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.
View the complete list of 53,000 charts on BestEverAlbums.com from The Charts page.
Buy album
- #Sponsored
1 December 2013
This is a live album from '74 when Bob Dylan and the Band were touring after releasing "Planet Waves". This was sort of a come back for Dylan. He hadn't toured for 8 years prior to this.
I'm not hugely enthusiastic about live albums. I just want to get that out of the way. They aren't really generally my cup of tea. But I do like this album. I'm loving the playful and loose vibes here. And the Band really rock throughout here. They are really on their game. Dylan vocally is also quite good.
These 2 disks definitely cover a lot of ground both in Dylan's and the Band's discography.
Highlights are the very emotional rendition of "I Shall Be Released", and the very energetic takes on "Most Likely You Go Your Way", "It Ain't Me Babe", "All Along The Watchtower", and the whole acoustic set that starts off disc 2. It's fun to hear the crowd reaction during "It's Alright Ma.." When Dylan says the legendary line "Even the president of the United States must sometimes have to stand naked." They ate it up! (Nixon's scandal was fresh at the time of this album.)
I don't really love The Band separate from Dylan, and there are whole sections where Dylan is nowhere to be found here. That is my main gripe. Otherwise, the missteps here are few ("When You Awake" is kinda shit) and the energy is there. This tour was a good primer for the absolute work of genius which was to follow the next year.
Grade 79/100 [First added to this chart: 12/01/2013]
This is a live album from '74 when Bob Dylan and the Band were touring after releasing "Planet Waves". This was sort of a come back for Dylan. He hadn't toured for 8 years prior to this.
I'm not hugely enthusiastic about live albums. I just want to get that out of the way. They aren't really generally my cup of tea. But I do like this album. I'm loving the playful and loose vibes here. And the Band really rock throughout here. They are really on their game. Dylan vocally is also quite good.
These 2 disks definitely cover a lot of ground both in Dylan's and the Band's discography.
Highlights are the very emotional rendition of "I Shall Be Released", and the very energetic takes on "Most Likely You Go Your Way", "It Ain't Me Babe", "All Along The Watchtower", and the whole acoustic set that starts off disc 2. It's fun to hear the crowd reaction during "It's Alright Ma.." When Dylan says the legendary line "Even the president of the United States must sometimes have to stand naked." They ate it up! (Nixon's scandal was fresh at the time of this album.)
I don't really love The Band separate from Dylan, and there are whole sections where Dylan is nowhere to be found here. That is my main gripe. Otherwise, the missteps here are few ("When You Awake" is kinda shit) and the energy is there. This tour was a good primer for the absolute work of genius which was to follow the next year.
Grade 79/100 [First added to this chart: 12/01/2013]
Year of Release:
1974
Appears in:
Rank Score:
262
Rank in 1974:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
8
Buy album
- #Sponsored
26 January 2014
It's for sure a little too sleek for my liking. It's squeaky clean, man. But it's actually, lyrically and musically quite adventurous and actually... Really fucking good!
One thing I love about this album is how Dylan is seeming to accept with open arms the plasticity of the sound and runs with it. The whole band buys in and what they ended up producing was a silly at times, gorgeous at times, pop record.
The opener, "Changing of The Guards" is clearly a stand out. Its brilliant lyrically. Cryptic, allegorical... About Christ? Joan of Arc? I'm not sure. But the word play and the story is utterly impressive and poetic. I grow irritated by the background singers echoing every line. But the lyrics have such depth, there are times when I'm so wrapped up in the story and metaphors that I don't even register the musical background.
"New Pony" is actually a really good (and, yes, overall slick) blues song. I really love what the band and singers do here.
Other stand out tracks include the epic pop of "No Time To Think" which features excellent guitar and keyboard interplay, "Baby Stop Crying" - plastic soul done very nicely, and the classic Spanish epic "Señor (Tales Of Yankee Power)".
Anyway, there are some points on here where the clean production comes off all wrong for me. And the thing drags a bit toward the end for me personally. But, really, this is a very good album IMO. It deserves more credit and accolades than it gets. It's no BotT or Desire. But it's highly recommended for Bob Dylan fans.
Grade: 77/100 [First added to this chart: 01/26/2014]
It's for sure a little too sleek for my liking. It's squeaky clean, man. But it's actually, lyrically and musically quite adventurous and actually... Really fucking good!
One thing I love about this album is how Dylan is seeming to accept with open arms the plasticity of the sound and runs with it. The whole band buys in and what they ended up producing was a silly at times, gorgeous at times, pop record.
The opener, "Changing of The Guards" is clearly a stand out. Its brilliant lyrically. Cryptic, allegorical... About Christ? Joan of Arc? I'm not sure. But the word play and the story is utterly impressive and poetic. I grow irritated by the background singers echoing every line. But the lyrics have such depth, there are times when I'm so wrapped up in the story and metaphors that I don't even register the musical background.
"New Pony" is actually a really good (and, yes, overall slick) blues song. I really love what the band and singers do here.
Other stand out tracks include the epic pop of "No Time To Think" which features excellent guitar and keyboard interplay, "Baby Stop Crying" - plastic soul done very nicely, and the classic Spanish epic "Señor (Tales Of Yankee Power)".
Anyway, there are some points on here where the clean production comes off all wrong for me. And the thing drags a bit toward the end for me personally. But, really, this is a very good album IMO. It deserves more credit and accolades than it gets. It's no BotT or Desire. But it's highly recommended for Bob Dylan fans.
Grade: 77/100 [First added to this chart: 01/26/2014]
Year of Release:
1978
Appears in:
Rank Score:
701
Rank in 1978:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
26 November 2013
This album starts out in such a way as to be sorta boring. But as it progresses, some really unique shit goes down. Really good album. The album sounds at times a bit to content on here which prevents it from really blowing me away. And the production is another qualm I have - it just sounds weak and frail.
There are some real standouts here. "If Not For You" is so sweet, the lyrics are sorta silly and the production here suffers that same frail quality I remarked on before. But something about the song sounds so happy and genuine I can't help but love it. "If Dogs Run Free" is a surprise. It's a strange jazzy affair. Pretty cool in a weird way. The strangeness and Dylan's classic, talking delivery makes it sound like something that would come off The Basement Tapes. "Three Angels" also has that unique and beautiful Basement Tapes feel. "New Morning" is also quite joyous and beautiful. "The Man In Me" is excellent! The organ is great, the lyrics are beautiful and true, Dylan's vocals are immaculate and emotive, and the piano and band just kick ass! This is the greatest moment on the album.
All in all it's a record which is pretty solid. Not a classic, but pretty excellent at times.
Grade: 76/100 [First added to this chart: 10/06/2013]
This album starts out in such a way as to be sorta boring. But as it progresses, some really unique shit goes down. Really good album. The album sounds at times a bit to content on here which prevents it from really blowing me away. And the production is another qualm I have - it just sounds weak and frail.
There are some real standouts here. "If Not For You" is so sweet, the lyrics are sorta silly and the production here suffers that same frail quality I remarked on before. But something about the song sounds so happy and genuine I can't help but love it. "If Dogs Run Free" is a surprise. It's a strange jazzy affair. Pretty cool in a weird way. The strangeness and Dylan's classic, talking delivery makes it sound like something that would come off The Basement Tapes. "Three Angels" also has that unique and beautiful Basement Tapes feel. "New Morning" is also quite joyous and beautiful. "The Man In Me" is excellent! The organ is great, the lyrics are beautiful and true, Dylan's vocals are immaculate and emotive, and the piano and band just kick ass! This is the greatest moment on the album.
All in all it's a record which is pretty solid. Not a classic, but pretty excellent at times.
Grade: 76/100 [First added to this chart: 10/06/2013]
Year of Release:
1970
Appears in:
Rank Score:
476
Rank in 1970:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
26 November 2013
Time has shown us the initial reaction was overblown and wrong. This really isn't a bad album. It's actually quite good.
That said, this is a definite step down from basically everything he released in the 60s. COMPARATIVELY it is a let down. But if you go into this thing with an open mind you can actually find A LOT to like and even love about this record.
For one, this album is completely ego-free. It's relaxed and it just doesn't feel like anyone involved is trying too hard to impress. The result is a mishmash of some quite good and some not so good moments. This is a good record. It's not something to pay painstaking detailed attention to. It's just a fun and enjoyable lil album.
An interesting thing about this record is there are literally no absolute stand outs here. There are no Dylan classics. But the album for all it's ramshackle vibes is pretty consistent. Every time there is a clunker of sorts it's followed up by a very good track. And even the bad tracks take themselves so un-seriously that you find yourself smiling with mild pleasure while listening to them.
The album itself is a nice Americana mix of blues, folk, country, honky-tonk, rock and roll, along with some things that are just silly and unique. The opener "All The Tired Horses" is an example of that last. And also here is quite a good cover of himself (how enjoyably pathetic) with "Like A Rolling Stone" and a cover of Paul Simon's "Boxer"... Also kinda pathetic, but not really enjoyable.
His voice switches between the vocal style from his mid 60s work and his country-fied croon of "Nashville Skyline". It's actually pretty awesome throughout. Dylan is a great vocalist. Fuck y'all who disagree. ;)
All in all this is a pretty good record that is a bit too long.
Grade 74/100 [First added to this chart: 10/06/2013]
Time has shown us the initial reaction was overblown and wrong. This really isn't a bad album. It's actually quite good.
That said, this is a definite step down from basically everything he released in the 60s. COMPARATIVELY it is a let down. But if you go into this thing with an open mind you can actually find A LOT to like and even love about this record.
For one, this album is completely ego-free. It's relaxed and it just doesn't feel like anyone involved is trying too hard to impress. The result is a mishmash of some quite good and some not so good moments. This is a good record. It's not something to pay painstaking detailed attention to. It's just a fun and enjoyable lil album.
An interesting thing about this record is there are literally no absolute stand outs here. There are no Dylan classics. But the album for all it's ramshackle vibes is pretty consistent. Every time there is a clunker of sorts it's followed up by a very good track. And even the bad tracks take themselves so un-seriously that you find yourself smiling with mild pleasure while listening to them.
The album itself is a nice Americana mix of blues, folk, country, honky-tonk, rock and roll, along with some things that are just silly and unique. The opener "All The Tired Horses" is an example of that last. And also here is quite a good cover of himself (how enjoyably pathetic) with "Like A Rolling Stone" and a cover of Paul Simon's "Boxer"... Also kinda pathetic, but not really enjoyable.
His voice switches between the vocal style from his mid 60s work and his country-fied croon of "Nashville Skyline". It's actually pretty awesome throughout. Dylan is a great vocalist. Fuck y'all who disagree. ;)
All in all this is a pretty good record that is a bit too long.
Grade 74/100 [First added to this chart: 10/06/2013]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
4 January 2014
"Hard Rain" is a somewhat up and down affair. Thankfully the ups outweigh the downs. The points that come across as tired or lacking vitality are not many but they are there. I feel this on "I Threw It All Away" and somewhat on "You're A Big Girl Now" specifically in Dylan's vocals on there. And I just generally don't care too much for "Maggie's Farm" and the version here is no exception.
There are also a lot of real highs on here. The run in the middle of the record from "Stuck Inside Of Mobile" to "Oh Sister" to "Lay lady Lay" is just triumphant! This version of "Oh Sister" features the band in top form. They really managed to capture that same beautiful mystery contained in "Desire" live. I actually think the version here may be better than the studio version.
And the harmonies and the funky feel of "Lay Lady Lay" and "Stuck Inside Of Mobile" is pretty much as good as it gets.
The instrumental work on "Shelter From The Storm" and especially the killer guitar is great. The vocals drop the ball a bit, but what can ya do. And the lush and spot-on playing on "You're A Big Girl Now" is another real standout.
The final track "Idiot Wind" feels like it lacks a certain fire and energy and this drags. Bummer it has to end in a low note there.
Overall this is a solid live document. The main issue is it doesn't feel like it's fresh and new for large sections here. The recordings here were from the very end of that brilliant but exhausting "Rolling Thunder Revue" tour. So that may account for some of the lack of vitality I hear in Dylan and the band.
Another problem is that now that Bootleg Series 5 "The Rolling Thunder Revue" has been released, this album is sort of an afterthought and not the definitive live representation of this era of live music for Dylan.
Still, it's pretty good.
Grade: 70/100 [First added to this chart: 01/08/2014]
"Hard Rain" is a somewhat up and down affair. Thankfully the ups outweigh the downs. The points that come across as tired or lacking vitality are not many but they are there. I feel this on "I Threw It All Away" and somewhat on "You're A Big Girl Now" specifically in Dylan's vocals on there. And I just generally don't care too much for "Maggie's Farm" and the version here is no exception.
There are also a lot of real highs on here. The run in the middle of the record from "Stuck Inside Of Mobile" to "Oh Sister" to "Lay lady Lay" is just triumphant! This version of "Oh Sister" features the band in top form. They really managed to capture that same beautiful mystery contained in "Desire" live. I actually think the version here may be better than the studio version.
And the harmonies and the funky feel of "Lay Lady Lay" and "Stuck Inside Of Mobile" is pretty much as good as it gets.
The instrumental work on "Shelter From The Storm" and especially the killer guitar is great. The vocals drop the ball a bit, but what can ya do. And the lush and spot-on playing on "You're A Big Girl Now" is another real standout.
The final track "Idiot Wind" feels like it lacks a certain fire and energy and this drags. Bummer it has to end in a low note there.
Overall this is a solid live document. The main issue is it doesn't feel like it's fresh and new for large sections here. The recordings here were from the very end of that brilliant but exhausting "Rolling Thunder Revue" tour. So that may account for some of the lack of vitality I hear in Dylan and the band.
Another problem is that now that Bootleg Series 5 "The Rolling Thunder Revue" has been released, this album is sort of an afterthought and not the definitive live representation of this era of live music for Dylan.
Still, it's pretty good.
Grade: 70/100 [First added to this chart: 01/08/2014]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
28 August 2013 -
This record is pretty interesting, pretty laid back, nothing amazing or mind blowing. But there is something just enjoyable to hear Dylan doing such a talkin' blues-heavy gig (more than a third the album is talkin' blues). And the rendition here of "Ballad of Hollis Brown" is pretty chilling. "Talkin' Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues" is brilliant and funny and witty and delivered in such a cool, classic way! That's my favorite highlight here for sure. "Talkin' World War III" is pretty beautiful too.
All in all this is not an album I'd say is a must own but it is something to check out if you're trying to check out more early Dylan. It's got good vibes and I really like it.
Grade 70/100 [First added to this chart: 08/28/2013]
This record is pretty interesting, pretty laid back, nothing amazing or mind blowing. But there is something just enjoyable to hear Dylan doing such a talkin' blues-heavy gig (more than a third the album is talkin' blues). And the rendition here of "Ballad of Hollis Brown" is pretty chilling. "Talkin' Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues" is brilliant and funny and witty and delivered in such a cool, classic way! That's my favorite highlight here for sure. "Talkin' World War III" is pretty beautiful too.
All in all this is not an album I'd say is a must own but it is something to check out if you're trying to check out more early Dylan. It's got good vibes and I really like it.
Grade 70/100 [First added to this chart: 08/28/2013]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
30 November 2013
This is a pretty good album. There are some real highlights here, such as "Going, Going Gone", "Hazel", "Forever Young" (the first version :() and, of course, "Dirge".
The main problem I have with this is it doesn't commit. For every good song there is, in my eyes, a somewhat lame or stale sounding rocker that has no real affect in me at all. The opener "On A night Like This" is such a track. As is track 3 "Tough Mama", etc.
There are definite signs of brilliance throughout here. The songwriting is pretty average mostly. The one big exception is "Dirge" which is a masterful look at broken bitterness. It's truly a marvelous song.
This is an up and down record. It contains one classic Dylan track, one very famous Dylan track (Forever Young), some quite good songs, and then a bunch of forgettable ones.
I also don't like the having 2 version of "Forever Young". Whats the point? And the 2nd one was just an annoying "rock" version of the first. Bleh.
All in all, it's alright. Not too fun. Not bad. Not great. Just ... Okay.
Grade 70/100 [First added to this chart: 11/30/2013]
This is a pretty good album. There are some real highlights here, such as "Going, Going Gone", "Hazel", "Forever Young" (the first version :() and, of course, "Dirge".
The main problem I have with this is it doesn't commit. For every good song there is, in my eyes, a somewhat lame or stale sounding rocker that has no real affect in me at all. The opener "On A night Like This" is such a track. As is track 3 "Tough Mama", etc.
There are definite signs of brilliance throughout here. The songwriting is pretty average mostly. The one big exception is "Dirge" which is a masterful look at broken bitterness. It's truly a marvelous song.
This is an up and down record. It contains one classic Dylan track, one very famous Dylan track (Forever Young), some quite good songs, and then a bunch of forgettable ones.
I also don't like the having 2 version of "Forever Young". Whats the point? And the 2nd one was just an annoying "rock" version of the first. Bleh.
All in all, it's alright. Not too fun. Not bad. Not great. Just ... Okay.
Grade 70/100 [First added to this chart: 11/30/2013]
Year of Release:
1974
Appears in:
Rank Score:
510
Rank in 1974:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
8 May 2014
Ah yes the "Christian Years". This is generally regarded as a bad time in Bob Dylan's career. Musically the music became very dramatic, religious, overbearing, clean and kind of self-righteous. And this is the album where it all got kicked off.
I'm not a big fan of the new thematic direction Dylan went with this album. I'm not anti-Christian but I just don't count myself as someone who likes hearing his idol preach da gospel. However, one of the best things about this album is the production is so great most of the way through that it manages to distract me from the lyrics. I mostly find myself marveling at the beauty of the keyboards, singers, horns, organ and guitar so much the words jut pass me by. Really, I just can't get enough of the organ work on here. It adds so much beauty to even the most overwhelmingly preachy song.
But in the end the thing is, this is a Bob Dylan album. Lyrics, in the main, are pretty much a huge deal with the man. No matter how great the production is, the general displeasure at the song lyrics and vibes of the album turns me off a good bit.
"Gotta Serve Somebody", works as an opener to not just this album but this era. It serves as a mission statement, a religious, somewhat dogmatic, warning to the masses. It works as those things, but it annoys me. I don't like the lyrics, the song and much of anything else about it.
The album does get much more enjoyable from there. I really love track 2, "Precious Angel". It just possesses a certain carefree, breezy, classic rock element that just really works here. And I love the vocals. Dylan just seems to turn back the clock to '66 vocally and it sounds so glorious!
Track 4 - "Slow Train" is SEXYYYY and funky and absolutely amazing! Love those loud, biting guitar leads and riffs and those organ lines and those back up singers! OMG! What a beauty! Wexler killed it here and really captured the slinking, paranoid, dark aspects of the song without taking out the groove and fun of it.
Another stand out is "Man Gave Names To All The Animals". Its totally cool! The big surprise is it is totally Reggae-fied and really well done really. The song itself, the lyrics, are really uninspired and quite annoying. But the coolness of the track does it's densest to make up for it.
Overall, for all Jerry Wexler's and Barry Becket's best efforts this album doesn't really live up to the production and the tracks. The lyrical content just feels wrong. The vocals are delivered with a mostly bombastic, preachy feel that turns me off more than I'd like. But, outside of those 2 main gripes, the album is really quite pleasant.
Grade: 70/100 [First added to this chart: 01/26/2014]
Ah yes the "Christian Years". This is generally regarded as a bad time in Bob Dylan's career. Musically the music became very dramatic, religious, overbearing, clean and kind of self-righteous. And this is the album where it all got kicked off.
I'm not a big fan of the new thematic direction Dylan went with this album. I'm not anti-Christian but I just don't count myself as someone who likes hearing his idol preach da gospel. However, one of the best things about this album is the production is so great most of the way through that it manages to distract me from the lyrics. I mostly find myself marveling at the beauty of the keyboards, singers, horns, organ and guitar so much the words jut pass me by. Really, I just can't get enough of the organ work on here. It adds so much beauty to even the most overwhelmingly preachy song.
But in the end the thing is, this is a Bob Dylan album. Lyrics, in the main, are pretty much a huge deal with the man. No matter how great the production is, the general displeasure at the song lyrics and vibes of the album turns me off a good bit.
"Gotta Serve Somebody", works as an opener to not just this album but this era. It serves as a mission statement, a religious, somewhat dogmatic, warning to the masses. It works as those things, but it annoys me. I don't like the lyrics, the song and much of anything else about it.
The album does get much more enjoyable from there. I really love track 2, "Precious Angel". It just possesses a certain carefree, breezy, classic rock element that just really works here. And I love the vocals. Dylan just seems to turn back the clock to '66 vocally and it sounds so glorious!
Track 4 - "Slow Train" is SEXYYYY and funky and absolutely amazing! Love those loud, biting guitar leads and riffs and those organ lines and those back up singers! OMG! What a beauty! Wexler killed it here and really captured the slinking, paranoid, dark aspects of the song without taking out the groove and fun of it.
Another stand out is "Man Gave Names To All The Animals". Its totally cool! The big surprise is it is totally Reggae-fied and really well done really. The song itself, the lyrics, are really uninspired and quite annoying. But the coolness of the track does it's densest to make up for it.
Overall, for all Jerry Wexler's and Barry Becket's best efforts this album doesn't really live up to the production and the tracks. The lyrical content just feels wrong. The vocals are delivered with a mostly bombastic, preachy feel that turns me off more than I'd like. But, outside of those 2 main gripes, the album is really quite pleasant.
Grade: 70/100 [First added to this chart: 01/26/2014]
Year of Release:
1979
Appears in:
Rank Score:
458
Rank in 1979:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
2 March 2014
The instrumentation is clean. Sax solos! Background vocals! A flute! Congas! Horn section! Big brass parts licks! This is damn clean fun. Somehow the presentation of all these classic songs in this way removes nearly all the emotion and beauty of the songs. Sometimes the songs feel totally lifeless, like Dylan is just going through the motions but in a "new" way.
The above is my perception of the lows here. There are things that are admirable about this album: Dylan is clearly going for a new sound. And he just jumps right in and goes for it. The band is actually pretty skilled. It sounds like a well drilled show. I like the reggae vibe of "Don't Think Twice It's Alright" The guitarist, Billy Cross, is pretty hot throughout the album. The version of "Maggie's Farm" is actually quite good and rockin'! The version of "Like A Rolling Stone" is, while being almost insanely predictable, quite good and fresh in a way. A crowd pleaser if there ever was one! And then the tender, harmony heavy and organ-rich version of "I Shall Be Released" is also surprisingly effective and captivating. And "All Along The Watchtower" features some great violin work. "All I Really Want To Do" is also really fun. Those are the slight good points.
As a whole this record is hampered by clear attempts at dancey and slightly disco inspired pop and big, wannabe Springsteen rawk.
All in all, this is terribly inconsistent record. About half of it not very good at all. The rest is at best quite good, but mostly kind of alright. Nothing approaching greatness here. Not really my cup of tea.
Grade: 61/100 [First added to this chart: 01/26/2014]
The instrumentation is clean. Sax solos! Background vocals! A flute! Congas! Horn section! Big brass parts licks! This is damn clean fun. Somehow the presentation of all these classic songs in this way removes nearly all the emotion and beauty of the songs. Sometimes the songs feel totally lifeless, like Dylan is just going through the motions but in a "new" way.
The above is my perception of the lows here. There are things that are admirable about this album: Dylan is clearly going for a new sound. And he just jumps right in and goes for it. The band is actually pretty skilled. It sounds like a well drilled show. I like the reggae vibe of "Don't Think Twice It's Alright" The guitarist, Billy Cross, is pretty hot throughout the album. The version of "Maggie's Farm" is actually quite good and rockin'! The version of "Like A Rolling Stone" is, while being almost insanely predictable, quite good and fresh in a way. A crowd pleaser if there ever was one! And then the tender, harmony heavy and organ-rich version of "I Shall Be Released" is also surprisingly effective and captivating. And "All Along The Watchtower" features some great violin work. "All I Really Want To Do" is also really fun. Those are the slight good points.
As a whole this record is hampered by clear attempts at dancey and slightly disco inspired pop and big, wannabe Springsteen rawk.
All in all, this is terribly inconsistent record. About half of it not very good at all. The rest is at best quite good, but mostly kind of alright. Nothing approaching greatness here. Not really my cup of tea.
Grade: 61/100 [First added to this chart: 01/26/2014]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
26 November 2013
Yeah, this is pretty bad. It's kinda enjoyable to hear Dylan butcher some covers. In a strange way this is fascinating. But it's only fascinating once.
The album consists of covers of various artists. And the album consists of various tracks that were left off "Self Portrait". Considering how LOOONG and seemingly unconcerned with quality "Self Portrait" was, it's a bad sign for these tracks. I mean, the album was released by his record label as a sort of revenge for his leaving for another record label briefly. What does that tell you?
The opener is pretty good. Some tracks are also pretty humorous ("Mr Bojangles" and "The Ballad of Ira Hayes" and "Big Yellow Taxi") and yeah, that's about it.
Grade: 30/100 [First added to this chart: 10/06/2013]
Yeah, this is pretty bad. It's kinda enjoyable to hear Dylan butcher some covers. In a strange way this is fascinating. But it's only fascinating once.
The album consists of covers of various artists. And the album consists of various tracks that were left off "Self Portrait". Considering how LOOONG and seemingly unconcerned with quality "Self Portrait" was, it's a bad sign for these tracks. I mean, the album was released by his record label as a sort of revenge for his leaving for another record label briefly. What does that tell you?
The opener is pretty good. Some tracks are also pretty humorous ("Mr Bojangles" and "The Ballad of Ira Hayes" and "Big Yellow Taxi") and yeah, that's about it.
Grade: 30/100 [First added to this chart: 10/06/2013]
Total albums: 73. Page 3 of 8
Don't agree with this chart? Create your own from the My Charts page!
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
There have been no changes to this chart.Bob Dylan Chart similar charts
- Bob Dylan Albums Ranked by
badseed (2018) - My Favourite Bob Dylan Albums In Order by
CharlieBarley (2020) - Top 48 Greatest Music Albums by Blind Boy Grunt (2011)
- Ranking Bob Dylan by
Spyglass (2020) - Dylanesque... by
covecove (2017) - Bob Dylan: Albums ranked. by garycottier (2017)
- Ranking Bob Dylan's Studio Albums by edubs (2017)
- Mr. Zimmmerman's Urban Poetries by
SingingPeasant96 (2014) - Bob Dylan by
RockyRaccoon (2023) - RANKED: BOB DYLAN by
Captain_Dude (2017)
Bob Dylan Chart similarity to your chart(s)
Not a member? Registering is quick, easy and FREE!
Why register?
Join a passionate community of over 50,000 music fans.- Create & share your own charts.
- Have your say in the overall rankings.
- Post comments in the forums and vote on polls.
- Comment on or rate any album, artist, track or chart.
- Discover new music & improve your music collection.
- Customise the overall chart using a variety of different filters & metrics.
- Create a wishlist of albums.
- Help maintain the BEA database.
- Earn member points and gain access to increasing levels of functionality!
- ... And lots more!
Register now - it only takes a moment!
Other custom charts by Mercury
My special, boyhood list by Mercury (2021)60 Shades of the Deep Blues by
Mercury (2022)1960s Singer/Songwriter Albums by
Mercury (2017)Top 50 1970 Singer/Songwriter Albums by
Mercury (2017)101-200 Albums of 2021 by
Mercury (2022)part 2 of You must listen to the album below you:canon edition by
Mercury (2022)part 1 of You must listen to the album below you:canon edition by
Mercury (2022)2021 Spill Over, One-And-Dones by
Mercury (2021)part 3 of You must listen to the album below you:canon edition by
Mercury (2022)MY METAL 100 by
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).
AV = the site mean average rating.
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.
Please log in or register if you want to be able to leave a rating
Bob Dylan Chart favourites
Showing all 4 members who have added this chart as a favourite
Bob Dylan Chart comments
Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 14 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Maximum Rated First |
Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)
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)
Please log in or register if you want to be able to add a comment
Your feedback for Bob Dylan Chart
Let us know what you think of this chart by adding a comment or assigning a rating below!
If you enjoy our site, please consider supporting us by sparing a few seconds to disable your ad blocker.
A lot of hard work happens in the background to keep BEA running, and it's especially difficult to do this when we can't pay our hosting fees :(
We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.
A lot of hard work happens in the background to keep BEA running, and it's especially difficult to do this when we can't pay our hosting fees :(
We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.