The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan

Important? Sure. Historical? Yes. Fun to listen to? No.

[strums guitar gently, starts singing] “How many Bob Dylan albums must a man endure, before he’s free of this god forsaken list? The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind.” [abruptly stops strumming] …wait, no it’s not. Seven. The answer, my friend, is seven.

No. No Bob Dylan. I can't stand the sound of his voice, I can't stand the fawning hero worship, I can't stand his terrible paintings. I flatly refuse to even entertain the suggestion of listening to this. No.

i don't care if i sound shallow but this is one of the best albums of all time sure his lyrics are dense and it's kinda pompous but u just gotta roll wit it

Another Dylan master class for his second album more blues and less folk, less biblical and some really profound lyrics when everyone else was singing about taking girls to discos. For a point of reference 1963 was the same year Cliff Richard released “summer holiday”. This is why Bobby D was a groundbreaking artist, maybe not the most technically gifted musician but his lyrics are more like poetry and will go down in history as great feats of English literature. In my opinion this album goes beyond music.

Not my favourite Dylan album, but holds a lot of magic. So self-assured and pure. Hard Rain has been a huge influence. Don't Think Twice is one of my favourite love songs ever.

I honestly don't get the big deal with Bob Dylan. Bored the balls off me.

Really up my alley, don't know why I hadn't jumped into Bob Dylan's discography. That guitar strumming, that lyricism. His voice is full of emotion and carries the words so well. BUT? He sounds nasally as FUCK. An acquired taste that I have not entirely acquired.

Not my favorite of Dylan’s early all acoustic stuff (that would be The Times They Are A-Changin’) and a tad inconsistent, but “Blowin In The Wind,” “Girl From The North Country,” “Masters Of War,” “A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall,” and “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” are among the greatest songs ever written.

This is where Dylan began to establish himself as a serious songwriter and accidentally ended up changing songwriting itself. Starts incredibly strongly with the first three songs being absolutely timeless pillars of music that will last through the ages. It's almost as if Dylan was a human version of the monolith from "2001: A Space Odyssey" and everyone who came into contact with his music began to evolve after listening to it. He's still in the shadow of Woody Guthrie here when he wants to be, but at this point I think it's more to temper the sheer power that is pouring out of him with something more down to earth.

Here it is, finally! I'm not sure if this is my favorite Dylan album, but I knew it was only a matter of time until we got one that is a five star for me. This is easily one of my favorites from Bobby boy. It's that early, folksy style that I love, even veering into blues territory. There's a few classic bangers on here like "Blowin in the Wind" and "Don't Think Twice It's Alright," but the depth is extremely rewarding. I love the story-telling Dylan over acoustic guitar and some harmonica here and there, long before he expired. Take "Down the Highway" for example, just a long blues progression with a story and that repeated, lilting vocal inflection is just so addictive to me. He sounds like he's a thousand years old, like the mysterious man singing "O Death" in O Brother Where Art Thou. As much as I rag on Bob Dylan for some of his later stuff (I've given one of his albums a one star already), he's really an incredible songwriter and musician, and this album is one I will always champion. One of the best. Favorite tracks: Don't Think Twice It's Alright, Corinna Corinna, Down the Highway, Girl from the North Country, Talking World War III Blues, I Shall Be Free. Album art: One of his must unassuming. Of course I've seen it a million times, but it doesn't leave much of an impression. I like that humility. Is that Corinna he's walking with? Is she from the north country? 5/5

Bob turns up proper on his second album. Finger pointing protesting love/hate songs. This album sounds like it's going to be friendly with the finger picking acoustic and down home folky couple on the front, but it picks you up by the ear and kicks you in the balls. After that, if you still don't like it it means you haven't been paying attention. Best Tracks: Girl From The North Country; Don't Think Twice It's All Right; Talkin' World War 3 Blues

I can respect him as an artist. I think that Bob Dylan was a trailblazer for folk music, but personally it is not for me.

Difficult to actually hear as I know the album so well, for so many years. Struck by the skillful way he uses his voice - variety of accents, young/old, the rhythm, the poetry.

What if... this screeching is not harmonica but some entity that Bob Dylan came in contact with like in Saya no Uta. That thing just talks like that and he's the only one who can understand it. Aww, it's so cute, this little Lovecraftian monster is trying to help with the song! On a serious note, I don't want to be serious. It's like I'm given the same album three times already. I just can't generate a different response That being said, I think I'm warming up to this music, it was slightly more bearable again. This or the fact that I'm literally getting older

I think I've come to the conclusion that I prefer Dylan songs when someone other than Bobby sings them. Most of the time anyway. This has some lovely songs on it, but I'd really rather listen to, say, Peter, Paul and Mary sing them. Or Joan Baez. Or John Martyn. I'll draw the line at Clapton obviously, but there are lots of nice versions of a number of these songs that I'm very happy to listen to multiple times. Fwiw, Blowin' in the Wind might be the time when Dylan's is the better version. So, it was nice to listen to this to say that I have, but I doubt I'll ever put it on again.

His voice infuriates me in an indescribable way

Stone cold masterpiece and the apex of Bob Dylan's early folk protest singer phase. Any record that has "Blowin' in the Wind", "Girl from the North Country", "Masters of War", "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall", "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right", and "Corrina, Corrina" in its tracklisting MUST be included in a list like this, even if the rest was made out of absolute duds. Luckily, the rest is not made out of duds, so ignore the usual grumblers complaining about Bob's voice and dive in. The words and stories are fascinating. The music is subtle and far more sophisticated than it seems, with some terrific harmonic moments. And once you get that, Dylan's vocal performance becomes perfect as well. I don't have enough time today to elaborate, sadly. But in a way, I *refuse* to elaborate. There's a very clear reason Bob Dylan became a cult figure -- in spite of himself, at first. And this album is exhibit A. for it. A lot of people telling you that he is overrated end up changing their minds at some point. I did. It's just that I didn't know what I was talking about before. So dive in as well if you haven't yet. And for those who may have questions about how I ended up changing my mind... Well indeed, the answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind. But if you end up loving this LP, you'll manage to catch said answer before it's out of your grasp. It's all up to you, really. 4.5/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums. 9.5/10 for more general purposes (5 + 4.5) (a quick note about that grading: no album in my list of 20 records released in 1963 reaches a perfect mark. *The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan* is the best album of that year for me, followed by releases by Charles Mingus, The Beach Boys and the first two Beatles LPs. Anything beyond isn't really essential as far as albums go. So you have to put your head back then to picture what a shock for the audience this sort of album could be. Which is another good reason to include it here...) Number of albums left to review: 58 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 407 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 234 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 302

Oh yeah, this feels iconic - you can definitely see how Dylan captured the zeitgeist of the times. Most of these songs could be dropped into the soundtrack of a scene and instantly paint a picture of 60s cultural tumult... Fave track - toss up between "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall" and "Masters of War"

Oh, fuck this. This wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Blowin’ in the Wind and Don’t Think Twice are truly fantastic songs. I suppose there is something to be said about a dude, a guitar and a harmonica being enough for a song. I didn’t really notice the lyrics and the ones I did weren’t particularly insightful, probably because I’m listening to this nearly 60 years later. Overall, I found it to be boring background music until the damn harmonica came in and steamrolled everything in the most annoying way. Like, Honey, Just Allow Me One More Chance is kind of fun until the fucking harmonica just BLARES. No desire to listen to this again. This album is for boring softies.

This is my first time listening to Bored Dylan and will likely be the last. I'm sure he's great if you really like folk music though

This man cannot sing!!

This is my 2nd least favourite genre (folk) and it shows with this review. 1 star

boring, same thing all the time, meh

How did he sound so old so young? I can understand why he walked a little back from the political content, as it’s so powerful that I imagine he had a lot of people trying to commission him for more, and outrage never runs dry. I enjoyed this a lot, and was surprised by how stirring the raw acoustic delivery was for me, as I’d only gone through the electric albums previously. The non-sequiturs work for me- “good car to drive/after a war” - presented as afterthoughts

although i don't think this is necessarily bob dylan at the height of his powers, this is a terrific album and one that shows essentially where he started from. maybe the most pure folk album he ever released (outside of his debut) and there is some terrific stuff on here. this album really showcases him as a pure folk singer, which i think is very important in his history, but in his relation to the evolution of popular music in the 20th century. if i can nitpick, not all of the songs are 10 out of 10 bangers, but most of them are great and there are some all-timers on here. safe to say, it's one of my favorites of his and an overall great album.

Me - "Poor predictable Bob, always takes harmonica." Dylan - "Good old harmonica, nothing beats that!"

Το άκουσα στο αυτοκίνητο οπότε δεν καταλάβαινα στίχους. Η μουσική ήταν μονότονη.

Amazing lyricist that should've been born mute

Nope. I can't bear an entire album of all-acoustic Dylan. Blonde on Blonde and the Basement Tapes are hard enough, but just him with his guitar and a harmonica going on and on like some lunatic busker? I just can't.

As boring as it is iconic

Bob Dylan does nothing for me, actually that’s not quite true. Bob Dylan makes me bored. Is it important? Sure I guess, enough people say it is but, no thanks

Being from Minnesota Dylan was someone I heard at a very young age. But then, as a teen exploring music, I remember listening to this album on my parents record player while lying on the floor with my best friend Kelly. Every song, every word, felt like a revelation. This was in ‘85 or ‘86- two decades after it was released. It reminded me of the Hemingway story we were reading in honors English. It was full of metaphor and symbolism. And now, 40 years later, Dylan’s lyrics still ring true and feel relevant. ESP after the winter of ‘26 in Minneapolis- as ICE murdered Renee Good and Alex Pretti in our backyard. “I just want you to know I can see through your masks… you’ve never done nothing’ but build to destroy… masters of war.”

An absolute giant of an album that holds a significant place in my personal history. I originally bought this record in my 20s alongside my first acoustic guitar, using it as a textbook for fingerpicking and songwriting. Revisiting it today, it remains just as vital, though my focus has shifted to appreciating the raw, 'rack-style' harmonica playing that drives the tracks. Beyond the musicianship, what strikes me most is the lyrical weight. Listening to tracks like 'Masters of War' today, it is sobering to realise that the issues Dylan was singing about in 1963 are no different to the headlines we see now; it is the same game, just different players. A masterpiece of independent artistry that is as relevant today as it was the day it was released.

Album 1032 of 1089 The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan (1963) Rating : 5 / 5 I was genuinely happy to see this one pop up, mostly because I would’ve sworn I’d already covered it. I’ve listened to it so many times over the years that it all blurs together - and that’s a good thing. This is one of my favorites. There are standout tracks, sure, but there really isn’t a weak moment here. Blowin’ in the Wind, Girl from the North Country, I Shall Be Free, and one of my all-time favorites, Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right - they just keep coming. Song after song feels fully formed, thoughtful, and timeless. What always gets me is how early this came out. 1963 just feels impossibly early for an album this confident and this sharp. The lyrics are poignant without being heavy-handed, and the guitar work — that steady, expressive picking underneath it all - gives the songs room to breathe. It’s simple on the surface but incredibly rich if you lean into it. It isn’t perfect, but taken as a whole, it’s a wonderful listen and one I’d enthusiastically recommend to anyone. Easily my favorite pre-Beatles album and one that has earned every bit of its reputation over time.

The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan is a genuinely brilliant record and one of the most important albums in popular music. As Bob Dylan’s second album, it feels looser, more human, and more grounded than his debut—leaning further into blues influences while stripping back some of the overtly biblical imagery. What really stands out is the storytelling. The songs are simple in structure but immense in meaning: poetry delivered with minimal accompaniment, where every lyric matters. This is a groundbreaking album precisely because of its restraint. There’s no excess here—just voice, guitar, harmonica, and words that changed what songwriting could be. It feels timeless, intimate, and quietly revolutionary. This album is more than just music; it’s a statement of intent and a masterclass in lyrical expression. Favourite tracks: Blowin’ in the Wind – one of my all-time favourite Dylan songs. Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right and I Shall Be Free are also right up there. Honestly, it’s hard to single anything out. Least favourite track: None. Every song earns its place. Album artwork: An iconic Dylan cover—effortlessly cool and perfectly matched to the album’s spirit.

The first album does tend to get overlooked and I think it is partly due to this being so good. A fast learner, he finds his voice as a performer and a song writer. Hard Rain/Masters of War/Blowing in the Wind and probably his first classic in Don't Think Twice which is simply a masterpiece in song writing. The whole thing hangs together as an "album" should. This is indeed something to listen to before you shuffle off this mortal coil.

There are surprisingly few albums on this list that are genuine all-time-classic must-hear records, but The Freewheeling Bob Dylan is one of them. Half a dozen classic tunes on Bob's best acoustic record. I think enough has been written about this record that I don't need to rehash the virtues of this album. Want to hear a really great cover of Masters of War? Check out Mark Arm (from Mudhoney) from his solo single 'The Freewheeling Mark Arm'. https://youtu.be/XivdOB4B-l8?si=lMrTSiUxyRzO9g1-

Harmonicas rule

It’s all been said before, but my main praise is the scope: it’s thought-provoking, tender, brutal, hilarious, heartbreaking and more, all before you even flip to side two. I’ve been listening to this for 30 years now and it keeps on giving. A very early high watermark.

I was dating this Dutch girl, who always tried to prove to me that she was hip and ‘knew’ America by playing Freewheeling over and over. We took a roadtrip to Nashville, so I put on Nashville Skyline. She was like ‘what is this shit?’ I said, ‘it’s Bob Dylan.’ She said, ‘shut up, that isn’t Bob Dylan,’ then she turned off Nashville Skyline and threw Freewheeling back on. Usually, I prefer Nashville Skyline, but on that trip, I felt like Bob on the Freewheeling album cover (we did start our roadtrip from Greenwich Village) and she was that smiling, cozy girl on my arm. Hell, I didn’t care what we were listening to. Blowing in the Wind is no longer a Bob Dylan song. It’s an American folk song. It was the rallying cry for the sixties, and without it, we’d have no Beatles Revolver. We’d have no future eras of Dylan as he tried to reinvent himself to stay relevant (he’s had so many eras that watching Taylor Swift’s Eras tour is like watching a woman change clothes twenty times and then sound kind of the same on the next song). If you don’t like this album, too bad. It’s not going anywhere. It’s in everything that you listen to already. Try listening to Freewheeling forty times on a roadtrip, and the lyrics will begin to set with you. Then, a decade on, you can play it again and it’ll feel like a lost part of you returning. Just an idea for a project if you’ve got the time and an encouraging Dutch girlfriend. Dylan’s debut was a great album, but Freewheeling is a GREAT album. It’s a legend. Although Dylan went on to possibly greater heights, he never caught the ineffable ‘something’ that exists in Freewheeling again. It’s a monument of a time, a vibe, and an attitude.

Dylan’s second album is the first time this prolific songwriter really flexed his lyrical muscles. Every time I listen to this album I’m reminded of what a vivid and dynamic songwriter Dylan was. His social protest songs always get the most attention but here he also shows his ability to write romantic, whimsical and even humorous songs that still hold up after all these years. This is my favorite album of his and upon hitting play I’m always transported to a time in my youth when anything was possible and fall weather felt electric. This is the power of Bob Dylan and this is why I give this album 5 stars.

A long time ago, when I was younger and almost cool, I walked through Greenwich Village in the snow, with my arm around my beautiful girlfriend. I remember thinking, "Hey, this is the cover of that Dylan album." That was pretty great, I tell you.

Don't know what the fuck to say about this album. This is an album that stands completely out of time, and if you're not ready for it yet, you just need to be at that exact place in life where it enters in your life. Music that works like water, filling a deep hole. Or those videos of "things that fit perfectly into other things." You know the ones? With the golf balls? Basically I'm saying it's for a breakup. Put this shit on!! I've been there. Lot of us have been there. "She was once a true love of mine..." 5/5

Great

Classic early Dylan. definitely a good listen - if not every-day.

Every male be acting like this album cover come autumn/early winter.

How can a 21yo write "It's A Hard Rain.."? And include 4-5 other all-time classics on one album? Even the longer/less tuneful ones are very entertaining. Just incredible [EDIT: Mark, I hope you appreciated "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right", the motherlode of the "pedagogic goodbye" style]

I’m more of a post-electric Dylan sort of guy, but I still find plenty to love from his folk hero days. Side A in particular here has some of my favorites of his, and “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” is justifiably in the conversation of not only being one of his best songs, but one of the best songs of the decade it released in. That said, his protest songs have never been my cup of tea, despite how relevant they seem to remain, and that makes up a large chunk of this track list. Outside of the aforementioned Don’t Think Twice, Side B in particular feels void of songs I return to when I do dip my toes back into Dylan’s early days. It’s an essential album in understanding him as a growing artist, and even the song I’m not fond of are imbued with his songwriting talent, but I personally think we’re still about a year or so away before things get real interesting.

Of the many white men in the sixties who are seen as visionaries because they had access to high fidelity recording equipment and intellectual property lawyers, Bob Dylan is Lebron. It's Woody Guthrie with most of the rough edges sanded down. Folk music with a stylist. And it's nice to listen to, serious but with a sense of humor, well paced and dynamic.

Nice, easy listening music from the 60s. A classic. I seldom listen to music before the 80s, so this was a unique listen for me. I came into it expecting to not really like it, as I don't often enjoy country music/whatever genre this is, but it was nice to hear something so warm, authentic, and acoustic for once. Not the best music I've ever heard, probably would not voluntarily go out of my way to listen to it again, but its good, and it's what I needed to hear today. 4/5 stars. Favourite song: Girl from the North Country

In 4th grade chorus, we sang a mash up of Blowin' in the Wind and My Country Tis of Thee and it actually went so hard I still think about it. I think it made me woke as a 9 year old for sure

A handful of recognizable hits as well as a handful of songs that sound like the recognizable hits. He’s less of a singer than a poet soliloquizing his thoughts with a guitar and harmonica. I like when he laughs mid-speak/song.

No. 91/1001 Blowin' in the Wind 5/5 Girl from the North Country 4/5 Masters of War 3/5 Down the Highway 2/5 Bob Dylan's Blues 3/5 A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall 4/5 Don't Think Twice, It's All Right 5/5 Bob Dylan's Dream 4/5 Oxford Town 3/5 Talkin' World War III Blues 3/5 Corrina, Corrina 4/5 Honey, Just Allow Me One More Chance 4/5 I Shall Be Free 3/5 Average: 3,62 This album showcases all the things I find good and bad about Dylan. Love the lyrics and songwriting on some songs. On others it feels like him rambling along to music.

Still so accurate

I think I enjoyed it but not so much due to its soft nature , I guess I am in a different mood but Bob Dylan is a great musician and a legend , I do love some of his songs <3

Shut the fuck up Bob Dylan

How many Bob Dylan albums must a man listen to before he is done with this list?

Listen… I could happily sit in a bar somewhere with a beer listening to this music. It's pleasant, laid back & I can see that Bob Dylan has immense talent. But my god as an album it’s dull. Far too many songs I can imagine sitting as background music during a movie set in the wild west.

"How many roads must a man walk down before you can call him a man?” "Seven!" "No, Dad. It's a rhetorical question." "Rhetorical, eh? Eight!” Dylan is a hard pass for me. I get he’s a fantastic song writer tackling the big issues of the day, but these songs would be better sung be anyone else. I’m sure they would have still let him play his harmonica, but someone should have taken that mic out of his hand. Still gets 2 ⭐️ for his prolific lyrics, but buddy needed to take some singing lessons.

dadrock at its finest, thats why I can't recommend this to anyone except boomers

Normalerweise bin ich in diesem old school, tramp on train Folk super gern zu Gast, esse Bohnen aus der Pfanne, trinke Maisschnaps ausm Zinnbecher und lege meine zerzausten Gedanken auf einem Büschel Stroh zur Ruh‘ Aber dass die Größe dieses einzelnen Bobs das monumentale Genre der uramerikanischen Geschichten Erzähler überragen soll, kann ich nicht erkennen

es muy aburrido que quieres que diga

I didn't even listen to this. Bob Dylan is the devil reincarnated and someone should have cut his vocal chords when they had the chance. Well, he sounds like they were already cut. No way anyone finds this mans music listenable...

Some of these songs are incredibly relevant today. Bob can't sing but he can sure write and get a message across.

Nearly perfect album - this is one of the greats. If you need to know if you'll like Dylan, test this one out with a spin.

Exceptional, one of his great albums. How quickly he got up to speed considering this was 1963! A classic.

Okay what an album to start with! One of my favorite artists of all time and one of my favorite projects of his. I’m excited to do a small track by track commentary, so let’s get started! Track 1: Blowin in the Wind A classic. Perfect song! So influential, so important, such a wonderful protest song. It remains so incredibly relevant. Simple yet so effective. Track 2: Girl from the North Country One of my favorite Dylan songs maybe. It feels so intimate and delicate. It’s one of my favorite harmonica performances of his also. Track 3: Masters of War Man he could write a protest anthem. “While the death count gets higher, you hide in your mansion, while the young peoples’ blood flows out of their bodies, and is buried in the mud” Once again, unfortunately incredibly relevant to America’s current hellish political landscape. Fuck war, fuck billionaires, and fuck Donald Trump. Track 4: Down the Highway This one I’ve always really enjoyed, so clearly wearing Woody Guthrie on his sleeve here. The guitar licks present each strum as so genuine, so tangible. I can picture his playing, which is what the tune calls for. Wonderful. Track 5: Bob Dylan’s Blues A fun one. Feels like I just hopped on a train car. “Tell the judge I said it was all right” is such a great line. Track 6: A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall God, how does someone write something this good? It’s what I think about every time I hear this song. We’re getting into more poetic territories here. So many standout lines. The idea that each was seen as the starts of several different songs. “I’ve stepped in the middle of seven sad forests” “I heard ten-thousand whispering and nobody listening” “And I’ll tell it and speak it and think it and breathe it, and reflect from the mountain so all souls can see it, and I’ll stand on the ocean until I start sinking, but I’ll know my song well before I start singing.” It’s perfect. Track 7: Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right There’s not much I can really say about this one. I sound like a broken record, but it’s just perfect (although I will say I think I slightly prefer the Joan Baez version). Track 8: Bob Dylan’s Dream A sneakily very sad song. I can’t listen to the words too closely or I’ll cry. About the preciousness of friendship and the memories we cling to of moments we can never get back. A bit gut wrenching. Track 9: Oxford Town Song written about James Meredith, a black student accepted into the University’s of Mississippi in 1962, and the subsequent racist acts committed against him. Potent, necessary, and important. Track 10: Talkin World War III Blues Discusses the red scare and its absurdity in American culture through a Woody Guthrie-esque track that he clearly had a lot of fun making. Track 11: Corrina, Corrina Probably my least favorite off the album, but good nonetheless. It’s a sweet track. Track 12: Honey, Just Allow Me One More Chance His vocal performance in this one is just so fun. Hootin and holler-in a crazy amount. Really enjoy the instrumentation with this one also. Track 13: I Shall Be Free “She’s a man-eater, meat-grinder, bad loser” “She’s a humdinger, folk singer” My favorite moments of the song just because of his inflection. Rewrite of a Lead Belly song with some of Dylan’s funniest lines across his discography. Always a good time. So glad I was able to just sit back tonihht and listen to this whole thing for the thousandth time. It’s one of my favorites, and I’m so glad to start my 1001 albums journey with an album so special to me :)

Obviously a five

Is there a more compelling artist with just an acoustic guitar (and occasionally harmonica)? Still fixated on Blood on the Tracks but will have this in the rotation for a while.

Bob Dylan is obviously a great songwriter but I've noticed most of his best songs are just essentially calling some girl a bitch. Blowin in the wind definitely hits different when we're bombing Iran though. Timeless. Also loved I shall be free

I gotta be in the mood for Dylan - not always - but this is his best stuff.

The stripped back music, just voice, guitar and harmonica force you to focus on the lyrics and they still resonate hard decades later. An amazing album

top 3 - Masters of War, Down The Highway, Corrina, Corrina. Pretty good, have listened to it before. I will always love the harmonica!

“You fasten all the triggers For the others to fire Then you sit back and watch When the death count gets higher You hide in your mansion While the young people's blood Flows out of their bodies And is buried in the mud” Listening to 50 minutes of 60-year-old protest music in March 2026 amidst all that is going on in the world is somewhat surreal. We look back on songs such as “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “Masters of War” doe-eyed and remember them as important works of art that spoke truth to power. Then we open our phones and see that on the whim of one man a country has been flattened and thousands have been displaced, maimed, or killed. In that moment you realise that, whilst these songs are beautiful, you can speak truth to power all you want, but making it listen is another matter. Bob Dylan would go from strength to strength for the better part of two decades following this now iconic debut. He defined and reinvented Folk music more times than most people have even touched an instrument. You can easily hear how “Freewheelin’” was an exceptional platform for him to propel that legacy from. This is a collection of politically conscious Folk songs which is unrivalled outside Dylan’s own discography. I only wish that as a people we had learned more from the messaging.

Continuing my reckoning of why I don’t love this legend – starting off with Blowin in the Wind is inspired; what an incredible song that works on so many levels, easily at home at a protest march and a school assembly. I really like Masters of War and Hard Rains a- gonna Fall is my particular favourite. Perhaps it’s the harmonica? I’m blaming the harmonica. Giving it 5 STARS because it’s so magnificent, even if I don’t really care.

Album 6 3/6/26 My first Dylan of the project! I have previously listened to everything from the debut to Nashville Skyline, but only a few from the 70s on. I consider myself a Dylan fan, and a major fan of this album, even though as a generalization I prefer electric blues to acoustic folk. My question going into the listen was just how many 5s Bob Dylan created, and where exactly this album stands within his catalog. Another generalization about my listening is that for better or for worse I'm usually not focused on lyrics, especially on first time listens. But I know a lot of these songs well, and the stripped down nature of the album pushes the lyrical content to the front of my mind. Masters of War is the hardest hitting social commentary of any Dylan song for me, and the other top tracks are Blowin in the Wind and A Hard Rain's a Gonna Fall. I have a soft spot for I Shall be Free for it's humor, and also for Talking WWIII Blues especially the quotation at the end. A few years ago I may not have been ready to give a nearly completely acoustic album a 5, but I think this will go well on my album wall. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Absolute classic that rewrote the rules for writing music

I still think he’s a chode, but man this is great.

Que puedo decir de este álbum? Es transgresor, poético, definitivo para el folk… como vergas escribió todo esto Dylan a los 21 años? Amo todas las canciones en este álbum, pero mi favorita es Girl From The North Country. Por? Cualquiera que alguna vez haya amado o todavía ame a alguien y se pregunte por cómo está y si se preguntan por uno lo entenderá. Posdata: mi objetivo de vida amorosa es algún día recrear esa foto de portada (ya sea literal una foto nuestra o por también caminar abrazados en el frío) con esa persona especial

<333

Simply incredible This is one of of the few albums so far that really feels like a must listen.

Always love Bob

I don't spend much time listening to Bob, but this is a great album from the start to the finish. My only complaint is that he is so popular that many of the tracks have been overplayed. But hearing it as a single album does bring a bit of freshness to it. The major flaw on this album is the guitar distinctly to the right, the voice dead center and the harmonica way to the left. I flipped it to play mono and it was much better, although that created some artifacts. Anyway, great album.

Peak, perfect Dylan. All my favorites on one album. I listened all weekend

This one hit right this morning on my morning commute. Heard Bob around the house a lot as my mom was a huge fan. Gonna give it 4.5/5 which round up to 5.

Blowin’ In The Wind has got to be like a Top 10 All Time song easily for me. This whole album is really just great. I think if we had half stars this would be a 4.5, but I enjoy it so much it’s a 5 for me here.

NOBEL

Straight and sharp. I don't know what I'm supposed to add about Bob Dylan, but the writing is clear and cutting and engaging even with just a guitar and his nasally voice. His timing and delivery are unique, still fun to listen to and shows a range from serious and poetic to goofy. Don't think twice is probably the song I've played most on guitar Highlights: Girl from the North Country, A Hard Rain, Don't Think Twice It's Alright,

Álbum muito fixe não sei muito que dizer mas curti bué e certamente voltarei a ouvir

This was awesome, as always from Bob Dylan. So inventive, so fun to listen to, so much good simple, down-home-sounding music. I know artists like Woody Guthrie and Peter, Paul & Mary were around beforehand, but Bob Dylan really created so much of what is the folk sound and it's all over this album. I listened to it twice and loved every minute of it. Five stars.

Bob Dylan from someone who isnt a big fan but has seen the movie incoming. I have only heard two other bob dylan album. I think for this challenge too. This is a clear 5/5 when they base other media off of your album you’ve made it. This is full of spirit and life through its lyrics and guitar. The harmonica is so so so iconic in these tracks. Don’t think twice is my favorite I used to listen to a cover not knowing it was a cover and now I love the original

Bob Dylan's second album but it really is his first album to showcase his immense songwriting talents. Some of his greatest songs are on this album. The cover is a classic. In a coat he borrowed from James Dean. The greatest songwriter of the 20th century. And I love his voice. You don't have to sound like Barbra Streisand to convey feeling.

- some of you just don't understand what it is to make art; make something from yourself that IS yours. Nobody else did it. Of course one draws from our history, from others in our lives, from the masters but, it's yours and you know it. If you've not done this, of course you won't understand. I get it. and ..... you just want to be entertained .... but, this record is art. Bitching about how Bob's voice annoys you will never take that truth away from his output. It struck me how much closer to blues this record is. I liked that; he's clearly listening. It gets an undisputed 5 just on the merits of "Girl from the North Country", "Blowin' in the Wind" and "Don't Think Twice it's Alright".

Dylan has better but its nice

Paved the way for a generation of folk singers.

The classics are classic for a reason. No one puts metaphors and similes together like this dumdum. Really the Shakespeare of Folk Rock.

A better folk album the world has never knowed.

(100/100)

4.5 rounded up. Lot of hits on here. Not much of a dip in quality on the other songs.