Leaves
    5. Why Try to Change Me Now
    6. Some Enchanted Evening
    7. Full Moon and Empty Arms (1/9/15, --)
    8. Where Are You?
    9. What’ll I Do?
    10. That Lucky Old Sun

    Total Running Time: 35:17

    About the Album:
    This is the Bob Dylan album no one needed. In the early ‘90s, he released a pair of albums covering old folk and blues songs (As Good As I Been to You and World Gone Wrong). They ranked amongst the poorest received albums of his career. Rather than learn his lesson from those outings, No one needed those albums or this one – all covers – from a man noted for his songwriting. It doesn’t help that these are standards typically covered by crooners – by a man never celebrated for his vocal style. He didn’t learn his lesson as his next two albums followed the same pattern.

    Fallen Angels

    Bob Dylan

    Released: May 20, 2016

    Peak: 7 US, 5 UK, 24 CN, 11 AU

    Sales (in millions): --

    Genre: standards

    Rating:

    3.559 out of 5.00 (average of 21 ratings)

    Tracks:

    1. Young at Heart
    2. Maybe You’ll Be There
    3. Polka Dots and Moonbeams
    4. All the Way
    5. Skylark
    6. Nevertheless
    7. All or Nothing at All
    8. On a Little Street in Singapore
    9. It Had to Be You
    10. Melancholy Mood (4/7/16, --) 40
    11. That Old Black Magic
    12. Come Rain or Come Shine

    Total Running Time: 37:50

    About the Album:
    In the early 2000s, Rod Stewart released four albums of standards. Despite the oddity of the raspy-voiced rocker delivering songs typically sung by crooners, the sets did bafflingly well. In a “hold my beer” move, Bob Dylan – whose voice is even less suited to standards – followed suit and released Shadows in the Night in 2015 and this collection in 2016. This was even more out of place for Dylan, not just because of his voice but because it was hard to imagine why anyone wanted a collection of cover songs from the world’s premiere songwriter. Frighteningly, Dylan wasn’t done yet. The three-disc Triplicate was still to come.

    His Ultimate Top 40 Collection

    Bob Dylan

    Recorded: 1963-2016

    Released: October 11, 2019

    Peak: --

    Sales (in millions): --

    Genre: folk rock

    Rating:

    4.550 out of 5.00 (average of 2 ratings)

    Tracks, Disc 1: (1) Blowin’ in the Wind (2) Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right (3) A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall (4) The Times They Are A-Changin’ (5) It Ain’t Me, Babe (6) Like a Rolling Stone (7) Mr. Tambourine Man (8) Subterranean Homesick Blues (9) Maggie’s Farm (10) Positively 4th Street (11) I Want You (12) Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 (13) Just Like a Woman (14) All Along the Watchtower (15) Girl from the North Country (with Johnny Cash) (16) Lay Lady Lay (17) I Threw It All Away (18) If Not for You (19) The Man in Me (20) Wigwam (21) Must Be Santa

    Tracks, Disc 2: (1) Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (2) George Jackson (3) Watching the River Flow (4) Forever Young (slow version) (5) Shelter from the Storm (6) Tangled Up in Blue (7) Simple Twist of Fate (8) Hurricane (9) One More Cup of Coffee (Valley Below) (10) Changing of the Guards (11) Gotta Serve Somebody (12) Jokerman (13) Make You Feel My Love (14) Not Dark Yet (15) Things Have Changed (16) Most Likely You Go Your Way and I’ll Go Mine (Mark Ronson Remix) (17) Duquesne Whistle (18) Melancholy Mood

    About the Album:
    The title of this two-disc retrospective is puzzling. Top 40 implies one of two things – first, this collection gathers Dylan’s songs to reach the Billboard Top 40. It does – but that only adds up to a dozen songs. The other possibility is that the set features Dylan’s 40 biggest hits. While it comes close to doing that, it stops just short of that at 39 songs. Still, despite those flaws, this is a respectable collection that corrects the errors of some previous career-spanning sets in that it doesn’t skip over long chunks of Dylan’s career.

    Triplicate

    Bob Dylan

    Released: March 31, 2017

    Peak: 37 US, 17 UK, 57 CN, 36 AU

    Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, -- world (includes US + UK)

    Genre: standards

    Rating:

    3.185 out of 5.00 (average of 14 ratings)

    Tracks, Disc 1 (‘Til the Sun Goes Down):

    1. I Guess I’ll Have to Change My Plans
    2. September of My Years
    3. I Could Have Told You (1/30/17, --)
    4. Once Upon a Time
    5. Stormy Weather
    6. This Nearly Was Mine
    7. That Old Feeling
    8. It Gets Lonely Early
    9. My One and Only Love (2/17/17, --)
    10. Trade Winds

    Tracks, Disc 2 (Devil Dolls):

    1. Braggin’
    2. As Time Goes By
    3. Imagination
    4. How Deep Is the Ocean
    5. P.S. I Love You
    6. The Best Is Yet to Come
    7. But Beautiful
    8. Here’s That Rainy Day
    9. Where Is the One
    10. There’s a Flaw in My Flue

    Tracks, Disc 3 (Comin’ Home Late):

    1. Day In, Day Out
    2. I Couldn’t Sleep a Wink Last Night
    3. Sentimental Journey
    4. Somewhere Along the Way
    5. When the World Was Young
    6. These Foolish Things
    7. You Go to My Head
    8. Stardust (3/10/17, --)
    9. It’s Funny to Everyone But Me
    10. Why Was I Born

    Total Running Time: 95:42

    About the Album:
    Here we go again. After released Shadows in the Night and Fallen Angels, Bob Dylan followed those collections of standards with a triple set of standards. Like those, this album is an unnecessary collection from the world’s greatest songwriting doing a far-outside-his-comfort-zone attempt at crooning.

    Rough and Rowdy Ways

    Bob Dylan

    Released: June 19, 2020

    Peak: 2 US, 11 UK, 14 CN, 2 AU

    Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.06 UK

    Genre: standards

    Rating:

    3.958 out of 5.00 (average of 21 ratings)

    Tracks:

    1. I Contain Multitudes (4/17/20, --)
    2. False Prophet (5/8/20, --)
    3. My Own Version of You
    4. I’ve Made Up My Mind to Give Myself to You
    5. Black Rider
    6. Goodbye Jimmy Reed
    7. Mother of Muses
    8. Crossing the Rubicon
    9. Key West (Philospher Pirate)
    10. Murder Most Foul (3/27/20, --)

    Total Running Time: 70:33

    About the Album:
    After releasing five albums-worth of standards from 2015 to 2017, Bob Dylan returned to what he does best – writing and singing his own songs. The album included the widely-praised Murder Most Foul, a nearly-seventeen minute ode to John F. Kennedy, specifically his assassination and its context in American political and cultural history.

    Shadow Kingdom

    Bob Dylan

    Covers: 1965 to 1989 (original versions) + a new 2023 song

    Released: June 2, 2023

    Peak: 71 US, 14 UK, -- CN, 56 AU

    Sales (in millions): --

    Genre: --

    Rating:

    3.759 out of 5.00 (average of 7 ratings)

    Tracks: (1) When I Paint My Masterpiece (2) Most Likely You Go Your Way and I’ll Go Mine (3) Queen Jane Approximately (4) I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight (5) Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues (6) Tombstone Blues (7) To Be Alone with You (8) What Was It You Wanted (9) Forever Young (10) Pledging My Time (11) The Wicked Messenger (12) Watching the River Flow (13) It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue (14) Sierra’s Theme

    Total Running Time: 62:23

    Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums:

    • Sierra’s Theme (instrumental) SK

    About the Album:
    Shadow Kingdom was a surprising first for Bob Dylan in his more than sixty-year career – an album in which he re-recorded his own material. He recorded the songs as an accompanying soundtrack for the 2021 concert film Shadow Kingdom: The Early Songs of Bob Dylan. The collection largely eschews Dylan’s biggest hits in favor of more obscure tracks. Most of the originals he tackles are from the first decade of his career. The only song from post-1974 is What Was It You Wanted.

    Resources and Related Links:

    First posted 5/24/2013; last updated 5/30/2024.

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