Thursday, November 7, 1985

1962-1981: A Bob Dylan Retrospective

First posted 11/18/2020.

A Retrospective: 1962-1981

Bob Dylan

A Brief History: Bob Dylan was born Robert Allen Zimmerman on May 24, 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, especially influencing the development of the folk-rock genre. His songs have been widely covered, with some arguably becoming better known than the original, such as the Byrds’ version of Mr. Tambourine Man and Jimi Hendrix’s cover of All Along the Watchtower.

This page covers the first 20 years of Dylan’s career, which encompasses the studio albums listed below. This page highlights three compilations (listed after the studio albums) with the songs featured on each listed chronologically by the studio albums on which they appear.


The Studio Albums:


Compilations:

Songs appearing on each of the above compilations are noted by the raised letter codes indicated above. Appearing after song titles are the songwriters in italicized parentheses, running times in brackets, and when relevant, the date the song was released as a single and its peaks on various charts. Click for codes to singles charts.


Bob Dylan (1962):

  • Baby, Let Me Follow You Down BG


The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan (1963):

  • Blowin’ in the Wind (8/13/63, 1 CL) G1, BG
  • Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right (5 CL) G2
  • Masters of War (9 CL) BG
  • A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall (11 CL) G2


The Times They Are A-Changin’ (1964):

  • The Times They Are A-Changin’ (3/27/65, 2 CL, 9 UK) G1, BG
  • The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll BG


Another Side of Bob Dylan (1964):

  • It Ain’t Me, Babe (13 CL) G1, BG
  • My Back Pages (20 CL) G2
  • All I Really Want to Do G2
  • To Ramona BG
  • I Don’t Believe You (live version from Biograph, recorded 5/6/66) BG


Bringing It All Back Home (1965):

  • Subterranean Homesick Blues (4/3/65, 39 US, 52 CB, 53 HR, 6 AC, 2 CL, 9 UK) G1, BG
  • Maggie’s Farm (6/19/65, 12 CL, 22 UK) G2
  • Mr. Tambourine Man (12/65, 4 CL) G1, BG
  • It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue (16 CL) G2 (live version, recorded 5/17/66) BG
  • She Belongs to Me G2
  • Tombstone Blues BG


Highway 61 Revisited (1965):

  • Like a Rolling Stone (7/20/65, 2 US, 1 CB, 2 HR, 1 CL, 4 UK, 2 CN, 7 AU) G1, BG
  • Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues G2


Blonde on Blonde (1966):

  • Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 (4/16/66, 2 US, 2 CB, 2 HR, 2 CL, 7 UK) G1
  • I Want You (7/2/66, 20 US, 25 CB, 22 HR, 9 CL, 16 UK) G1, BG
  • Just Like a Woman (9/10/66, 33 US, 28 CB, 26 HR, 3 CL, 43 UK) G1, BG
  • Visions of Johanna (5 CL) (live version from Biograph recorded 5/26/66) BG
  • Most Likely You Go Your Way and I’ll Go Mine (live: 7/27/74, 66 US, 47 CB, 79 HR, 20 CL) BG
  • Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again (16 CL) G2

Greatest Hits

Bob Dylan


Released: March 27, 1967


Recorded: 1962-1966


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


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


Genre: folk rock


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

Rating:

4.533 out of 5.00 (average of 12 ratings)


Awards:

About Greatest Hits:

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.


Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums:

  • Positively 4th Street (9/25/65, 7 US, 9 CB, 9 HR, 3 CL, 8 UK, 1 CN) G1, BG


The Basement Tapes (recorded with the Band, 1967; released 1975):

  • The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo) BG
  • Million Dollar Bash BG


John Wesley Harding (1967):

  • All Along the Watchtower (5 CL G2, BG
  • I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight (34 CL) G2, BG
  • Dear Landlord BG


Nashville Skyline (1969):

  • Lay Lady Lay (7/12/69, 7 US, 8 CB, 7 HR, 19 AC, 5 CL, 5 UK) G2, BG
  • Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here with You G2


Self Portrait (1970):

  • The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo) (47 CL) G2, (version recorded 7/67) BG


New Morning (1970):

  • If Not for You (47 CL) G2, BG
  • Time Passes Slowly BG

Greatest Hits Vol. 2

Bob Dylan


Released: November 17, 1971


Recorded: 1962-1971


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


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


Genre: folk rock


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

Rating:

4.099 out of 5.00 (average of 11 ratings)


Awards:

About Greatest Hits Vol. II:

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.


Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums:

  • Tomorrow Is a Long Time (live, 4/12/63) G2
  • Watching the River Flow (6/26/71, 41 US, 31 CB, 37 HR, 15 CL, 24 UK) G2
  • I Shall Be Released (47 CL) G2, BG
  • You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere (47 CL) G2
  • When I Paint My Masterpiece (49 CL) G2
  • Down in the Flood G2


Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (soundtrack, 1973):

  • Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (9/1/73, 12 US, 10 CB, 11 HR, 10 RR, 5 AC, 2 CL, 14 UK) BG


Planet Waves (with the Band, 1974):

  • Forever Young (12 CL; demo from Biograph, recorded 6/73) BG
  • On a Night Like This (2/16/74, 44 US, 30 CB, 43 HR, 19 CL) BG
  • You Angel You (25 CL) BG


Blood on the Tracks (1975):

  • Tangled Up in Blue (3/8/75, 31 US, 43 CB, 62 HR, 2 CL) BG
  • You’re a Big Girl Now (Biograph version recorded 9/25/74) BG


Desire (1976):

  • Isis (15 CL; Biograph version recorded live, 12/4/75) BG
  • Romance in Durango (Biograph version recorded live, 12/4/75) BG


Street Legal (1978):

  • Señor (Tales of Yankee Power) (49 CL) BG


Slow Train Coming (1979):

  • Gotta Serve Somebody (9/8/79, 24 US, 37 CB, 42 HR, 13 CL) BG
  • I Believe in You (47 CL) BG


Saved (1980):

  • Solid Rock (50 CL) BG


Shot of Love (1981):

  • Every Grain of Sand (34 CL) BG
  • The Groom’s Still Waiting at the Altar (49 CL) BG
  • Heart of Mine (50 CL; Biograph version: live, 8/81) BG

Biograph

Bob Dylan


Released: November 7, 1985


Recorded: 1962-1981


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


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


Genre: folk rock


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

Rating:

4.605 out of 5.00 (average of 16 ratings)


Awards:

About Biograph:

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.”


Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums:

  • Baby, I’m in the Mood for You (recorded 7/9/62) BG
  • Mixed-Up Confusion (recorded 11/14/62) BG
  • Percy’s Song (recorded 10/23/63) BG
  • Lay Down Your Weary Tune (recorded 10/24/63) BG
  • I’ll Keep It with Mine (recorded 1/14/65) BG
  • 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) BG
  • Up to Me (recorded 9/25/74) BG
  • Abandoned Love (recorded 7/75) BG
  • Caribbean Wind (recorded 4/30/81) BG


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