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BOB DYLAN
(10 reviews sent in so far)

 
BRINGING IT ALL BACK HOME
By MysteryTramp
December 24, 2005
Rating: 10.0

If you want Bo Dylan's best album, go for Bringing It All Back Home. It beats Highway Sixty-One, Blonde on Blonde, Freewheelin', Blood on the Tracks, Desire, etc. One side acoustic, one side electric, two sides amazing. From the opening blast of "Subterranean Homesick Blues" to that last harmonica note on "It's All Over Now Baby Blue", this record screams "MASTERPIECE!!!"
"Homesick Blues" marks one of Bob's best social-commentary songs. It's two-and-a-half minutes of pure, twisted, funny rock. Same with "Maggie's Farm", his hilarious blues tune about pretty much working with idiots. Then there's his two funniest songs,"On the Road Again" and "Bob Dylan's 115th Dream".
Side Two is Dylan's Dark Side. First we have his masterful drug-song, "Mr. Tambourine Man". Next is the pitch-black "Gates of Eden", where he compares our world to a perfect one. He sings this like a prophet of doom and spits out among his best lines. Then there's "It's All Right Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)", another rapid, dark protest song where he lashes out against capitalism, communism, political corruption and pretty much everything else. Finally, the beauty of "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue". Or at least it seems beautiful on the outside. But listen to it seriously, and you'll find more dark lyrics.
If you were to own one Dylan studio album, get Bringing It All Back Home.


BRINGING IT ALL BACK HOME
By Jack Flash
October 3, 2005
Rating: 9.5

I've been listening to this one a lot lately, and let me say that it's one of the most beautiful albums of all time. You may not expect it from a guy who sings like he's got a rabid monkey up his nose, but I have always dug Dylan's voice a whole lot because he sounds so real, so true and so cool, like he knows it all and is singing to you- even though he could care less. On Bringing It All Back Home, Bob twists what he learned from his folkie days and put on a basic clinic for rock/blues/folk songwriting. He decided to go electric for a full side, and produces his most sneering, warped, most groundbreaking music yet. And, ironically, on the solo, acoustic side, he produces four of his greatest folk songs.
"Subterranean Homesick Blues" is a classic warp speed folk rocker that puts on display Dylan's movement from less blatant political lyrics towards gloriously mangled socio-political messages. "She Belongs To Me" is a sweet little gem that slows us down a bit. But we get right back up with the snarling, biting locomotion of "Maggie's Farm." This was the first song Bob went electric with at 1965 Newport Folk Festival- and what a nasty song! Brilliant. "Love Minus Zero/No Limit" further displays Dylan's talent for writing beautiful, stripped down folksy ballads. "Outlaw Blues" rips like a train wildly heads for "some Australian mountain range" with some more of those brilliantly sharp lyrics. The hopeful "On The Road Again" chugs along in a similar fashion. "Bob Dylan's 115th Dream" is simply the funniest song of all time. No wonder Bob cracks up at the beginning of the song. The famed classic "Mr. Tambourine Man" starts of the folk side. It lives up to its billing as one of his greatest songs. No matter how you feel, hearing this song will always hit the spot, with its cross between utter beauty and cold dejectedness. "Gates Of Eden" is just as good, and contain my favorite lyrics on the album and some of my favorite lyrics of all time, explaining how while our world sucks, a perfect world, here known as the gates of Eden, wouldn't be so much fun either. "It's All Right Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" stands alone for me as his very best folk song. It's simply epic, from its great acoustic riff to its genius lyrics, attacking anything and all that seemed fit to over seven and a half minutes, where Bob sounds like a scoundrel, a god, and a vulnerable child all in the same song. "It's All Over Now Baby Blue" closes the album out, and its beautiful. Just like all the songs that came before it.
The only complaint I have about the album is Dylan's band. They seems real tight but often redundant and afraid to improvise or stray off track, while of Dyaln's best attributes is to have his songs teeter on the brink; sane one moment and swirling madly, way out there the next. He would fix that problem on his later albums, especially his next two (employing the likes of Mike Bloomfield, Al Kooper and members of The Band) but I feel some of the songs could have been even better with a better band band. But no matter. This album was the enigmatic prelude to music's single greatest achievement, Highway 61 Revisited, and should be remembered for that. But standing on its own, this one is one of music's most enduring albums.


BRINGING IT ALL BACK HOME
By Adam
August 7, 2000
Rating: 9.0

The beginning of Bob Dylan's career's high point, which climaxed with Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde On Blonde. This is truly the first folk-rock album and possibly the best. "Subterranean Homesick Blues" is one of the classic social commentaries delivered in fast-talking, and it was accompanied by one of the first music videos ever. Justly, "Maggie's Farm" was Dylan's first electric live song, and "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" was played last at the cataclysmic Newport Folk Festival. "Mr. Tambourine Man" is one of Dylan's most beautiful songs, and "Bob Dylan's 115th Dream" is his goofiest. Bringing It All Back Home is nearly a concept album concerning outsiders and alienation. But first and foremost it is a fully-realized rock album from one of the greatest poets and indeed artists the world will ever know.

To listen to some sound clips from BRINGING IT ALL BACK HOME or to buy it click on: Bringing It All Back Home (Remastered - Buy.com)

Blood On The Tracks
By Rick
February 11, 2004
Rating: 10.0

This album may be about pain but it's anything but painful to listen to. If the record had only 2 tracks, 'Idiot Wind' and 'You're A Big Girl Now', it would still be a classic. I can't imagine anyone else writing a song like 'Big Girl Now' and having the guts to follow it with 'Idiot Wind'. As angry as 'Idiot Wind' is at the end Dylan takes his share of responsibility for the breakup of his marriage and family. The fact that he also gives us 'Tangled Up In Blue', 'Rosemary', 'Shelter From The Storm', etc makes this album a complete masterpiece. To end it with 'Buckets Of Rain' is pure brilliance.

To listen to some soundclips from Blood On The Tracks or to purchase it click on: Blood On The Tracks - Buy.com

HIGHWAY 61 REVISTED
by Darius Henry
November 8, 2007
Rating: 9.5

When I first got this album, I thought this album was all hyped. Bob Dylan isn’t one of the best singers in the world. Don’t give me wrong, he is one of the greatest lyricists of all time. But I had listen to many of his song and I really didn’t like them very much. So when I bought this, I thought I wouldn’t like this at all. Boy was I wrong.

“Like a Rolling Stone” is the album opener. I must admit that I don’t like this song very much. I think it is slightly overrated. Why would I say this? The music is horrible and I can’t stand his voice on this one. I guess what saved this song is his fantastic lyrics about a rich girl who had transformed into poor. But there are songs from Dylan that I like better than “Like a Rolling Stone.” Example of this is the next tune, “Tombstone Blues.” It is one of the catchiest tunes on this album. The chorus and music sounded so catchy that you just wanted to dance. Plus his voice sounded so good in this song. The next song “It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry,” is another great song on this album. I’ll admit I didn’t like it at first. But it grew on me. With its fantastic lyrics and the awesome Country music, you will love this song. It is also another song where is vocal sounded cool. “From a Brick 6” is another great song by Dylan. This is such a great rocker in this piece. “Ballad of the Thin Man” is another great song that is in 6 minutes. But who is Mr. Jones in this song? Could he have talk about Brian Jones, the late Rolling Stones member? I have no clue. But the lyrics to this song are fantastic.

“Queen Jane Approximately” is possibly my least favorite song on here. This song kind of reminds me of “Like a Rolling Stone” with the organ and of course his voice. Don’t like it very much. “Highway 61 Revisited” is probably my favorite song on this album. I like the siren and the acoustic on this one. But what I like the most about this song is the concept of it; how things are solve on Highway 61. “Just like Tom Thumb’s Blues” is one of the best songs on here, IMO. I love the music on this one so much; I must learn how to play it. But who is Tom Thumb? I heard he’s an English folklore about a guy who is no bigger than his father thumb. But still, great music on this one. This album ended with a classic, “Desolation Row.” Great song by Dylan. But the only problem I have with this song is it just too damn long. As a matter of fact, most of his song on this album and on his next album, Blonde on Blonde, is just too damn long for us to listen to. If Dylan were to just cut some part out of his song, I would love rate this album a ten. But still, great lyrics to listen to in “Desolation Row” with like 650 words I believe.’

Highway 61 Revisited is a fantastic album. But man, it barely made my top ten list of my favorite album of all times. The key word is barely because they are so many albums just as great as this album. I’m not a big Dylan fan, mostly due to his voice. But somehow, his horrible voice fits this album so well, and that’s saying something. Plus he had proven to me why he is one of the greatest lyricists of all time. So please, buy this album and try to listen to his words.


HIGHWAY 61 REVISTED
By Net Pimp
November 29, 2000
Rating: 10.0

A near perfect album! After going electric, all the controversy over betraying folkies, Dylan shook the rock world, and became an anti-hero superstar for a new generation to look up to. Previously adored for his poetic lyrics and protests, Dylan had inched away from that image to inspire countless rock artists. He electrified his love for blues, boogie-woogie, country and folk and this was it. The awesome organ/piano punch highlights jovial songs like the epic "Like a Rolling Stone" a surprise no. 2 hit at nearly 7 minutes long in 1965!!?? Anyhow, he made a full-out rocker out of tunes like "Tombstone Blues," "From a Buick 6," "Highway 61 Revisited," and some quaint pieces too like "It Takes a Lot to Laugh," "Ballad of a Thin Man", a song about Dylan's good friend supposedly, our beloved Rolling Stone, the late Brian Jones. A menacing song with a melody lifted from Ray Charles' "I Believe to My Soul". Also the whimsical folk-rocker "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" and "Queen Jane Approximately." The fiery, awesome guitar of young Michael Bloomfield, the Hammond B-3 of Al Kooper, Dylan's wispy harmonica, it's all breathtaking in here! "Desolation Row" is a 10.0. A foreshadowing of the frank, honest, maturity of his next, Blonde on Blonde. Plus, it's a grand 11 minutes long! Quite simply, a near-immaculate record, I just prefer Revolver for its avant-garde stunningness!

To listen to some soundclips from HIGHWAY 61 REVISTED or to purchase it click on either  Highway '61 Revisited (Remastered - Buy.com)

BLONDE ON BLONDE
by Darius Henry
Febuary 25, 2010
Rating: 8.5

Bob Dylan will never be my favorite artist. I will never ever become a major Dylan fan as so many others. But I can’t deny the fact how much impact Dylan has on music. And there is no doubt that he is one of the greatest lyricists of all time. Without Dylan, John Lennon would had never stopped making Pop record with the Beatles and there would be no Byrds, Simon & Garfunkel, or not even Sonny & Cher. But enough of that, I will review his “best” album, Blonde on Blonde. This album is, IMO, one of the most overrated albums of all time. Sure, it’s a very good album at best, but it’s not as great as many people put it out to be.

This album starts off with “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35”. I must admit, this is actually one of my favorite Dylan’s songs. The song, which is telling people that everybody must get stoned (or screwed), is a great Big Band 12-Blues bar song. “Pledging My Time” is a very annoying song. This song would’ve been a great Blues song if it wasn’t for that damn harmonica. I cringed everytime I listen to it. “Vision of Johanna” is the one song that took me a very long time to understand, but I love this song. It’s a very cool Folk song. But the organ made this song for me. Still a little too long. “Sooner or Later” is a very boring song, at least to me. The lyrics, which about his failed relationship, seems cool, but I don’t like Dylan’s voice on this one. “I Want You” is the shortest song on here at just 3 minutes. Compare to other songs on here, it’s actually sounds more Pop. It’s still a very good song. “Stuck Inside a Mobile with a Memphis Blues Again” is a catchy jingle. It’s a very long song (that’s a downside), but it’s still neat enough to dance to it. “Leopard-Skin Pill Box Hat” is a very cool Blues song. IDK what this song about, but it’s just something about this song that I like. “Just Like a Woman” is a great Folk song. This song has the best lyrics on here, which is about Edie Sedgwick.

“Most Likely You’ll Go Your Way” is one of the earliest Funk songs. It’s basically about a failed relationship, but this song sounds so cool to me. I wish more Dylan’s song sounds like this. “Temporary Like Achilles” is a nice Gospel-like Blues song. Great song to play while you’re in a country.  Don’t know what the lyrics about, though. “Absolutely Sweet Marie” sounds like a great upbeat Gospel-like Soul song. Hardly hiding the sexual imagery, it’s still a great song. I can dance to this. “4th Time Around” was influenced by the Beatles’ “Norwegian Wood”, and I can say that I think Dylan did a great job on here. Nice Folk-melody song about a young romance. “Obviously 5 Believers” is the most upbeat Blues song on this album. I would say that this song that it’s a love song. But I can enjoy the music on this one. The last song, “Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowland” is one of the most boring songs on this album. It’s too long and it’s too sad. Makes me want to go to sleep by half-way. It’s one of the worst ways to end this album. But hey, what do I know?!

Overall, this is a very good album. I truly love Side 3 the most, but I’m a minority on this one. Still, I think this album is very overrated. The songs on here is way too long and Dylan’s doesn’t have the voice to carry this long. But again, he is a lyricist, a great one at that. Like I said, where would music in general be without Dylan? Most fans would say this is the best album ever. And I say, I don’t think so. But I do recommended to listen to this album at least once in your life.


BLONDE ON BLONDE
By Andrew
January 11, 2004
Rating: 9.5

Blonde on Blonde is brilliant throughout. This is Bob's wildest album and he really pushes himself here. There's the craziness of 'Rainy Day Women #12 & 35' and 'Leapard-Skin Pill-Box Hat'. The bluesiness of 'Pledging Me Time' and 'Obviously 5 Believers'. Then there's the beauty of songs like 'Visions of Johana', 'One of us Must Know', 'Stuck Inside a Mobile' and 'Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands'. Dylan may have been better on other albums but he's never as unpredictable or willing to test his boundaries as he does on Blonde on Blonde. A truly remarkable album.


Blonde on Blonde
By Net Pimp
November 29, 2000
Rating: 9.5

Blonde on Blonde, along with Exile on Main St., Electric Ladyland, and The White Album, happens to be one of the greatest double albums ever. Though Dylan's voice is as droning, and ragged as ever, it shouldn't matter to his real fans. His songs show maturity and clarity, while his previous album was the opposite, in a wonderful way too. Here, he sings songs of bitter love, and has a more relaxed and mellow feeling. "Rainy Day Women," though Dylan claims it's not a drug song, sounds so immaculately zany, it sounds like everybody already has gotten stoned! Other tender, more folkish, songs include the classics "One of Must Know," "I Want You," "Just Like a Woman," "4th Time Around" and "Sad Eyed Lady." But Dylan's poetic fans have songs like "Stuck Inside of Mobile" to please their tastes with rambling lyrics and Hammond B3 organ to pep it up. For the rest, he mixes traditional American forms of music, like folk, country and blues and turns them into a spectacle of song writing which gets a fine rating for a double album! After this, he broke his neck in a motorbike crash a few months later, woodshedded for a while, recorded fantastic work with the Band, then came back for sporadic artistic success. In between John Wesley Harding and Blood on the Tracks, he seemed dried up and mediocre. Though he's had occasional masterpieces, and great material, since, this was the epitaph to his classic period.

To listen to some soundclips from BLONDE ON BLONDE or to purchase it click on either Blonde On Blonde

Desire
By Teiz
September 7, 2004
Rating: 8.5

Dylan’s Desire, though a masterpiece in it’s own right, will forever be in the shadows of it’s predecessor Blood On The Tracks. Still, this one is to be considered a classic Dylan album. Highlights are plenty on this ‘studio side of the Rolling Thunder’ as Colombia calls it. The demise of 'Black Diamond Bay', the innocent boxer called 'Hurricane' framed for murder and locked away in prison or 'Joey' Gallo being ‘blown away’, Dylan is troubadouring his stunning stories about the outsiders he identifies with one way or another. And Bob is backed by a bunch of great musicians, which helps. Emmylou Harris appears as a very prominent backing vocalist, sometimes even more up front in the mix than Dylan himself. The result is extraordinary, with perhaps 'One More Cup Of Coffee' as the perfect example. The 9 song class act that is Desire is finished with a very personal song about his wife 'Sara'. While Bob’s marriage was falling apart, he stills cries out to his Sweet Virgin Angel to don’t ever leave him, but it wouldn’t take much longer. Lovely song though, even if the Dylan-writers are right and there’s not much factual truth in it, he manages to get his point across.
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To listen to some soundclips from Desire or to purchase it click on:

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