Tracks
- Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
- Pledging My Time
- Visions of Johanna
- One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)
- I Want You
- Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again
- Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat
- Just Like a Woman
- Most Likely You Go Your Way and I'll Go Mine
- Temporary Like Achilles
- Absolutely Sweet Marie
- 4th Time Around
- Obviously 5 Believers
Blonde on Blonde is a confident album. The music is solid, straightforward and unpretentious. Bob Dylan's singing is just as confident as the music. The songs are lyrical, poetic, full of meaning worth trying to figure out as you listen.
This is an album worth owning. You also know it's going to be a great album right off the bat with Rainy Day Women #12 & 35. It's riotous and rocking fun. There's not a dull moment after, either, and if there's a song on this album not pulling its weight, then I'm unaware of it.
I'd have to say Bob Dylan has surpassed the Beatles with this album. It's not an experimental album, but the songwriting and lyrics are superior to anything that has been done so far; it challenges other musicians and lyricists to write more mature material. Also, Dylan has really defined the modern album concept with this first studio double album.
★★★★★★★★★★
Tracks
- Like a Rolling Stone
- Tombstone Blues
- It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry
- From a Buick 6
- Ballad of a Thin Man
- Queen Jane Approximately
- Highway 61 Revisited
- Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
- Desolation Row
Highway 61 Revisited is a feisty album. The half of the album is a relentless blast of manic energy. Both the music and Dylan have a lot to say, and the music is kinder than Dylan's words.
Bob Dylan continually puts more meaning in one line of lyrics than other rock and roll artists put in their albums. I don't claim to understand everything he has to say, but it sure makes listening more interesting.
There isn't a bad song on this album. Dylan surely knows how to rock. This album is worth owning. It takes some time to get used to, but the music is great and Dylan's voice just drips with scorn. Like a Rolling Stone, Tombstone Blues, From a Buick 6, Ballad of a Thin Man and Desolation Row are my favorites.
★★★★★★★★★★
Tracks
- Subterranean Homesick Blues
- She Belongs to Me
- Maggie's Farm
- Love Minus Zero/No Limit
- Outlaw Blues
- On the Road Again
- Bob Dylan's 115th Dream
- Mr. Tambourine Man
- Gates of Eden
- It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)
- It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
Bringing It All Back Home is a complex album. The first half is electric and the second half is acoustic. The songs are enjoyable. Some are slow and ponderous and others are lively and silly.
The lyrics are certainly are the most important feature of this album. Each line is easy enough to understand. However, what emerges is either impenetrable or utter nonsense.
Perhaps Dylan's music isn't meant to play second fiddle to the lyrics. But rather, it is essential to the lyrics. It's in the tone of his voice or how he strums his guitar or what note he's hitting. So he's trying to evoke emotion more than meaning. It certainly seems to apply to this album.
Putting prejudice aside, this album is certainly worth listening to. Subterranean Homesick Blues, Maggie's Farm. Love Minus Zero/No Limit, Outlaw Blues, On the Road Again, Mr. Tambourine Man, Gates of Eden and It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) are the highlights.
★★★★★★★★★☆
Tracks
- Blowin' in the Wind
- Girl from the North Country
- Masters of War
- Down the Highway
- Bob Dylan's Blues
- A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall
- Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
- Bob Dylan's Dream
- Oxford Town
- Talkin' World War III Blues
- Corrina, Corrina
- Honey, Just Allow Me One More Chance
- I Shall Be Free
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan is a philosophical and poetic album. Bob Dylan has a lot to say; it's clever and it isn't trivial. Of course, it isn't the deep kind of philosophy you'd get from a university philosophy class. It's also a poetic album, but it isn't the poetry you'd read in a university literature class. But neither is the point; Dylan is just starting the conversation.
The music is simple, but the messages are strong. More complex music may have been just a distraction.
This is another album that must be listened to. It's not as complete a game changer like With The Beatles is, but it opens the door to lyrics with more substance, which certainly had been missing in most of the previous albums. All the songs are quite good, but the best ones are: Blowin' in the Wind, Girl from the North Country, Masters of War, Bob Dylan's Blues, A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall, Talkin' World War III Blues and I Shall Be Free.
★★★★★★★★★★
