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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

His voice infuriates me in an indescribable way

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

boring, same thing all the time, meh

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.

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

Amazing lyricist that should've been born mute

This man cannot sing!!

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

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.

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

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.

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]

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'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.

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

"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

Wow

It’s the best album I’ve ever heard. Moved me and grooved me. Felt like a fond memory, reminded me of my grandfather. Don’t skip anything

One of the greatest of all time. In my Top 10, maybe even Top 5. Just so many great songs, stories. Masters of War remains one of the great protest songs and ever relevant. Don't think twice is another all timer. 5 isn't enough.

I often think Dylan is overrated, particularly if you let recent performances cloud your appraisal of him. Listening to this album has been a great reminder of why he deserves his acclaim. It's raw, soulful, politically challenging, simple but beautiful. Like all good folk music, it somehow makes me feel nostalgia for a place I've never visited in a time 30 years before I was born. My advice to skeptical listeners is to try to listen to this album in isolation, putting aside preconceptions of Dylan and ignoring the subsequent hero worship. It's a truly great album and probably his best.

Great

This was the album that turned me into a Dylan-head, so I have nothing but good things to say. In an increasingly difficult to rationalize world, Dylan’s ability to make the strange sound simple provides some solace.

The worlds best iron sandwich player, with 30 second one note harp solos

I love this Robert Zimmerman album. Good stuff, but it ain’t JOHNNYSINTHEBASEMENTMIXINGUPTHEMEDICINEIMONTHEPAVEMENTTINKINGABOUTTHEGOVERNMENT

Once upon a time…

-Blowin' in the Wind: classic +++ -Girl from the North Country: i forget -Masters of War: whoa +++ -Bob Dylan's Blues: ++ -A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall: long but good + -Don't Think Twice, It's Alright: ++ -Bob Dylan's Dream i forget -Oxford Town: really cheeky melody, racist ass town tho +++ -Talkin' World War III Blues: based af +++ -Corrina, Corrina: i forget -Honey, Just Allow Me One More Chance: ++ -I Shall Be Free: cheeky lyrics +++

Not much to say, know well. Love the melodies in the lyrics. 5 Star

The most important Folk artist of all time, arguably the most important musical artist ever.

Mooie country nummer op z’n kleinkunst maar dan int Engels

Great album

Yes!!!! Absolutely brilliant!!!

Not even seen the film yet but love Bobby D

I think I tend to go into Bob Dylan’s albums expecting it to be bad because I find him voice really jarring. However, this was much less so here. To be honest, I had higher hopes for this album after seeing Blowin’ In The Wind as the opening track because I know this was in the era of him singing in a much less weird manner. Voice aside, this is a really pleasant folk album. The guitar playing could easily be mistaken as Paul Simon which is definitely not a bad thing (and probably not a coincidence as Girl From North Country has many references to Scarborough Fair). This is the type of folk music I love, and the story telling was great throughout this.

Perfection.

I mean one of my faves

I don't care. I love Bob Dylan.

What a fine young folk musician. Certainly he’ll never plug those instruments into electrical implication devices.

Is this peak Dylan?

classic

‘Girl from the North Country’ is one of the most beautiful folks songs ever. So many great songs on this album.

I love this. Feels like a good indie film from early 2000s

I hadn't really listened to Dylan, I missed my window during my formative years.i obviously knew much of his stuff, it's everywhere. But with some distance, it was great to come to this fresh, this is simply one of the greatest albums of all time, 3 chords and the truth.

Excellent album

One of the best from Bob. This is his early stuff at it's best. I might even say this is his best album period but I know most people would disagree with me on that. 9/10

Realmente se merece un Nobel solo por la primera canción de este disco. Me guardo «Blowin' in the Wind», «Girl from the North Country», «A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall» y «Don't Think Twice, It's All Right».

Not even his best yet, but damn. Dylan is my number one. The songwriting, playing, and feel are second to none. He wrote multiple songs on this album that stand the test of time and cut to the core right at the time of release. Some people tap into the core of the American experience and can live in that place reflecting back to us the experience. Dylan is that. Best living American songwriter.

I enjoyed Bob's voice on this one as opposed to some of the later albums of his. Lyrics were soulful, somber, dare I say historic

I think I may be a hippie

An all timer. The first time Dylan found his voice (the first version of it). The great songs are great, the smaller songs are enjoyable and lesser known songs like Oxford Town hold up.

Beautiful album and very easy background music. Especially whilst being beat 3 times in a row at chess 😘

Masterful songwriting and a general pleasure on the ears. Loved it.

I like both of the songs because i like the music and i like the way he sings and i could understand what he is saying . i would recommend it because the songs are really good

I knew the first 2 songs and I love them so much. Just for these two songs I think this album deserves a 5. I really enjoyed other songs too. Whole album is well-balanced and gentle and even tender I'd say. Also the message is presented quite clear but not aggressive in any sense.

Dare I say folk Dylan at his best. High highs on this joint, with some of his best guitar and voice only songs- girl from the north country, don’t think twice it’s alright, a hard rains a’ gonna fall, masters of war, blowin in the wind: just there that’s about half the album! Sure, some fo the other cuts on this LP lack the same strength/staying power, but as a front to back listen they slot in more than fine. The covers at the end are solid, too.

What else to say about Bob?

This is what *my* soul music sounds like - the piercing harmonica notes, guitar strumming, with his troubled voice, and thoughtful, smart lyrics. This album reminds me of my Dad, it reminds me of being in college and finally being ready to get schooled on some of music's all-time greats. A front-to-back listen makes me feel sad, melancholy, but somehow hopeful. An American Classic.

This one had me Blowin’ In the Wind.

His voice is definitely something of an acquired taste, and if you can't get over it I totally understand not liking this album. I've grown to appreciate it, though, and with it the incredible songwriting that Bob Dylan showcases on his best albums. I think he strikes a perfect balance between cutting lyrics with social critiques, and making music that is just nice and pleasant to listen to.

Blowin' in the Wind is a classic. Don't Think Twice, It's All Right is a personal favorite. And with Bob Dylan's Blues and many other excellent songs, this is a 5-star from me.

It was very interesting to hear his take on his social surroundings and also describing how he would sleep with various amounts of women during this time of his life as well. I thought it was an interesting contrast between showing him as an artist, and also showing him as a human being, and I think that he had to say the instrumentation on this album was really really good. I can’t recall the track that I was listening to. It might’ve been the last one, but it really gave me a sense of who Bob Dylan is and why he is so culturally important to music

He was still a baby

Tip top. Another from my teenage years.

an all time classic

Good ol' Bob

Bob be spitting bars. Who cares what his voice sounds like when the songwriting is this strong and the lyrics this poetic. Thought it might be a 4 going in because I prefer electric Dylan, but nah, this is a 5. This is exactly what I want from Folk.

This album is a snapshot of America at the time. It's soft, filled with sorrow, and empathy. It's calming yet controversial. I found myself singing and humming along without even knowing it. Song writing, epic.

Iconic sophomore record that established Bob as the voice of his generation. It’s authentically-steeped in the American folk, blues, and spirituals traditions, as well as traditional English folk — and these considered head-nods to the past create a rock-solid platform for his strongest talent, storytelling. He tells raw, critical tales about the anxieties and melancholy that defined the early 60s. I really identify with his insistent otherness, his commitment to the socialist-leaning morality of Pete Seeger-esque folk (who I adore), and his critical view of current events on this record — all of which is tinged with his personal brand of skewed melancholy that my soul really gravitates toward as I get older. Historically cited as one of the best albums of all time, Bob’s arguably greatest record is a quintessential example of the outsized importance given to white male artists during the rise of the pop music critic culture we know today, the vestiges of which we’ve only started shedding in the last decade or so as western anglo hetero cultural dominance is being leveled out for a more inclusive landscape to flourish. Is it worthy of all that notoriety? For sure. But with 60 years between its release and today, the cult of Bob feels archaic. He always hated the ‘voice of a generation’ monicker anyway, and viewed himself more as an opportunistic conduit more than anything. He summed this up himself in an interview around this record’s release: “The songs are there. They exist all by themselves just waiting for someone to write them down. I just put them down on paper. If I didn't do it, somebody else would.” If he was up-and-coming today with the same spirit he had then, he would def align with the liberal stances that dominate today’s pop culture, and the stories defining our times would be filtered through that same world-weary kid from Minnesota to similar ends. What would a contemporary bb Dylan have to say about transgender rights, the culture of inclusivity, the rise of technology, and the continued injustice in the world today?

Somewhat shamefully this is the first Bob Dylan album I’ve ever listened to the whole way through. I’ve been doing a lot of Jewish anti war / anti occupation organising for the last while and it can be particularly isolating. I’m (only a little) older than Dylan was when this was recorded but the mix of social and interpersonal strife is absolutely familiar. There’s a lot of older activists who’ve been around since the Vietnam protests and, like this album, they’re a good reminder of perspective. Social movements take time, things seem hopeless, we’re constantly taking two steps back for every one forward but ultimately, I think, good people win out in the end. (Also it helps having recently been done dirty by a huge Dylan fan) An easy 5/5 Favourite tracks: all of them!

I really enjoyed this, so much so that I feel like I've been missing out by not really listening to Dylan. While the production is simple- dude, guitar, harmonica, it fits perfectly. There's nothing to get in the way of his words. All the more folk-y stuff is top notch. I love the Talkin Blues style and Dylan I'd one of the best I've heard do it. There's a few songs that feel like poetry with a guitar. While I usually don't care that style, I love what Dylan does in that realm. He makes things feel like they carry more weight- fuck your rhyme scheme or rhyming at all, I got stuff to say. Favorite song is easily Masters of War, it feels timeless. The minor chords give the song a dark and brooding feel, the lyrics and delivery are so raw- he's mad, you should be too. It reminds me of a few emo/alternative bands acoustic sets, feels so emotional. There's nothing less than great on this album, no skips. I like the not so serious stuff, love the serious and emotional stuff. Easily a 5.

An epic and legendary albums with many of Dylan's finest works. Always a joy to revisit and timeless. I always discover something new in his words which are the main reason to listen to him.

This is the album that got me into Bob Dylan. I love the acoustic guitar, especially the finger picking. The subject matter is a mix of scathing social commentary, love sickness, and whimsical nonsense. He broke traditional lyrical construction. Instead of fitting his message into 4 line verse or 12 bars, he fit them to the content. A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall is a great example. Each section starts with a two line call to his blue eyed son and ends with a two line chorus. But in between there are 5 lines, 7, 7, 6, and then 12 for the finale. This eschewing of convention is a microcosm for many other aspects of his life where Dylan went against the grain, like a folk guy going electric or skipping the ceremony to accept a Nobel prize. The album has 5 or 6 all time great songs while the rest might be my most-liked. This is my 2nd favorite album of time. I could listen to it on repeat forever.

Masterpiece.