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, not 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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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

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"

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

His voice infuriates me in an indescribable way

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!!

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

boring, same thing all the time, meh

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

Bob Dylan definitely belongs in the list, and especially this album does. Very influential, has several major "hits" and some of the most covered songs ever. I mean, all on one album: Blowin' in the Wind, Masters of War, A Hard Rain, Don't think Twice! Dylan won't go into the history books as the best singer or harmonica player but that's not the point. His songwriting skills are the best and his legacy is clear. An easy 5 as a "must hear" album.

I was happy to see another Dylan album so soon - I was reminded that it has always bummed me out that I never gelled with Dylan's music, and then The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan came my way, WOW and WOW! This album already had me with that sweet and tender moment captured on the cover of him in a snowy street of downtown Manhattan (he was a just a cherub!) with .. looked her up, Italian American Suze Rotolo, then I llistened - 3 times through. This album is beautiful. Just beautiful, I swear I actually heard a 'CLICK!' and just like that, I get it - I have entered the Dylanrealm LOLLL .. part of the raw beauty of these tracks (and incredibly skillful guitar playing) is bc Suze couldn't deal with his rising fame and broke up w him, moved out and over to Perugia, Italy to study art for 6mos. WHAAAT!? This made me smile bc I studied in Perugia too and lived there for 8 yrs - Mike came to stay for like 8mos back in the 90s! Loving that connection and this album. Now obsessed w/ Don't think twice, it's alright and Girl from the North country. His suffering transformed into such beautiful, intimate music.

An absolute masterpiece.

It's one of Bob's first nine, therefore it gets 5 stars.

Off to a great start!

Everyone says Dylan is a genius. Although he has one other album before this one, this is where his genius begins. His weird humor, his anti-war lyrics, his deceptively simple tunes. Sure, he has a reedy voice and his harmonica is palatable at best, but these are still some of the best songs ever written, and skillfully delivered. 5/5

My favorite Bob Dylan album, angry, funny, worth re-listening

Been really enjoying country and folk recently so this album really scratched that itch. There’s a good reason Bob Dylan is so famous! An almost perfect album

Love love love

Pure love. 5

Early Bob Dylan with some of his finest songs

My favorite of Bob’s early folk albums. A timeless classic and the first sign of his burgeoning genius.

Changed the world

Sounds eternal.

There at at least 5 GREAT songs on here, some world disturbing. Dylan was a brilliant songwriter from the inception of his career and it's already evident on this ealy album.

The folksy act is corny, but the songwriting is the thing. The dude put in the work. It's good work. 4.5

Bob is nasal legend!

yaas

It's a very simple and direct album in the folk tradition, featuring just Dylan's nasal vocals, competent acoustic guitar and occasional harmonica interludes. But already Dylan demonstrates his masterful songwriting with a bunch of songs that are poetic, witty, clever, wry and emotional. Most impressively, a whole album of self penned songs was a rarity in 1963. So many of these songs are instantly recognisable and have been covered:- "Blowin' in the Wind", "Girl from the North Country", "Masters of War", "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall" and "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right". Dylan's vocal delivery might be an acquired taste but make no mistake, he's a damn fine singer in his idiom.

The genius of bob is in his lyrics and song writing, pure simple but gets across the point without flinching.

Even as a 22 year old he has the gravely voice of an old man and sings of an olde timey worlde. The musicianship is really good, and the songs are great. I read that the tunes were lifted from folk standards and am curious as to how much was him covering the classics a la Bob Dylan, and how much was novel. I didn't think I liked Bob Dylan all that much but this was undeniably enjoyable.

Awesome!

Perfect Album. 5/5. No Doubt.

I've heard Bob's kind of a jerk nowadays, but this is peak.

What an album, crazy good. Bob Dylan, my father

5/5

Harmonica is a bit unpleasant at points but this is probably a result in the change of sound production. Bet this would sound great on vinyl

I don't know if this is Bob Dylan's best, but it certainly is up there. Amazing lyrics that speak to the social and political tensions of the time, and in many ways speak to the same tensions of today. Blowin', and Hard Rain are so powerful lyrically, and combined with the simplicity of the acoustic guitar harmonica create make these incredibly powerful songs. Don't think twice is truly one of my all time favorite songs. Not lost on me is the nostalgia of listening to my Uncle Ron strum and sings these tunes at the forest preserve, in the driveway, in the living room. Some of my most treasure memories. This is a 5/5 and a must listen.

"Dylan was a revolutionary – the way that Elvis freed your body, Bob freed your mind." -- Bruce Springsteen And this is really where it began. In 2002, Freewheelin' was one of the first 50 recordings chosen by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry...so of course, there will be plenty of 1 star reviews on here telling us how bad Bob sings (which isn't even close to true -- his voice may not be pretty, but that's not the same things as being a bad singer; the fact that some people don't realize that tells you a lot about their opinion.)

It just doesn't get more classic Bob Dylan than this.

Best Bob.

This is important. This is a perfect album. This should be taught as part of high school curriculum.

9/10 simply for Masters Of War

Pretty bloody brilliant songs from start to finish. Great album, although I'm not a fan of his voice (not a deal breaker when the songwriting is so good).

Such great work from Dylan. As true today as it was then.

This took me back in time for sure! I tried really hard to put myself in 1963 when I listened to this. Had to be so powerful to listen to back then...yet so simple today. Nobody comes out with an acoustic guitar and harmonica and releases an album these days. Raw and genuine, love him or hate him...nobody will ever be like him.

You can hear how he became such a cultural touchstone in this one, as long as you can let go of how it sounds to modern ears and try to imagine what it was like at the time

Did not listen but have played it many times over the years.

This is an absolute masterclass in folk song. The first three tracks are all worthy and poetic. I run out of superlatives for the way Bob spun these lyrics.

So simple, so fun. Brilliant.

A landmark foray of folk into the rock sensibilities. He can’t sing with a damn, his guitar playing is simplistic at best and yet this is a tour de force of both song writing and performance. A true classic

Blowin in the Wind, Hard Rain, Don't Think Twice more than make up for the handful of weaker songs.

One of my favorite albums from my favorite artist atm so yeah it's gonna be an unapologetic five from me. The Vibe: You're walking down the street in fall and there's a really strong breeze that blows the leaves across the sidewalk and you smell that rotting leaf smell and you're like "ah hell yeah it's fall, baby"

The greatest, and perfect for this time of year.

Klassiker!

Absolute classic, from so long ago. Although a lot of people may not care for his singing voice, or the sometimes suddenly loud harmonica. It's both amazing and disheartening that a lot of the political issues brought up in this 61 year old album are still a problem to this day. Dylan shows some major silliness at times on the album, which I feel is another compelling factor. This album has been so influential, it makes sense why people generally skip his first album and go to this one.

Now this is a great Dylan album. Just so happens it's the one that put him on the map too. His writing is just incredible. Yes Blowin' in the Wind is one that gets a lot of attention, and deservedly so. It is both poignant and beautifully delivered. But listen to Talkin World War III Blues. It is a little odd being a talking piece that delivers a lot of one or two liners. But man if it isn't clever and witty as hell. Masters as War is another great political song, and to me sounds like it directly inspired Lennon's Working Class Hero (at minimum in its musical composition). And as great as it is, it's probably bested by A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall. Oxford Town is no slouch either. And for all the great political songs, he composes some really beautiful love songs. Girl from the North Country and Don't Think Twice, It's All Right are both parts happy and sad, but oh so lovely. If you sit back, you realize it's all Dylan on guitar or harmonica. And he nails it. I guess I understand a little bit more why some people got upset when he went electric on later albums - because man he killed it on this and other albums when it was stripped down.

Bob's Big Breakthrough. Blowin' in the Wind and A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall are absolute classics, deservedly so. Easily two of his best ever. Other songs I really liked included Girl from the North Country and Masters of War. A lot of the songs sound repetitive, but Bob's lyrics usually save the day. In fact, Masters of War is 100% just a repetitive riff, but the lyrics are so stirring it's easy to ignore the repetitive nature of the song. Some of the lyrics are also surprisingly humorous - I always thought he was way too serious, but songs like Talkin' World War III Blues and I Shall Be Free show he's got a sense of humor. Of course, that's more than balanced by powerful lyrics like all the previous mentioned songs (plus Oxford Town). I also liked Corrina, Corrina, possibly just for the fact that it sounded different. I'd call the album a 4.5, dinging it a little for the repetitive sound, but I'll round up for the historical significance.

Dynamite. Masters of war always a let down but the others carry this over the line. Guitar is imperfect in a really natural way.

These songs are so familiar by now. Hard to believe these were all on one album this so early in his career.

This is the first time I’ve delved into folk music with direct listening intent and the first time I’ve listened to a piece of Bob Dylan’s discography in full. I feel as though ‘The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan’ is the perfect amalgamation of easy listening compositions with character, and lyrical content with a potent message. A sigh of things to come down the line with other projects like Highway 61 Revisited and Blood On The Tracks, as well as his collaborative efforts with The Band. A new plateau had definitely opened up for me to venture into.

I like Dylan and his voice. No need to repeat previous reviews here.

This is a great album. I think everyone who has listened to Dylan has tried to sing like Dylan at least once in their life. He's a poet for a generation. Just brilliant.

I certainly respect and appreciate Bob Dylans place in music. I understand his importance as a songwriter and lyricist. I recognize that he has gifted us some of the most impactful music of all time. With that said, for the most part, I really can't stand his voice. I much rather hear his music sung by other artists. One of my favorites is Stevie Wonder's version of "Blowin' in the Wind."

I love it when it’s just Bob, a guitar, a harmonica and some great words!

The master of words at work. Not all of this hits but gee it made an impact. Don't Think Twice is nigh on a perfect song.

Incredible album. This propelled Dylan to the forefront of the folk movement and influenced countless artists then and for decades after. The album includes some of the best songwriting in the history of Western music. Lesser people can rag on his voice or the simplicity, but it's undeniably smart, provocative, and beautiful. *****