Sometimes I think this album contains the secrets of the universe. It simultaneously makes me feel good while speaking to any depression or anxiety I may have. At this stage its like an old friend. Great series lads. Top content for us Bobaholics.
I heard this album for the first time as a 16 year old (many years ago). I guess I was suffering from depression at that time, without knowing what it was. Hearing the line "I'm in the kitchen with the tombstone blues", really hit me. And followed by that screaming guitar line -- it seemed to come from somewhere way down below where I was. It somehow made me feel stronger, that someone else could express an even harsher feeling, so strongly.
When this album hit the market in '65 it really blew people away. You sort of had to be there. It was a different time. If you hear it for the first time today, you get a bunch of question marks appearing over your head. In a sense, it's a timeless album; but also, it's definitely a product of its time.
I think the key to enjoying Blonde on Blonde is to imagine him sitting at a dinner table making smart remarks and drawing cartoons of all the people around him "I need a dump truck, baby, to unload my head" - that line alone makes "From a Buick 6" one of my favorite driving-to-or-from-work songs of all time. This whole album is a kick in the ass, and it's my favorite Dylan (except maybe...). Dylan is almost like a Rorschak test. I prefer Another Side to Bringing it All Back Home. Everybody hears something different. Thank you for giving all these records a good chance, Joe.
This has always been my favourite Dylan album, and also one of my top 10 albums of all time. I'd also argue that Desolation Row is a strong candidate for his greatest song as well. Now let's have a proper remaster of the Dylan Listography with you, Jason and Kram!
It doesn't get much better than this album. I think I prefer Blonde on Blonde for its epic nature and ambitiousness, but unlike that sprawling masterpiece, there are no filler tracks on Highway 61. It's all gold. The title track, "Desolation Row" and "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" are among the greatest sounds that have ever reached my ears. I'm in awe of young Bob's creative genius.
This album has a whole vibe similar to Bringing it all Back Home but it kicks it up a few notches in terms of the vocals, mystique and atmosphere. I would say this is the album where my mind was blown by Dylan more than any other album when I was growing up. Yes you have Like a Rolling Stone, which no matter how many times I listen to it still gives me the same amazing feeling, but then you go to Ballad of a Thin Man, Queen Jane Approximately, Just like Tom Thumb's Blues and Desolation Row. As a teenager I couldn't fathom how someone could write so many great songs all at once. It didn't seem real to me and it still doesn't. To go from the folk singer he was on his first two albums to this still blows my mind and yes the whole band on here deserves a ton of credit and Bob's vision for knowing what he needed right at this time. To this day I still listen to Desolation Row and ponder the meaning of every lyric. I think this is the album where Dylan cemented himself as possibly the greatest of all time as it's an ongoing debate with artists like the Beatles, The Beach Boys, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder and James Brown.
I've loved Blonde on Blonde, John Wesley Harding, and Blood on the Tracks from my first listens, but it's only been recently that I have enjoyed Highway 61 Revisited. It may be my go-to Dylan album right now.
My favorite Bob Dylan of all time - which makes it one of my top 5 albums of all time. From the iconic opening to the closing "Desolation Row" - this is a perfectly sequenced album. And I can't get enough of "Ballad of a Thin Man" musically and especially lyrically. Another Dylan album is close (and a third one is not too far either).
When I heard Ballad of a Thin Man as a pimply youth, I always tried desperately to identify with the narrator of the song. But listening to it again now, the line that hit me the most was "You think oh my god am I here all alone?" -- which was exactly the thought I was always suppressing!
Bob Dylan is in his 80s now, and it will be sad when he's gone, but the amount of incredible songs/albums he's created solidifies him as the greatest artist in music history. That's why so many people say "There's Dylan, and then there's the rest".
@@TastesLikeMusicI don’t mind them(I understand you have your tongue planted firmly in cheek, but maybe not too firmly). I just cant believe how influential he apparently was. Right off top, it is hard to see where and how because not too many artists or things come to my mind when searching for examples of such off the top of my head. The major exception for me is the influence he had on the Beatles. They were highly influenced by him. The great thing about the Beatles is that they were experts at hiding their influences when they wanted to STEAL, and then they could be so open and transparent about showing their influences when they wanted to show respect or make tribute ti the influences. I think that is an overlooked aspect of their songwriting.
This is my favorite Bob Dylan album. He gives the middle finger to the folk crowd and became a bonafide rock star. He sounds so sure of himself on every track. Its the album i always reach for and can listen to anytime.
Highway 61 Revisited. Even fuller electric sound now with Kooper improvising on organ and Bloomfield on guitar and Dylan's voice is produced to sound so great. This was a big leap toward greatness for Dylan lovers. He was top 20 before now he's top 10 all-time. Even if early albums bored me some and I am not always into his vocals.
The song Positively 4th Street shows Dylan's anger with critics or friends in the protest movement who ragged on him for abandoning folk for rock or maybe it's about some romantic breakup. Not on the album - probably a mistake as it's not as great as it could be though I guess it mimics Like a Rolling Stone - but became a single later (1965) and it was a big hit. no. 7 on Billboard. Venomous lyrics work when the tune and lyrics are so damn good. 10 Like a Rolling Stone. Another perfect record from Bob thanks to a great backing band and Kooper's signature organ sound. 10 Tombstone Blues - another surreal lyrical blues number with great Bloomfield guitar. 10 Queen Jane Approximately Wonderfully Sharp lyrics seem to be aimed at "independent" women Dylan tires of (Joan Baez = Jane?) but Dylan said it was about "a Man" but was probably kidding. 10 Desolation Row The best part is listening to Dylan singing the words "Desolation Row" 9.5 Ballad of a Thin Man Good bluesy sound and lyrics to die for. 9 Not going to write any negative reviews today; this is a one-time-only promise.
i never did really appreciate dylan's music before 1966 album-wise. i only knew them as a bunch of songs. there were a lot of songs on the two "greatest hits" albums which i owned before all the other stuff, when i started with dylan in 1973/74, being 12/13. so being too young, it was too early to really respect the artistry, although i immediately loved all the electric tracks. (i had started with dylan 's greatest hits" album that i got as a birthday present because of "blowing in the wind", then immediately fell in love with "don't think twice", before becoming fascinated with "like a rolling stone" and "queen jane approximately".) the next important album back then was "before the flood", with all the new versions of the 1960s electric classics. then the first real album, "blood on the tracks", which blew me away completely (and still does). so i just bought the early albums in the years afterwards, but in a way never experienced them as unique albums. i only just start doing this now, as an old man. so i love your series, obviously being on the side of dylan sevey, but the discussions are the real fun. there were not enough discussions this time ;) that said, this episode was maybe the less interesting one (although i enjoyed it a lot). too much praise, less attention on details. i second dylan (the fan) very much in pointing at "it takes a lot to laugh" (for some time one of my absolute favorites) and "tom thumb's blues" which it's magic first two lines. i also liked the subject of "long bob dylan songs" that never seem to end, one starts hearing them almost hesitatingly, and then they always get spiraling on and on and becoming more intensive with each verse. please expand on this in later episodes ... looking forward to "blonde on blonde", because this is the first one in the historical order that i personally started listening to as a whole album.
All the debates at the time about whether or not Dylan's a poet -- "My love she speaks like silence/ Without ideals or violence" (from the previous album) -- that sealed it for me. But then to follow that up with "She don't make me nervous, she don't talk too much / She walks like Bo Diddly and she don't need no crutch" -- Oh man, no one can do that!
still loving the show. I’m thrilled to hear the episode about Blonde on Blonde because it’s easily my favorite of the 60s. that combination of surreal and romantic along with the Nashville style instrumentation just does it for me. I have a pretty weird story with Bob though. I was like Joe for most of my life (I’m 27), I appreciated the classic acclaimed albums but just didn’t “get” it enough to seek it out on my own, and when I was about 23 I decided to try to go deeper with albums like Infidels, Oh Mercy, Time Out of Mind, Love+Theft and realized there was a lot more to the guy than I realized. after that I almost had this nervousness and aversion to revisiting the most famous 60s stuff because I would get frustrated that people stopped there. But it is undeniably such a fantastic creative period. Highway 61 is definitely in my top 5 somewhere
As an Elton John freak back in '76, my Dylan obsessed school friend broke me in gently. Nashville Skyline, JWH, Freewheelin' , New Morning ... so i was completely unprepared when I bought my first Dylan LP, Highway 61 Revisited! To paraphrase Greil Marcus, what is this shit? 😂😂. But i stuck with it and so should Joe. I'm actually really interested to see Joe's reaction as we go deeper in the catalogue, the times they are indeed a'changing!
I have Blonde on Blonde higher but Highway 61 is a 5 star album for me. It wasn't always the case, at one point I preferred BiaBH (which I still love of course) but when I went back to them both I really *got* Highway 61 in a way I never did before. I think the long songs are exactly the length they should be, like Dylan mentioned. Tombstone Blues has always been my favourite but every song is great. Also, love to see a furry special guest 😻
Just subbed your channel..Heard about it from Larry Graves the Canadian Studmuffin..Bob Dylan is my favourite artist..will be interested in checking out your videos👍glen
This is such a fascinating series of videos you are doing! Joe, I must say you are not alone. I loved The Beatles, the Stones, and all the great music of the 60s and 70s, but I must confess I just didn't "get" Bob Dylan until I was in college. (This would have been circa 1987.) Sure, I knew Dylan was "great" and influential and so on, and I even liked a few of his songs. But my respect for him was always at a remove. "Blonde on Blonde" was the album that converted me. And once I caught on to Dylan, it REALLY hit me. It was almost an overnight thing. You might come around, you might not, but this journey is fun to watch!
For me, the biggest gift that Dylan gives - - among many gifts - - is that so many of his songs create landscapes in my head, that taken all together, create this alternative, geographical version of the planet, and especially of America,… I know exactly what desolation Row looks like… What Juarez looks like… What the window sill looks like that she's supposed to go away from at her own speed… What the watch tower looks like…what Maggies farm looks like... It goes on and on, ...of course what's in my head is nothing like what's in your head, but nontheless it's this almost Jungian agreement that we all have --bc we all have these spaces in us … Not a lot of bands create this… Not even the great ones like the Beatles, or the stones or the kinks… They don't really create these landscapes in me…or not nearly as often.... the Band does it , the Dead for sure do it ... --- the result is a more interesting and "better" version of this country
This album (Highway 61 Revisited) was one of the first albums I ever purchased as i used to only buy 45 RPM records. After listening to this record, I purchased his other albums. I didn't like the time commitment associated with albums as i was a teenager. Dylan's main message "No Direction Home" was even though you may have wanted to go back to simpler times, once they go past you there is no way to return to them. At the time I purchased his other albums Freewheelin was the one I played the most in particular the song Hard RAin as i was convinced WWIII was just around the corner. I think somewhat after this album Al Kooper and Mike Bloomfield released their own album which would be a worthwhile endeaver to have a listen to.😀
Another fantastic episode. Thanks to both of you. Highway 61 is one of Dylan's best. But it can be enigmatic to pick a "favorite" album as he went through so many changes, so many band, so many eras that it's almost like following three or four different bands. Still, Highway 61 is excellent and "Like A Rolling Stone" is in large part what puts it over the top. What a song, not only in itself but its impact on how rock and roll proceeded beyond. To immediately go from 2:30 about surfing or this or that girl to 6 minutes of sheer brilliant cultural analysis of what was going on around him was stunning. Both of you made solid comments about the LP, I really appreciate your perspectives. I won't sit for 50 minutes and listen to very many people these days but these episodes are like an ice cold beer on a hot day, 50 minutes of sheer pleasure. Thanks again. By the way, I can tell you are getting more popular, the video is interrupted about every 5 minutes with ads. RUclips knows who is getting the views! I sure don't want RUclips to demonetize you, but that is irritating. But that is also how it works now.
5 star album. One of the few instances that the most famous album is the best one. Blonde on Blonde is a close second, though, and Blood on the Tracks is a close third. Ranking of the songs: 9: From A Buick 6- possibly the only filler track on the album. Nothing really gripping. Still decent 6/10 8: Highway 61 revisited - awesome song. Kinda similar to From a Buick 6, but more memorable and fun. 8/10 7 Tombstone Blues - great weird lyrics, but a little abrasive. Maybe a little long, but definitely not boring. 8/10 6: Queen Jane Approximately - Great song. There's nothing bad to say about it. 8/10 5: Desolation Row - great long poetic masterpiece. Helps cement the album as a work of art. Only complaint is that it can get monotonous and is an album only experience. 9/10 4: Takes a Lot of Laugh, Takes a Train to Cry - great song. Maybe a little simple, but it's catchy and feels meaningful. 9/10 3: Ballad of a Thin Man - like Joe, i wish Bob did more songs like this. Excellent atmospheric tension and playing. Maybe a little overplayed, but great. 9/10 2: Like a Rolling Stone - a song that really exemplifies Bob Dylan's character studies and lyricism. Overplayed, but it deserves it. 10/10 1: Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues - my personal favorite song on the album. It's just so pretty and atmospheric. Describes feeling out of place in such a meaningful way. 10/10
Just Like Tom Thumbs Blues and Ballad Of A Thin Man are a couple of my favorite Dylan tunes. I love the live version of Thin Man in the No Direction Home documentary. Songs like Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues and Desolation Row put me in mind of some films that came later. like El Topo, The Last Movie and Bring Me The Head Of Alfredo Garcia; arid, surreal landscapes. Maybe, as some sort of sidebar, you guys could do a short episode about Dylan covers. This came to mind after hearing about the new Cat Power album, where she covers the so-called Royal Albert Hall concert. Robyn Hitchcock did the same thing in 2002.
To reiterate, Joe is more a music-sound guy so he focuses a lot on that. That said, this is a work of art that has to actually be lyrically studied to fully appreciate. I think" A Day in the Life" would be a comparable Beatles song. Joe is right it is highly purposeful in its lyrical intention. Dylan ratchets up the fire he expanded in BIABH. The total ferocity, in lyrics and sound is extraordinary. One cannot get much of it in one or even a few listenings. It has to be considered in the context of its era, the build up in Vietnam America, which creates much of its urgency. The album is released August 30, 1965. Johnson (alluded to often on "Tombstone Blues") began the build up in April. Dylan, who already had enormous contempt for contemporary America (It's All Right Ma". Subterranean Homesick Blues, etc) here just goes berserk, but not without focus. The sound reflects this "berserknesss",this plunge into an abyss. I think the Acme Siren Whistle on the Highway 61 track is perfect. The song is absurdist in nature, so much so that the behavior of the characters is beyond irony or satire. It is like something Beckett would write or Dali would paint. "Now the rovin’ gambler he was very bored He was tryin’ to create a next world war He found a promoter who nearly fell off the floor He said I never engaged in this kind of thing before But yes I think it can be very easily done We’ll just put some bleachers out in the sun" And have it on Highway 61." "We had to destroy the city in order to save it". This is a society that has plunged into madness (and one could argue has not come out), a society that contemplates total self destruction for entertainment and greed. This was realized in a way in the first Gulf war when Carlin commented "This was the first war on cable and it got good ratings. It got good ratings because *we like war*, we are a *warlike nation.*" I have said this album in music and lyrics is as important as Picasso's Guernica. Highway 61 Revisited rises to the level of true greatness as a work of art which is very rare. It is close to a masterpiece as there are so many classic songs on it. (Desolation Row is so long because it is so serpentine in nature, a sprawling canvas. In later years and in most covers he it gets shortened.) Because of it's purpose, Highway 61 is not for everyone. But in their original rankings Rolling Stone ranked it #4 out of 500. For good reason. Some artists in this vein can write a few songs, Cohen "Everybody Knows", "Democracy is coming", "Closing Time", Jackson Browne "Lives in the Balance" but no one, no one had the sustained brilliance of Dylan lyrically in this period. And this is a zenith. My all time favorite record by a recording artist. And he followed it with the great "Blonde on Blonde" and miraculously resurrected himself with the phenomenal "Blood on the Tracks" a totally different galaxy. Who does that? The Beatles I suppose..
One other thing with Dylan, especially on this album. There is zero affect in terms of any self consciousness. Dylan pours everything he has into the material as if he is desperate for his vision to be seen. It is totally authentic in coming from the center of his being. It 's a primal scream. A lot metal bands profess to have this but they don't.
One "other other" thing. The lyrics, although surrealistic tend to have coherent meaning although they are like dream images. This is like Freud's "manifest content" (all the bizarre initial presentation) vs the "latent content" (the precise underlying message. Here is an example of two versex. Tombstone Blues is probably Dylan's only song directly aimed at the Vietnam war. Tombstones refer to dead soldiers. "The geometry of innocence flesh on the bone": Geometry is math and this line refers to calculations about casualties and deaths to innocents and soldiers.; "Flesh on the bone" is a raw image. The Vietnam war was notorious for "body counts" as measures of success "Causes Galileo’s math book to get thrown"-Galileo opposed the insanity of the church, here he stands for reason and true wisdom but the craziness forces him to throw his math book, where one stores the order of the universe "At Delilah who sits worthlessly alone": Delilah betrayed Samson, a true Biblical hero but what is this betrayal, actually worth But the tears on her cheeks are from laughter: "She has no remorse at what she had done Another similar verse "The king of the Philistines his *soldiers* to save": The Philistines were enemies of Israel and Samson, Today a "Philistine" is one who is "a person who is hostile or indifferent to culture and the arts" who has only rudimentary sensibilities. the *King* of the Philistines is Lyndon Johnson who pretends to care about his soldiers "Puts jawbones on their tombstones and flatters their graves" Puts a symbol of strength usually referring to the enemy of the Philistines (Samson slayed the Philistines with the jawbone of an ass) but the jawbone here is a deception as he has led them to their graves, his pronouncements of strength are a lie "Puts the pied pipers in prison and fattens the slaves" Anti war protesters are jailed or criminalized and the bulk of the population who are in bondage to military service through the draft are prepared like cattle fattened for slaughter Then sends them out to the jungle (Guess where?) There is *no way* anyone is going to get this on a first or even several listenings. One could say "why bother"? But when one grasps the meaning (latent content) in all of its specificity and poetic fluidity, the song comes alive **exponentially** in power and force. One understands fully the rage that produced it. Even though at times it is steam of consciousness. it is not remotely incoherent. One then understands more completely the passion and purpose of his music on this album. The music and pace mirror the fury and urgency of the lyrics. They are inseparable.
Queen Jane Approximately is my standout from this album. His understanding of the female perspective and the ability to write from that place with empathy is even further developed on the next record. Ladies’ man Bob is well underway.
Michele that us beautifully stated thank you for that!! Dylan was considered a bit of a prick back then but I love how you wrote that thank you!! I love the Beatles more than Bob Dylan. However this album is better than any of their catalog to me.
Atta boy Joe! Really coming along in your appreciation of the Bob! For me, this at the moment is my favourite Bob Dylan album, favourite album of all time. Five stars (can you go higher?) for sure. I just love it, but also respect it. You really feel Dylan’s intelligence at play, to have an exposure to that for an hour or so…wow. And the band and the sound itself is fantastic. But Mr. Sevey really speaks for me here…no one else could do this, and so many great, intense songs. I just adore it, always a treat to sit down and listen and get into it, the whole thing, start to finish. I agree that A Buick 6 is the weakest song on the album, but everything else just hits such a super high bar. Led to a lifetime of fandom for me. Great discussion, great series, so thank you. And if I were to guess which album Mr. Sevey will go with as 1)B, I bet it’s not Blood, but Street Legal. We’ll see…cheers, JPE
Hi, you're doing a great job guys! I'm glad you enjoyed it, even though I saw you more involved after reviewing Gene Clark's No Other! You praised that album a lot, anyway, it is one of favourite too! As far as " highway 61 revisited" I'm not very keen on the title track, apart from that it is indeed a top album, in the group of three you guys mentioned it would not be My very top, Revolver would be my choice. As a matter of fact my favourite Bob Dylan album is "Blood on the Tracks" . I can't wait to the updated Bob Dylan ranking with the other guys
Favorite version of Tom Thumbs Blues is the live 66 version from Masterpieces/b-side of Just like a woman single. Awesome solo from Robbie Robertson. Hope you guys cover the "Albert Hall" concert bootleg!
Everytime I listen to Highway 61, I wonder what it must have been like to be a rock star that is that fucking far ahead of every other rock artist out there. Just light years ahead. Like he walks into a room and Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney, Brian Wilson get nervous to be around him. To be so cool that you're in your own category of cool. Everyone in the world went "whelp, there goes my chance to be the most bad ass bad ass out there."
Admittedly, an album I'm kind of mixed on. Love Desolation Row, Like a Rollin Stone, and the title track. Some of the bluesier stuff just runs together for me a bit. It's probably my least favorite of the electric trilogy, but I still like it quite a bit. Great video!
In my opinion, Hwy 61 is the best album of all time, all artists (all genres: folk, country, rock, pop, blues, jazz) . And almost all of the rest of my top ten albums are Beatle albums. Desolation Row is my 3rd favorite song of all time.
I like Bob Dylan, but I wouldn't call myself a fan of his or of folk-oriented music in general. This is easily my favourite album of his (Blood on the Tracks is also high up there). The folk rock backing + the good melodies + the excellent and occasionally acidic and venomous lyrics just make it such a cool listen, even with the longer songs. I'd say this and Rubber Soul would be my top albums of '65, though Out of Our Heads (US) and The Beach Boys Today! are also strong contenders.
This is Dylan firing on all cylinders, both lyrically and musically. What separates this from his other albums, however is the punk like attitude that he injects into almost every song on this album. I dare you to find any other album that sounds like this.
This is such a great album that I don't feel worthy of passing any judgment on it, but, along with all the awe and bafflement, yes, ok, "over-stuffed with lyrics" (Joe) also resonates! But if a song opens with "God says to Abraham Kill me a son/ Abe say man you must be puttin me on", my mind is so blown that it's a relief to be able to switch off for a while while he's babbling about the red white and blue shoestrings etc etc.
In Rolling Stone, many believe (including me) he is singing about Edie Sedgwick -- who he had a brief relationship with. Then she got caught up with the Andy Warhol crowd (see the movie Factory Girl). Dylan despised Warhol. Sedgwick was a rich society girl who fell into a world of drugs and despair (hence some of the lines like pawning the diamond ring). Many say Warhol is the "Napoleon in rags" (go to him now, he calls you, you can't refuse, etc). It's also been reported Just Like a Woman is also about Sedgwick. Maybe true, maybe not .... but a good story nonetheless
This is a close second favorite Bob Dylan album for me (my favorite is also coming up later), and I’m curious to know which album Dylan said is his other favorite along with this one…my guess ….Blood on the Tracks??
The case could be made that Highway 61 Revisted is the greatest album period. I'd put it 4th or 5th but having literally grown up on the actual Highway 61 I have a soft spot!! I think Desolation Row is so brilliant I feel like I catch something new each listen!! Dylan you are doing a great job flipping Joe to the right side of history. Bob Dylan is him
You log into the Zoom With a list in your hand You see somebody ranking and you say, "Who's that? Kram?" You try so hard But you don't understand Just so what you will say on the Patron Cause something is happening but you don't know what it is Do you, Mr. Joe?
I think Joe is underrating Highway 61 quite a bit here, especially in dismissing a track like Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues, which has one of the most intriguing opening lines to any Dylan song. I do think the one knock on Highway 61 Revisited is that the song’s are production-wise quite similar, which means that some of the deep cuts don’t stand out as much as they could. However, it is lyrically a masterwork and no one can deny the genius of Like A Rolling Stone, Ballad of a Thin Man, and Desolation Row. For Blonde on Blonde I actually think it’s a much more melodic and musically varied album, perhaps Bob’s most musically diverse album period! Almost every track is insanely catchy but also very unique, and so I honestly think that it will be Joe’s favourite Dylan album when it’s all said and done. I suppose we shall see!
"From a Buick 6" is the only 'meh' track. Everything else still stands up. My favorite song changes virtually every time I listen to it, which I think is the sign of a truly special album.
it's a ferocious rant on Vietnam. I agree he's mocking a "tough guy stance" but in the context of the war leaders ("Commander in Chief) who felt that we had to project "strength" in our resolve and who web were as a nation.
Weirdly, his 60s period is the one I revisit the least. It's not because I dislike it, but I know that a lot of the albums can't really go any higher up in my estimation. 5 stars from me, but not quite my favourite of his.
Forgive me, but I am forgetting the name of the co-host for this series. In any case, I wanted to say that I appreciate the attention/effort he puts into these videos. My man, it is obvious that you love the subject, but you are serious about the interaction and your role here. I dont know if it is because he doesn’t really have a guaranteed full-time spot on the channel, but he seems to be more passionate and focused than the regular guys(Joe, Jason, and Kramzer). I will probably get slammed for that, mostly by Joe, Jason, and/or Kramzer. I will also probably regret the comment after I post it, but I just want to give credit to the co-host. Watch how this guy listens and reacts to everything Joe says. The smiles and head knods, for example, indicate what I am talking about. Apart from that, just listen to his responses and the passion/intensity. I dont mean to make a comparison that shines a light of any negativity on Joe, but his laid back(slightly hippie(?)) vibe actually helps me see the passion of the other guy more clearly.
@@TastesLikeMusic Give me a break! Cut it out with the sarcasm and stuff. I qualified my statement to prevent this type of response from you guys. Lol. I really just appreciate his love for the subject and you(Joe) do kinda give off modern hippie vibes, which is cool. Anyway, I will take this opportunity to reiterate my request for Remaster episodes for the discographies of acts that you did before you started including star ratings so that we get star ratings for those albums. The main one I keep throwing out is the Beatles, but Led Zeppelin would be great as well. I have to mention the solo albums of the Beatles members that have not had an episode including star ratings and more detailed analysis. Paul McCartney is the most glaring of these omissions so far. Love yall! I am appreciating this series alot Joe. You are awesome.
I cannot make sense out of bob dylan music. Just sayin it right now. I remember it sounded pretty cool when I was high . Then again most music does. I was just trying to think of one positive thing to say about dylan, and that's all I got. So, that's why I said that.
Highway 61 ----9.3 average overall 10 Like a Rolling Stone 7 Tombstone Blues 10 It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry 10 From a Buick 6 10 Ballad of a Thin Man 7 Queen Jane Approximately 10 Highway 61 Revisited 10 Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues 8 Desolation. Row
I have always felt this is Dylan's best album and probably the best album ever made. I know most people like different sounds and voices, but what lyrics can you compare to this--and please don't say the Beatles. So basically, I agree with the Dylan on this video.
Bringing it all Back Home is the Better album (by a nudge) - I've said this for years. I love Highway, but for me it's always been Bringing it all Back Home. It's Alright Ma has never been topped by Dylan..
I feel like Joe is gonna love the music of Blonde on Blonde, it is by far the best “band” performance on any Dylan album. But I don’t think he will love his singing or the mix on the harmonica :(
Queen Jane’s guitar is definitely way out of tune! This album is a masterpiece, a Rock landmark album..yeah my favorite Bob album. DESOLATION ROW is just an incredible poem on its own…at least half the songs are unqualified masterpieces. This album has a real edge to it too…almost dangerous or at least outrageous ..the music rises to the occasion matching the lyrics here too. Blonde on Blonde as you move on is recorded in Nashville …tighter more warm sounding. SAD EYED LADY…maybe the most epic love song of all time…
As good as this album is, it is one of his 60s albums that I put on the least, I am not sure why that is, it just does not feel quite as cozy as BIABH or BOB or Freewheelin'.
It's all terrible, boring, bad 'Dylanist' singing, irrelevant imagery, spiteful and mean, and obviously the result of alcoholism. Desolation Row is a rare exception. Just like Tom Thumbs Blues and It Takes a Lot to Cry are fun, but nothing profound or intelligent. Like A Rolling Stone is just mean.
Sometimes I think this album contains the secrets of the universe.
It simultaneously makes me feel good while speaking to any depression or anxiety I may have.
At this stage its like an old friend.
Great series lads. Top content for us Bobaholics.
I heard this album for the first time as a 16 year old (many years ago). I guess I was suffering from depression at that time, without knowing what it was. Hearing the line "I'm in the kitchen with the tombstone blues", really hit me. And followed by that screaming guitar line -- it seemed to come from somewhere way down below where I was. It somehow made me feel stronger, that someone else could express an even harsher feeling, so strongly.
"It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" is as alienated as it gets.
When this album hit the market in '65 it really blew people away. You sort of had to be there. It was a different time. If you hear it for the first time today, you get a bunch of question marks appearing over your head. In a sense, it's a timeless album; but also, it's definitely a product of its time.
Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues is great. High on my list of favorite Dylan songs.
You continue to be one of the smartest people I know.
This is his pinnacle and certainly his best “ rock band” album. Mike Bloomfield shines on this. Tremendous record, top 5 all time
Such a great album! Just Like Tom Thumbs Blues is one of my favourite songs of all time.
I think the key to enjoying Blonde on Blonde is to imagine him sitting at a dinner table making smart remarks and drawing cartoons of all the people around him "I need a dump truck, baby, to unload my head" - that line alone makes "From a Buick 6" one of my favorite driving-to-or-from-work songs of all time. This whole album is a kick in the ass, and it's my favorite Dylan (except maybe...). Dylan is almost like a Rorschak test. I prefer Another Side to Bringing it All Back Home. Everybody hears something different. Thank you for giving all these records a good chance, Joe.
One of the greatest albums in Rock history.
Really enjoying these episodes many thanks
Highway 61 revisited, my favourite Dylan Album and "Positively 4th Street" my favourite Dylan single
This has always been my favourite Dylan album, and also one of my top 10 albums of all time. I'd also argue that Desolation Row is a strong candidate for his greatest song as well.
Now let's have a proper remaster of the Dylan Listography with you, Jason and Kram!
Feel bad that your dream can not be fulfilled. It was mine as well. But Kram's life doesn't revolve around us, so I wish him the best.
It doesn't get much better than this album. I think I prefer Blonde on Blonde for its epic nature and ambitiousness, but unlike that sprawling masterpiece,
there are no filler tracks on Highway 61. It's all gold. The title track, "Desolation Row" and "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" are among the greatest sounds
that have ever reached my ears. I'm in awe of young Bob's creative genius.
This album has a whole vibe similar to Bringing it all Back Home but it kicks it up a few notches in terms of the vocals, mystique and atmosphere. I would say this is the album where my mind was blown by Dylan more than any other album when I was growing up. Yes you have Like a Rolling Stone, which no matter how many times I listen to it still gives me the same amazing feeling, but then you go to Ballad of a Thin Man, Queen Jane Approximately, Just like Tom Thumb's Blues and Desolation Row. As a teenager I couldn't fathom how someone could write so many great songs all at once. It didn't seem real to me and it still doesn't. To go from the folk singer he was on his first two albums to this still blows my mind and yes the whole band on here deserves a ton of credit and Bob's vision for knowing what he needed right at this time. To this day I still listen to Desolation Row and ponder the meaning of every lyric. I think this is the album where Dylan cemented himself as possibly the greatest of all time as it's an ongoing debate with artists like the Beatles, The Beach Boys, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder and James Brown.
Words cannot express how much i love this album.
I've loved Blonde on Blonde, John Wesley Harding, and Blood on the Tracks from my first listens, but it's only been recently that I have enjoyed Highway 61 Revisited. It may be my go-to Dylan album right now.
My favorite Bob Dylan of all time - which makes it one of my top 5 albums of all time. From the iconic opening to the closing "Desolation Row" - this is a perfectly sequenced album. And I can't get enough of "Ballad of a Thin Man" musically and especially lyrically. Another Dylan album is close (and a third one is not too far either).
When I heard Ballad of a Thin Man as a pimply youth, I always tried desperately to identify with the narrator of the song. But listening to it again now, the line that hit me the most was "You think oh my god am I here all alone?" -- which was exactly the thought I was always suppressing!
Bob Dylan is in his 80s now, and it will be sad when he's gone, but the amount of incredible songs/albums he's created solidifies him as the greatest artist in music history. That's why so many people say "There's Dylan, and then there's the rest".
I’ve never liked those people much. - Joe
@@TastesLikeMusic album brain in a nutshell
@@TastesLikeMusic 😂🤣😂🤣
@@TastesLikeMusicI don’t mind them(I understand you have your tongue planted firmly in cheek, but maybe not too firmly). I just cant believe how influential he apparently was. Right off top, it is hard to see where and how because not too many artists or things come to my mind when searching for examples of such off the top of my head. The major exception for me is the influence he had on the Beatles. They were highly influenced by him. The great thing about the Beatles is that they were experts at hiding their influences when they wanted to STEAL, and then they could be so open and transparent about showing their influences when they wanted to show respect or make tribute ti the influences. I think that is an overlooked aspect of their songwriting.
Great video. Can we see more of the cat please?
This is my favorite Bob Dylan album. He gives the middle finger to the folk crowd and became a bonafide rock star. He sounds so sure of himself on every track. Its the album i always reach for and can listen to anytime.
Highway 61 Revisited. Even fuller electric sound now with Kooper improvising on organ and Bloomfield on guitar and Dylan's voice is produced to sound so great. This was a big leap toward greatness for Dylan lovers. He was top 20 before now he's top 10 all-time. Even if early albums bored me some and I am not always into his vocals.
The song Positively 4th Street shows Dylan's anger with critics or friends in the protest movement who ragged on him for abandoning folk for rock or maybe it's about some romantic breakup. Not on the album - probably a mistake as it's not as great as it could be though I guess it mimics Like a Rolling Stone - but became a single later (1965) and it was a big hit. no. 7 on Billboard. Venomous lyrics work when the tune and lyrics are so damn good. 10
Like a Rolling Stone. Another perfect record from Bob thanks to a great backing band and Kooper's signature organ sound. 10
Tombstone Blues - another surreal lyrical blues number with great Bloomfield guitar. 10
Queen Jane Approximately Wonderfully Sharp lyrics seem to be aimed at "independent" women Dylan tires of (Joan Baez = Jane?) but Dylan said it was about "a Man" but was probably kidding. 10
Desolation Row The best part is listening to Dylan singing the words "Desolation Row" 9.5
Ballad of a Thin Man Good bluesy sound and lyrics to die for. 9
Not going to write any negative reviews today; this is a one-time-only promise.
I've very much enjoyed this series. Very interesting discussions.
i never did really appreciate dylan's music before 1966 album-wise. i only knew them as a bunch of songs. there were a lot of songs on the two "greatest hits" albums which i owned before all the other stuff, when i started with dylan in 1973/74, being 12/13. so being too young, it was too early to really respect the artistry, although i immediately loved all the electric tracks. (i had started with dylan
's greatest hits" album that i got as a birthday present because of "blowing in the wind", then immediately fell in love with "don't think twice", before becoming fascinated with "like a rolling stone" and "queen jane approximately".)
the next important album back then was "before the flood", with all the new versions of the 1960s electric classics. then the first real album, "blood on the tracks", which blew me away completely (and still does). so i just bought the early albums in the years afterwards, but in a way never experienced them as unique albums. i only just start doing this now, as an old man. so i love your series, obviously being on the side of dylan sevey, but the discussions are the real fun. there were not enough discussions this time ;)
that said, this episode was maybe the less interesting one (although i enjoyed it a lot). too much praise, less attention on details. i second dylan (the fan) very much in pointing at "it takes a lot to laugh" (for some time one of my absolute favorites) and "tom thumb's blues" which it's magic first two lines. i also liked the subject of "long bob dylan songs" that never seem to end, one starts hearing them almost hesitatingly, and then they always get spiraling on and on and becoming more intensive with each verse. please expand on this in later episodes ... looking forward to "blonde on blonde", because this is the first one in the historical order that i personally started listening to as a whole album.
All the debates at the time about whether or not Dylan's a poet -- "My love she speaks like silence/ Without ideals or violence" (from the previous album) -- that sealed it for me. But then to follow that up with "She don't make me nervous, she don't talk too much / She walks like Bo Diddly and she don't need no crutch" -- Oh man, no one can do that!
still loving the show. I’m thrilled to hear the episode about Blonde on Blonde because it’s easily my favorite of the 60s. that combination of surreal and romantic along with the Nashville style instrumentation just does it for me. I have a pretty weird story with Bob though. I was like Joe for most of my life (I’m 27), I appreciated the classic acclaimed albums but just didn’t “get” it enough to seek it out on my own, and when I was about 23 I decided to try to go deeper with albums like Infidels, Oh Mercy, Time Out of Mind, Love+Theft and realized there was a lot more to the guy than I realized. after that I almost had this nervousness and aversion to revisiting the most famous 60s stuff because I would get frustrated that people stopped there. But it is undeniably such a fantastic creative period. Highway 61 is definitely in my top 5 somewhere
As an Elton John freak back in '76, my Dylan obsessed school friend broke me in gently. Nashville Skyline, JWH, Freewheelin' , New Morning ... so i was completely unprepared when I bought my first Dylan LP, Highway 61 Revisited! To paraphrase Greil Marcus, what is this shit? 😂😂. But i stuck with it and so should Joe. I'm actually really interested to see Joe's reaction as we go deeper in the catalogue, the times they are indeed a'changing!
I have Blonde on Blonde higher but Highway 61 is a 5 star album for me. It wasn't always the case, at one point I preferred BiaBH (which I still love of course) but when I went back to them both I really *got* Highway 61 in a way I never did before. I think the long songs are exactly the length they should be, like Dylan mentioned. Tombstone Blues has always been my favourite but every song is great.
Also, love to see a furry special guest 😻
Yes, Fiona the cat has wonderful eyes!
I actually found a copy of this one at a GoodWill for less than a dollar! In decent shape, too. 👍
Just subbed your channel..Heard about it from Larry Graves the Canadian Studmuffin..Bob Dylan is my favourite artist..will be interested in checking out your videos👍glen
Welcome!
Legendary. Iconic.
This is such a fascinating series of videos you are doing! Joe, I must say you are not alone. I loved The Beatles, the Stones, and all the great music of the 60s and 70s, but I must confess I just didn't "get" Bob Dylan until I was in college. (This would have been circa 1987.) Sure, I knew Dylan was "great" and influential and so on, and I even liked a few of his songs. But my respect for him was always at a remove. "Blonde on Blonde" was the album that converted me. And once I caught on to Dylan, it REALLY hit me. It was almost an overnight thing. You might come around, you might not, but this journey is fun to watch!
From A Buick Six has a fabulous bass line and how you didn't hear that is beyond me.
great that this channel finally became a joe vs dylan channel. Well done, Joe!
For me, the biggest gift that Dylan gives - - among many gifts - - is that so many of his songs create landscapes in my head, that taken all together, create this alternative, geographical version of the planet, and especially of America,… I know exactly what desolation Row looks like… What Juarez looks like… What the window sill looks like that she's supposed to go away from at her own speed… What the watch tower looks like…what Maggies farm looks like...
It goes on and on, ...of course what's in my head is nothing like what's in your head, but nontheless it's this almost Jungian agreement that we all have --bc we all have these spaces in us … Not a lot of bands create this… Not even the great ones like the Beatles, or the stones or the kinks… They don't really create these landscapes in me…or not nearly as often.... the Band does it , the Dead for sure do it ... --- the result is a more interesting and "better" version of this country
have no idea why the cross outs happened ... sorry bout that
This album (Highway 61 Revisited) was one of the first albums I ever purchased as i used to only buy 45 RPM records. After listening to this record, I purchased his other albums. I didn't like the time commitment associated with albums as i was a teenager. Dylan's main message "No Direction Home" was even though you may have wanted to go back to simpler times, once they go past you there is no way to return to them. At the time I purchased his other albums Freewheelin was the one I played the most in particular the song Hard RAin as i was convinced WWIII was just around the corner. I think somewhat after this album Al Kooper and Mike Bloomfield released their own album which would be a worthwhile endeaver to have a listen to.😀
Another fantastic episode. Thanks to both of you. Highway 61 is one of Dylan's best. But it can be enigmatic to pick a "favorite" album as he went through so many changes, so many band, so many eras that it's almost like following three or four different bands. Still, Highway 61 is excellent and "Like A Rolling Stone" is in large part what puts it over the top. What a song, not only in itself but its impact on how rock and roll proceeded beyond. To immediately go from 2:30 about surfing or this or that girl to 6 minutes of sheer brilliant cultural analysis of what was going on around him was stunning.
Both of you made solid comments about the LP, I really appreciate your perspectives. I won't sit for 50 minutes and listen to very many people these days but these episodes are like an ice cold beer on a hot day, 50 minutes of sheer pleasure. Thanks again.
By the way, I can tell you are getting more popular, the video is interrupted about every 5 minutes with ads. RUclips knows who is getting the views! I sure don't want RUclips to demonetize you, but that is irritating. But that is also how it works now.
5 star album. One of the few instances that the most famous album is the best one. Blonde on Blonde is a close second, though, and Blood on the Tracks is a close third.
Ranking of the songs:
9: From A Buick 6- possibly the only filler track on the album. Nothing really gripping. Still decent 6/10
8: Highway 61 revisited - awesome song. Kinda similar to From a Buick 6, but more memorable and fun. 8/10
7 Tombstone Blues - great weird lyrics, but a little abrasive. Maybe a little long, but definitely not boring. 8/10
6: Queen Jane Approximately - Great song. There's nothing bad to say about it. 8/10
5: Desolation Row - great long poetic masterpiece. Helps cement the album as a work of art. Only complaint is that it can get monotonous and is an album only experience. 9/10
4: Takes a Lot of Laugh, Takes a Train to Cry - great song. Maybe a little simple, but it's catchy and feels meaningful. 9/10
3: Ballad of a Thin Man - like Joe, i wish Bob did more songs like this. Excellent atmospheric tension and playing. Maybe a little overplayed, but great. 9/10
2: Like a Rolling Stone - a song that really exemplifies Bob Dylan's character studies and lyricism. Overplayed, but it deserves it. 10/10
1: Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues - my personal favorite song on the album. It's just so pretty and atmospheric. Describes feeling out of place in such a meaningful way. 10/10
Just Like Tom Thumbs Blues and Ballad Of A Thin Man are a couple of my favorite Dylan tunes. I love the live version of Thin Man in the No Direction Home documentary. Songs like Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues and Desolation Row put me in mind of some films that came later. like El Topo, The Last Movie and Bring Me The Head Of Alfredo Garcia; arid, surreal landscapes. Maybe, as some sort of sidebar, you guys could do a short episode about Dylan covers. This came to mind after hearing about the new Cat Power album, where she covers the so-called Royal Albert Hall concert. Robyn Hitchcock did the same thing in 2002.
To reiterate, Joe is more a music-sound guy so he focuses a lot on that. That said, this is a work of art that has to actually be lyrically studied to fully appreciate. I think" A Day in the Life" would be a comparable Beatles song. Joe is right it is highly purposeful in its lyrical intention.
Dylan ratchets up the fire he expanded in BIABH. The total ferocity, in lyrics and sound is extraordinary. One cannot get much of it in one or even a few listenings. It has to be considered in the context of its era, the build up in Vietnam America, which creates much of its urgency. The album is released August 30, 1965. Johnson (alluded to often on "Tombstone Blues") began the build up in April. Dylan, who already had enormous contempt for contemporary America (It's All Right Ma". Subterranean Homesick Blues, etc) here just goes berserk, but not without focus. The sound reflects this "berserknesss",this plunge into an abyss.
I think the Acme Siren Whistle on the Highway 61 track is perfect. The song is absurdist in nature, so much so that the behavior of the characters is beyond irony or satire. It is like something Beckett would write or Dali would paint.
"Now the rovin’ gambler he was very bored
He was tryin’ to create a next world war
He found a promoter who nearly fell off the floor
He said I never engaged in this kind of thing before
But yes I think it can be very easily done
We’ll just put some bleachers out in the sun"
And have it on Highway 61."
"We had to destroy the city in order to save it". This is a society that has plunged into madness (and one could argue has not come out), a society that contemplates total self destruction for entertainment and greed. This was realized in a way in the first Gulf war when Carlin commented "This was the first war on cable and it got good ratings. It got good ratings because *we like war*, we are a *warlike nation.*"
I have said this album in music and lyrics is as important as Picasso's Guernica. Highway 61 Revisited rises to the level of true greatness as a work of art which is very rare. It is close to a masterpiece as there are so many classic songs on it. (Desolation Row is so long because it is so serpentine in nature, a sprawling canvas. In later years and in most covers he it gets shortened.) Because of it's purpose, Highway 61 is not for everyone. But in their original rankings Rolling Stone ranked it #4 out of 500. For good reason.
Some artists in this vein can write a few songs, Cohen "Everybody Knows", "Democracy is coming", "Closing Time", Jackson Browne "Lives in the Balance" but no one, no one had the sustained brilliance of Dylan lyrically in this period. And this is a zenith.
My all time favorite record by a recording artist. And he followed it with the great "Blonde on Blonde" and miraculously resurrected himself with the phenomenal "Blood on the Tracks" a totally different galaxy. Who does that? The Beatles I suppose..
One other thing with Dylan, especially on this album. There is zero affect in terms of any self consciousness. Dylan pours everything he has into the material as if he is desperate for his vision to be seen. It is totally authentic in coming from the center of his being. It 's a primal scream. A lot metal bands profess to have this but they don't.
One "other other" thing. The lyrics, although surrealistic tend to have coherent meaning although they are like dream images. This is like Freud's "manifest content" (all the bizarre initial presentation) vs the "latent content" (the precise underlying message. Here is an example of two versex.
Tombstone Blues is probably Dylan's only song directly aimed at the Vietnam war. Tombstones refer to dead soldiers.
"The geometry of innocence flesh on the bone": Geometry is math and this line refers to calculations about casualties and deaths to innocents and soldiers.; "Flesh on the bone" is a raw image. The Vietnam war was notorious for "body counts" as measures of success
"Causes Galileo’s math book to get thrown"-Galileo opposed the insanity of the church, here he stands for reason and true wisdom but the craziness forces him to throw his math book, where one stores the order of the universe
"At Delilah who sits worthlessly alone": Delilah betrayed Samson, a true Biblical hero but what is this betrayal, actually worth
But the tears on her cheeks are from laughter: "She has no remorse at what she had done
Another similar verse
"The king of the Philistines his *soldiers* to save": The Philistines were enemies of Israel and Samson, Today a "Philistine" is one who is "a person who is hostile or indifferent to culture and the arts" who has only rudimentary sensibilities. the *King* of the Philistines is Lyndon Johnson who pretends to care about his soldiers
"Puts jawbones on their tombstones and flatters their graves" Puts a symbol of strength usually referring to the enemy of the Philistines (Samson slayed the Philistines with the jawbone of an ass) but the jawbone here is a deception as he has led them to their graves, his pronouncements of strength are a lie
"Puts the pied pipers in prison and fattens the slaves" Anti war protesters are jailed or criminalized and the bulk of the population who are in bondage to military service through the draft are prepared like cattle fattened for slaughter
Then sends them out to the jungle (Guess where?)
There is *no way* anyone is going to get this on a first or even several listenings. One could say "why bother"? But when one grasps the meaning (latent content) in all of its specificity and poetic fluidity, the song comes alive **exponentially** in power and force. One understands fully the rage that produced it. Even though at times it is steam of consciousness. it is not remotely incoherent. One then understands more completely the passion and purpose of his music on this album.
The music and pace mirror the fury and urgency of the lyrics. They are inseparable.
Queen Jane Approximately is my standout from this album. His understanding of the female perspective and the ability to write from that place with empathy is even further developed on the next record. Ladies’ man Bob is well underway.
Which is amazing cuz in 64 he was such a cad! - Joe
@@TastesLikeMusic Ha. I probably find an experienced rogue capable of redemption more attractive and genuine, in general.
Michele that us beautifully stated thank you for that!! Dylan was considered a bit of a prick back then but I love how you wrote that thank you!! I love the Beatles more than Bob Dylan. However this album is better than any of their catalog to me.
@@TastesLikeMusicJoe that is really funny it made me laugh for real! You have the best sense of humor on the channel!!
@@PatricksPlaybookThank you kindly 😊
Desolation Row is one of favorites, but I enjoy the Bootleg Vol. 7 (I think) version. Just him and the guitar.
Atta boy Joe! Really coming along in your appreciation of the Bob! For me, this at the moment is my favourite Bob Dylan album, favourite album of all time. Five stars (can you go higher?) for sure. I just love it, but also respect it. You really feel Dylan’s intelligence at play, to have an exposure to that for an hour or so…wow. And the band and the sound itself is fantastic. But Mr. Sevey really speaks for me here…no one else could do this, and so many great, intense songs. I just adore it, always a treat to sit down and listen and get into it, the whole thing, start to finish. I agree that A Buick 6 is the weakest song on the album, but everything else just hits such a super high bar. Led to a lifetime of fandom for me. Great discussion, great series, so thank you. And if I were to guess which album Mr. Sevey will go with as 1)B, I bet it’s not Blood, but Street Legal. We’ll see…cheers, JPE
Your best dollar ever spent! Enjoy. JPE
Hi, you're doing a great job guys! I'm glad you enjoyed it, even though I saw you more involved after reviewing Gene Clark's No Other! You praised that album a lot, anyway, it is one of favourite too! As far as " highway 61 revisited" I'm not very keen on the title track, apart from that it is indeed a top album, in the group of three you guys mentioned it would not be My very top, Revolver would be my choice. As a matter of fact my favourite Bob Dylan album is "Blood on the Tracks" . I can't wait to the updated Bob Dylan ranking with the other guys
Favorite version of Tom Thumbs Blues is the live 66 version from Masterpieces/b-side of Just like a woman single. Awesome solo from Robbie Robertson. Hope you guys cover the "Albert Hall" concert bootleg!
This album did something few had done before or after raised the bar for everybody else.
Everytime I listen to Highway 61, I wonder what it must have been like to be a rock star that is that fucking far ahead of every other rock artist out there. Just light years ahead. Like he walks into a room and Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney, Brian Wilson get nervous to be around him. To be so cool that you're in your own category of cool. Everyone in the world went "whelp, there goes my chance to be the most bad ass bad ass out there."
"Queen Jane Approximately" is a romantic ballad.
More kitty in future videos!
Admittedly, an album I'm kind of mixed on. Love Desolation Row, Like a Rollin Stone, and the title track. Some of the bluesier stuff just runs together for me a bit. It's probably my least favorite of the electric trilogy, but I still like it quite a bit. Great video!
I'm going to enjoy it, I'll talk about it afterwards
In my opinion, Hwy 61 is the best album of all time, all artists (all genres: folk, country, rock, pop, blues, jazz) . And almost all of the rest of my top ten albums are Beatle albums. Desolation Row is my 3rd favorite song of all time.
Charlotex what are you top 2 songs if I may ask? Like most who watch this channel I love lists!! Desolation Row is so amazing its art at its highest
#2 = Hotel California, #1 = Hey Jude. Thanks for asking!@@PatricksPlaybook
I like Bob Dylan, but I wouldn't call myself a fan of his or of folk-oriented music in general. This is easily my favourite album of his (Blood on the Tracks is also high up there). The folk rock backing + the good melodies + the excellent and occasionally acidic and venomous lyrics just make it such a cool listen, even with the longer songs. I'd say this and Rubber Soul would be my top albums of '65, though Out of Our Heads (US) and The Beach Boys Today! are also strong contenders.
This is Dylan firing on all cylinders, both lyrically and musically. What separates this from his other albums, however is the punk like attitude that he injects into almost every song on this album. I dare you to find any other album that sounds like this.
I hear less punk here than on Biabh. - Joe
This is such a great album that I don't feel worthy of passing any judgment on it, but, along with all the awe and bafflement, yes, ok, "over-stuffed with lyrics" (Joe) also resonates!
But if a song opens with "God says to Abraham Kill me a son/ Abe say man you must be puttin me on", my mind is so blown that it's a relief to be able to switch off for a while while he's babbling about the red white and blue shoestrings etc etc.
In Rolling Stone, many believe (including me) he is singing about Edie Sedgwick -- who he had a brief relationship with. Then she got caught up with the Andy Warhol crowd (see the movie Factory Girl). Dylan despised Warhol. Sedgwick was a rich society girl who fell into a world of drugs and despair (hence some of the lines like pawning the diamond ring). Many say Warhol is the "Napoleon in rags" (go to him now, he calls you, you can't refuse, etc). It's also been reported Just Like a Woman is also about Sedgwick. Maybe true, maybe not .... but a good story nonetheless
This is a close second favorite Bob Dylan album for me (my favorite is also coming up later), and I’m curious to know which album Dylan said is his other favorite along with this one…my guess ….Blood on the Tracks??
You guys should do "Live in 66" before "BloneD on Blondie"
The case could be made that Highway 61 Revisted is the greatest album period. I'd put it 4th or 5th but having literally grown up on the actual Highway 61 I have a soft spot!! I think Desolation Row is so brilliant I feel like I catch something new each listen!! Dylan you are doing a great job flipping Joe to the right side of history. Bob Dylan is him
You log into the Zoom
With a list in your hand
You see somebody ranking and you say,
"Who's that? Kram?"
You try so hard
But you don't understand
Just so what you will say on the Patron
Cause something is happening but you don't know what it is
Do you, Mr. Joe?
"Like a Rolling Stone" was the ultimate put-down song until "Idiot Wind" (which reaches compassion in the end, and includes himself as an "idiot").
"Before the Flood" is his best album.
I think Joe is underrating Highway 61 quite a bit here, especially in dismissing a track like Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues, which has one of the most intriguing opening lines to any Dylan song.
I do think the one knock on Highway 61 Revisited is that the song’s are production-wise quite similar, which means that some of the deep cuts don’t stand out as much as they could. However, it is lyrically a masterwork and no one can deny the genius of Like A Rolling Stone, Ballad of a Thin Man, and Desolation Row.
For Blonde on Blonde I actually think it’s a much more melodic and musically varied album, perhaps Bob’s most musically diverse album period! Almost every track is insanely catchy but also very unique, and so I honestly think that it will be Joe’s favourite Dylan album when it’s all said and done.
I suppose we shall see!
Of course I’m underrating this album. I’ve underrated all of his albums (except maybe the debut). - Joe
If you say something is underrated then you are implying a criteria that this song does not reach. But I simply do not know what that criteria is.
"From a Buick 6" is the only 'meh' track. Everything else still stands up. My favorite song changes virtually every time I listen to it, which I think is the sign of a truly special album.
Sure the most meh on here.
Dylan mocking jock, tough guy jerks….Tombstone: ‘and dropping a barbell and points to the sky saying the sun’s not yellow it’s chicken’
it's a ferocious rant on Vietnam. I agree he's mocking a "tough guy stance" but in the context of the war leaders ("Commander in Chief) who felt that we had to project "strength" in our resolve and who web were as a nation.
Tom Thumb's Blues was sampled by Beastie Boys 🎸
💯 🏙️ 🍎
The only album I can stand all the way through from Bob Dylan is probably Nashville Skyline it’s a short album too.
whats that cat paw up to
A Minnesota Isaiah calling down the Spirit of Robert Johnson ... (Greil Marcus).
Tombstone Blues is punk rock before there was punk rock.
Correct, just with better lyrics
Weirdly, his 60s period is the one I revisit the least. It's not because I dislike it, but I know that a lot of the albums can't really go any higher up in my estimation. 5 stars from me, but not quite my favourite of his.
Forgive me, but I am forgetting the name of the co-host for this series. In any case, I wanted to say that I appreciate the attention/effort he puts into these videos. My man, it is obvious that you love the subject, but you are serious about the interaction and your role here. I dont know if it is because he doesn’t really have a guaranteed full-time spot on the channel, but he seems to be more passionate and focused than the regular guys(Joe, Jason, and Kramzer). I will probably get slammed for that, mostly by Joe, Jason, and/or Kramzer. I will also probably regret the comment after I post it, but I just want to give credit to the co-host. Watch how this guy listens and reacts to everything Joe says. The smiles and head knods, for example, indicate what I am talking about. Apart from that, just listen to his responses and the passion/intensity. I dont mean to make a comparison that shines a light of any negativity on Joe, but his laid back(slightly hippie(?)) vibe actually helps me see the passion of the other guy more clearly.
That’s because Dylan is better than us.
I am inferior to Jason, Joe, and Kram in almost every way, but I very much appreciate your kind words. Thanks for checking out the series!
Right again. This guy doesn't miss. @@dylanseveymusic
@@TastesLikeMusic Give me a break! Cut it out with the sarcasm and stuff. I qualified my statement to prevent this type of response from you guys. Lol. I really just appreciate his love for the subject and you(Joe) do kinda give off modern hippie vibes, which is cool. Anyway, I will take this opportunity to reiterate my request for Remaster episodes for the discographies of acts that you did before you started including star ratings so that we get star ratings for those albums. The main one I keep throwing out is the Beatles, but Led Zeppelin would be great as well. I have to mention the solo albums of the Beatles members that have not had an episode including star ratings and more detailed analysis. Paul McCartney is the most glaring of these omissions so far. Love yall! I am appreciating this series alot Joe. You are awesome.
Ment for the coment by myfriend joe
While I don’t think blonde on blonde is quite as good as Hwy61rev, it does have my unequivocal favorite song( Visions of Johanna)
Yes, Visions of Johanna is unique, and universal.
I cannot make sense out of bob dylan music. Just sayin it right now. I remember it sounded pretty cool when I was high .
Then again most music does.
I was just trying to think of one positive thing to say about dylan, and that's all I got. So, that's why I said that.
Any Zappa
Highway 61 ----9.3 average overall
10 Like a Rolling Stone
7 Tombstone Blues
10 It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry
10 From a Buick 6
10 Ballad of a Thin Man
7 Queen Jane Approximately
10 Highway 61 Revisited
10 Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
8 Desolation. Row
I have always felt this is Dylan's best album and probably the best album ever made. I know most people like different sounds and voices, but what lyrics can you compare to this--and please don't say the Beatles. So basically, I agree with the Dylan on this video.
Hey Joe
Love and Theft.
Charlie Sexton Larry Campbell
Crusher.
Do you guys like the Drive-By Truckers? Definitely influenced by Dylan and Rolling Stones 🎸💥
I do. -Jason
One word. Dredg
Bringing it all Back Home is the Better album (by a nudge) - I've said this for years. I love Highway, but for me it's always been Bringing it all Back Home. It's Alright Ma has never been topped by Dylan..
10/10 album even if Desolation Row is way too long. However it is still only his 2nd best album after BOTT
I feel like Joe is gonna love the music of Blonde on Blonde, it is by far the best “band” performance on any Dylan album. But I don’t think he will love his singing or the mix on the harmonica :(
There is a band - Red Hot Chili Peppers. You should check em out and do a video about them
Jason hates them
@@TastesLikeMusic So what? You all can make an interesting debate ;)
Queen Jane’s guitar is definitely way out of tune! This album is a masterpiece, a Rock landmark album..yeah my favorite Bob album. DESOLATION ROW is just an incredible poem on its own…at least half the songs are unqualified masterpieces. This album has a real edge to it too…almost dangerous or at least outrageous ..the music rises to the occasion matching the lyrics here too. Blonde on Blonde as you move on is recorded in Nashville …tighter more warm sounding. SAD EYED LADY…maybe the most epic love song of all time…
Nothing boring about it to me great album changed the shape of music from boring to to exciting perhaps your boring
As good as this album is, it is one of his 60s albums that I put on the least, I am not sure why that is, it just does not feel quite as cozy as BIABH or BOB or Freewheelin'.
Desolation Row inspired Roger Waters to write longer songs
Yeah and then we got Ummagumma 😬 - Joe
Folk songs don't tend to have bridges; that's a popular music "breather" conceit.
To me, Like a Rolling Stone totally outshines the rest of the songs on the album. My least favorite since his debut.
It's all terrible, boring, bad 'Dylanist' singing, irrelevant imagery, spiteful and mean, and obviously the result of alcoholism.
Desolation Row is a rare exception. Just like Tom Thumbs Blues and It Takes a Lot to Cry are fun, but nothing profound or intelligent.
Like A Rolling Stone is just mean.
Over rated album. In my opinion one of the most over rated albums of all time. Boring
Such a lazy thoughtless comment