Tempest
by Bob Dylan

Tempest by Bob Dylan
Year: 2012
Release date: 2012-09-11
Overall rank: 2,332nd   Overall chart history
Average Rating: 
73/100 (from 270 votes)
  Ratings distribution   Average rating history
Accolades:
Award Top albums of 2012 (33rd)
Award Top albums of of the 2010s (371st)
Award Best albums of all time (2,332nd)

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Bob Dylan bestography

Tempest is ranked 17th best out of 81 albums by Bob Dylan on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by Bob Dylan is Highway 61 Revisited which is ranked number 29 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 25,469.

Bob Dylan album bestography « Higher ranked (1,921st)
Bob Dylan
This album (2,332nd)
Tempest
Lower ranked (2,426th) »
Street-Legal

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

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Tempest rankings

Tempest rankings summary
Overall rank: 2,332nd | 2010s rank: 371st | 2012 rank: 33rd  Overall chart history
(Calculated from aggregate positions across 60,000 charts (2 million album rankings). (Last updated: 5 hours ago).

Tempest collection

Tempest ratings

Average Rating: 
73/100 (from 270 votes)
  Ratings distribution Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album.  | Show all 270 ratings for this album.

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RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
70/100
 !
07/12/2026 02:11 Exist-en-ciel  Ratings distribution  15,32970/100
 
80/100
 !
03/09/2026 15:57 Leginlists  Ratings distribution  3,75383/100
 
75/100
 !
02/27/2026 23:24 DaveH68  Ratings distribution  1,36376/100
 
85/100
 !
01/09/2026 02:04 CharlieBarley  Ratings distribution  3,26281/100
 
50/100
 !
12/29/2025 17:25 mutant  Ratings distribution  1,67156/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album has a Bayesian average rating of 72.8/100, a mean average of 71.6/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 72.8/100. The standard deviation for this album is 16.1.


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Tempest comments

Showing all 9 comments |
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Rating:  
70/100
From 02/24/2018 10:43 | #209453
Un Dylan ormai da anni interamente assorbito da una musica strettamente legata a quella della sua infanzia; un Dylan di classe, ancora più incurante delle mode di quanto sia sempre stato; un Dylan che ha trovato così una sua nuova via artistica dando un significato credibile a quella che può essere la musica popolare di un ultrasettantenne. Un Dylan, diciamolo francamente, al di là di tutto pure un tantino noioso…
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
65/100
From 10/09/2017 08:29 | #199293
Two best songs here are: Early Roman Kings and Pay In Blood.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
Dylan's last album of original material up to 2016. Again, it's got a similar feel to all his recent records. It's got some good stuff on here, and some not so good. Best tracks are the lovely, soon after midnight, the angry, pay in blood, and the excellent, scarlet town. Thankfully, Dylan, keeps the album's twelve bars down to just two. Best of the two is, early Roman kings, narrow way, is just a little too long. Talking about length, the title track seems to go on forever. It's good, but it is way overlong. At least it's not as boring as the dreadful, tin Angel, dull, dull, dull. The rest is good, with a heartfelt tribute to John Lennon ending the album. Will this be Dylan's last album of original material? Only Dylan knows. Let's hope it isn't.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
Love this album. I love the whole "Mod-Bob", cowboy bluesy Bob period best (97 to current). His 60's catalgoue is unparrlelled but his delivery, with the aged voice (croak-howl), just moves me. Anyhow fav tracks: Duesquesne Whistle, Soon After Midnight, Long and Wasted Years, Pay in Blood (but I do wished a better "take" was used for the finished product. The opening is just too rugged. I just love the title track 14min+ Titanic voyage "Tempest". Scarlet Town is also fantastic. Narrow Way is a barnburner but is few minutes too long imo. Early Roman Kings is solid. Tin Angel I can never quite make my mind up (back n forth with this one) & the John Lennon tribute song "Roll On John" I don't often listen to much. Was extremely happy with this effort from "The Picasso of Song"! MEZ
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 05/24/2013 18:52 | #77033
'Roll On John' is the ending of a story. The closing of a book. I hope music can see new stories develop. Ones where people want to change the world rather than show how "indie" or hip they are. Where people strive for greatness instead of being another bed room artist. The world is moving. Times are changing. The whole album stands as a testament to the power of music. Goodnight Bob. You did good.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
"Pay in Blood" is the standout track.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
5/100
From 11/10/2012 19:06 | #54712
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Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -3 votes (2 helpful | 5 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
i have to, not strongly, disagree with daftpunter about the remarks concerning your lovely voice, mr zimmerman
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
As usual Bob surrounds himself with Bluesy old pros who simply know how to play. Hildago is a personal favorite and always livens up the party. The topics are solid, the lyrics clever, the music is top notch. But Bob...maybe Santana has something with the "let someone else sing the songs" bit. I loved Bob's voice until about the mid 90's, then the tobacco and age simply caught up with it. It's a horse-croak that wouldn't be allowed in a home for the deaf. So prominent it simply takes me off kilter, killing the tunes. I love ya Bob but I'll dock ya heavy for that death prattle of a voice.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

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