Bob Dylan
by 
RockyRaccoon 
One day I really will write notes for each album. One day.
- Chart updated: 02/22/2023 14:15
- (Created: 09/29/2015 20:42).
- Chart size: 35 albums.
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This is life-changing stuff. It's hard for me to accurately articulate in words what Blood On The Tracks actually means to me personally. It was the first album that really got me into Dylan, and it's been a major part of my life since then. I've personally covered just about half this album at different shows I've played here and there, it's an incredibly important album to me personally.
But what is it about this album? What makes this different from any other Dylan album? It's the intimacy, it's how deeply personal this album feels. He may deny it up and down forever, but there's no way this album isn't at least somewhat influenced by Dylan's estrangement from his wife. This album is somber, but at the same time, it's peaceful, like someone who has come to grips with where their life is at and has accepted it for what it is, good or bad. The album is wrapped in allegories and metaphors, as is per usual for Dylan, but it's about as close as we've ever come to seeing the deepest, darkest parts of Dylan's mind (perhaps the only closer is when he did "Not Dark Yet" on Time Out Of Mind) and as such, it's an incredible masterpiece.
It also contains one of my absolute favorite Dylan tunes in "Simple Twist of Fate". While lyrically the song is beautiful, the chord progression fascinates me:
E | Emaj7 | E7 | A | Am| E B/D#| A | E | B11 | A
That progression is fantastic, and from a music-theory standpoint, is a little wonky. Not to say it's impossible, as anything in a post-20th century world is possible in music theory, but it's unconventional. The use of the major seven, to the minor seven and the use of Am in the key of E, it's all so weird, but it turns out perfect for the song
This is easily my favorite Dylan album and probably my favorite album ever (or at least, one of). Dylan's always been a storyteller, and these are his best stories. [First added to this chart: 09/29/2015]
But what is it about this album? What makes this different from any other Dylan album? It's the intimacy, it's how deeply personal this album feels. He may deny it up and down forever, but there's no way this album isn't at least somewhat influenced by Dylan's estrangement from his wife. This album is somber, but at the same time, it's peaceful, like someone who has come to grips with where their life is at and has accepted it for what it is, good or bad. The album is wrapped in allegories and metaphors, as is per usual for Dylan, but it's about as close as we've ever come to seeing the deepest, darkest parts of Dylan's mind (perhaps the only closer is when he did "Not Dark Yet" on Time Out Of Mind) and as such, it's an incredible masterpiece.
It also contains one of my absolute favorite Dylan tunes in "Simple Twist of Fate". While lyrically the song is beautiful, the chord progression fascinates me:
E | Emaj7 | E7 | A | Am| E B/D#| A | E | B11 | A
That progression is fantastic, and from a music-theory standpoint, is a little wonky. Not to say it's impossible, as anything in a post-20th century world is possible in music theory, but it's unconventional. The use of the major seven, to the minor seven and the use of Am in the key of E, it's all so weird, but it turns out perfect for the song
This is easily my favorite Dylan album and probably my favorite album ever (or at least, one of). Dylan's always been a storyteller, and these are his best stories. [First added to this chart: 09/29/2015]
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
20,364
Rank in 1975:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
The album before it, The Times They Are A-Changin', really showed how political and serious Dylan could get, and then there's this album, probably his lightest and most whimsical album. All you have to do is listen to "I Shall Be Free No. 10" to see that, I'm not even sure Dylan knows what's going on in that song, but it's so loose and relaxed, it's endearing.
Dylan decided to move forward with his music here, this is him expanding beyond strict folk music, beyond the protest songs, and showing how beautifully poetic he can be with love songs and political songs alike.
You've got plenty of classics here, chief among them is the incredible "Chimes Of Freedom", a song that really shows how good Dylan is at putting together metaphors and anapestic imagery to create a deeper meaning. The song, on its surface, appears to be kind of nonsensical, but it's a song about enduring struggle and hope on the other side, all through the metaphor of a thunderstorm.
Far between sundown’s finish an’ midnight’s broken toll
We ducked inside the doorway, thunder crashing
As majestic bells of bolts struck shadows in the sounds
Seeming to be the chimes of freedom flashing
Flashing for the warriors whose strength is not to fight
Flashing for the refugees on the unarmed road of flight
An’ for each an’ ev’ry underdog soldier in the night
An’ we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing
And then later:
Starry-eyed an’ laughing as I recall when we were caught
Trapped by no track of hours for they hanged suspended
As we listened one last time an’ we watched with one last look
Spellbound an’ swallowed ’til the tolling ended
Tolling for the aching ones whose wounds cannot be nursed
For the countless confused, accused, misused, strung-out ones an’ worse
An’ for every hung-up person in the whole wide universe
An’ we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing
The lightning is the "chimes of freedom", and the storm becomes a metaphor for the struggle of all peoples, but all storms end and the sun eventually rises. It's beautiful stuff.
This album also gives us probably the most directly personal song Dylan ever wrote in "Ballad in Plain D," which was inspired by and very specifically references his nasty breakup with Suze Rotolo. Dylan wasn't exactly the "confessional song" type, but in that song, he really pours it out in a way that I don't know we've often seen from Dylan. [First added to this chart: 09/29/2015]
Dylan decided to move forward with his music here, this is him expanding beyond strict folk music, beyond the protest songs, and showing how beautifully poetic he can be with love songs and political songs alike.
You've got plenty of classics here, chief among them is the incredible "Chimes Of Freedom", a song that really shows how good Dylan is at putting together metaphors and anapestic imagery to create a deeper meaning. The song, on its surface, appears to be kind of nonsensical, but it's a song about enduring struggle and hope on the other side, all through the metaphor of a thunderstorm.
Far between sundown’s finish an’ midnight’s broken toll
We ducked inside the doorway, thunder crashing
As majestic bells of bolts struck shadows in the sounds
Seeming to be the chimes of freedom flashing
Flashing for the warriors whose strength is not to fight
Flashing for the refugees on the unarmed road of flight
An’ for each an’ ev’ry underdog soldier in the night
An’ we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing
And then later:
Starry-eyed an’ laughing as I recall when we were caught
Trapped by no track of hours for they hanged suspended
As we listened one last time an’ we watched with one last look
Spellbound an’ swallowed ’til the tolling ended
Tolling for the aching ones whose wounds cannot be nursed
For the countless confused, accused, misused, strung-out ones an’ worse
An’ for every hung-up person in the whole wide universe
An’ we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing
The lightning is the "chimes of freedom", and the storm becomes a metaphor for the struggle of all peoples, but all storms end and the sun eventually rises. It's beautiful stuff.
This album also gives us probably the most directly personal song Dylan ever wrote in "Ballad in Plain D," which was inspired by and very specifically references his nasty breakup with Suze Rotolo. Dylan wasn't exactly the "confessional song" type, but in that song, he really pours it out in a way that I don't know we've often seen from Dylan. [First added to this chart: 09/29/2015]
Year of Release:
1964
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,951
Rank in 1964:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
It's not often that double-albums work all the way through, and even rarer is it that a double album where the artist jumps around through genres like an acrobat melds together to create a cohesive idea that makes complete and total sense. But that's what Blonde On Blonde is. While not as much of a straight rocker as Highway 61 is, it's an expert mix of blues, country, and folk into a mix that'll make your head spin, and yet, it totally works.
The dearth of music to work with on here is staggering, Dylan is just at his peak of creativity and delving through this whole album is a monstrous task and simultaneously one exceptionally rewarding. Whether you want to dissect it from a musical perspective, looking into Robbie Robertson's biting guitar licks or Al Kooper's organ-work, or if you want to delve into the meat of the album, Dylan's lyrics, from goofy, crazy songs like "Rainy Day Women" or deep, powerfully moving songs like "Visions Of Johanna", "Just Like A Woman" and "Sad-Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands", you've got hours upon hours upon days of work to do, and it's totally worth it. This is the king at his height. [First added to this chart: 09/29/2015]
The dearth of music to work with on here is staggering, Dylan is just at his peak of creativity and delving through this whole album is a monstrous task and simultaneously one exceptionally rewarding. Whether you want to dissect it from a musical perspective, looking into Robbie Robertson's biting guitar licks or Al Kooper's organ-work, or if you want to delve into the meat of the album, Dylan's lyrics, from goofy, crazy songs like "Rainy Day Women" or deep, powerfully moving songs like "Visions Of Johanna", "Just Like A Woman" and "Sad-Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands", you've got hours upon hours upon days of work to do, and it's totally worth it. This is the king at his height. [First added to this chart: 09/29/2015]
Year of Release:
1966
Appears in:
Rank Score:
24,573
Rank in 1966:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
It's pretty wild to me that after his debut, self-titled album (which is, admittedly, not great), Bob Dylan almost got dropped from his label. Then he decides "alright, I'll write all the songs myself" and pops out this. I mean, THIS.
It's not like Dylan had to get a couple albums under his belt to start writing masterpieces, he did it basically right away. This is classic pure folk-era Dylan. Just Bob, an acoustic guitar, and a harmonica. If it were anyone else, I could see a world where that might get tiring over the course of a full album, but because Bob Dylan is such an incredible songwriter, you're enthralled by the twists and turns of every song.
And it's a great mix too. You've got goofy songs like "I Shall Be Free" and "Bob Dylan's Dream" that still have some pretty great lines while being really fun and silly. Then you have protest/civil rights anthems like Blowin' in the Wind (a song that, when she heard it, floored Mavis Staples because she couldn't believe a white kid in his early-20s could so accurately capture what Black people were going through at the time), Masters of War, and Oxford Town.
And then you have heartfelt, personal songs for Dylan, the best of which is, in my opinion, Don't Think Twice It's Alright, which I think is probably one of the 10 best songs Dylan ever wrote. It just encapsulates that resigned defeat that can come with a breakup, it's a perfect song on a perfect album. [First added to this chart: 09/29/2015]
It's not like Dylan had to get a couple albums under his belt to start writing masterpieces, he did it basically right away. This is classic pure folk-era Dylan. Just Bob, an acoustic guitar, and a harmonica. If it were anyone else, I could see a world where that might get tiring over the course of a full album, but because Bob Dylan is such an incredible songwriter, you're enthralled by the twists and turns of every song.
And it's a great mix too. You've got goofy songs like "I Shall Be Free" and "Bob Dylan's Dream" that still have some pretty great lines while being really fun and silly. Then you have protest/civil rights anthems like Blowin' in the Wind (a song that, when she heard it, floored Mavis Staples because she couldn't believe a white kid in his early-20s could so accurately capture what Black people were going through at the time), Masters of War, and Oxford Town.
And then you have heartfelt, personal songs for Dylan, the best of which is, in my opinion, Don't Think Twice It's Alright, which I think is probably one of the 10 best songs Dylan ever wrote. It just encapsulates that resigned defeat that can come with a breakup, it's a perfect song on a perfect album. [First added to this chart: 09/29/2015]
Year of Release:
1963
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,834
Rank in 1963:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
[First added to this chart: 09/29/2015]
Year of Release:
1965
Appears in:
Rank Score:
26,533
Rank in 1965:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
[First added to this chart: 09/29/2015]
Year of Release:
1974
Appears in:
Rank Score:
244
Rank in 1974:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
[First added to this chart: 09/29/2015]
Year of Release:
1965
Appears in:
Rank Score:
11,570
Rank in 1965:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
[First added to this chart: 09/29/2015]
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,583
Rank in 1975:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
[First added to this chart: 09/29/2015]
Year of Release:
1976
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,014
Rank in 1976:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
[First added to this chart: 09/29/2015]
Year of Release:
1997
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,379
Rank in 1997:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 35. Page 1 of 4
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Bob Dylan composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 9 | 26% | |
| 1970s | 10 | 29% | |
| 1980s | 7 | 20% | |
| 1990s | 4 | 11% | |
| 2000s | 3 | 9% | |
| 2010s | 1 | 3% | |
| 2020s | 1 | 3% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Bob Dylan | 33 | 94% | |
| Bob Dylan & The Band | 2 | 6% |
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| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
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| 02/22/2023 15:10 |  Repo | 578 | 100/100 |
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