Bob Dylan Chart by 
Mercury 
UPDATE: about 7 years ago when I first gained custom chart abilities round these parts, the first thing I did was this chart. I was indeed listening intently to Dylan each day in chronological order, trying to write a sensible review, and then ranking them. Years went by and I never got past the 80s (go figure...lol) but I now will open this up and make it public again. I have added every album i think and then i'll rank them without reviews in some cases. But for now the first 30 is all done and reviewed and then the next 40 or so are just the very long chronological list of what I have left to do.
I do plan on (yes I know I have said the following before) continuing and giving new listens to all these albums.
Let me know what you think.
- Chart updated: 09/25/2021 04:45
- (Created: 08/23/2013 08:22).
- Chart size: 73 albums.
There are 14 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Bob Dylan Chart has an average rating of 93 out of 100 (from 21 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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4 October 2013-
Beautiful, charming, shirt-and-sweet, countrified, humble, and fantastic album through and through! What I love about this album is it just manages to make me feel happy. It's so optimistic. It is so clearly a change away from serious or overly introspective elements of his music and it works so well it is fantastic! It's amazing to me that Dylan could switch off to a whole new zone and genre of music and pull it off so perfectly.
The lyrics are simple, direct country-style nuggets of beauty. It ain't hard to pick up what is being expresses here. The musicians that back him up here sound great.
Man, there ain't much I dislike about this album at all. I will say I don't like the first track featuring Cash. It just doesn't sound too good. But after that track it rolls so well. It's 24 minutes of solid fun!
The greatest tracks here are "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You", "Nashville Skyline Rag" (what a smokin' instrumental to really kick this album off!), "Lay Lady Lay" (sexy as hell) and of course the very tragic-sounding "I Threw It All Away".
It is hard for me to say how this album compares to other Dylan favorites because it is so different in mood and style and theme and even in the way his vocals are. I will say it is a little too short for my liking, the first song annoys, and the general quality of greatness of the songwriting is a step down from his usual.
On its own terms this album is an essential release in Dylan's discography. I really love it. And it is a great way to end off the 60s! I look at these first 16 albums I've listened to for this chart and it blows mu mind how much music he made from 62-69 and it astounds me how consistently great it was. He was just on fire for so long!
Cheers to the next decade of Dylan to listen to.
Grade: 90/100 (recently fell in love again and now rate this as a 92-93/100 and moved it a couple spots up) [First added to this chart: 09/30/2013]
Beautiful, charming, shirt-and-sweet, countrified, humble, and fantastic album through and through! What I love about this album is it just manages to make me feel happy. It's so optimistic. It is so clearly a change away from serious or overly introspective elements of his music and it works so well it is fantastic! It's amazing to me that Dylan could switch off to a whole new zone and genre of music and pull it off so perfectly.
The lyrics are simple, direct country-style nuggets of beauty. It ain't hard to pick up what is being expresses here. The musicians that back him up here sound great.
Man, there ain't much I dislike about this album at all. I will say I don't like the first track featuring Cash. It just doesn't sound too good. But after that track it rolls so well. It's 24 minutes of solid fun!
The greatest tracks here are "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You", "Nashville Skyline Rag" (what a smokin' instrumental to really kick this album off!), "Lay Lady Lay" (sexy as hell) and of course the very tragic-sounding "I Threw It All Away".
It is hard for me to say how this album compares to other Dylan favorites because it is so different in mood and style and theme and even in the way his vocals are. I will say it is a little too short for my liking, the first song annoys, and the general quality of greatness of the songwriting is a step down from his usual.
On its own terms this album is an essential release in Dylan's discography. I really love it. And it is a great way to end off the 60s! I look at these first 16 albums I've listened to for this chart and it blows mu mind how much music he made from 62-69 and it astounds me how consistently great it was. He was just on fire for so long!
Cheers to the next decade of Dylan to listen to.
Grade: 90/100 (recently fell in love again and now rate this as a 92-93/100 and moved it a couple spots up) [First added to this chart: 09/30/2013]
Year of Release:
1969
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,896
Rank in 1969:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
29
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8 January 2014
Boy, top to bottom this thing is very solid. At times this record just thrills. There is a sense of joy and rediscovery that comes from the band and Bob throughout, and this energy makes it all the more excellent of a listen.
The playing is just pure energy on the rock tracks and tender and gorgeous in the folk tracks and other soft stuff. This really captures with absolute perfection the energy of those gorgeous early concerts of The Rolling Thunder Review. I don't know exactly how they managed this... It must have to do with the clear remastering. The production just pops. The drums jump out at you and the melodies and harmony and detail all sound crisp. It's a work of art how well this stuff was recorded and presented.
And the vocals of Dylan are at all times absolutely spot on and passionate as hell. And did I mention the band on here is just about as great as any band I've ever heard play with Dylan? Yeah.
There are a couple points where I do lose some interest in it. This could just be me. I feel that the acoustic rendition of "Simple Twist of Fate" is lacking a certain conviction. In contrast to the first disc, it's a little bit of a let down.
The harmonies with Joan Baez don't always work all that well, especially on "Blowin' In The Wind". But overall I really love her contribution on the other tracks she's featured on. I don't know what happened, I'm actually finding myself liking her voice now. I used to hate it.
Overall, this thing is excellent and highly recommended to say the least.
Grade: 93/100 [First added to this chart: 01/26/2014]
Boy, top to bottom this thing is very solid. At times this record just thrills. There is a sense of joy and rediscovery that comes from the band and Bob throughout, and this energy makes it all the more excellent of a listen.
The playing is just pure energy on the rock tracks and tender and gorgeous in the folk tracks and other soft stuff. This really captures with absolute perfection the energy of those gorgeous early concerts of The Rolling Thunder Review. I don't know exactly how they managed this... It must have to do with the clear remastering. The production just pops. The drums jump out at you and the melodies and harmony and detail all sound crisp. It's a work of art how well this stuff was recorded and presented.
And the vocals of Dylan are at all times absolutely spot on and passionate as hell. And did I mention the band on here is just about as great as any band I've ever heard play with Dylan? Yeah.
There are a couple points where I do lose some interest in it. This could just be me. I feel that the acoustic rendition of "Simple Twist of Fate" is lacking a certain conviction. In contrast to the first disc, it's a little bit of a let down.
The harmonies with Joan Baez don't always work all that well, especially on "Blowin' In The Wind". But overall I really love her contribution on the other tracks she's featured on. I don't know what happened, I'm actually finding myself liking her voice now. I used to hate it.
Overall, this thing is excellent and highly recommended to say the least.
Grade: 93/100 [First added to this chart: 01/26/2014]
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4 October 2013-
Its interesting that this album is often viewed as another Classic Dylan album. To me it is most certainly not of that level or caliber. It's a solid LP. It really has some stand out tracks (All Along The Watchtower, I'll Be Your Baby Tonight, The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest and the Title track included). And the overall feel of the album is pretty dark and cool and just sorta soft. But it is an uneven, and at times dull album. It doesn't have the humor or strangeness of The Basement Tapes, nor the intensity and variety of his '65 and '66 LPs, nor the natural and youthful energy of any of his early 60s albums - his debut included.
Of course my feeling for this is respect. I really do feel it is a very good record. In comparison to his output of albums from '63-'66 it pales somewhat.
The songwriting on here is interesting, cryptic, sometimes biblical sounding story songs. The lyrics are unique and different from what he priorly had done.
My feeling about the production is it is hit it miss. With the early tracks the dark vibes and the sounds
That's about all the thoughts I wish to express on this album. By no means bad, by no means classic. But an enjoyable album nonetheless.
Grade: 84/100 (recently fell more in love with this albuym. Still not quite on par with his other 60s albums, but will say 84/100 was harsh. Its a 91/100 easily and I moved it up these ranks from #16 to #13) [First added to this chart: 09/30/2013]
Its interesting that this album is often viewed as another Classic Dylan album. To me it is most certainly not of that level or caliber. It's a solid LP. It really has some stand out tracks (All Along The Watchtower, I'll Be Your Baby Tonight, The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest and the Title track included). And the overall feel of the album is pretty dark and cool and just sorta soft. But it is an uneven, and at times dull album. It doesn't have the humor or strangeness of The Basement Tapes, nor the intensity and variety of his '65 and '66 LPs, nor the natural and youthful energy of any of his early 60s albums - his debut included.
Of course my feeling for this is respect. I really do feel it is a very good record. In comparison to his output of albums from '63-'66 it pales somewhat.
The songwriting on here is interesting, cryptic, sometimes biblical sounding story songs. The lyrics are unique and different from what he priorly had done.
My feeling about the production is it is hit it miss. With the early tracks the dark vibes and the sounds
That's about all the thoughts I wish to express on this album. By no means bad, by no means classic. But an enjoyable album nonetheless.
Grade: 84/100 (recently fell more in love with this albuym. Still not quite on par with his other 60s albums, but will say 84/100 was harsh. Its a 91/100 easily and I moved it up these ranks from #16 to #13) [First added to this chart: 09/30/2013]
Year of Release:
1967
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,023
Rank in 1967:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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3 September 2013-
This is a 2 disc live recording of a performance from Halloween 1964. This is the greatest live album or document I have heard from the folk years of Dylan... by far. It captures Dylan at his most relaxed, insouciant best. The back and forth between the crowd and him just makes this whole album, as an album, so special and soothing and cool. Just imagine going and seeing Dylan live in this important and transitory phase of his career when he was already a hero at the top of his game yet at the same time was working on stretching the boundaries of songwriting, that is what this is.
You can hear that while Dylan still performed his earlier songs well and professionally, most of his intention and intensity was really coming through on his brand new material. His renditions of "It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)", "Gates of Eden" and others (the material that was to be released a few months later on "Bringing It All Back Home") sound so different than his earlier songs. I imagine the people in the crowd hearing these songs were just blown out of there heads! The songwriting here still sounds absolutely towering and unmatched to this day!
A brilliant album! Even the unwelcome appearence of the annoying Joan Baez in the final tracks can't stop this from being a must-listen for anyone interested in the greatness of early Dylan.
Grade: 91/100 [First added to this chart: 09/03/2013]
This is a 2 disc live recording of a performance from Halloween 1964. This is the greatest live album or document I have heard from the folk years of Dylan... by far. It captures Dylan at his most relaxed, insouciant best. The back and forth between the crowd and him just makes this whole album, as an album, so special and soothing and cool. Just imagine going and seeing Dylan live in this important and transitory phase of his career when he was already a hero at the top of his game yet at the same time was working on stretching the boundaries of songwriting, that is what this is.
You can hear that while Dylan still performed his earlier songs well and professionally, most of his intention and intensity was really coming through on his brand new material. His renditions of "It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)", "Gates of Eden" and others (the material that was to be released a few months later on "Bringing It All Back Home") sound so different than his earlier songs. I imagine the people in the crowd hearing these songs were just blown out of there heads! The songwriting here still sounds absolutely towering and unmatched to this day!
A brilliant album! Even the unwelcome appearence of the annoying Joan Baez in the final tracks can't stop this from being a must-listen for anyone interested in the greatness of early Dylan.
Grade: 91/100 [First added to this chart: 09/03/2013]
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26 January 2014
"Nashville Skyline" is a unique classic in Dylan's discog. It is undeniably the masterpiece of that era of Dylan. What made that album so special to me is how natural, joyous and unserious it seemed while still being economical and beautifully written. Other albums of that time didn't have that same magic. What this release - Bootleg Series 10 - does is present a whole new and exciting look at that same period. And right here is all that same magic that I found in "Nashville Skyline". The joy and spontaneity and beauty and simplicity is all back and represented very nicely here.
Dylan's playfulness and whimsical experimentation and willingness to do most anything in these sessions is what makes this double album so special. It's easy to get totally immersed in this set. It is an album that doesn't seem to have any set place in time. It's composed of so many types of old songs and sounds and folk stories, it really feels like you are allowing yourself into a different world by listening.
There are many standouts here including the alternate versions of "Little Sadie" and "In Search Of Little Sadie", "Alberta #3" (by far the best version of that song I've heard), the alternate version of "I Threw It All Away", the beautifully sentimental, piano-heavy version of "If Not For You", the Hank Snow cover "These Hands", the overwhelmingly gorgeous folk of "Copper Kettle" (that organ is just lovely), the amazing horn-driven rendition of "New Morning" and of course the closer "When I Paint My Masterpiece". There are many more as well.
All in all, this is definitely a record that will be most appreciated by fans of Dylan. Much like bootleg series 1-3, 7, 8 and 9 - this is not really a great entrance into the greatness of Dylan. But considering that it is a compilation it manages to cover a short enough period of time with enough variety that it holds up better than any of those bootleg series albums as a stand alone album.
I really love this record. I feel I kinda needed this record. It's the perfect final statement or "cherry on top" of that period of Dylan's music.
Grade 90/100 [First added to this chart: 10/06/2013]
"Nashville Skyline" is a unique classic in Dylan's discog. It is undeniably the masterpiece of that era of Dylan. What made that album so special to me is how natural, joyous and unserious it seemed while still being economical and beautifully written. Other albums of that time didn't have that same magic. What this release - Bootleg Series 10 - does is present a whole new and exciting look at that same period. And right here is all that same magic that I found in "Nashville Skyline". The joy and spontaneity and beauty and simplicity is all back and represented very nicely here.
Dylan's playfulness and whimsical experimentation and willingness to do most anything in these sessions is what makes this double album so special. It's easy to get totally immersed in this set. It is an album that doesn't seem to have any set place in time. It's composed of so many types of old songs and sounds and folk stories, it really feels like you are allowing yourself into a different world by listening.
There are many standouts here including the alternate versions of "Little Sadie" and "In Search Of Little Sadie", "Alberta #3" (by far the best version of that song I've heard), the alternate version of "I Threw It All Away", the beautifully sentimental, piano-heavy version of "If Not For You", the Hank Snow cover "These Hands", the overwhelmingly gorgeous folk of "Copper Kettle" (that organ is just lovely), the amazing horn-driven rendition of "New Morning" and of course the closer "When I Paint My Masterpiece". There are many more as well.
All in all, this is definitely a record that will be most appreciated by fans of Dylan. Much like bootleg series 1-3, 7, 8 and 9 - this is not really a great entrance into the greatness of Dylan. But considering that it is a compilation it manages to cover a short enough period of time with enough variety that it holds up better than any of those bootleg series albums as a stand alone album.
I really love this record. I feel I kinda needed this record. It's the perfect final statement or "cherry on top" of that period of Dylan's music.
Grade 90/100 [First added to this chart: 10/06/2013]
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29 September 2013-
This album has several functions:
First of all it serves as a nice "soundtrack" to the excellent documentary of the same name.
Second is it serves as a an interesting study of Dylan's career from being an 18 year old kid playing some blues-folk in '59 to his being the most divisive figure in folk and rock come 1965-'66.
Third it is a great little batch of live cuts and alternate takes of his most classic songs in interesting and fresh forms.
And fourth it contains some essential recordings of his Newport folk festival 1965 appearance and his "Royal Albert Hall" concert.
All in all this record flows pretty well. And unlike bootleg series 9, The Witmark Demos, I feel this can be really great to even an uninitiated and new Dylan fan.
Highlights include the beautiful rendition of Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land", that legendary moment when Dylan "went electric" at Newport with a downright filthy performance of "Maggie's Farm", and the much more morose and dramatic live version of "Blowin' In the Wind". The song "I Was Young When I Left Home" gets me everytime. One of my new favorite Dylan songs that one is.
As for hearing Dylan at 18 and 19 with those first few tracks, I adore that! In and of themselves they aren't terribly fantastic, but knowing that is a young man who would later make so much great music is amazing!
Anyway, this is great! Possibly the best document that tracks Dylan in this period of his career. Both the album and movie are highly recommended for anyone trying to get into this great man.
Grade: 88/100 [First added to this chart: 09/29/2013]
This album has several functions:
First of all it serves as a nice "soundtrack" to the excellent documentary of the same name.
Second is it serves as a an interesting study of Dylan's career from being an 18 year old kid playing some blues-folk in '59 to his being the most divisive figure in folk and rock come 1965-'66.
Third it is a great little batch of live cuts and alternate takes of his most classic songs in interesting and fresh forms.
And fourth it contains some essential recordings of his Newport folk festival 1965 appearance and his "Royal Albert Hall" concert.
All in all this record flows pretty well. And unlike bootleg series 9, The Witmark Demos, I feel this can be really great to even an uninitiated and new Dylan fan.
Highlights include the beautiful rendition of Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land", that legendary moment when Dylan "went electric" at Newport with a downright filthy performance of "Maggie's Farm", and the much more morose and dramatic live version of "Blowin' In the Wind". The song "I Was Young When I Left Home" gets me everytime. One of my new favorite Dylan songs that one is.
As for hearing Dylan at 18 and 19 with those first few tracks, I adore that! In and of themselves they aren't terribly fantastic, but knowing that is a young man who would later make so much great music is amazing!
Anyway, this is great! Possibly the best document that tracks Dylan in this period of his career. Both the album and movie are highly recommended for anyone trying to get into this great man.
Grade: 88/100 [First added to this chart: 09/29/2013]
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31 August 2013 -
This collection is pretty great! There is a beautiful, laid back, unforced and unconcerned vibe on many of the songs here. Also this Bootleg series really presents in detail the beautiful transformation Dylan went through from 62 to 64 - from pretty traditional blues/folk singer to budding songwriter to songwriting prodigy/extraordinaire to poetic genius in a folk musician's guise.
I feel that a lot of this material is more great for interest in development and so you have the records as documents more than for sheer quality or essentialness. This album probably will only be truly amazing if you are a pretty well initiated Bob Dylan fan. That said, there are some songs on here that are all time classic Dylan works ("Tomorrow Is A Long Time", "Let Me Die In My Footsteps", "Farewell" and much more). I could see someone buying this or hearing this as an introduction to the man's music and it could definitely be a fine intro (although "Freewheelin'" is much more recommended).
Energy and charismatic flair are on full display throughout here. And even for songs that are contained on other studio or live or bootleg series the songs here are often in a fresh and exciting state of are just performed in a slightly different way. This keeps the classics interesting, for me at least. And the rendition of "Don't Think Twice" on here is truly one of the greatest and most tender and pure musical anythings I've ever heard. The better known "Freewheelin'..." version is also masterful, but this FEELS like something else, something more pure and wonderful. (Note: This song version is also on Bootleg Series 7 "No Direction Home Soundtrack" which is where I first heard it)
Grade: 85/100 [First added to this chart: 09/01/2013]
This collection is pretty great! There is a beautiful, laid back, unforced and unconcerned vibe on many of the songs here. Also this Bootleg series really presents in detail the beautiful transformation Dylan went through from 62 to 64 - from pretty traditional blues/folk singer to budding songwriter to songwriting prodigy/extraordinaire to poetic genius in a folk musician's guise.
I feel that a lot of this material is more great for interest in development and so you have the records as documents more than for sheer quality or essentialness. This album probably will only be truly amazing if you are a pretty well initiated Bob Dylan fan. That said, there are some songs on here that are all time classic Dylan works ("Tomorrow Is A Long Time", "Let Me Die In My Footsteps", "Farewell" and much more). I could see someone buying this or hearing this as an introduction to the man's music and it could definitely be a fine intro (although "Freewheelin'" is much more recommended).
Energy and charismatic flair are on full display throughout here. And even for songs that are contained on other studio or live or bootleg series the songs here are often in a fresh and exciting state of are just performed in a slightly different way. This keeps the classics interesting, for me at least. And the rendition of "Don't Think Twice" on here is truly one of the greatest and most tender and pure musical anythings I've ever heard. The better known "Freewheelin'..." version is also masterful, but this FEELS like something else, something more pure and wonderful. (Note: This song version is also on Bootleg Series 7 "No Direction Home Soundtrack" which is where I first heard it)
Grade: 85/100 [First added to this chart: 09/01/2013]
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22 August 2013 -
This is an excellent album. It is mostly composed of folk and blues standards with just 2 Dylan originals. Yet the blues numbers he does are pretty fantastic and dark. The vocals on those tracks seem a bit contrived but to no great detriment to the songs. His rendition of "House of the Rising Sun" and "Man of Constant Sorrow" are impassioned and incredibly good.
"Song to Woody" is one of my all time favorites Dylan songs. It's an impressive early original and was an excellent indication of what was to come in the very near future.
As a whole I love almost this whole album. Some of the more playful covers like "Gospel Plow" and "Pretty Peggy-O" grate on me just a bit. But that's probably because I'm a moody bastard.
All in all there is something I really enjoy and get out of this album. Maybe it's just the beautiful joyousness and energy of this album. Maybe I'm just a little biased in thinking everything Dylan did from 62-70 is golden. Maybe...
Either way, this is a nice album.
Grade: 84/100 [First added to this chart: 08/23/2013]
This is an excellent album. It is mostly composed of folk and blues standards with just 2 Dylan originals. Yet the blues numbers he does are pretty fantastic and dark. The vocals on those tracks seem a bit contrived but to no great detriment to the songs. His rendition of "House of the Rising Sun" and "Man of Constant Sorrow" are impassioned and incredibly good.
"Song to Woody" is one of my all time favorites Dylan songs. It's an impressive early original and was an excellent indication of what was to come in the very near future.
As a whole I love almost this whole album. Some of the more playful covers like "Gospel Plow" and "Pretty Peggy-O" grate on me just a bit. But that's probably because I'm a moody bastard.
All in all there is something I really enjoy and get out of this album. Maybe it's just the beautiful joyousness and energy of this album. Maybe I'm just a little biased in thinking everything Dylan did from 62-70 is golden. Maybe...
Either way, this is a nice album.
Grade: 84/100 [First added to this chart: 08/23/2013]
Year of Release:
1962
Appears in:
Rank Score:
873
Rank in 1962:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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26 November 2013
It's hard to rank or grade this album in comparison to any other Bob Dylan album. It's a largely instrumental soundtrack album. It's a really good soundtrack in my opinion. The instrumentals are simple and beautiful and fit the Spanish/Western vibes of the film. And the production on here is crisp and clear. It's really quality.
The songs are good where there are lyrics. "Billy 1" is cool. LOVE "Turkey Chase"! Listen to dat banjo! And dat fiddle too! "Main Title Theme" and "Final Theme" are both beautiful and do well in expressing a specific mood.
It doesn't make much sense that "Final Theme" isn't, well, the final theme. The 2 tracks after it are good and all but "Final Theme" is the perfect closing track and is really gorgeous.
The album is very short. It also just doesn't feel really like a Dylan record. So in comparison to other Dylan releases I tend to devaluation this. Still for what it is, I really like it. There are some really great tracks here and there is no bad track at all.
Grade: 81/100 [First added to this chart: 11/30/2013]
It's hard to rank or grade this album in comparison to any other Bob Dylan album. It's a largely instrumental soundtrack album. It's a really good soundtrack in my opinion. The instrumentals are simple and beautiful and fit the Spanish/Western vibes of the film. And the production on here is crisp and clear. It's really quality.
The songs are good where there are lyrics. "Billy 1" is cool. LOVE "Turkey Chase"! Listen to dat banjo! And dat fiddle too! "Main Title Theme" and "Final Theme" are both beautiful and do well in expressing a specific mood.
It doesn't make much sense that "Final Theme" isn't, well, the final theme. The 2 tracks after it are good and all but "Final Theme" is the perfect closing track and is really gorgeous.
The album is very short. It also just doesn't feel really like a Dylan record. So in comparison to other Dylan releases I tend to devaluation this. Still for what it is, I really like it. There are some really great tracks here and there is no bad track at all.
Grade: 81/100 [First added to this chart: 11/30/2013]
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24 August 2013 -
This is a collection of early live recordings from late 1962. It's a very nice, surprisingly good sounding document from that time just after the release of his debut album and before his sophomore album, "Freewheelin' Bob Dylan".
The songs "A Hard Rains A-Gonna Fall" and "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" and "John Brown" all sound fresh and exciting here. "John Brown" is down right heartbreaking! It is truly one of the greatest and poignant anti-war songs ever written. And the crowd participation at the end of "A Hard Rain..." is fabulous as well.
The folk songs he covers are also very nice. "Moonshiner" and "Barbara Allen" are stand outs. As is "Rocks and Gravel" which is a cool, dark blues number originally slated to be included on "Freewheelin'...".
All in all, this is a recommended album to listen to, if for no other reason than for the curiosity of hearing Dylan perform in such an early and interesting stage in his illustrious career. This record really does show Dylan was never "just another ordinary folkie". No, he was pretty fantastic from the word go.
Grade: 80/100 [First added to this chart: 08/24/2013]
This is a collection of early live recordings from late 1962. It's a very nice, surprisingly good sounding document from that time just after the release of his debut album and before his sophomore album, "Freewheelin' Bob Dylan".
The songs "A Hard Rains A-Gonna Fall" and "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" and "John Brown" all sound fresh and exciting here. "John Brown" is down right heartbreaking! It is truly one of the greatest and poignant anti-war songs ever written. And the crowd participation at the end of "A Hard Rain..." is fabulous as well.
The folk songs he covers are also very nice. "Moonshiner" and "Barbara Allen" are stand outs. As is "Rocks and Gravel" which is a cool, dark blues number originally slated to be included on "Freewheelin'...".
All in all, this is a recommended album to listen to, if for no other reason than for the curiosity of hearing Dylan perform in such an early and interesting stage in his illustrious career. This record really does show Dylan was never "just another ordinary folkie". No, he was pretty fantastic from the word go.
Grade: 80/100 [First added to this chart: 08/24/2013]
Total albums: 73. Page 2 of 8
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Bob Dylan Chart composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 9 | 12% | |
| 1970s | 13 | 18% | |
| 1980s | 10 | 14% | |
| 1990s | 8 | 11% | |
| 2000s | 13 | 18% | |
| 2010s | 18 | 25% | |
| 2020s | 2 | 3% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| Bob Dylan | 62 | 85% | |
| Various Artists | 5 | 7% | |
| Bob Dylan & The Band | 4 | 5% | |
| Bob Dylan Featuring Johnny Cash | 1 | 1% | |
| Bob Dylan & The Grateful Dead | 1 | 1% |
Bob Dylan Chart chart changes
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Mercury (2023)Bob Dylan Chart ratings
93/100 (from 21 votes)
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).
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Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 21 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 100/100  | 11/07/2018 12:49 |  DommeDamian | | 90/100 |
| 100/100 | 09/10/2018 02:05 |  Onater | | 90/100 |
| 85/100 | 05/30/2018 01:37 |  JulianR | | 75/100 |
| 100/100 | 04/27/2018 05:21 |  AAL2014 | | 92/100 |
| 90/100 | 01/25/2016 20:19 |  Applerill | | 75/100 |
Rating metrics:
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 charts can have several thousand ratings)
This chart is rated in the top 1% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 92.8/100, a mean average of 95.7/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 95.9/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 5.2.
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Bob Dylan Chart favourites
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Bob Dylan Chart comments
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100/100
From DommeDamian 11/07/2018 12:49
DommeDamian 11/07/2018 12:49
I felt like I needed a chart like this. Bob Dylan a living legend!!!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
85/100
From JulianR 05/30/2018 01:40
JulianR 05/30/2018 01:40
This is pretty cool. I can see lots of effort has gone in to it. However you're missing some of Dylan's best albums! Oh Mercy, and then basically all the studio albums from Time Out of Mind to present are absolutely phenomenal. Time Out of Mind is especially good, my #2 Dylan album at the moment. Other than that (and the fact that Blonde on Blonde is so low! How could you??), you're doing great work. Keep it up!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From stangetzaway 12/09/2015 12:17
Great hobby to rank the albums of the grestest solo performer in the history of popular music. One piece of advice hunt down Biograph its the grandfather of the bootleg series if you like but comfortably better than any of them (except poss live 66!)
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From Jhef9312 11/24/2015 05:16
Cool chart, but you have to finish it. Again the comments are great. Being a huge Dylan fan, I would have ranked them differently. I think I'm going to have to steal the idea for my first custom chart also, thanks!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From RockyRaccoon 03/26/2015 18:44
RockyRaccoon 03/26/2015 18:44
I'd be interested on your thoughts on Dylan & The Dead
Come back to this!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
Arthurknight 12/10/2014 04:15
Arthurknight 12/10/2014 04:15
Revisited is definitely Dylan's best work, and for that your chart definitely wins me over. i love the notes you've added btw
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
Decurso 07/28/2014 14:14
Decurso 07/28/2014 14:14
Fabulous! Personally I would put Blonde on Blonde in the number 2 spot and rate Desire ahead of Blood on the Tracks...but thats just me. Bob rules!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From RockyRaccoon 05/09/2014 04:31
RockyRaccoon 05/09/2014 04:31
I'm also interested to see what your absolute least favorite Dylan album is when this is all said and done. My bet is Under The Red Sky
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From RockyRaccoon 05/09/2014 04:29
RockyRaccoon 05/09/2014 04:29
Love it. Of course I would've had Blood On The Tracks at #1 but that's me, #2 ain't bad. You can't go wrong with just about any of these albums. I'll be interested to see your opinion on his 80s stuff. 80s Dylan can be tough to listen to at time, but I think albums like Saved get more hate than they should.
Anyways, good chart, love it.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From 
eclab 02/14/2014 14:25
eclab 02/14/2014 14:25
Perfect top two, and I like seeing BoB so far down.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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