This is a very fair list. I was mad at some placement until I realized how important it is to acknowledge that just because some albums' highs are higher than others (especially the singles) doesn't mean that their batting averages are going to be higher.
Yeah that's very well-put. I'm also finding that tier listing is more valuable as a way of clarifying one's taste than making absolute, objective judgments. In my case, I tend to favor poetic lyrics over discursive ones, and original songs over covers.
Slow Train Coming is a great album, Saved has almost nothing worth listening to on it and “Every Grain of Sand” single handedly carries the entire last album, that’s how I see them 😂 the live albums from this time are pretty good tho
@@jamesdean9183 'Saved' has 'What Can I Do For You', 'Covenant Woman', 'In the Garden' and 'Pressing On', which are all gorgeous songs. Though the live versions are even better. 'Shot of Love' could have been a masterpiece with 'Angelina', 'Caribbean Wind', 'Need a Woman', a different take of 'Heart of Mine', and initial inclusion of 'The Groom...', which was left off the album at first!
John Wesley Harding in the B tier is a little crazy for me. The lyricism and sound on that album are incredibly unique. It's arguably the first country and religious rock LP ever released. With Dylan even going as far as naming it, "the first Biblical rock album."
I had an English prof that called himself a Dylan scholar. I told him I’ve been on the same stage as Bob Dylan (Hibbing, MN). He got so excited, his eyes lit up and he reached out to touch me.
dylans third album is heavily slept on. in that album he fine tuned his approach to telling a story in his songs, when the ship comes in and only a pawn in their game come to mind. it is integral to his signature style of writing.
@@DustinLowmanMusic DEFINITELY belongs in the A tier- I don't know what this guy is smoking?!?!? THE TIMES THEY ARE-A-CHANGIN' MUCH?!?! + 7-8 other hits
Yes! except the last song every song is almost perfect. I agree there is not much humor on it but for this album I think it works beautifully. Just wish it ended with Lonesome death of hattie carrol and not restless farewell. One of the greatest albums of all time IMHO.
Hey buddy, great video, I’m having this to select the first Dylan LPs for my collection, I’m a Brazilian music producer and these records are 6 to 7x the dollar value down here, crazy, so my wallet thanks you!
Yo! I've just been bingeing all Dylan's albums again (despite the fact he always makes my Spotify top 5 each year) and I've been watching reviews of his albums. Now I'm here! I'm digging what you're saying! I've only warmed up to Blonde on Blonde in the last year or two because I always felt like there were too many fillers on it for my liking - not bad songs, just... too esoteric, lyrically. I personally choose The Times They Are A-Changin' over Another Side because I think although, yes, the songs are tragic, they're just brutally real and are a sign of the times (and somehow many of them still relate to now, unfortunately). One Too Many Mornings only has three very short verses but tells a whole story. It's masterful! Good video, man. Keep it up. Now onto the '70s vid!
In order from best to worst: 10/10- Blonde on Blonde, Highway 61 Revisited, Bringing it All Back Home 9/10- John Wesley Harding 8/10- Nashville Skyline, The Times They Are A'Changin' 7/10 Freewillin' Bob Dylan, Another Side of Bob Dylan 6/10 Self-Titled JWH is a grower of an album. I implore you take a listen every once in a while to find something new. Remember, Bob still had his songwriting spirit at this time, so there's something hidden inside that you initially didnt expect. Its an album of emotion taken from a detached perspective. A very mysterious album. Im not religious, but if there was a God, then i think it makes sense that this is the last album before Bob's sudden "amnesia," considering the themes.
I've listened to JWH a lot. There's definitely some trace of magic in it but, but to me it's always just been a trace, not a cauldronful, like its predecessors.
Yeah, I made some concessions to brevity in omitting some great songs. In future videos I will make fewer such concessions because I do have more to say about each of these albums!
My ranking: 1. Highway 61 Revisited 2. Bringing It All Back Home 3. The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan 4 John Wesley Harding 5. Blonde On Blonde 6. The Times They Are A-Changin' 7. Another Side of Bob Dylan 8. Bob Dylan 9. Nashville Skyline
I like the analysis style. Looking forward to rankings of future decades! Here’s how I would rank his 60s work: S - Blonde on Blonde, Highway 61 Revisited, Bringing It All Back Home A - John Wesley Harding, Nashville Skyline, Freewheelin’ B - C - Another Side, Bob Dylan, Times They Are A Changin’
Maybe it's because I spent so many years listening to the stretch from bringing it all back home to blonde on blonde, but I think that I find myself listneing to JWH and NS far more these days. They're both such pleasant albums that contrast the push towards bigger and bigger bands and studio sessions he was on at the time. Love their domestic feel, and it feels like the beginning of Bob truly freeing himself from the shackles and creating the art he wants. (Basement tapes are also great too and technically from the time, even though I know they're a 70s release)
When you realize that the mystery tramp is life, and that we all make a deal with it to live, because when you look in its eyes, all you see is a vacuum, there's not really any other song that can compare. Other than that, great list!
Blonde on blonde is Dylan at his absolute artistic and writing peak and is maybe the greatest album ever recorded. The sound is so tight on that album. He perfected it.
She Belongs To Me: Bootleg Series Vol 4 Love Minus Zero: Bootleg Series Vol 5 In those cases, he added a band to songs that were really better suited to a solo setting.
I totally agree with the top three of the 60s here. I don't get people who like Blonde on Blonde more than the other two--though Visions of Johanna and Stuck Inside of Mobile are two of my favorites of his.
There are so many outstanding songs on that album, and I love it more than I love most works of art. But I think it has some flaws that most people fail to mention.
I don’t think there is one really. But I will say that, when this question has arisen before, I’ve had no problem citing “Hallelujah” - overplayed or not, it’s a tremendously well-written song.
Dear landlord Please don't put a price on my soul My burden is heavy My dreams are beyond control When that steamboat whistle blows I'm going to give you all I got to give And I do hope you receive it well Depending on the way you feel that you live Dear landlord Please heed these words that I speak I know you've suffered much But in this you are not so unique All of us, at times we might work too hard To have it too fast and too much And anyone can fill his life up With things he can see but he just cannot touch Dear landlord Please don't dismiss my case I'm not about to argue I'm not about to move to no other place Now, each of us has his own special gift And you know this was meant to be true And if you don't underestimate me I won't underestimate you
Side 2 of Bringing It All Back Home is probably the best run of songs ever. Cant wait for the 70s albums ranked! Street Legal is a favorite record of mine
I say pretty fair assessment. I think they 'S' category is indisputable. The fact that in a very short period of time, he put out these 3 albums is ridiculous.
Tier lists don’t interest me much, especially if they ain’t mine. So I have a question about the Freewheelin sessions. The fingerstyle guitar pattern for Don’t Think Twice. It’s iconic, unorthodox and very difficult to play. Did Dylan play this or was a session player doing that? I’ve never heard Dylan play that pattern live. He tends to strum and/or flat-pick it. It’s sort of in that same urban music myth category as the You Really Got Me (Kinks) studio version and whether Dave Davies played the solo or session man Jim Page did it. I heard Dave Von Ronk may have done the Dylan recording.
@@GoneButNotGone It’s a good question, and I believe it’s Dylan, for a couple reasons. Dylan was a decent but not perfect fingerpicker, and this pattern has just enough prettiness and irregularity to sound like him. Also, it’s very well-coordinated with the vocal part, and as a singer/songwriter, I know that’s very hard to do when playing with an accompanist, even a very good one.
@ A well reasoned answer, which I share. I think it’s him playing precisely because it’s so unusual. Sometimes guitar players find a groove in a moment and just nail it, and sometimes they simply can’t replicate it again. Dylan was a much better guitarist than he’s often given credit for. He absorbed styles of the day like a sponge. Not sure if he has perfect pitch but the way he learned so quickly suggests he may have it. In one interview (maybe the Scorcese documentary), he talked about his ability to listen to a record once, maybe twice, then being able to play it from memory. I love that first album with the covers, because it’s the first one I really heard and it still has a raw energy and earnestness.
The Dylan run between Freewheeling to Blonde on Blonde is, imo, the most absurdly impressive run in music history. 6 masterpieces in 3 years (don’t kill me JWH stans I’m not including that in there! 😂)
Sad-eyed lady of the lowlands is a perfect song, a timeless classic, a masterpiece!!! Great list though - do a best cover list, and include If you’ve gotta go, go now with J. Tillman!
As always, to each their own. I like Outlaw Blues a lot, Down the Highway less so, but I think if you stack either against the crowning achievements from their respective albums, you find them consumed by shadow.
Great list, but I would’ve love to hear your opinions on Desolation Row. I love it, but I’ll be the first to admit I’m not quite sure what it’s about. To me, it paints a vivid picture of a colorful but complex place full of literary and pop culture references.
The great thing about being into or a Dylan fan/scholar is that you also learn so much about musical history in general through him. Also, I respect your take and can see where you are coming from on JWH. But I'm a little more on your friends side about that one. Something always brings me back to it. That intangible thing. But some of my friends don't really care for it either. You are pretty spot on about Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands. It's perhaps his most epic song, but you can really feel him trying to push it. It's amazing to listen too and still beautiful, but it doesn't feel as natural and organic as Visions of Johanna or Desolation Row.
Yeah exactly - it wants to be the Desolation Row of Blonde on Blonde but it just doesn't hit as hard. I have a lot of love for JWH - I just feel like it's a less impactful poetics than he'd developed for those prior few albums.
I absolutely love highway 61 revisited and his many songs but his other albums are not my cup of tea. And more than that I love prime Dylan himself. I am 18 and I am so happy to discover Dylan when I was 16. I am still finding out Dylan any advise for me?
Great question! If you love Highway 61, I’d say spend some time with Bringing It All Back Home and Blonde On Blonde, the other two great surrealist albums of that era. Then, check out Blood On The Tracks, and if you’re still having fun, visit Love And Theft for something wildly different.
I think Blond on Blond is the essence of Dylan in the sixties. The way he drags the words, the ambiguous melodies, joyful and melancholic at the same time. For me it is the best album of the sixties, and perhaps the best of his career. Albums like Streat Legal or Blood on The Tracks are comparable to Blond on Blond in my opinion. This is because of the amount of incredible songs in them. Last thing, but Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands is arguably one of Dylan's best songs, I recommend a re-listen. Having said that, I agree with pretty much all the other opinions.
Appreciate your takes! Yeah, I've listened to Sad-Eyed Lady a lot, and for better or worse, this is the conclusion I've reached. But a lot of people have shown it a lot of love - perhaps my perspective will evolve.
Honestly I fully understand your justification for Times They Are A-Changin in B tier. I think song writing with a lack of comedy can create music that sounds too self-serious and dull. That being said I think Times is just about the best tragedy album one could write. When I'm in the right mood for it that album makes me emotional in ways that other Dylan albums just don't.
I'm a huge JWH believer tbh, as opposed to some sections of his earlier 60s work I think it's a no skip album. I almost think it's kind of analogous (in broad strokes) to Low by David Bowie. It's a stripped back album where interesting ideas come and then go without overstaying their welcome. After over half a decade of trying to be expansive, Dylan on JWH is trying to be concise. It's probably my most listened to Dylan album in the last couple years, but not necessarily my absolute favorite.
I'm a massive Dylan fan, but I don't reach the level of "scholar" so kudos to you! Bringing it all Back Home, Highway 61, Blonde on Blonde, John Wesley Harding & Nashville Skyline are all S tier for me. Blonde on Blonde is my favorite album of all time. Probably the best run in music history. Times is an A for me (songs are super strong) and I prefer Another Side over Freewheelin' as well because it's more personal. Disagree with you on JWH it's an absolute masterpiece to me and so is Nashville Skyline. Nashville Skyline is like a perfect 30 minutes. His voice sounds great and the songs flow so well.
It's been very interesting to hear other people's takes on this, as it's made me reflect on mine. I realize that I really prize the ultra-poetic stuff, and view non-ultra-poetic stuff (e.g., Nashville Skyline) as slightly lesser. Right or wrong, that's what my taste seems to prefer. But hearing other people's (often strong) disagreements has made me reexamine that. Thanks for watching and weighing in!
@@DustinLowmanMusic Hey man. I totally get where you're coming from because I used to feel the same with his music, but as I've gotten older some of his other albums really grew on me like JWH and Nashville Skyline. There's a real beautiful simplicity to the former. I also really enjoy the Christian trilogy, but that era is fairly poetic as well. I'm also a musician - sing and play guitar. That's very cool you are. I'm thinking of starting to upload some videos of me playing music in the new year. Are you planning to see A Complete Unknown? I am going into it with an open mind, but not sure how I will feel lol. I know it will at least be entertaining and fun though.
As a lifelong armchair Dylanologist, I almost completely agree with your rankings. Looking forward to seeing more of your content. Is your paper published, or can one find it anywhere?
You're the least annoying Dylanologist I know. Well, not "know," but you get my point. Had a huge Dylan guy as a professor in business school at the U. He was cool. A real head. Also, I basically agree with your rankings, especially the S tier. One thing I'd say about his first album- there is a magic in it. Listen to the folk albums from '60-'62 and Dylan's debut has an energy to it lacking in his peers' renditions; those hypnotized vocalizations and too-pleasant guitar playing. Of course, everyone realized that Dylan had a separate energy a few short years later when he broke free from the narrow confines of 'folk,' but it's more than just an early document of Dylan. It's a distant early warning signal to folk music in America. The 'prophet' came and created a new, break-away religion from folk and this was his first sermon. Nice video- subbed!
😂😂May make my slogan “world’s least annoying Dylanologist.” I agree that there’s a power in his debut but I also contend that if he’d stopped after his debut (god save the people in that alternate universe) we wouldn’t as readily identify that magic. Anyway, thanks for watching and subscribing!!
I’d probably keep everyone in S but move freewheelin up there as well. Then move The Times they are a changin, John Wesley Harding, and Nashville Skyline to A and keep the debut in C. But still a great tier list!
I did initially but edited it out in the interest of length. Something I’m going to experiment with next time is extending my breakdowns a bit. Desolation Row is among my all-time favorite songs.
From a Scholar perspective I agree Nashville could be like a B but for a Fan view I think it’s easy listening nature and not that complex lyrics, and a vibe that is very Spotifyable make it an A for me.
There's something to that. I personally am just kind of opposed to judging work solely by its "vibe" - I go to music primarily for where its poetry can deliver me. But of course, there are many different lenses through which to evaluate work like this.
I pretty much agree with your overall album assessments, with my biggest disagreement being that I would definitely put Blonde on Blonde ahead of Bringing It All Back Home. However, I agree with the tier that you put each album in, with the possible exception of that I might call Bringing It All Back Home high A rather than S.
Re: BIABH, it's S-tier largely because of the majesty of those songs on side 2. As far as I'm concerned, Mr. Tambourine Man, Gates Of Eden, It's Alright, Ma, and It's All Over Now Baby Blue is one of the most perfect album sides ever. And side 1 has enough classics/near-classics of its own to keep it S-tier.
I actually love the debut for the crazy punk energy and raw emotion I'd probably rank em Highway 61 Revisited Blonde on Blonde Bringing it all Back Home John Wesley Harding Freewheelin Bob Dylan The Times they are a Changin Another Side Nashville Skyline but everything he did in the 60s was pretty much great
Yeah I mean something to keep in mind here is that we're comparing Dylan's albums against his own work only. The only reason the debut is as low as it is is because of the heights he'd reach later in the decade.
I was most curious to see the ranking for John Wesley Harding. It’s written in such a distinct style that I think you can call it one of his few concept albums. Compare these songs to the basement tapes, and it’s obvious that he didn’t just show up to the studio with the best songs that he had (a habit he hadn’t developed at this point in his career). But several songs feel like filler, so I agree with the B rating. I read that the title track (the weakest on the album) may have been meant as a parallel to the “Sgt Pepper” title track, which does justify it to some degree
I once had the (mis)fortune to hear Dylan talk about that song, and he said that he made it the first song and album title as a way to hopefully draw some sort of artistic attention to a song that didn't really merit it. Interesting theory re: Sgt Pepper, though I don't think "John Wesley Harding" is half the opener that "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" is.
For those wanting to learn about Dylan, you should point them in the direction of the new book, "You Don't Need a Weatherman: Bob Dylan for Beginners". I'd love to know what you think of it
My favorite Bob Dylan albums from 60s: Blonde On Blonde Highway 61 Revisited Bringing It All Back Home Another Side Of Bob Dylan John Wesley Harding The Times They Are A-changin' The Freewheeling Bob Dylan Nashville Skyline Bob Dylan
My ranking for the sixties and the top 5 below are also my top 5 Bob Dylan albums. For albums after the sixties, the ones I enjoy most are Blood on the Tracks, Love and Theft, Oh Mercy, Desire, Time Out of Mind and Modern Times. 1. Blonde on Blonde just barely 2. Highway 61 Revisited These top two are super close to me. When I was younger Highway 61 was my favorite now I would give a slight edge to Blonde on Blonde but they have always been number 1 or 2 for all his albums. I like Blonde on Blonde a bit better because of the greater vulnerability and sophistication in the range of expression and arrangements and the sense of greater immediacy and intimacy in delivery. For songs you said you weren't impressed with, I like Pledging My Time, Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands a lot, but would say Temporary Like Achilles is the weakest link, though I still kind of like it. I add Please Crawl out My Window to Blonde on Blonde and Positively 4th Street to Highway 61 since it makes for an even more engaging listening experiences and since they were recorded at the same time as these releases. 3. Bringing It All Back Home- this one has always been number 3 4. Another Side of Bob Dylan 5. The Basement Tapes 6. Really close between John Wesley Harding and Freewheelin' 7. The Times Are a Changin' 8. Nashville Skyline 8. The Debut
I’m the biggest Bob Dylan fan - he’s my idol. Something happened to Dylan’s songwriting ability after Blonde on Blonde and the standard just fell off a cliff.
@@DustinLowmanMusic Ha cool, I do love Blood on the Tracks but apart from Idiot Wind I don’t find anything that’s as cutting/deep/insightful/three-dimensional on that album. Even the much loved ‘Tangled up in Blue’ is just a story sung well - there’s nothing beneath the surface in my opinion. In any case - thanks for this video.
I don’t understand the hate for his self titled it’s not his best material wise but he has so many interesting vocal dynamics including his use of vocal distortion it serves the song perfectly very passionate and intense 2:22
@@Butterflyeggsproject I certainly don’t hate it at all, and I complimented several things about it. It’s just Dylan’s style in an early state of evolution that would be eclipsed by his next several albums.
I would probably put John Wesley Harding above Another Side and Freewheelin'. It is really the first album that isn't pastiche -- Previously he was still figuring out his influences. It's hard to figure out where that album even came from. The other albums you can see what he is doing --you can see his materials, his influences and some of his technique. JWH is like Kafka... it feels like religious parable.
@@DustinLowmanMusic I feel like HW 61 is very Modernist. It is filled collage techniques, historical pastiche, farce... That is my favorite period of Dylan, however, he got rid of most of that in favor of a more "serious" and less ironic approach. I see that happening on John Wesley Harding. Dylan basically turns his back on the modern world and puts all his chips on Biblical themes or Bible related sources like Melville or Shakespeare.
@@guzzopinc1646interesting point, though I’d still say there’s plenty of irony in JWH’s songs. Frankie Lee & Judas Priest is the obvious one, but I also see irony in the narrative gaps and needlessly elevated diction (e.g., “Whom lies with every breath,” where “whom” is not even grammatically correct).
@@DustinLowmanMusic I definitely don't think it is needlessly elevated diction. It is no coincidence that it is with JWH that Dylan left behind his audience. I think he had proven to himself that he could please the culture of his time and from there on out he basically works in conversation with historical figures and ideas. Picasso did the same thing. You could say the gammar is not correct but if you read the King James Version of the Bible there it is filled with phrases where prosody takes precedent over grammatical norms. Dylan is really writing with the Bible in mind, among other monumental references. The elevated diction was necessary for him to express the increased importance of the work. With JWH he ceases to be a 20th century musician/poet and becomes one of a string of historical figures going back for centuries. The elevated diction, as you call it, is basically saying that he has more in common with Milton, say, than he does with Donovan or John Lennon... which is true.
i am more of a fan than a scholar (but partly ort of a scholar too) , i like your fresh, arrogant attitude, i agree (Another Side of ...) more than i disagree, but disagree strongly in one case (no idea how i would rate John Wesley Harding, in fact i have difficulties rating these albums at all, but it is definitely a great and serious piece of art, and i do not speak of the rather nice country songs at the end that are hinting at Nashville Skyline). I do rate Blonde on Blonde higher, but this comes down to a matter of taste.
Hey thanks for watching and for your thoughts! It’s a hard exercise - and always somewhat misguided - to rank work like this, but the collateral benefit is helping flesh out one’s taste. Hope you continue to enjoy the content!
I may not be a Bob Dylan scholar but i’m way way way more than just a casual fan. That said, I largely agree with the takes and the placements here. Except for Nashville Skyline. I get the costume reference but it’s a tight package and maybe his best singing. For the people who say “Dylan can’t sing” point them here bc he’s singing like a bird on every track. It’s either top of the B or bottom of the A. Also Outlaw Blues is incredible. I might look like Robert Ford but I feel like Jesse James? Come on… so so good.
I love Outlaw Blues, but I feel the same way about it as I do about Temporary Like Achilles etc: So much of the original music on those albums is so singularly transcendent that the more derivative blues numbers seem lesser by comparison. Re: Nashville Skyline - another thing you can tell people is that he always had this voice up his sleeve. There are some bootleg recordings from 1959(!) where he uses this voice, before ever leaving Minnesota.
would say Tweez to Spiderland is the greatest quantum leap. With Bob Dylan to Freewheelin you have someone go from being fine to great. With Tweez to Spiderland you have a band go from teenagers with hiss and fuzz to the greatest band of their era.
I can’t believe you didn’t mention the re recording of girl from the north country with Johnny cash on Nashville. I’d say that’s arguably the best song on that album
I actually did but edited it out. I feel that it has a certain charm but I take the original over it any day. Back in my bootleg collecting days I had a recording of that full session, and suffice to say, it was a cooler document than a good session.
As someone who loves Nashville Skyline and would have it in S, I never understood why people love Lay Lady Lay so much. It’s a great song sure, but there’s a few others on the album I think are better. The album can’t really compare to some of Dylan’s all-timers but it’s my favorite. I just really fw that twangy country guitar
"Sad Eyed Lady..." is, I think, better than you think. Reaching? yes. In vain? yes. It is reaching for the unattainable. No one can know another as he seeks to know this Lady. Its cadence is courtly and patient yet almost funereal in its resignation. Should I wait? perhaps not. I'd be curious to know your take on "warehouse eyes". Has he seen too much? Is he unable to forget? Don't give up on this song. I listen to it 5 or 6 times a year because that's all the heartbreak I can stand.
This is a really well-made point! I'll concede that "Should I wait?" is an apt way to end the chorus. However, I don't love "Warehouse eyes" as an image - it reminds me of some of the lesser songs from this period, like "I Wanna Be Your Lover" (an outtake), where he's experimenting with surrealism but not quite hitting nerves with it.
Going to try to not be mad about Nashville skyline placement. I feel like maybe we get different things out of Bob Dylan if you don’t enjoy his reaches into other realms that he executes so perfectly in my opinion. Indeed an album can be measured by its lack of excess and to me Nashville skyline exemplifies this and provides something so fresh, no?
@@boris8174 We may just differ on how well we think he executes these jaunts into other realms. NS is certainly an efficient album, and without question charming, but it has a number of songs I wouldn’t count anywhere near Dylan’s best.
Blonde on blonde to me is the peak of surrealist Dylan. The musical backing helps. I think visions of Johanna is a classic
Some of his best surrealist writing, no doubt.
the live version of Visions...on Biograph is the best version.
@@tussk.That’s a great version!
This is a very fair list. I was mad at some placement until I realized how important it is to acknowledge that just because some albums' highs are higher than others (especially the singles) doesn't mean that their batting averages are going to be higher.
Yeah that's very well-put. I'm also finding that tier listing is more valuable as a way of clarifying one's taste than making absolute, objective judgments. In my case, I tend to favor poetic lyrics over discursive ones, and original songs over covers.
Excited for the next videos, one of my favorite discographies I’ve listened to and I think the takes in this video are respectable!
Thanks!
More videos like this and artist breakdowns! You kill this format!
That means a lot, thank you! More on the way.
The Christian albums don’t get enough love, there’s some really well written songs in those albums.
Absolutely. I’m looking forward to digging into those
Slow Train Coming is a great album, Saved has almost nothing worth listening to on it and “Every Grain of Sand” single handedly carries the entire last album, that’s how I see them 😂 the live albums from this time are pretty good tho
@@jamesdean9183 'Saved' has 'What Can I Do For You', 'Covenant Woman', 'In the Garden' and 'Pressing On', which are all gorgeous songs. Though the live versions are even better. 'Shot of Love' could have been a masterpiece with 'Angelina', 'Caribbean Wind', 'Need a Woman', a different take of 'Heart of Mine', and initial inclusion of 'The Groom...', which was left off the album at first!
Temporary like Achilles IS an essential song
Why are you so hard???
John Wesley Harding in the B tier is a little crazy for me. The lyricism and sound on that album are incredibly unique. It's arguably the first country and religious rock LP ever released. With Dylan even going as far as naming it, "the first Biblical rock album."
Hmmm.... Mostly it's just, all along the watchtower, that I particularly like off that LP... But to each their own!
You have a point. Many of the songs just feel very undercooked to me. Many more than on either of the other two A-tier albums.
@ramspencer5492 Dear Landlord is an unsung gem of a song
some people like it but I think it's by far his worst album of the 60's
I had an English prof that called himself a Dylan scholar. I told him I’ve been on the same stage as Bob Dylan (Hibbing, MN). He got so excited, his eyes lit up and he reached out to touch me.
😂 😂 an apostle!
Did you report him?
dylans third album is heavily slept on. in that album he fine tuned his approach to telling a story in his songs, when the ship comes in and only a pawn in their game come to mind. it is integral to his signature style of writing.
Amazing songs on it. It may belong in the A tier
@@DustinLowmanMusic DEFINITELY belongs in the A tier- I don't know what this guy is smoking?!?!? THE TIMES THEY ARE-A-CHANGIN' MUCH?!?! + 7-8 other hits
DEFINITELY "A" MATERIAL
Yes! except the last song every song is almost perfect. I agree there is not much humor on it but for this album I think it works beautifully. Just wish it ended with Lonesome death of hattie carrol and not restless farewell. One of the greatest albums of all time IMHO.
Cant wait to get through his 60s discog. Idk they'll ever top blood on the tracks or desire for me though, phenomenal pieces of work.
Hey buddy, great video, I’m having this to select the first Dylan LPs for my collection, I’m a Brazilian music producer and these records are 6 to 7x the dollar value down here, crazy, so my wallet thanks you!
@@diegooliveirabenjamin wow! Well I hope these recommendations serve you and your finances well. Thanks for watching!
Yo! I've just been bingeing all Dylan's albums again (despite the fact he always makes my Spotify top 5 each year) and I've been watching reviews of his albums. Now I'm here! I'm digging what you're saying! I've only warmed up to Blonde on Blonde in the last year or two because I always felt like there were too many fillers on it for my liking - not bad songs, just... too esoteric, lyrically.
I personally choose The Times They Are A-Changin' over Another Side because I think although, yes, the songs are tragic, they're just brutally real and are a sign of the times (and somehow many of them still relate to now, unfortunately). One Too Many Mornings only has three very short verses but tells a whole story. It's masterful!
Good video, man. Keep it up. Now onto the '70s vid!
@@Michael69 Yeah picking The Times is a very defensible position - those songs are tremendous. Glad we’re on a kind of parallel journey here!
As a person who’s listened to all 40 of Bob Dylan’s album I can safely say I’m a big Dylan fan, I’d say 20 of the 40 albums are 10/10 albums imo
Where we agree is that so many of Bob Dylan’s albums are rewarding listens. I’m a big Pete Townshend fan too by the way!
Whether I agree or not, I am so glad you (from a younger generation than me) are out there trumpeting for Bob!
Hell yeah. Thanks for watching 😊
In order from best to worst:
10/10- Blonde on Blonde, Highway 61 Revisited, Bringing it All Back Home
9/10- John Wesley Harding
8/10- Nashville Skyline, The Times They Are A'Changin'
7/10 Freewillin' Bob Dylan, Another Side of Bob Dylan
6/10 Self-Titled
JWH is a grower of an album. I implore you take a listen every once in a while to find something new. Remember, Bob still had his songwriting spirit at this time, so there's something hidden inside that you initially didnt expect. Its an album of emotion taken from a detached perspective. A very mysterious album. Im not religious, but if there was a God, then i think it makes sense that this is the last album before Bob's sudden "amnesia," considering the themes.
I've listened to JWH a lot. There's definitely some trace of magic in it but, but to me it's always just been a trace, not a cauldronful, like its predecessors.
I can't believe "My Back Pages" wasn't mentioned. It's a tremendous writing achievement with some of the best lyrics ever penned.
Yeah, I made some concessions to brevity in omitting some great songs. In future videos I will make fewer such concessions because I do have more to say about each of these albums!
@DustinLowmanMusic Great video regardless!
@@epicstacker413 Thanks!!
Thanks for a great and entertaining video. I don't agree, but that's another story. Merry Christmas from Sweden!
These videos are as much about where you disagree as where you agree. Nothing written in stone, just opinions. Merry Christmas!
Great analysis, and I am largely in agreement. No mention of Desolation Row though, such a great surrealist romp with lots of fun name dropping. :)
Yeah, I think I made a few too many concessions to brevity in these analyses. Desolation Row is an all-time favorite.
My ranking:
1. Highway 61 Revisited
2. Bringing It All Back Home
3. The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
4 John Wesley Harding
5. Blonde On Blonde
6. The Times They Are A-Changin'
7. Another Side of Bob Dylan
8. Bob Dylan
9. Nashville Skyline
We’re not so far apart!
The debut above Nashville Skyline? And Blonde on Blonde in 5th place? Interesting.
Hi Dustin, may I ask where can I find your academic paper about Bob Dylan? Always a yes to writings about Bob Dylan!
Only on my hard drive at the moment! But I could be convinced to send it to you
@@DustinLowmanMusic Can I convince you to send it to me as well?
@@franiu7478 Sure! DM me your email address on Instagram. I'm @dustinlowmanmusic
I like the analysis style. Looking forward to rankings of future decades!
Here’s how I would rank his 60s work:
S - Blonde on Blonde, Highway 61 Revisited, Bringing It All Back Home
A - John Wesley Harding, Nashville Skyline, Freewheelin’
B -
C - Another Side, Bob Dylan, Times They Are A Changin’
I appreciate it!
Maybe it's because I spent so many years listening to the stretch from bringing it all back home to blonde on blonde, but I think that I find myself listneing to JWH and NS far more these days. They're both such pleasant albums that contrast the push towards bigger and bigger bands and studio sessions he was on at the time. Love their domestic feel, and it feels like the beginning of Bob truly freeing himself from the shackles and creating the art he wants. (Basement tapes are also great too and technically from the time, even though I know they're a 70s release)
I think all of these albums except s/t are great. Freewheelin’ is my favourite. Wild how prolific he was.
@@bookdmb I’ve definitely come to even more deeply appreciate the volume and consistency of his output as I’ve done these videos.
Bloke knows his stuff.❤
@@OrggsOrggs Cheers 😊
Cannot WAIT for the Blood on the Tracks take.
@@CharlesG_1 I think you’ll be pleased!
Nashville Skyline always puts me in a good place in a way that the others don't quite do that. NS is probably my favorite Dylan album.
I respect it! It has a lot of charm and is a very pleasant listen.
Please rank all of the records he has done throughout his whole career ! I love your perspective on dylan ! 😊
@ewanjamesbeats3511 The full list is coming. Thank you!!
When you realize that the mystery tramp is life, and that we all make a deal with it to live, because when you look in its eyes, all you see is a vacuum, there's not really any other song that can compare. Other than that, great list!
I mean don’t get me wrong, it’s a stupendous song. I just think his catalog has too many peaks for there to be one “best” song.
Blonde on blonde is Dylan at his absolute artistic and writing peak and is maybe the greatest album ever recorded. The sound is so tight on that album. He perfected it.
John Wesley Harding is my favorite Dylan album. Blood on the Tracks and Modern Times are also big ones for me.
Respect!
I'm looking forward to the 70s video. My favourite Dylan era.
Production is underway!
I respect putting another side in A tier
@@tjmichaelmathere It seems like a chronically underrated album, and is very special to me
What are the best other versions or live versions of Bringing It All Back Home to you? (Cause you said they aren’t the best versions)
She Belongs To Me: Bootleg Series Vol 4
Love Minus Zero: Bootleg Series Vol 5
In those cases, he added a band to songs that were really better suited to a solo setting.
I totally agree with the top three of the 60s here. I don't get people who like Blonde on Blonde more than the other two--though Visions of Johanna and Stuck Inside of Mobile are two of my favorites of his.
There are so many outstanding songs on that album, and I love it more than I love most works of art. But I think it has some flaws that most people fail to mention.
Best is blonde on blonde, Achilles, five believers and sad eyed lady are like my three fav dylan songs ever
Let us celebrate the plurality of opinions his music permits!
been listening to these albums more years than i will say. I disagreed with almost everything you said, but really enjoyed the video.
Good-natured disagreement: proof that there is hope for democracy (at least among Dylan fans)
😂
What is the closing music on your video
“Shine Your Little Light” by Tiny Vandals. Credit to the RUclips Free Music Library
Great review thanks. So do you have an answer to best (nondylan) song of all time?
I don’t think there is one really. But I will say that, when this question has arisen before, I’ve had no problem citing “Hallelujah” - overplayed or not, it’s a tremendously well-written song.
Dear landlord
Please don't put a price on my soul
My burden is heavy
My dreams are beyond control
When that steamboat whistle blows
I'm going to give you all I got to give
And I do hope you receive it well
Depending on the way you feel that you live
Dear landlord
Please heed these words that I speak
I know you've suffered much
But in this you are not so unique
All of us, at times we might work too hard
To have it too fast and too much
And anyone can fill his life up
With things he can see but he just cannot touch
Dear landlord
Please don't dismiss my case
I'm not about to argue
I'm not about to move to no other place
Now, each of us has his own special gift
And you know this was meant to be true
And if you don't underestimate me
I won't underestimate you
Really rich song to be sure!
Side 2 of Bringing It All Back Home is probably the best run of songs ever. Cant wait for the 70s albums ranked! Street Legal is a favorite record of mine
Couldn't agree more about BIABH - and couldn't disagree more about Street Legal 😆 Get ready for some constructive, respectful debate!!
@@DustinLowmanMusic oh no
@@bryceolson6490 It'll all be okay in the end, trust me
Blonde on Blonde and Nashville Skyline are my favourites. The last one is so genuine, natural and poetic.
@@econ7288 Both very rewarding listens!
I say pretty fair assessment. I think they 'S' category is indisputable. The fact that in a very short period of time, he put out these 3 albums is ridiculous.
It's one of the most inspired stretches of artmaking ever.
The hard rain version of lay lady lay is phenomenal
would agree that it beats the original
Tier lists don’t interest me much, especially if they ain’t mine. So I have a question about the Freewheelin sessions. The fingerstyle guitar pattern for Don’t Think Twice. It’s iconic, unorthodox and very difficult to play. Did Dylan play this or was a session player doing that? I’ve never heard Dylan play that pattern live. He tends to strum and/or flat-pick it. It’s sort of in that same urban music myth category as the You Really Got Me (Kinks) studio version and whether Dave Davies played the solo or session man Jim Page did it. I heard Dave Von Ronk may have done the Dylan recording.
@@GoneButNotGone It’s a good question, and I believe it’s Dylan, for a couple reasons. Dylan was a decent but not perfect fingerpicker, and this pattern has just enough prettiness and irregularity to sound like him. Also, it’s very well-coordinated with the vocal part, and as a singer/songwriter, I know that’s very hard to do when playing with an accompanist, even a very good one.
@
A well reasoned answer, which I share. I think it’s him playing precisely because it’s so unusual. Sometimes guitar players find a groove in a moment and just nail it, and sometimes they simply can’t replicate it again. Dylan was a much better guitarist than he’s often given credit for. He absorbed styles of the day like a sponge. Not sure if he has perfect pitch but the way he learned so quickly suggests he may have it. In one interview (maybe the Scorcese documentary), he talked about his ability to listen to a record once, maybe twice, then being able to play it from memory. I love that first album with the covers, because it’s the first one I really heard and it still has a raw energy and earnestness.
I think Bruce Langhorne played on this, either with or over but I may be wrong.
@@jackballard6205 No way to say now, but to me, the fingerpicking is reminiscent of playing I've heard on other Dylan solo recordings.
this guy is clearly a bob dylan fan
Shhh don’t tell anyone
The Dylan run between Freewheeling to Blonde on Blonde is, imo, the most absurdly impressive run in music history. 6 masterpieces in 3 years (don’t kill me JWH stans I’m not including that in there! 😂)
Absolutely. In artistic history too.
My favorite term that someone has called me for liking Bob so much is “Bob Dylan Elitist”
Also an honorific 😉
If you want to get picky, then only H61R deserves S+ level rating.
It's the only one with absolutely zero filler.
If I were getting picky, I might agree.
Great. Looking forward to the rest.
Cheers!
Would you make a video of Dylan's best songs from this period, but the performances that eclipse the album versions like you mentioned? :)
That's a great idea. I'm going to get through the rest of his albums first, but his songs so often take shape live - great concept.
Sad-eyed lady of the lowlands is a perfect song, a timeless classic, a masterpiece!!! Great list though - do a best cover list, and include If you’ve gotta go, go now with J. Tillman!
Hadn't heard that one - great rec!
listened to them all thanks to you, Blonde on blonde is the best one
@@idanregev1617 Glad you checked them out! Blonde On Blonde is a fine choice for best one.
the disregard for Down The Highway and Outlaw Blues is sinful. i LOVE those songs. Honestly two of my favorites
As always, to each their own. I like Outlaw Blues a lot, Down the Highway less so, but I think if you stack either against the crowning achievements from their respective albums, you find them consumed by shadow.
Great list, but I would’ve love to hear your opinions on Desolation Row. I love it, but I’ll be the first to admit I’m not quite sure what it’s about. To me, it paints a vivid picture of a colorful but complex place full of literary and pop culture references.
@@carterburrage8 I love Desolation Row. I find it a multifaceted and rich discursion on loneliness amid chaos.
The great thing about being into or a Dylan fan/scholar is that you also learn so much about musical history in general through him.
Also, I respect your take and can see where you are coming from on JWH. But I'm a little more on your friends side about that one. Something always brings me back to it. That intangible thing. But some of my friends don't really care for it either.
You are pretty spot on about Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands. It's perhaps his most epic song, but you can really feel him trying to push it. It's amazing to listen too and still beautiful, but it doesn't feel as natural and organic as Visions of Johanna or Desolation Row.
Yeah exactly - it wants to be the Desolation Row of Blonde on Blonde but it just doesn't hit as hard. I have a lot of love for JWH - I just feel like it's a less impactful poetics than he'd developed for those prior few albums.
I absolutely love highway 61 revisited and his many songs but his other albums are not my cup of tea. And more than that I love prime Dylan himself. I am 18 and I am so happy to discover Dylan when I was 16. I am still finding out Dylan any advise for me?
Great question! If you love Highway 61, I’d say spend some time with Bringing It All Back Home and Blonde On Blonde, the other two great surrealist albums of that era. Then, check out Blood On The Tracks, and if you’re still having fun, visit Love And Theft for something wildly different.
I think Blond on Blond is the essence of Dylan in the sixties.
The way he drags the words, the ambiguous melodies, joyful and melancholic at the same time.
For me it is the best album of the sixties, and perhaps the best of his career. Albums like Streat Legal or Blood on The Tracks are comparable to Blond on Blond in my opinion. This is because of the amount of incredible songs in them.
Last thing, but Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands is arguably one of Dylan's best songs, I recommend a re-listen.
Having said that, I agree with pretty much all the other opinions.
Appreciate your takes! Yeah, I've listened to Sad-Eyed Lady a lot, and for better or worse, this is the conclusion I've reached. But a lot of people have shown it a lot of love - perhaps my perspective will evolve.
Honestly I fully understand your justification for Times They Are A-Changin in B tier. I think song writing with a lack of comedy can create music that sounds too self-serious and dull. That being said I think Times is just about the best tragedy album one could write. When I'm in the right mood for it that album makes me emotional in ways that other Dylan albums just don't.
@@samcroote7591 all great points. If anyone’s gonna write tragic songs, let it be Bob.
6:53 I’m curious, what do you consider to be the greatest song of all time? Excellent video, can’t wait for the next one!
An impossible question to be sure. But one worth investigating at great length in a future video. Thanks for watching!
I'm a huge JWH believer tbh, as opposed to some sections of his earlier 60s work I think it's a no skip album. I almost think it's kind of analogous (in broad strokes) to Low by David Bowie. It's a stripped back album where interesting ideas come and then go without overstaying their welcome. After over half a decade of trying to be expansive, Dylan on JWH is trying to be concise. It's probably my most listened to Dylan album in the last couple years, but not necessarily my absolute favorite.
You’re not alone. Since publishing this, JWH has gotten an outsized amount of support. Makes me consider reevaluating.
I'm a massive Dylan fan, but I don't reach the level of "scholar" so kudos to you! Bringing it all Back Home, Highway 61, Blonde on Blonde, John Wesley Harding & Nashville Skyline are all S tier for me. Blonde on Blonde is my favorite album of all time. Probably the best run in music history. Times is an A for me (songs are super strong) and I prefer Another Side over Freewheelin' as well because it's more personal. Disagree with you on JWH it's an absolute masterpiece to me and so is Nashville Skyline. Nashville Skyline is like a perfect 30 minutes. His voice sounds great and the songs flow so well.
It's been very interesting to hear other people's takes on this, as it's made me reflect on mine. I realize that I really prize the ultra-poetic stuff, and view non-ultra-poetic stuff (e.g., Nashville Skyline) as slightly lesser. Right or wrong, that's what my taste seems to prefer. But hearing other people's (often strong) disagreements has made me reexamine that. Thanks for watching and weighing in!
@@DustinLowmanMusic Hey man. I totally get where you're coming from because I used to feel the same with his music, but as I've gotten older some of his other albums really grew on me like JWH and Nashville Skyline. There's a real beautiful simplicity to the former. I also really enjoy the Christian trilogy, but that era is fairly poetic as well. I'm also a musician - sing and play guitar. That's very cool you are. I'm thinking of starting to upload some videos of me playing music in the new year. Are you planning to see A Complete Unknown? I am going into it with an open mind, but not sure how I will feel lol. I know it will at least be entertaining and fun though.
I agree 100% on your ranking
Bless you
What a fantastic video have a great weekend also happy holiday season from Canada ❤😊🇺🇸🇨🇦🎸🌲🎄🤢 also I have a stomach flu
As a lifelong armchair Dylanologist, I almost completely agree with your rankings. Looking forward to seeing more of your content. Is your paper published, or can one find it anywhere?
Hey thanks! Appreciate you watching. Shoot me a DM on Instagram with your email address and I’ll send it to you.
@DustinLowmanMusic done! Thanks!!
You're the least annoying Dylanologist I know. Well, not "know," but you get my point. Had a huge Dylan guy as a professor in business school at the U. He was cool. A real head. Also, I basically agree with your rankings, especially the S tier. One thing I'd say about his first album- there is a magic in it. Listen to the folk albums from '60-'62 and Dylan's debut has an energy to it lacking in his peers' renditions; those hypnotized vocalizations and too-pleasant guitar playing. Of course, everyone realized that Dylan had a separate energy a few short years later when he broke free from the narrow confines of 'folk,' but it's more than just an early document of Dylan. It's a distant early warning signal to folk music in America. The 'prophet' came and created a new, break-away religion from folk and this was his first sermon. Nice video- subbed!
😂😂May make my slogan “world’s least annoying Dylanologist.” I agree that there’s a power in his debut but I also contend that if he’d stopped after his debut (god save the people in that alternate universe) we wouldn’t as readily identify that magic. Anyway, thanks for watching and subscribing!!
Great video
@@leomacor2077 thanks!!
I’d probably keep everyone in S but move freewheelin up there as well. Then move The Times they are a changin, John Wesley Harding, and Nashville Skyline to A and keep the debut in C. But still a great tier list!
Appreciate you watching!
No mention of Desolation Row?
I did initially but edited it out in the interest of length. Something I’m going to experiment with next time is extending my breakdowns a bit. Desolation Row is among my all-time favorite songs.
This is a fair enough list, though John Wesley Harding should be on the A tier imo.
There’s an argument to be made there for sure!
From a Scholar perspective I agree Nashville could be like a B but for a Fan view I think it’s easy listening nature and not that complex lyrics, and a vibe that is very Spotifyable make it an A for me.
There's something to that. I personally am just kind of opposed to judging work solely by its "vibe" - I go to music primarily for where its poetry can deliver me. But of course, there are many different lenses through which to evaluate work like this.
I pretty much agree with your overall album assessments, with my biggest disagreement being that I would definitely put Blonde on Blonde ahead of Bringing It All Back Home. However, I agree with the tier that you put each album in, with the possible exception of that I might call Bringing It All Back Home high A rather than S.
Re: BIABH, it's S-tier largely because of the majesty of those songs on side 2. As far as I'm concerned, Mr. Tambourine Man, Gates Of Eden, It's Alright, Ma, and It's All Over Now Baby Blue is one of the most perfect album sides ever. And side 1 has enough classics/near-classics of its own to keep it S-tier.
Great video!! loveee bob
Thanks for watching! Bob is the best!
I actually love the debut for the crazy punk energy and raw emotion I'd probably rank em
Highway 61 Revisited
Blonde on Blonde
Bringing it all Back Home
John Wesley Harding
Freewheelin
Bob Dylan
The Times they are a Changin
Another Side
Nashville Skyline
but everything he did in the 60s was pretty much great
Yeah I mean something to keep in mind here is that we're comparing Dylan's albums against his own work only. The only reason the debut is as low as it is is because of the heights he'd reach later in the decade.
I was most curious to see the ranking for John Wesley Harding. It’s written in such a distinct style that I think you can call it one of his few concept albums. Compare these songs to the basement tapes, and it’s obvious that he didn’t just show up to the studio with the best songs that he had (a habit he hadn’t developed at this point in his career). But several songs feel like filler, so I agree with the B rating. I read that the title track (the weakest on the album) may have been meant as a parallel to the “Sgt Pepper” title track, which does justify it to some degree
I once had the (mis)fortune to hear Dylan talk about that song, and he said that he made it the first song and album title as a way to hopefully draw some sort of artistic attention to a song that didn't really merit it. Interesting theory re: Sgt Pepper, though I don't think "John Wesley Harding" is half the opener that "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" is.
For those wanting to learn about Dylan, you should point them in the direction of the new book, "You Don't Need a Weatherman: Bob Dylan for Beginners". I'd love to know what you think of it
Never heard of it - I’ll check it out!
I love the gloomy dark atmosphere on The Times...... I think some of his best songwriting comes out in the more somber, sad songs.
Here from tiktok! Was in from a small clip. Let’s see what ya list has got.
Thoughts??
@@DustinLowmanMusicsolid!!! Loved all the insight and reasoning for each. Pls do his 70s stuff next
I loved this video keep making them pleasee
I will!!
Sad eyed lady and st Augustine I think are both masterful songs
@@davidgluck8064 a lot of people agree with you. I prefer St Augustine between em.
I think St Augustine might be the more unique of the two. Really enjoying your takes
@ I’m glad!!
My favorite Bob Dylan albums from 60s:
Blonde On Blonde
Highway 61 Revisited
Bringing It All Back Home
Another Side Of Bob Dylan
John Wesley Harding
The Times They Are A-changin'
The Freewheeling Bob Dylan
Nashville Skyline
Bob Dylan
Entirely reasonable list!
that strand of hair bouncing is hypnotizing
Hahahah I was trying to control it
My ranking for the sixties and the top 5 below are also my top 5 Bob Dylan albums. For albums after the sixties, the ones I enjoy most are Blood on the Tracks, Love and Theft, Oh Mercy, Desire, Time Out of Mind and Modern Times.
1. Blonde on Blonde just barely
2. Highway 61 Revisited These top two are super close to me. When I was younger
Highway 61 was my favorite now I would give a slight edge to Blonde on Blonde but they have always been number 1 or 2 for all his albums. I like Blonde on Blonde a bit better because of the greater vulnerability and sophistication in the range of expression and arrangements and the sense of greater immediacy and intimacy in delivery. For songs you said you weren't impressed with, I like Pledging My Time, Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands a lot, but would say Temporary Like Achilles is the weakest link, though I still kind of like it. I add Please Crawl out My Window to Blonde on Blonde and Positively 4th Street to Highway 61 since it makes for an even more engaging listening experiences and since they were recorded at the same time as these releases.
3. Bringing It All Back Home- this one has always been number 3
4. Another Side of Bob Dylan
5. The Basement Tapes
6. Really close between John Wesley Harding and Freewheelin'
7. The Times Are a Changin'
8. Nashville Skyline
8. The Debut
We’re pretty close!
I’m the biggest Bob Dylan fan - he’s my idol. Something happened to Dylan’s songwriting ability after Blonde on Blonde and the standard just fell off a cliff.
It became more uneven, but I don’t think the dropoff was as intense or permanent as you suggest.
@ Thanks for your response. Could you give examples of other S tier albums after Blonde on Blonde? Thanks
@@johnshanley83 I'd hate to spoil the next couple videos, but suffice to say there are more!
@@DustinLowmanMusic Ha cool, I do love Blood on the Tracks but apart from Idiot Wind I don’t find anything that’s as cutting/deep/insightful/three-dimensional on that album. Even the much loved ‘Tangled up in Blue’ is just a story sung well - there’s nothing beneath the surface in my opinion. In any case - thanks for this video.
@@johnshanley83 I look forward to fruitfully disagreeing with you!
Not putting “Freewheeling” in S tier is insane
I don’t understand the hate for his self titled it’s not his best material wise but he has so many interesting vocal dynamics including his use of vocal distortion it serves the song perfectly very passionate and intense 2:22
@@Butterflyeggsproject I certainly don’t hate it at all, and I complimented several things about it. It’s just Dylan’s style in an early state of evolution that would be eclipsed by his next several albums.
gotta do the 70s next!
Production is underway!
Great video man, although I will disagree with the takes about Times They A-Changing and Temporary like Aquilles 😭
That is your god-given right!
“Bringing it All Back Home” an underrated and under appreciated classic. My favourite Dylan album.
Amazing album
My favorite too. So powerful
I would probably put John Wesley Harding above Another Side and Freewheelin'. It is really the first album that isn't pastiche -- Previously he was still figuring out his influences. It's hard to figure out where that album even came from. The other albums you can see what he is doing --you can see his materials, his influences and some of his technique. JWH is like Kafka... it feels like religious parable.
Great take, though I think you could argue he crystallized his originality on Highway 61. There’s been a lot of love for JWH in this series though.
@@DustinLowmanMusic I feel like HW 61 is very Modernist. It is filled collage techniques, historical pastiche, farce... That is my favorite period of Dylan, however, he got rid of most of that in favor of a more "serious" and less ironic approach. I see that happening on John Wesley Harding. Dylan basically turns his back on the modern world and puts all his chips on Biblical themes or Bible related sources like Melville or Shakespeare.
@@guzzopinc1646interesting point, though I’d still say there’s plenty of irony in JWH’s songs. Frankie Lee & Judas Priest is the obvious one, but I also see irony in the narrative gaps and needlessly elevated diction (e.g., “Whom lies with every breath,” where “whom” is not even grammatically correct).
@@DustinLowmanMusic I definitely don't think it is needlessly elevated diction. It is no coincidence that it is with JWH that Dylan left behind his audience. I think he had proven to himself that he could please the culture of his time and from there on out he basically works in conversation with historical figures and ideas. Picasso did the same thing. You could say the gammar is not correct but if you read the King James Version of the Bible there it is filled with phrases where prosody takes precedent over grammatical norms. Dylan is really writing with the Bible in mind, among other monumental references. The elevated diction was necessary for him to express the increased importance of the work. With JWH he ceases to be a 20th century musician/poet and becomes one of a string of historical figures going back for centuries. The elevated diction, as you call it, is basically saying that he has more in common with Milton, say, than he does with Donovan or John Lennon... which is true.
i am more of a fan than a scholar (but partly ort of a scholar too) , i like your fresh, arrogant attitude, i agree (Another Side of ...) more than i disagree, but disagree strongly in one case (no idea how i would rate John Wesley Harding, in fact i have difficulties rating these albums at all, but it is definitely a great and serious piece of art, and i do not speak of the rather nice country songs at the end that are hinting at Nashville Skyline). I do rate Blonde on Blonde higher, but this comes down to a matter of taste.
Hey thanks for watching and for your thoughts! It’s a hard exercise - and always somewhat misguided - to rank work like this, but the collateral benefit is helping flesh out one’s taste. Hope you continue to enjoy the content!
Great video but Nashville Skyline is S tier, probably a top 5 all time for Dylan
A lot of people think so, I think George Harrison among them. You’re in good company!
Theres some small things I disagree on, but the biggest one is move another side of bob dylan down one tier
I just love Another Side. Some transcendent poetry.
I may not be a Bob Dylan scholar but i’m way way way more than just a casual fan. That said, I largely agree with the takes and the placements here. Except for Nashville Skyline. I get the costume reference but it’s a tight package and maybe his best singing. For the people who say “Dylan can’t sing” point them here bc he’s singing like a bird on every track. It’s either top of the B or bottom of the A. Also Outlaw Blues is incredible. I might look like Robert Ford but I feel like Jesse James? Come on… so so good.
I love Outlaw Blues, but I feel the same way about it as I do about Temporary Like Achilles etc: So much of the original music on those albums is so singularly transcendent that the more derivative blues numbers seem lesser by comparison.
Re: Nashville Skyline - another thing you can tell people is that he always had this voice up his sleeve. There are some bootleg recordings from 1959(!) where he uses this voice, before ever leaving Minnesota.
would say Tweez to Spiderland is the greatest quantum leap. With Bob Dylan to Freewheelin you have someone go from being fine to great. With Tweez to Spiderland you have a band go from teenagers with hiss and fuzz to the greatest band of their era.
Not familiar! I’ll check it out.
I can’t believe you didn’t mention the re recording of girl from the north country with Johnny cash on Nashville. I’d say that’s arguably the best song on that album
I actually did but edited it out. I feel that it has a certain charm but I take the original over it any day. Back in my bootleg collecting days I had a recording of that full session, and suffice to say, it was a cooler document than a good session.
As someone who loves Nashville Skyline and would have it in S, I never understood why people love Lay Lady Lay so much. It’s a great song sure, but there’s a few others on the album I think are better. The album can’t really compare to some of Dylan’s all-timers but it’s my favorite. I just really fw that twangy country guitar
Yeah Lay Lady Lay never did it for me. No fun to sing either.
All Bob Dylan fans are cool…….but you could be the coolest.
Watching from Aus
Great take on these albums bud!
That's very sweet! Thanks for watching!
"Sad Eyed Lady..." is, I think, better than you think. Reaching? yes. In vain? yes. It is reaching for the unattainable. No one can know another as he seeks to know this Lady. Its cadence is courtly and patient yet almost funereal in its resignation. Should I wait? perhaps not.
I'd be curious to know your take on "warehouse eyes". Has he seen too much? Is he unable to forget?
Don't give up on this song. I listen to it 5 or 6 times a year because that's all the heartbreak I can stand.
This is a really well-made point! I'll concede that "Should I wait?" is an apt way to end the chorus. However, I don't love "Warehouse eyes" as an image - it reminds me of some of the lesser songs from this period, like "I Wanna Be Your Lover" (an outtake), where he's experimenting with surrealism but not quite hitting nerves with it.
Going to try to not be mad about Nashville skyline placement. I feel like maybe we get different things out of Bob Dylan if you don’t enjoy his reaches into other realms that he executes so perfectly in my opinion. Indeed an album can be measured by its lack of excess and to me Nashville skyline exemplifies this and provides something so fresh, no?
@@boris8174 We may just differ on how well we think he executes these jaunts into other realms. NS is certainly an efficient album, and without question charming, but it has a number of songs I wouldn’t count anywhere near Dylan’s best.
@ I appreciate how you respond to every comment… thank you for your insight would love to see more nerd out Dylan content.
@ I love discussing Dylan! Especially with people who comment thoughtfully.
great video / list.
only note: nashville skyline = easy A.
@@morrimoto Definitely an argument to be made there. Thanks for watching!