Bob Dylan In The 21st Century - Beginner's Guide ( And Selected Compilations )

Love & Theft ( 2001 )
Dylan's first of the century is also one of his best of the last thirty years. It's got an authentic fifties twang to it, with a whole lot of rockabilly, western swing and the blues. It's also the first album for a long time where Dylan's chosen to use his touring band in the studio, which works a treat here. Of the highlights, Mississippi is a great song which had been percolating for quite some time, Summer Days is a great old fashioned rock n roller with energy to spare, and Po' Boy has one of Dylan's best couplets ever ( you'll know it when you hear
it ). Awesome. ( 9/10 )  BUY IT HERE

Modern Times ( 2006 )
Love & Theft's more laidback cousin, this evokes a similar era but is a much more thoughtful affair and on the whole, more Muddy Waters than Chuck Berry this time around. He's become adept at using established blues material as a launching pad for a total rewrite, as evidenced by Rollin and Tumblin' and The Levee's Gonna Break. Spirit on the Water has a nice relaxed swing to it with some lovely understated guitar work. Someday Baby and Workingman's Blues #2 provide the mid album solidity, while the moody closer Ain't Talkin' delves deepest into his psyche, although how much of this character is a construct of Dylan's, only he probably knows. Intriguing stuff that doesn't quite grab me as much as Love & Theft but is still highly recommended.    ( 8/10 ) BUY IT HERE

Together Through Life ( 2009 )
This had a somewhat muted release and critical response compared to the fanfare that was accorded Modern Times, and while it doesn't live up to the quality of the previous two albums, it's still very entertaining. Los Lobos' David Hidalgo makes his presence felt on accordian, injecting enough tex mex to make opener Beyond Here Lies Nothin' rattle along nicely. Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter has co-written nine of these tracks but the overall impression seems to be that Dylan doesn't have as much to say, or maybe he just doesn't play well with others on the songwriting front. Nevertheless, there's nothing weak on here, and musically it's all great stuff, it just doesn't have anything with the staying power of Ain't Talkin'. ( 7/10 ) BUY IT HERE

Christmas In The Heart ( 2009 )
This is a pretty hard album to recommend, but also a really hard album to not like. Dylan's enthusiasm and sincerity are both quite evident here, and while his voice may not always be quite up to reaching some of the notes you expect on some of the more well known fare here, the arrangements are top notch. Particularly good are the more raucous numbers Christmas Island and Must be Santa. Some of the slower, more traditional numbers on the other hand drag a little, but these are certainly in the minority.  It's not really fair to judge this against other Dylan albums, and while this is admittedly not an album you're likely to play at any other time of the year, it's a fun Christmas album which does exactly what it sets out to do.
( 6/10 ) BUY IT HERE

Biograph ( 1985 )
Aside from the Australasian only Masterpieces, this was the first attempt at a multi disc
( 5LPs or 3CDs ) Dylan retrospective, and it does a pretty good job of compiling a legacy that is almost impossible to compact. The main drawcard for fans though, is a spate of previously unreleased tracks, the best of which, Percy's Song, Abandoned Love, Up Top Me and I'll keep It With Mine, easily vie with his very best. This makes it a great starting point, but a little frustrating for bigger fans that have a lot of this material already. There's a definite market for a large scale Dylan rarities collection of previously released non album material. ( 8/10 ) BUY IT HERE


The Bootleg Series Vol. 1-3 : Rare And Unreleased 1961-1991 ( 1991 )
This is an essential set, definitely the most consistently surprising rarities set released by a major artist. The fact that Dylan had this much amazing material which he didn't deem fit to place on his original albums shows just how great a lot of those albums are, but also illustrates that he's not always the best judge of his own material. There's a lot of interesting stuff here from the sixties and seventies, but it's the eighties material which is particularly illuminating, and had the tracks from the last disc of this release been peppered throughout his eighties albums, we may have a very different opinion of his work of that decade. Blind Willie McTell, Foot Of Pride and Series of Dreams are up there with the very best of his work. Essential. ( 10/10 ) BUY IT HERE

Live 1961 - 2000 Thirty-Nine Years of Great Concert Performances ( 2001 )
Essentially a live rarities collection, this is unfortunately only available in Japan at a very high price. It does as good a job of representing the many different live sides of Dylan as it's possible to do with a single disc collection, and the main drawback is that you want to hear more from certain shows than just the one track. highlights for me are Woody Guthrie's Grand Coulee Dam from a 1968 tribute show with the Band ( although Dear Mrs Roosevelt from the same show is even better ), and a great version of Nashville Skyline's Country Pie. Now let's have an expanded multi disc version at a more reasonable price. ( 7/10 ) BUY IT HERE

Masked And Anonymous ( 2003 )
This is an interesting and challenging soundtrack to an interesting and challenging movie. The Dylan covers on here are a middling and very unusual bunch, but what you really need this for is the four Dylan recordings. Great reinterpretations of Down In The Flood and Cold Irons Bound, and nice takes on traditionals Diamond Joe and Dixie. These four tracks are fantastic, but frustratingly only represent a very small amount of the material Dylan and his band recorded for the film. There are a number of tracks featured in the film that we don't get here, not to mention a wealth of material that didn't even make it to the film so one can't help feeling a little cheated by this. ( 4/10 ) BUY IT HERE

The Bootleg Series Vol. 7 : No Direction Home ( 2005 )
The soundtrack to Martin Scorcese's fascinating Dylan documenatry, this covers the same ground as the film, leading up to 1966. The first disc focuses on his acoustic folkie material with some interesting early work ( Dink's Song especially ), but the second disc is where things get particularly interesting. On his fiery Maggie's Farm performance from Newport, complete with blistering guitar leads from Mike Bloomfield you can really see why Pete Seeger thought the apocalypse had hit. A clutch of interesting alternate versions from his first three electric albums are also great, with the Highway 61 material proving particularly illuminating. ( 7/10 ) BUY IT HERE

I'm Not There ( 2007 )
Another Dylan covers soundtrack, this succeeds where Masked & Anonymous ultimately failed by gathering a more unified set of artists - generally a hipper, younger crowd of indie folk and americana stars, with some notable appearances by a few more grizzled Dylan contemporaries ( Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Willie Nelson, Roger McGuinn etc ) fitting in nicely. The star turns go to the younger crowd though, with particular highlights being Jim Jones soaring vocal performance on Going To Acapulco, Iron & Wine & Calexico's mysterious Dark Eyes, and Yo La Tengo channeling Highway 61 era Dylan to perfection on I Wanna Be Your Lover. And to top it all off we finally get an official release of Dylan's title track from the Basement Tapes. Perfection. ( 9/10 ) BUY IT HERE


The Bootleg Series Vol. 8 : Tell Tale Signs : Rare And Unreleased 1989-2006 ( 2008 )
A follow up volume to the original Bootleg Series 1-3, this is a surprisingly revelatory experience. Some great unreleased songs here in the shape of Red River Shore and Dreamin' of You among others, alternate takes which often better the originally released versions ( Someday Baby in particular ), blazing live cuts ( High Water ), early, completely different takes on established classics ( Mississippi and Most Of The Time ) and selected soundtrack material never previously released on a Dylan title ( Tell Ol' Bill, the epic 'Cross the Green Mountain ). The limited edition three disc version is even better, but you need to sell a kidney to afford it.  
( 10/10 ) BUY IT HERE

The Bootleg Series Vol. 9 : The Witmark Demos 1962-1964 ( 2010 )
A great collection of Dylan's original publishing demos. Often primitively recorded perched on a desk in a small office, it's amazing that these sound as good as they do. The fidelity is surprisingly good for the most part, and Dylan's performances while not quite as committed as he would generally present live or on an album intended for commercial release are all very fine. Generally acoustic guitar, vocal and harmonica arrangements with piano sometimes substituted for the guitar, these tracks will appeal to fans of Dylan's first three albums, and offer an excellent alternative chronicle of that early Dylan era. Scattered amongst the familiar gems are plenty of otherwise unreleased oddities, most very good indeed. Ballad for a Friend, All Over You and Gypsy Lou are just the tip of the iceberg. ( 8/10 ) BUY IT HERE

Bob Dylan In The Nineties - Beginner's Guide

Under The Red Sky  ( 1990 )
Certainly a disappointment after the resounding return to form of Oh Mercy, Under The Red Sky's not really as bad as it's made out to be. Admittedly it's best track, Born In Time, is a leftover from Oh Mercy's sessions and lyrically many of the tracks here are not as ambitious as many would have liked ( a number of songs were written for Dylan's daughter who was 4 at the time ), but it's still an enjoyable release which is let down mainly by the Was Brother's over slick production. The title track, 2X2, Cat's In The Well and TV Talkin' Song are all pretty good, and everything else is at least listenable. This isn't a return to his mid to late eighties doledrums, but it's a couple of classics short of being totally recommendable as well.  
( 5/10 )

The Traveling Wilbury's Vol. 3 ( 1990 )
The Wilbury's humorously titled second album has a hard time living up to the quality of it's predecessor. It's still got that distinctive Jeff Lynne sound, and it's obvious that all involved are still having a great time but the songwriting is below par here, leading to an album which is very easy on the ear, but with nothing you're likely to remember once it's finished playing.  ( 4/10 )

Good As I Been To You ( 1992 )
With his songwriting muse once again deserting him, Dylan revisits his roots on this excellent solo acoustic album. Recorded at his home studio, the story is that he was working on material for a Traveling Wilbury's B-Side and was having such a good time that he knocked out a whole album. Made up of folk and blues material, Dylan certainly presents this with authority, and his gravelly voice gives this an authenticity that his early 60s folk covers sometimes lacked.  The biggest surprise for me is how dexterous his acoustic guitar work is here, crisp, economical and beautifully recorded. It's all great stuff whether it be the gut bucket blues of Step It Up and Go, the seasoned croon of Tomorrow Night or the winsome folk narrative of Canadee-I-O. ( 8/10 )

World Gone Wrong ( 1993 )
Essentially Good As I Been To You Volume Two, this has a very similar approach but with more of an emphasis on blues material. GAIBTY's variety certainly gives it the edge over this, but this is still convincing stuff, with Blood In My Eyes and Blind Willie McTell's Delia being the highlights. These albums don't offer an immediate fix, but they've grown to be two of my most played Dylan albums, and if you like one, you're bound to like the other. ( 7/10 )

MTV Unplugged ( 1995 )
One of the better official live Dylan releases this gives his excellent live band a chance to shine. Unfortunately a number of the better tracks from this session ( Love Minus Zero especially ) are only available on the DVD, or in the case of I Want You have been cut from both. What the CD does have to offer is an excellent version of the rarely performed Shooting Star, a riveting Desolation Row,  and a solid reading of John Brown, a song dating back to Dylan's early folk years which gets it's first official release here. Some of the old chestnuts suffer from over-familiarity and the impression that Dylan's a little bored with them at this point, but this is generally a pretty good snapshot of live mid nineties Dylan. ( 6/10 CD ) ( 8/10 DVD )

Time Out Of Mind ( 1997 )
Seven years is a long time to wait for new material, but sometimes it's worth the wait. Dylan had a major health scare after this was recorded, but around about the time of release which gave it an added sense of poignancy and certainly gave it a lot more exposure than it would likely have otherwise received. "Filled with the dread realities of life" in Dylan's words, it's a great album, with Daniel Lanois doing an impressive job behind the desk again. There's some great organ work on opener Love Sick, with wonderful dusty guitar work. Not Dark Yet is as close as Dylan's likely to get to a tearjerker and Cold Irons Bound lurches along in a sinister fashion belied by it's bouncy bassline. Dylan saves the best for last with the hilarious sixteen minute Highlands, which makes it seem even more likely that there's a great screenplay within him waiting to get out when it gets the chance.  Great stuff. ( 9/10 )

Bob Dylan In The Eighties - Beginner's Guide

Saved ( 1980 )
Dylan's crusade / tirade continues with the second of his so-called Christian trilogy. The least popular of the three ( which is saying something ), this is definitely the most in your face lyrically, but musically is full of interesting stuff and one of Dylan's most underrated albums. The production is fairly nondescript which makes this a bit of a challenge to get into, but it's worth the effort. What Can I Do For You is a winner, with it's committed vocal, and some of Dylan's best harmonica work. Pressing On has developed a deserved reputation lately, thanks to it's faithful John Doe cover on I'm Not There, and Dylan realised In The Garden's potential enough to keep it in his live set for most of the eighties. With a slightly better production job and less bible-thumping lyrics, this would stand up to favorable comparison with Slow Train Coming. ( 6/10 ) BUY IT HERE

Shot of Love ( 1981 )
Dylan chills out a bit with this, and presents his faith in a less provocative manner which makes it a far easier secular listen. The production and band performances are both a little shambolic and loose, but for the majority of this material this approach works. In Lenny Bruce, and Every Grain of Sand  it contains Dylan's first two masterpieces of the decade, while The Groom's Still Waiting At The Altar was hailed as a return to his mid sixties Highway 61 sound. Dead Man, Dead Man sounds like a blueprint for I & I from Infidels and In The Summertime has the feel of Van Morrison's contemporaneous material.  Unfortunately at this point Dylan began to lose a little confidence in some of his better material and two more ambitious and superior tracks ( Angelina and Caribbean Wind ) were left off in favor of some more pedestrian material. These weaker tracks bog things down a little, but generally this is a pretty consistent albeit unspectacular listen.   ( 6/10 ) BUY IT HERE

Infidels ( 1983 )
Producer Mark Knopfler brought in the big guns for this one. Reggae legends Sly & Robbie lay down the bottom end, Rolling Stone Mick Taylor joins Knopfler on guitars, and Dire Strait's Alan Clark provides keyboards. Unsurprisingly this is Dylan's smoothest sounding album since Slow Train Coming, but it's still a little on the inconsistent side, and suffers from the same track selection problems as Shot of Love. Jokerman is fabulous and shows Dylan's grasp of language at it's very peak. I & I continues in a similar vein and is moody and mysterious. The romantic tracks Sweetheart Like You and Don't Fall Apart On Me Tonight are pleasant but slight. The more politically oriented material, particularly Neighborhood Bully and Union Sundown come across in a less sympathetic light unfortunately and had Blind Willie McTell and Foot of Pride found their way on here instead of these tracks this would be a contender for Dylan's best album of the decade, as it is it's still a step in the right direction. ( 7/10 ) BUY IT HERE

Real Live ( 1984 )
Dylan's first tour since 1981 is captured here on the Infidels tour, but doesn't do a particularly good job of showing the tour at it's best. It's not as bad as it's reputation would have you expect, but it's not the lost gem you were necessarily hoping for either. There's a more adventurous selection of tracks than we've come to expect from Dylan's previous official live albums, which works in it's favor. It's also nice to hear a couple of the better Infidels tracks in a grittier setting. Dylan's habit of reinterpreting his catalogue continues here with mixed results, the highlights being a rockier version of Masters of War and Tangled Up In Blue given a major lyrical overhaul. Elsewhere this is a collection of semi committed performances which is good enough to retain my attention when it's playing, but not good enough to make me go to the effort of putting it on all that often.
( 5/10 ) BUY IT HERE

Empire Burlesque ( 1985 )
Dylan's mid eighties slump begins here with an album not even a mother could love. The garish cover tells you exactly what this is going to sound like, with horrible Arthur Baker production which must have felt dated a week after release attempting to disguise an uninspired collection of duds as contemporary pop. In all fairness the eighties wasn't a happy time for many rock legends - Neil Young and Joni Mitchell are two artists that come to mind who also found it hard to find their place in the eighties aesthetic. Several of the songs on here have since been given some semblance of respectability with more sympathetic live arrangements throughout the nineties, but here they verge on unlistenable. Closing track Dark Eyes on the other hand is a solo acoustic gem, which would stand out in far more esteemed company. ( 2/10 ) YOU CAN BUY IT HERE, BUT I WOULDN'T RECOMMEND IT

Knocked Out Loaded ( 1986 )
Where Empire Burlesque was at least filled with Dylan songs, his muse seems to have deserted him completely here, resulting in a set heavy on co-writes and covers. The production, while still dated, is marginally better which makes this an easier album to listen to, but still a hard one to enjoy. His cover of Kris Kristofferson's They Killed Him may be the worst track he released in the eighties, but Brownsville Girl does it's best to even up the odds and with more appropriate production would be held in very high regard. The rest of the material is generally bland and inoffensive, but to me Dylan should never be background music.
( 3/10 ) BUY IT HERE

Down in the Groove ( 1988 )
The bland corporate rock continues here, with a bunch of superstar guests failing to light a fire under the floundering Dylan. The dirge-like Death is Not The End is held in reasonably high regard but is a leftover from Infidels. Silvio is a moderately engaging rock number which works a lot better live, while the acoustic cover of the Louvin Brothers classic Rank Strangers comes across particularly nicely, although one suspects it wouldn't fare so well on a stronger album. Much like Knocked Out Loaded, this is a decidedly average listen that's not offensively bad, but offers little in the way of reward for listeners. ( 3/10 ) BUY IT HERE

The Traveling Wilburrys Vol. 1 ( 1988 )
Whether it was being surrounded by quality musicians or just the chance to have fun with little in the way of expectations, Dylan seriously raised his game here. Sharing the writing duties would certainly have helped ease the pressure for Dylan, and his tracks on here are all excellent. Tweeter and the Monkeyman is a fantastic Springsteen pastiche full of drama and intrigue which would have seemed totally out of place on any of his own albums, but fits perfectly here. Dirty World is more fun than Dylan sounds like he's had for years, and Congratulations coasts along nicely. Lots of fun and a bit of an unexpected reward for those who'd been loyally buying up his previous albums as they'd been released. ( 8/10 ) BUY IT HERE

Dylan & The Dead ( 1989 )
It sounds good on paper, but there's a reason this took two years to release. Recorded in 1987 this has the Grateful Dead as a glorified back up band - a prospect that they don't seem to know how to handle. They're constantly wandering off into ponderous noodling, with Garcia's usually excellent spidery lead breaks being particularly ill fitting. Dylan's in rough form too and doesn't seem to have the confidence to take charge on what should have been a very interesting combination. The intriguing track list isn't given a chance to shine and apart from few moments of inspiration in Slow Train this is turgid and disappointing stuff. ( 3/10 ) BUY IT HERE

Oh Mercy ( 1989 )
Refreshed after his first stint in the Traveling Wilburry's, Dylan here comes up with his most confident and assured set of songs of the decade, and an album that compares favorably with his very best work. Most of the Time and What Good Am I? show a lyrical depth that we haven't seen from Dylan for a number of years. Daniel Lanois' production gives this an ambience which sounded fresh at the time and sounds timeless now, illustrated best on the fabulously spooky Man In The Long Black Coat, while Everything is Broken and Political World are brimful of pop smarts.  Dylan's best since Desire. ( 10/10 ) BUY IT HERE

Bob Dylan In the Seventies - Beginner's Guide

Self Portrait ( 1970 )
This is one of the most baffling albums I've ever come across. One popular theory is that Dylan was so sick of being cast as a spokesman for his generation, that he purposefully recorded a terrible album to help break the myth. Realistically it's probably more likely that he was having fun with the material and not letting a spot of writers block get in the way of putting out an album. As to why he would choose to give it a title which makes it sound like some sort of grand statement, we may never know. Dylan's close-lipped on the subject.  Taken with no expectation it's an inconsistent, but often fun listen. Dylan's using his nice crooner's voice again, a carry over from Nashville Skyline. Some of the arrangements are overly schmaltzy and there are some tracks where the band are obviously a little lost as to what they're supposed to be doing, but when it clicks it's there's some good stuff here. Favorites for me are All The Tired Horses, Take A Message to Mary, Copper Kettle and Little Sadie. There are a few live tracks from Bob's appearance at the Isle of Wight on here too, which make me yearn for an official release of the full show. ( 4/10 ) BUY IT HERE

New Morning ( 1970 )
After some particularly vicious reviews for Self Portrait, Dylan was under pressure for some quality new product and unfortunately this does feel like it's been under prepared and rush released. Steering clear of covers this time, the tunes on here range from the inspired ( The Man In Me, Sign on the Window, Day of the Locusts ) to tracks that feel so off the cuff you'd assume they were improvised on the spot ( One More Weekend ). Along the way there are a couple of particularly bizarre detours : If Dogs Run Free is an unexpected faux-jazz scat number, while Winterlude almost sounds like a show tune. Weird, but sporadically interesting. ( 4/10 ) BUY IT HERE

Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid ( 1973 )
It's not really fair to judge this on the merits of a normal Dylan album as it's mostly instrumental music from the film. It's fairly evocative Western music for the most part, but definitely background music. The rewards come on the vocal tracks which suggest Dylan may be getting his mojo back. Knocking on Heaven's Door is the big one on here, but even better in my opinion is the vocal version of Billy, a tough outlaw ballad that seems to be pretty much forgotten by everyone, Dylan included, but is ripe for rediscovery. ( 4/ 10 ) BUY IT HERE


Dylan ( 1973 )
Outtakes from Self Portrait, released against Dylan's wishes by his former record company this has been out of print for years, but is surprisingly listenable and I'd hazard to say, better than Self Portrait. All covers this time, this has the benefit of being half Self Portrait's length and with no live cuts, has a more cohesive feel. The three tracks with girl's names are the best, but it's surprisingly consistent, and sounds a little tidier than it's parent album suggesting some post-production overdubs by a meddling label perhaps. No classic for sure, but worth a listen for the hardcore Dylan fan if they can find a copy. ( 4/10 )

Planet Waves ( 1974 )
Re-enlisting the Band here, Dylan's definitely righting the ship, but he's got a wee way to go yet. This is a pretty unhappy sounding album, but has a few gems. Going, Going, Gone is a beautifully desolate song with wonderful guitar from Robbie Robertson. Wedding Song captures the intensity of the upcoming Blood on the Tracks material, and is as uncomfortable as it is captivating. Elsewhere, Forever Young is a heartfelt song for his children, and Tough Mama, and Hazel are the best of a bunch of songs that tend to veer a little uncomfortably towards boogie territory. definite signs of a reawakening though, and Dylan's best of the decade so far. ( 5/10 ) BUY IT HERE

Before The Flood ( 1974 )
On stage for the first time since his appearance at the Concert for Bangladesh in 1970, this stadium tour with the Band was drummed up to make a bunch of money, and hopefully reacquaint Dylan fully with his muse at the same time. The tour itself had some triumphant shows, but unfortunately not the show's that these songs were lifted from. Sticking with a fairly safe Greatest Hits style tracklisting, the performances here are uniformly gritty but not as inspired as some others from the tour. It would have been nice to hear some of the more unusual tracks Dylan played on this tour too, particularly Hero Blues and The Ballad of Hollis Brown. Still, some nice new arrangements of some otherwise familiar material, and Dylan's confidence was noticeably on the rise. ( 5/10 ) BUY IT HERE

The Basement Tapes 
For those that don't know the story behind these recordings ; Recuperating after his post Blonde on Blonde motorcycle accident Dylan would regularly visit Big Pink, the Band's house in Woodstock and boxes of informal recordings were made. Wheel's On Fire, You Ain't Goin' Nowhere and many others found their way out as publishing demos, but others languished in the vaults until the Band put together this release in 1975. Ostensibly a greatest hits of the sessions, this is just a small selection of the recordings made during these sessions, many others now circulate as bootlegs but there's much speculation as to what's still to be discovered. Dylan's material on here is quirky and often character driven, and nothing like the preceding and following albums ( Blonde on Blonde, John Wesley Harding ). Much has been made of the Band's decision to tidy up these tapes with various overdubs - I'm generally for it, although the consensus seems to be that they should have been left alone. A fun collection of ramshackle americana this is one of the most popular items in Dylan's catalogue, and shows his absurdist side to great effect. It'd be great to see a Bootleg Series release of the rest ( or at least some more ) of this material. ( 8/10) BUY IT HERE

Blood On The Tracks  ( 1975 )
Dylan's personal life may have been on the skids at this point, but his rapidly disintegrating marriage certainly provided some great songwriting fodder. Lyrically compelling and vocally the most driven he's ever been on record, this is Dylan at his very best. There's certainly an element of voyeurism involved, with some of the most personal, starkly confessional lyrics of Dylan's career, but that's part of the appeal. He generally keeps his cards pretty close to his chest, so when he does approach us with some candour it's hard not to pay a little more attention than is perhaps healthy. Dylan certainly seemed to think a great deal of these songs - he liked them enough to completely scrap a finished version of the album which he didn't think felt quite right, and rerecord the entire album, which is completely at odds with his normal recording process. It's a great album too, starkly recorded with sparse instrumentation and plenty of room for the lyrics to breathe, with the riveting narrative of Tangled Up In Blue standing out. Only the bouncy bassline of Lily, Rosemary & The Jack of Hearts breaks the mood ( the one track where the original session version is clearly superior to the released version ). ( 10/10 ) BUY IT HERE

The Bootleg Series Vol. 5 : Live 1975 - The Rolling Thunder Revue
1975's Rolling Thunder Revue tour was another important step in Dylan's creative revitalization, and for this listener anyway, the very peak of his live output. With a great band spearheaded by Mick Ronson, this fascinating document is full of creative reimaginings of some of Dylan's greatest material - often better than their studio counterparts. Dylan's delivery is full of conviction too, often more so than on the source material. The full band arrangements are energetic, and the acoustic tracks sparkle with the intimacy that Dylan had perfected with Blood on the Tracks. Outstanding and the best officially released example of live Dylan.
( 10/10 ) BUY IT HERE

Desire ( 1976 )
This follow up to Blood on the Tracks seems to have come very easily, with Bob's creative drive running overtime. Quite a few long songs with a strong narrative drive here, several co-written with playwright Jacques Levy who also worked with Dylan's Rolling Thunder colleague Roger McGuinn. Musically, this has the same informal, communal feel to it as the Rolling Thunder Revue. Emmylou Harris' makes her presence strongly felt on harmony vocals here, and Scarlet Rivierra's violin playing is a revelation. The overall impression is of a man throwing himself into his music, and having a blast doing so. Great stuff. ( 10/10 ) BUY IT HERE

Hard Rain ( 1976 )
Documented here, the second leg of the Rolling Thunder Tour has a weaker reputation than the first part, but is still very entertaining. There's a much heavier guitar presence here than on the previous year's show, although this is exaggerated somewhat by the decision to not include any acoustic material ( which did feature in this tour ) on the album. As a result this is the closest you're likely to find to a heavy rock Dylan album, the harmony guitar arrangement of Maggie's Farm being particularly successful. The track selection doesn't allow this to function as an accurate overview of the diversity of this tour, but as a snapshot of this line-up's ability to rock vigorously, it's pretty unbeatable. ( 8/10 ) BUY IT HERE

Street Legal ( 1978 )
Judging by it's near permanent residence in second hand stores sales bins, this was either one of Dylan's best selling albums when it first came out, or the one that people are most happy to wheedle out of their collection.
I'm hoping for the former, but realistically expecting the latter. Certainly, there's a noticeable drop in quality from the previous two studio albums, but with them being two of the best albums of the seventies, that's to be expected. The main problem people seem to have with this album is not with the songs themselves, but with the sound.. Apparently Dylan insisted on the musicians performing in a circle with no baffling, so there's bleed through on every channel - an engineers nightmare, and as a result the original version of this album is pretty muddy. Fortunately, the more recent CD release has been remixed and is allowing this misunderstood gem a chance to gather the reputation it deserves. It's a much darker, more mysterious album than Desire. Side one is great from start to finish with Changing of the Guards standing out in particular, but side two lets things slide a little towards the end. Senor is fantastic, but elsewhere you're left with the impression that Dylan's grasping at something epic but not quite reaching it. Good stuff, but not quite as grand as he was intending, I'm guessing. A fascinating, but flawed album. ( 7/10 ) BUY IT HERE

Bob Dylan at Budokan ( 1979 )
Another live Dylan release with a patchy reputation, this is unfortunately another case of the tapes not rolling on the right night. While certainly not a bad performance, it's not as ambitious as later dates on the tour, and has a fairly safe tracklist. There are some fascinating rehearsal recordings circulating as bootlegs of this band working up this material, but on the night's documented here it doesn't really fire up. The arrangements are very interesting however, with familiar songs rendered almost unrecognizable with it's unusual melting pot of female backing singers, reggae rhythms and various horns. Never boring, but not quite as successful as it could have been. ( 6/10 ) BUY IT HERE

Slow Train Coming ( 1979 )
Dylan's conversion to Christianity was greeted with such hostility ( probably more to do with the fact that he refused to play any of his secular material at his live shows at this point ), that it's a wonder that this album is as popular as it is. While the views Dylan expresses in these songs are certainly enough to make a large percentage of listener's uncomfortable, you can't question the conviction in their delivery. Musically, this is very solid too. Recorded at the famed Muscle Shoals Studio, with Mark Knopfler on hand this is definitely Dylan's most professional sounding album up to this point. Occasionally a little too smooth perhaps. Much like Street Legal, it's also frontloaded with the best material in the first half, especially I Believe In You and Slow Train ( great guitar from Knopfler on this one ), although it manages to regather some steam for the finale When He Returns. In between there's plenty of good stuff, just held back from greatness by a message that a lot of listeners didn't want to hear. ( 7/10 ) BUY IT HERE

Bob Dylan In The Sixties - Beginner's Guide

With a catalogue the size of Dylan's it's pretty hard to know where to start for the uninitiated, so hopefully this'll help someone out. I'll be taking a look at his back catalogue, album by album, starting today with the sixties.

Bob Dylan ( 1962 )
Still very much in thrall to Woody Guthrie, this set is mostly made up of enthusiastically performed covers of blues and folk material. Recorded over two 3 hour sessions, this gives you a pretty good idea of what the young Dylan would have been like live at this very early point in his career. It's particularly surprising to hear how gritty his performances of the old blues standards are, especially as Dylan was only 20 when this was recorded. Of the two originals, Talkin' New York is a pleasant enough talkin' blues, while Song to Woody points to where his songwriting would soon be heading. ( 6/10 ) BUY IT HERE

The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan ( 1963 )
A massive step forward in terms of songwriting and performance confidence, with only one cover. With iconic protest songs like Blowin' In the Wind, Masters of War and A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall, this was always going to be a well remembered album, but Dylan's softer side is shown for the first time too with Girl from the North Country and Don't Think Twice, It's All Right.  Side two tapers off a little towards the end, but it's got stiff competition from the material on Side One, and compared to other folk albums of the period this is peerless and assured stuff. ( 8/10 ) BUY IT HERE

The Times They Are A Changin' ( 1964 )
A much angrier protest album than Freewheelin' this is a little more difficult a listen, but full of rewarding stuff. The Ballad of Hollis Brown and North Country Blues are some of the darkest songs in Dylan's catalogue. Grim stuff, but full credit to Dylan for saying what he thought needed to be said. The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll has some wonderful wordplay and impressive attention to detail. There's also room for Boots of Spanish Leather, one of Dylan's loveliest ballads, and the thoughtful Restless Farewell shows even more growth. ( 8/10 ) BUY IT HERE

Another Side of Bob Dylan ( 1964 )
Another big step forward for Dylan, and a step away from his protest persona. Impressively recorded in one long red wine fuelled evening session, this features a number of songs with Dylan on piano, and as suggested by the title is quite a departure for Dylan. Chimes of Freedom and My Back Pages show an increased interest in surrealism and Motorpsycho Nitemare and I Shall Be Free No. 10 show a gift for slapstick. All I Really Want to Do was Dylan's poppiest moment so far, as evidenced by covers from everyone from the Byrds to Sonny & Cher. Lots of amazing tracks here, but for some reason it doesn't really gel as an album. ( 7/10 ) BUY IT HERE

The Bootleg Series Vol. 6 : Live 1964 - Concert at Philharmonic Hall 
This has got an amazing reputation, but doesn't do much for me in all honesty. Granted Dylan is charming , relaxed and confident throughout, but there's not really anything essential here. The arrangements are so similar to their studio counterparts that they don't really offer anything new. I would have rather seen a release of the shelved In Concert album, recorded in 1962 which features a number of tracks not released officially elsewhere. I've no doubt this would have been a great show to be at, but on disc there's just not enough to differentiate it from the studio albums preceding it. Otherwise, this is a pretty good alternative snapshot of his work up to this point for those that don't want to own the studio albums, although I'd always recommend them first. ( 5/10 ) BUY IT HERE

Bringing It All Back Home ( 1965 )
Dylan's first great album with one side of acoustic and one side of electric material. The rollicking Subterranean Homesick Blues and Maggie's Farm make great use of the rhythm section, while Love Minus Zero/ No Limit and She Belongs to Me are more introspective gems. The acoustic side is gold all the way through with Mr Tambourine Man, It's All Over Now Baby Blue and It's Alright Ma showing just how far Dylan had come. ( 10/10 ) BUY IT HERE

Highway 61 Revisited ( 1965 )
Dylan's first fullblown rock album may have been a little controversial at the time, but is one of his masterpieces. Al Kooper's keyboards and Mike Bloomfield's guitars help make this Dylan's most raucous rock n roll album. Dylan's already proven that he's at his most eloquent when he's angry and Like A Rolling Stone and Ballad of a Thin Man may be the best examples of this, while Desolation Row shows that he hasn't lost his poetic touch. A fantastic, visceral rock n roll album. ( 10/10 ) BUY IT HERE

Blonde On Blonde ( 1966)
Dylan's first double album, and quite possibly his best. In his words : "The closest I ever got to the sound I hear in my mind was on Blonde On Blonde. It's that thin, wild mercury sound. Its metallic and bright gold, with whatever that conjures up". Refining the sound of Highway 61, this has it's fair share of boisterous rock n roll numbers, but also finds room for the likes of I Want You ( as close as Dylan ever got to pop ), and the swooning, gorgeous Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands.  ( 10/10 ) BUY IT HERE

The Bootleg Series Vol. 4 : Live 1966 - The "Royal Albert Hall" Concert
One of Dylan's most impressive officially released live albums, this catches Dylan at the point where he was getting grief from a large amount of his fans for abandoning folk music in favor of rock n roll. As a result he'd perform two sets on this tour, one solo acoustic set to keep this part of the crowd placated, and one fired up full band set which could be hit and miss depending on the night, but is firing on all cylinders for this show. Dylan's obsession with reworking his material began on this tour too, with previously gentle acoustic gems like One Too Many Mornings given the full band treatment. There's also a wonderful sparse solo version of Visions of Johanna which is particularly memorable. Excellent. ( 9/10 ) BUY IT HERE

John Wesley Harding ( 1967 )
Dylan totally reinvents himself again with this album, abandoning the rock approach of the previous couple of years, in favor of a stripped back acoustic three piece sound ( with added steel guitar on the last few tracks ). In doing so he helped kick start the country rock movement along with the Byrds. Lyrically this is very different as well, with many songs inspired by biblical allegories. This is pretty unique in Dylan's catalogue and a favorite of mine. The Wicked Messenger and I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine are highlights of this very consistent effort, also the home of the original versions of the much covered All Along The Watchtower and I'll Be Your Baby Tonight. ( 9/10 ) BUY IT HERE

Nashville Skyline ( 1969 )
This is one that gets mixed reviews, but is a lot of fun if approached with the right expectations. Lyrically very lightweight compared to Dylan's normal output, this is an entertaining country album with some pleasant steel guitar and top notch session work from a bunch of Nashville pro's. Dylan's voice has never sounded better either - it's hard to believe this was the same voice that was responsible for Like A Rolling Stone. Main single Lay Lady Lay gives you a good idea of what to expect. He sounds as relaxed as he looks on the cover. This is Dylan the entertainer rather than Dylan the spokesperson for a generation ( which is a tag he hated anyway ). ( 7/10 ) BUY IT HERE