The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan

Some very good, some not quite so good. I really don't mind his voice, but can we talk about that harmonica? Like nails on glass...

I’m convinced every album of Dylan is just one long song with several pauses in it.

The 5th Bob Dylan album in my first 64 on the list. By my reckoning that means there will be 78 of his albums to listen to - yay! They do all tend to sound the same, although I liked this one less. Maybe the electric ones offer something more? Top track: Blowin’ in the wind.

3/5

Legendary words guy

Freewheelin’ got some true classics here. Strummin’ and a pickin’ off to a great start. Eventually his harp and voice win you over. The political message of Blowin’ In The Wind and Masters Of War had a huge impact with the younger (hippie) generation and all those anti ‘Nam. Best song is Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right. L = (1.7*s) for Blowin’ In The Wind only. Rest of the album is tough to listen to. J = (3.4*s) we’ll be listening to at least one more from Mr Zimmerman…

Ok, I guess, one or two really good songs and others that I zone out on

It took me a long time to warm up to Bob Dylan. This is a hit-heavy album, but that's part of the problem. I find "Blowing in the wind" and "Hard Rain is Gonna Fall" kind of annoying mostly due to just hearing them waaay too much. These songs are part of the reason I disliked Dylan in the first place. "Girl From North Country", "Bob Dylan Blues", "Don't Think Twice, Its Alright", Oxford Town", " I Shall Be Free, and "Talkin Word War III Blues" are all fantastic, memorable songs. Absolutely deserves to be on this list, but there are other Dylan albums I enjoy more.

Not bad

Dylan har jo bare ikke den sprødeste stemme i verden, MEN må give det er rigtig kreative teskter, kan godt lide brugen af mundharmonika osv. Synes det er underproduceret men der er selvfølgelig hele idéen. Synes dog det er federe end f.eks. Willie Nelson, nok hovedsageligt pga. jeg er mere enig med det politiske budskab og så også brug af mundharmonika til melodier.

Classic Bob, classic album

Admittedly, I only knew a handful of Bob Dylan tracks before and felt that he is overrated. Listening to this album changed my mind to some extent. Still not my favorite artist, but his ability to craft universally resounding lyrics is astounding. Sometimes witty and sarcastic texts, sometimes clearly political (where he is at its best in my opinion). Standout Tracks: A Hard's Rain's A-Gonna Fall, Masters of War, Talking World War III Blues, Blowin' In The Wind

Great lyrics. Voice is an acquired taste.

Typical folky, poetic, harmonica-ey stuff

Somehow didn’t realize how close Bob Dylan is to pure country. Ty ought he was more rock somehow. This was an easy listen but nothing I was too crazy about. Very heavy on the harmonica. Also on talkin ww3 blues call me crazy but he sounds like Biden tryna sound relatable to a crowd in Arkansas or something lol

Have to have Dylan…

снова бесконечная песня попробуй отличи) вроде одну или две даже знала. прости Боб, большой респект но я не могу слушать текст

I know it's not what I'm supposed to think, but I don't like most of Bob Dylan's songs. He's got some admittedly excellent lyrics, but that doesn't apply across this entire album. A lot of the music behind his lyrics is pretty uninspired, too. And then of course, there's his singing. That alone takes a full star rating off.

country without the swing and a shit ton of harmonica. Dude sounds drunk in half of these but maybe its just the way he sings. People really love Bob Dylan but maybe im just not one of em

Classic, a bit boring

The more I listen to Bob Dylan, the more I like him.

Listened Before? Y Young Bob! You can hear the switch flip about halfway through this album and he goes from "Pop Bob" to "Songwriter Bob". I like this album but it's not one I'll listen too regularly. Too long and rambling in the second half. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Girl from the North Country

Decent album by Bob, but not his best. There are some good songs on here, but there is also some forgettable ones. "Don't Think Twice.." is one of my favorite songs of his. 3.5/5 Might listen again

Historical impactful. Some of the lesser known songs were nice, but by the end I got really sick of the acoustic guitar, whiny voice, harmonica repeating structure.

I might be warming to Dylan a bit (apart from that bloody harmonica) though I wouldn't say that I'm a fan. Deserves to be on this list, maybe not quite so many times. And deserves to have his harmonica taken off him.

*Note to self: do not rate based on harmonica usage. Harmonica aside, this album is quite endearing and thoughtful.

There's some good songs, but he's also a bit rambly for my taste sometimes.

I just realized that I only listen to Bob Dylan when I’m interested in a certain song, it’s never “I just feel like listening to some Bob Dylan so I’ll put something of his on shuffle” It’s basically a quick in-and-out

The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan is the same Dylan as we've had time and again on here really, it was only Highway 61 Revisited that escaped a middling listen for me, and this is another 3 or so because it's not remarkable enough to separate itself from the rest of his discography, except for one absolute classic in Blowin' In The Wind (that The Simpsons has ruined for me because I always shout SEVEN) and one other really good one in Bob Dylan's Dream. I get it, the man was an evocative poet and illustrated life in a way that very few of his contemporaries were doing at the time, I just don't think we need his entire catalogue on the list when a lot of it is very similar, to my uneducated ear at least.

Obviously, Blowing In The Wind is a classic, but there's not much else to write home about from a musical perspective. Lyrically it's still pretty interesting (with some exceptions), but musically it's just a bit dull. His voice just isn't good enough to get away with that little accompaniment, which weirdly takes the focus somewhat away from the lyrics. Can't believe the fuss about him going electric, was clearly the right decision. Lyrics get this to a comfy 3/5.

OK, lots of recognizable songs but not my thing. Also, I listened to it while trying to find parking at Prudential, which soured me on it a bit

"Blowin' in the Wind" is phenomenal. The guitar and melody is great. Vocally, not my favorite.

I knew it was coming… I knew I would get a Bob Dylan album on the generator soon. It's as if my intuition sensors were getting more intense to warn me. Right out of the gate - Bob Dylan LP’s have a ceiling with me. The man can put some seriously engaging lyrics down on paper. But as someone who loves good layered production, early Bob Dylan works tend to lack this; and that's by design. And his voice, while it certainly stands out, isn't exactly the most pleasing on the ears. 'The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan' is probably some of his strongest material, too. So I feel like today the Dylan ceiling has been reached and is now unbreakable. Musically it's that early folk sound he was all in on; guitar strummin' and harmonica... blowin'? through each track. Some songs actually having some excellent melody work. The classic 'Blowin' In The Wind'. The angry and quite direct 'Masters Of War'. The floaty 'A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall. And 'Don't Think Twice, It's All Right'. But nothing else really stands out to me, personally. I suppose your tolerance for this album will depend on whether you're into Dylan more for his lyrics or you genuinely love stripped back acoustic folk. Lyrically, he lets his thoughts on the government and war be known in an endearingly naive way. There's a level of honesty that shines brightly in the more protest orientated tracks. You don't have to think or look for the meaning of his words as he is quite direct; almost shockingly so at times. He also shines in the love songs, too - as he lets his more storytelling nature out. I can honestly almost forgive the lack of musical variety given just how bloody good his lyrics are. There's not really much else I can say. Genre-wise this just simply isn't my thing. But Bob Dylan does break out and stand out amongst his peers due to the the power of his lyricism. There's a Japanese artist I'm a huge fan of, Ayumi Hamasaki, whose career began and took off in a similar manner during the late 90's. Her voice was not great (although it got better as her career progressed). However, people gravitated towards her words and she went on to be one of most successful artists in the history of that country. Bob Dylan, similarly, I would not class as a great vocalist - nor a great musician, but I could listen to his words and the messages within those words all day. 3/5

That harmonica lives rent-free in my head after listening to this album, it's strangely brilliant yet extremely irritating at the same time. Anyhow, I can't in good conscience rate this anywhere above or below the average of 3 stars, it has the problem of every song being basically indistinguishable - but it's pleasant, Bob Dylan's voice doesn't grate on me.

liked songs: Blowin' in the Wind, Masters of War I liked this album more than expected. Obviously, Dylan knows how to write songs. I still don't like his voice all that much, but the songs stand on their own. 3.5

Pretty good Bob, pretty good. 3.5

I can’t handle Dylan for an hour straight.

Was good, quite a few songs I recognized.

Not a big Dylan fan, but this was okay.

A fine m album showing his early folk side. It’s just not something I would choose to listen to. I’ve never been a big fan of his voice and some of these songs sound too much alike. Don’t all sort of blends together for me. I know it was an important album for the folk rock scene but it just doesn’t do much for me.

I decided to read some reviews before writing mine... normally I avoid this but sometimes when I'm thinking of a half star, I check out other opinions to see if I agree with any that might take it up or down a peg. Turns out, this is a very divisive album and people are very split on the "genius" of Dylan. I quite enjoyed this album and I can see why it's considered a great one. But, I also found it a bit boring with a somewhat repetitive sound. I'd definitely much rather listen to other albums of his like Nashville Skyline. All in all, a solid album even if it isn't revolutionary, but I guess you kind of have to like Bob Dylan (or at the very least appreciate him) to feel that way.

I liked this album better than "Highway 61 Revisited", but I am still not a huge fan of Bob Dylan. He is an excellent songwriter, and I can see how the lyrics here touched upon many of the issues the generation of the early 1960s was facing. As far as his performance, it is minimalistic music, which his lyrics are set to, and it is okay. Generally with music, I prefer a bigger sound than one person with a guitar and harmonica.

je jure que si il n'y avait pas ce putain d'harmonica j'aurais mis plus dieu merci il y en a moins que dans les autres albums son jeu à la guitare était plutôt bon, les mélanges folk +quelques inspi blues sont intéressantes mais ça s'arrête là je suis pas un étudiant blanc américain dans les années 60 son meilleur projet que j'ai écouté pour l'instant mais clairement je réécouterais pas sauf peut être avec un verre de whisky Pochette exceptionnel, il a ce drip

Masters of War is a banger. Simply a great anti war song that's sadly relevant to this day. The rest of the album is meh. But this is a rare time that one song is so strong, it gives the album a passing grade.

Another Dylan album. I enjoyed it. Will give it a 3, but where is ROY HARPER!?!? Better be a Roy album before a third Dylan one.

the first "real" Bob Dylan album, and let me tell you, it's just fine. yeah, it's impressive that someone could write something like "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" and "Don't Think Twice" so early in his career, but for any of those greatly poetic tracks you get another that's slavishly devoted to all the folk that came before him -- weedy Guthrie worship and blues picking that just isn't filled with as interesting sentiments as the "Hits". i have some affection for a few of the deep cuts ("Bob Dylan's Dream" and "I Shall Be Free", which makes its point in 2/3rds the time that "Talking World War III Blues" does) but i couldn't see myself coming back to it for more than those few glimmers of what is to come. and i'm gonna say it. "Blowin' in the Wind" does nothing for me. i actually think it's too sappy for me to enjoy. to each their own.

Eh

Huh. I hope the lyrics to this album are brilliant, because sonically it largely blends together after a few songs. Thanks to Bob for paving the way for later folk artists, but this was hard for me to finish. It's better than a 2, but I sure would've liked a little more variety in the guitar. 2.5

I was told by VFW members with shotguns that I couldn’t rate this lower than a 3, and that my pussy commie opinion didn’t matter.

Exhibit A in the case for going electric. This is really a quite tedious album despite a few good songs. He demonstrates his knowledge and mastery of the solo guitar-singer folk song format (A+ on your Americana homework, Bob) but also the limits of that genre. Good songs to cover and arrange with more interesting instrumentation, but they feel like demos here. Albums like this are always going to end up on lists like this out of historical significance, but they don't always hold up that well. Favorites: girl from noth country, hard rain, don't think twice, Corrina Corrina

Great in places

It was okay, but a little too old for my taste. I still appreciate it enough to tolerate it though.

Good songwriting, less good execution. Gratuitous use of harmonica that feels unnecessary at times.

Full of nice little folk songs. His vocals eventually grow on you.

It really irks me that I don’t get the Bon Dylan hype. I love how he sounds but to me, classing him as one of the greatest artists ever really surprises me

Starts very strongly with all the highlights out of the way in the first few songs. Pretty forgettable after that. Lyricism good at times but album isn’t very diverse and does drag

Not too bad, a couple of classic Dylan tracks. He's just not my cup of tea.

This is the worst 3 star album yet. Favourite Track: Blowin' in the Wind.

第一次认真听folk，可能听不太明白。感受是：旋律单调重复，不好听。歌词有一定深度。

Sucks that this stuff is still relevant 60 years later. Kind of pre-proto-punk disguised as "folk." Or just hardcore folk, I'm no expert. The Bob Dylan early stuff is highly respected and highly influential, after hearing this, I can see why. A little self-centered(?). More entertaining than I thought it would be.

It was nice to listen to, I particularly liked: Blowing in the wind A hard rains a gonna fall Oxford town Corrina corrina Honey just allow me one more chance I shall be free

han har ju nåt. han kan skriva texter. men det blir lite för långt och lite för långtråkigt kanske. man måste nog vara i stämningen och lyssna på texterna för att det här albumet ska ge rätt intryck.

Don't mind it, but not my thing really.

Pretty luke warm on this one overall. I like his songwriting and his voice goes well with it, but it just didn't get me going like some of his other work.

Not bad. Not likely to listen to again. Liked the harmonica solos.

Folksy

Enjoyed this, although not blown away by it

-not the biggest Bob Dylan fan I don’t think, but the songwriting and lyricism is super good. listening to this when it came out in 1963 must have hit different -Favorites are Blowin’ In The Wind, Masters Of War, and Down the Highway

Gut

This is the most Bob Dylan-y Bob Dylan I've heard. It's funny how even at the beginning of his career he sounds like he's 73

Don’t think twice, It’s all right is a new fav song of mine. Still think I only like bob dylan when he’s doing something melodic and less lyrical rambling stuff.

It's good, but I don't like it. Dylan mumbles away in his imitable style and toots on his harmonica in a way I find annoying. The album kind of starts and finishes without ceremony, although there are a couple of highlights in there, A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall and Blowin' in the Wind.

3.5

3.5 ish?

It's OK. I mean, it's pretty good in spots, damn good in others, and a little reductive in others. I was really into it the first half of the album, but it feels like he really leaned into the harmonica and folksiness at times, and it stopped sounding fresh and started sounding very cliche, repetitive, and boring. I think a 3.5 is about right for this one, as the songs that hit are fantastic. But it's really hard to give this a 4 because I just didn't enjoy the last half of the album nearly as much as I did the first half.

Fun times

Decent, I prefer Nashville skyline though

Wowwwweeee. This album was a trip for me. I am a sucker for a harmonica so I was happy for a lot of it. Ultimately, the entire experience conjured up very specific familial memories. I was transported to sitting on my Papa's apartment patio - listening to him strum on his old out-of-tune guitar with meandering lines that sounded directly from his soul. Something that reflected a life so long ago lived but then also life yet to come. Or sitting with him inside, listening to his Bluegrass collection and learning the some core principles (related to the music, but really about being human). Honey, Just Allow Me One More Chance and I Shall Be Free.... oooof... I felt like I was sitting on the old wooden deck outside my uncle's trailer watching my uncles, cousins, and grandparents take their instruments of favor - guitars, harmonicas, things Idk the names of - and just jam together, getting to see it all piece together. Sigh, so specific, but so - not too. Bob Dylan gets to something about life that reminds me we are all just here... living. Of course, it must be mentioned: he reminds us not be aimless travelers while we are here living - we need to be good community members. some notable favorites: - Girl from the North Country - Down the Highway - A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall - Corrina, Corrina - I Shall Be Free Despite this long, personal reflection, I don't know if I will revisit this album in totality again. But still quite an enjoyable listen :) I might be biased though lol

Classic album and an all time icon. However, it's not my favorite listen. near 50 minutes of just guitar, harmonica and singing gets a bit repetitive. I also think there's better folk albums from this time and that Bob Dylan went on to do much more interesting things.

Not my favorite Dylan album. Some good tracks but lacking the passion and the songwriting isn't as mature.

Good album, but everything sounds a bit the same

Great moment in American music. Dylan is a great songwriter, good instrumentalist, but very poor vocalist.

Meh. It good for pensive chill times. Personally not a fan but it is good at what it does.

Yes yes, political commentary, yes yes, smart guy. Meh.

I am surprised by how far you can get with a guitar, voice and harmonica. It gets a bit samey though...

Never been a fan of Bob Dylan

Better than the last Dylan

Oh wow more Bob Dylan. I'm feeling generous as I go through backlog of skipped albums, so I'm giving this a 3, but honestly there's way too much of Bobby boy on this list considering how flat/consistent his music all sounds. I think this is like the third album of his I've listened to and I'm only at like 75 albums so far. I guess it's like "revolutionary" or whatever but I just don't really care much about that aspect.

Not something I’ll listen to on a daily basis, it’s a very classic country and indie one

Giving this a 3 is a little unfair, but I'll do it anyway. Some lovely numbers on here, and his voice was so much fresher back then - so much easier on the ear! But bar one or two hits, there's no real standout material here.

Meh

So far on this list I have graded Bob Dylan albums very highly. Some I would consider essential (Blonde on Blonde, for example) not only for Bob fans, but also for any fan of music, while others were just great records (Desire/ Blood on the Tracks). The historical significance and importance of a song such as, Blowing In The Wind is obvious, where the 60's folk movement became interesting and several other songs on, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan are masterworks of brilliant songwriting. For entertainment value, the album falls short. There's only so much voice, guitar and harmonica a person can stand and this goes on the whole record and remember the voice is Dylan's nasally sing/speak style. Admittedly , these vocals are much more tolerable than his later "live concert" mumbling, but it still has me wishing he would go electric sooner.

Lots of harmonica. He a good singer, just not my style.

Well I wondered when something like this would come around. I always thought Dylan was a tremendous writer and a mediocre player/singer. I've managed to hear much of his work over the decades though. This morning when this album was over the wife turned Dylan on the house system and has been listening to him ever since, she's a fan and you guys have gotten her started. 3 stars out of me for his writing, longevity and broad appeal. :-)

In general, I can't stand his voice and so that makes it really hard to get into this. But it's also amazing how pretty much everything he sings about still rings true today, which is impressive. I adore his guitar playing on this, too. 3/5

Good lyrics, groundbreaking for the time but too much harmonica for one album

I don't get it. Bob Dylan definitely has some gems (Blowin' in the Wind and Don't Think Twice, It's All Right on this album I think) but the rest is just a total snoozefest. A Hard Rain's A Gonna Fall is lauded too, right? But fuck me, what a dirge.

Bob Dylan is a good songwriter and I love the purpose and message behind many of the tracks on this album. His points are as relevant now as they were then. However, the music itself isn't to my taste, it's a little too folky. Fave Track: Masters Of War Rating: 3

I love songs on this album but there's a lot of just Bob being Bob, singing in his nasal voice and repeating himself. I can't go in for that. Utmost respect for Bob and so much love for so many of his songs but it's just an ok album overall.

I want to be more.into this because I do like folk music. But honestly I can only listen to so much of this asthmatic grandmother going between utter nonsense and "war bad" lyrics.

I'm not a Dylan fan, mostly because of his voice. I understand and respect his stature, but after a minute or so of his music, I skip to something else. This album has a few classics, so I listened as much as I could. Master of war is amazing.

I’ve tried, I just don’t think I like Bob Dylan

Good album but sonically very dated. When you listen to JH or Paul McCartney, yes they don’t sound like modern artists, but they don’t sound so obviously of the past - they still hold up today.

Yeah fine, good.

I enjoyed it, I can't deny that. However, I don't think it's amazing. Musically, it's very sparse, just a guitar and a voice on most tracks. I think those are very complementary instruments anyway (as an aside, I don't think his singing voice is very good). I think you could find many singer\songwriters and buskers churning out equally good material.

Light 5/10 I don't hate it but it doesn't arouse any strong emotions in me. I think this is one of those albums whose impact nowadays is more about legacy because having listened to music from the 60 years coming after it, there's not much here I haven't heard in some capacity before.

Yes yes coherent Bob :) some cracking tunes on this one

I always took Dylan as folky guitar, mouth organ and mumbled “singing”. This however shows he was at one point capable of making every syllable crystal clear. This allows you to hear the one thing he did better than anyone - lyrics. There’s a reason his songs get covered by so many artists. Did it convert me to a fan - probably not but I have a better appreciation of the man.

I like half of the songs on here but nothing was bad

Just Bob Dylan being Bob Dylan. Nice for a change of pace.

Its a chill album, makes me sad always that i hear it, but a personal fav of mine. Its a very young Dylan album, very minimalistic but powerful lyrics. Fav Songs: Blowing In The Wind, Girl from the North Country, A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall Least Fav Song: Down the Highway

It seems that Dylan's early work was not nearly as verbose as his later stuff.

I feel like a fraud for not liking this more - I really enjoyed most of the songs and he's undeniably a lyric genius. However, as an album I found it heavy and hard to listen to in one sitting. Also some very shrill harmonica playing that just wasn't very pleasant and not very musically interesting in my opinion.

Oh boy... Dylan. Dylan holds an iconic place in American culture and legendary status for so many whose political, musical, and ethical consciousness formed during an age of personal transformation from innocent to awake. How can someone much later in their lives and far removed from that moment truly receive this without a sense of overwhelm and subsequently fortification against that? I don't know, but I'll try. Here we go.

There are too many Bob Dylan albums on this list, but Bob Dylan - without question - belongs on this list. Dylan had something about him that was pretty incredible that shines through even though this style of music is not my cup of tea. If you don’t want to engage with his music enough to hear the thing that so many people have found compelling for so many decades because he doesn’t make your style of music, that’s fine, but it’s also pretty lazy. Because it’s there if you are willing to listen for it. I am not crazy about folk-era Dylan but I can still hear that thing he had. I don’t really ever put this album on, but I think it’s worth hearing.

Not in the mood for this one today. The harmonica is going through me. Its good but not in my top 5 Dylan albums. Bit samey, bit out of time, bit boring, but good. Don't think twice in excellent

Bob Dylan just doesn't do it for me. There's some good individual tracks here but the whole album was a bit of a slog to get through.

Some great and classic songs, the singing remains problematic.

Enjoyed this one more than his other albums. There is a simplicity in the music that works.

Good country blues album

5/10

Fine. Little too chill for my morning.

I usually hate Dylan, but that wasn't terrible. He kept his warbling to a minimum at least

Dylan again... still can't wrap my head around why people love him so much. I don't get swooned much by lyrics, so if you take that away, what is left here for me then, really? Dylan's labored wheezing of a singing, or the fairly boring guitar playing? Decent, but not to my taste at all. And it's not that I don't enjoy folk music or guitar songwriters, it's just that I don't like Dylan. Weak 3.

dylan jak dylan

Sicherlich ein Album das am gehört haben sollte. Schon allein aus historischen Gründen. Ja und vieles hat man auch schon häufig gehört ... und zum Teil besser gecovert. Folk und nicht meins: drei Sterne

"Blowin' in the wind" and "A Hard Rain's a gonna fall" a legitimately great songs. There's way too much harmonica on this record. I do like Dylan as a songwriter. I like him as a performer in small doses, listening to an entire album of him, well, the vocal style and aggressive harmonica does get tedious.

“Blowin’ in the Wind” and “Don’t Think Twice It’s All Right” save this album for me. Some drums or a piano (or something!) would have gone a long way in elevating Dylan’s poetic lyrics, but there is only so much I can take of his guitar-harmonica style in one sitting.

Heard it many times before it's an all right album

First dance with Bob on this quest, this is a doozy with what I think is his best song, A Hard Rain‘s Gonna Fall. Buuuuut the blues songs don’t really do much for me, it’s not his best work. I honestly think he’s one of those artists best served by a greatest hits.

I never really got Bob Dylan

I found a neat inverse correlation between how much harmonica is in a song and how good it is. His songwriting is good don’t get me wrong, but lay off the harmonica.

3 Baby Dylan. While he’s not quite rocking the rosy-cheeked young boy look here like he is on the cover of his debut, this is still very much an album of the man still finding his voice - quite literally. This is probably the most normal I’ve heard him sing across any of his work, but I find that to be to the album’s detriment - where’s that iconic nasally inflection we all know and love?? (Okay, maybe not all of us). I also can’t help but feel that his songwriting here was still in its early stages as well. I don’t mean that to diminish - I think putting out an album like this at the age of 21 feels incredibly mature and insightful beyond his years - but the Woody Guthrie influence is heavily felt, and there just isn’t much that spoke to me on a personal level… which you really kind of need with Dylan’s lyrics given the simplicity of a lot of his accompanying music. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciated the reflection of 1960’s America captured, especially as it pertains towards the fears of nuclear war that lingered at the time, but ultimately, the only song that really stuck with me here was the opener, Blowin’ in the Wind - which honestly, is truly a great tune, and quite possibly among Dylan’s best. Other than that, the only song I kind of dug was the closer, I Shall Be Free, which I thought did the best job of capturing the era - but I gotta say, out of the all the advice you could have given JFK, Bob, why did go with Brigitte Bardot and NOT avoiding Dallas in November? Jokes aside, I do have to say the song did resonate with me what with the name drops of JFK and MLK as contemporary societal figures - given how this dude is still touring as of 2024, it’s an important reminder how close we really are to some of the ugliest chapters in American history (though Lord knows it’s far from over). Side note - Mike Ness of Social Distortion has a really solid rockabilly cover of Don’t Think Twice. Would recommend giving it a listen if you’re a fan of his style, or if you’re just looking for something faster-paced after finishing this.

Meh. Not my thing

I think I’ll probably say the same thing for all the Bob Dylan we get. Love the songs, not a big fan of his voice/perfomance.

Can't tell how much I actually enjoy Bob Dylan's music. Might be one of the blandest but most earnest albums I've ever heard.

This was a good album. I know Dylan is an iconic artist and supposed to be on this pedestal of songwriting but it clearly took time for him to get to that level. This album shows that in his second rendition. There are a few songs that are great and really show his abilities. However there are others on this album that fall flat and aren’t great. It’s a guy really trying to find his niche which comes later. Overall this is still good just not as good as the album cover makes it out to be. 7.0/10

I've never understood the appeal of Bob Dylan. This is not a terrible album - there are a few songs I quite enjoy - but it seems like Dylan is playing a character, an impression of a country yokel. It just doesn't feel genuine.

A couple Dylan songs I had not heard. Generally, I prefer music that moves (punk, Ska, rock, Reggae...). But Dylan is an exception. A like pondering the lyrics. I'm drawn in by the music. This album is deceptively simple. There are other Dylan albums I'm sure will show up here that I like more, but I'm happy to have listened to this one through for the first time.

50 minutes of harmonica

I really like Bob Dylans Voice, his lyrics, his guitar- and harmonica-play in almost every single song on this album but for a whole album I am missing something extra. 🤷‍♂️ Favourite songs: "Blowin´in the Wind", "Masters of War", "A Hard Rain´s A-Gonna fall" 3,5

Second Bob Dylam album? Bit better than the first but think there’s only a fee songs that Dylan actually sounds good on.

Some of his songwriting may represent the feel of the times, but I don't personally understand the appeal. Songs seem repetitive, and the singing is not good.

A good Bob Dylan album, my favourite track was Blowin' In The Wind.

Can't forgive his singing voice. And the musical compositions are pretty basic and all similar. But the lyrics are always great.

Tsch. Dylan. You can't shake that guy! Oh, but this is one of my favorites of his and I'm not alone in that assessment. That said, I have some bad news for the real Dylan heads out there when they see the stars.

It was good I guess. Nothing special. Such a unique voice.

Blowin' in the Wind A Hard Rain's a-gonna Fall Don't Think Twice, It's All Right

no es mi estilo pero me gustaron las letras

Bob Dylan is definitely very significant to music history, but not the most interesting to listen to for me

I'm not the biggest fan of Bob's voice, but I like the music and lyrics

I'm not the biggest Bob Dylan fan, so this album isn't really for me. It was enjoyable enough and definitely deserves to be on the list, but it isn't really my perfered style of music.

It's fine. I mean look, I'm just not a big Dylan fan. He was very much of a time.

Love his songwriting. Mix of some playful and more serious lyrics

I’m pretty averse to Dylan in general. This was better than anticipated but I still can’t really see myself going out of my way for harmonica boy.

Not a great singer but great songwriter

Overall nice but not sure if I’ll listen again

most songs sound the same but they were respectable, 6/10

2024-03-20...

3.5/5⭐️ Best song: Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright Worst song: Down the Highway Comments: Who hurt you Bob? A little heavy on the harmonica for my taste but a really solid folk album with a few songs I already have in some playlists

Objectively good but kind of boring

This Bob isn’t so bad

I like Bob. I respect his poeticism and his compositions, his legacy and influence, but for me this album is too scruffy. After listening through I find there aren’t really any tracks I want to go back to - my favourite is Girl from the North Country, for which I much prefer the duet with Johnny Cash. Fave Tracks: Girl from the North Country, Corrina Corrina 3/5

C'est correct, honnêtement j'écoutais juste d'un oreille

I can't say I've had much interest in Bob Dylan before. To me he was always "that guy who plays open chords with a whiny voice". But I really liked this album. To quote Bill Hicks: "G Chord, C Chord... What sort of genius is this? But then I found out there were lyrics... some of them quite profound!" Having said that, it sounds a bit same-y as I get toward the latter half of the album and some of the lyrics sound like silly hipster jokes. I was going to give this a four but it's going to have to be a 3 1/2 because I got bored as it went on.

I'm sure it's a great album for it's kind of music and if I knew anything about music I would appreciate it more. But it just wasn't my thing, not a big harmonica girl. 4/10 for me, I know it's a good album just not for me.

Maybe an unpopular opinion but meh. I mean overall it is easy good listening but with all the music now it is just fine. At the time maybe it was revolutionary and different but now it is just fine.

I imagine hearing Bob Dylan back in ‘63 was a revelation, considering his poetry combined with the stripped down acoustic presentation works so well. But I wasn’t alive then and I grew up with better production, fully rounded out electric rock n roll bands, and poetry that was just as good (Though “Masters of War” hits extra hard!). Also, his voice does NOTHING for me. He’s just another good/great songwriter whose style is just another color existing among all the other intriguing musical colors I grew up with. Nothing here is revelatory for me.

It's alright, nothing special though. However, Dylan really can write great songs. He just isn't the best singer. Overall, it's decent and introduced many to Bob Dylan's songwriting abilities.

Vraiment pas mal, quelques bonnes chansons que je réécoute volontiers.

Good Dylan album. 3/5!

3*

3- Stars (7/15)

Definitely prefer electric Dylan to acoustic.

Charming

Classic - 3.5

You pretty much know what you're getting with Dylan. Really strong lyrics and ideas laid over some pretty minimalist folk in his nasally delivery. I can most appreciate Blowin' in the Wind, Masters of War and A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall. The rest are fine, but not sure i actually enjoy them enough to want to listen to them again.

A man, a guitar, a harmonica

Lyrical Genius!

Ok album with couple of good songs

Bob Dylan is a beloved artist and songwriter, but not really for my preference. His decision to be so loose with the time structure of some songs is distracting to the point that the lyrical strengths are lost to me. ‘Blowing’ in the Wind’ is certainly the most well-known from this album, I think my favorite was ‘Hard Rain’s a-gonna Fall’. Pretty decent folk album, feels like a soundtrack to the 60s.

The album was fine and conveyed a strong message but İ think Dylan was still trying to find himself here.

Pretty good. Couldn't understand him all that much. Little too much harmonica for me.

Not his best in my opinion.

think this was the best of his we've had but that's not saying much

Dylan has an interesting view on the world and his place in it. He was part of the hippie revolution, the “peace” loving liberals of yesterday.

It was interesting. He loved war? Like what was going on when he was writing this?? His voice is not great. But I can see how my dad fell asleep while listening in the car because the story is boring. 🫣maybe could dig.

Actually more listenable than I was expecting but his voice does get annoying after a few tracks. [0122/1001]

Brings me back. Blowin in the wind was my favorite as a little kid, but listening to it now, I really like masters of war. Good stuff. I enjoy hearing a bob Dylan song every now and then but I can't say listening to a whole album is my thing

Not really a Bob Dylan fan. First 2 songs were fine, then it just kept dragging on. 2.5/5

Demasiado folk para mi gusto y un poco repetitivo

A couple of good songs, too much harmonica for me.

He's pretty cool, really love the guitar and harmonica combo. He's a little too cute for me to ever love the way I love Leonard Cohen.

Track 1: I like the harmonica with the acoustic guitar Track 2: Fun song, different recording for vocals it seems Track 3: I like the mood change in this one Track 4: this one is interesting due to the emptiness then random fast riffs Track 5: like the intro into the harmonica and fun guitar Track 6: I liked this a lot! Track 7: classic song I like it a lot Track 8: was a pretty good song Track 9: this is kinda more lyrical one Track 10: alright but my fave Track 11: I like this one a lot! Track 12: another good one! Track 13: A good way to cap off the album! Overall: 6.8/10. Really good songs on here but a few bring it down imo but it’s a solid album I think.

A few great songs. Several classics. A little long. Love Masters of War.

2 Bob Dylan albums in 3 days is unfortunate

Had some good folk tracks. I quite enjoy Blowin In The Wind. Honestly though, the songs started to get a bit repetitive. That's said, I do love the quiet and spacious sound of folk music from that era. I'm sleep deprived and don't care to wrote a good review.

3.5

Enjoyable for the initial 8 or so tracks. Well recorded. Delicate craft with certain instruments mixed into one or both channels. Then, like most Dylan’s songwriting it becomes incessant.

Filled with iconic songs and a solid 60s vibe but listening to the album was unexpectedly fatiguing because of the harmonica.

I hated the sound of the harmonica. Some songs sounded nice and cozy.

Reminds me of my uncle who I would often hear playing the banjo and harmonica. Makes you listen to the lyrics to appreciate it more. Exactly what I thought a Bob Dylan album would sound like. Fav songs Down the Highway and A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall

Blowing in the Wind ist top! Und Stimme. Der Rest insgesamt zu langweilig

Bob as a writer is undeniable. As a composer of music, pretty damn good. As a singer, an acquired taste. But for as good as the songs themselves are, structurally and lyrically, the sparseness of his earlier works lacks a little something for me.

Harmonica :)

Если рассматривать Боба Дилана как поэта - он гений. Как музыкант он... ну, не на этом акцент надо делать. Музыка в его случае - способ превратить песню в гимн. Древнегреческие и древнеримские писатели тоже слагали гимны и пели их под лиру. Вот теперь к лире гриф приделали. Я не хочу сказать, что музыка как-то дискредитирует талант Дилана. Наоборот, она позволяет донести творчество бОльшему числу людей. Потому что песня - более приземлённый и популярный жанр творчества, чем поэзия. Но гармошка бля...

Always a bit unsure about Dylan though I liked this more than I thought. Can’t really say I don’t when I listen to Laura Marling. Not a harmonica fan though, it hurt my ears at times on the earphones. I want to give this a 3.5

Least favourite Dylan so far, ear bleeding.

Good, not great.

It was Bob Dylan, pretty good, pretty Dylan

Very typical Bob Dylan - A few fabulous songs and the rest is dreck.

ja wel oke

Dated basic country music. Probably very compelling at the time but listening to it now I don't have any strong feelings. Bob's voice is grating but listenable. The solitary harmonica is very musically lacking and not as emotional as Bob thought it was in my opinion. The lyrics are too conversational and not very unique. He's certainly not the lyricist that everyone makes him out to be. Not bad, just nothing special. The themes are good; racial justice and ptsd awareness are especially important even to this day and I respect him, especially as a country artist for talking about them. That said it is very on the nose and lacks anything new to bring to the table. That may be because of the age although there were definitely people talking about racism with more complex and poignant takes even at the time; specifically artists of colour. The romantic parts are boring and honestly I switched off. The overall sound is average and could pass as background music. and none of the songs are particularly different from any of the others

the music feels quite okay although I usually don't listen to it. I already knew "Masters of War" and loved it.

Classic Dylan

He can't play harmonica or sing but these are darn good songs.

Technically speaking this is very good, and I also really like some of Bob Dylan’s other work, but this is just a bit too primitive for my liking.

put this one down as pleasant surprise; like many I'm not usually one for Bob Dylan's voice, but i didn't mind it here and the song writing is pretty good as per usual. but a lot of it feels kind of samey to me, and i can only listen to so much harmonica

I knew the first song (Blowing in the Wind) but none of the others. Bob Dylan has a very unique delivery style and it's one that I don't mind. This album makes for very good study (coffee-shop) music, kind of like the Bruce Springsteen album.

5.5/10 Highlights: Dont Think Twice Its Alright Talkin World War III Blues

harmonica hurt my ear! some bangers, some fine. You gotta be into politics/lyrics for this one.

Bob is Bobbin'

Respect him but this bored me

Don't think twice it's alright is pure gold

Very dense lyrically, beautiful guitar. Slow to get through for me.

Some nice songs don't love his voice, enjoyed few songs after blowing in the wind

Is Bob Dylan another one of those artists that I just had to be there for to really get it? This album starts off strong, but by the end it came off as a bunch of barely incoherent rambling.

Folky, only guitar and harmonica. Good album but not fully my vibe

3 but idk, kinda weird

An OK listen, harmonica is brutal in places

Never listened to more than one consecutive Bob Dylan song before. His voice is sometimes pretty goofy haha, but I enjoyed the listen. 3.5/5

Thank u Robert for a fun jangly album

Enjoyed it but will need to relisten

The harmonica is evil.

Like all his albums, great melodies and lyrics. But man does he just talk over his tracks? Singing is horrible.

The music is just boring, and I don't like the harmonica or Dylan's vocals. The political messages are pretty impressive for the 60s, so plus a star for that.

It was OK. I listened while working and it sort of blended into the background.

Extremely egregious use of harmonica/10 Look, it's Bob Dylan. Cultural impact aside his music just isn't for me. I'll take Neil Young over Dylan any day. Sorry.

Cool tunes, not loving using voice still

First exposure to Bob Dylan and the album almost brought me to tears. I don't love the genre though... I feel conflicted

Not my favorite Dylan album ever. I prefer Highway 61 over this one. Great lyrical content as usual for Dylan but the compositions on this one left me wanting.

A few songs I liked over the years but a lot of boring folk.

Fine

Great album. I like about half the songs.

I never want to hear the harmonica again.

eg

Generic ok.

Very classic Bob Dylan, great song writing Sometimes odd or grating songs Nothing I would add to a playlist

Not a big Dylan fan but here we go! 1. Someone get her a harmonica!! 3. Lyrics are good. 4. Song sucks 6. I like this song. 9. Love this song but crooked still’s version is better. Didn’t realize this was a Dylan song! His voice really bothers me. I really don’t get it.

Ok... just ok.

I started this on the plane, and was actually enjoying it, but then it started to just feel like the same song over and over...Dylan lyrics + harmonica. But then the last two songs were soooo Dylan and so nonsensical. JFK asks him how to grow the country and he says Brigitte Bardot and Sophia Loren, and he's got a woman who works all the time so he doesn't...yeah.

It's poetry for sure. Really showcases some of the roots of country and blues. It's not for me. Too slow, not enough tempo.

Not really my thing

The harmonica is such a grating instrument. Some of the songs start well and then this awful metallic sound stabs me in the ear drums. I did enjoy parts of this album but I was bracing myself for a magical, ground breaking, mind blowing album based on the way people talk about it. Of all the 80 or so albums I’ve listened to so far I believe this is the most overrated. I think the boomers have rose tinted hearing aids.

Classic, but not my taste :)

I'm not big into folk music so I was surprised that this was better than I thought. He has quite a relaxed, simple style which I liked. Don't think I would listen to it again though. Highlights: Blowin' In The Wing Masters of War Don't Think Twice, It's All Right

Great talent just not quite my style

# 61 : Long and droney, typical Dylan. Great story telling in his songs, but it's not much fun to listen to, unless you're high. A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall

There’s a few songs on here I like a lot. Every song has the same dang harmonica and guitar on it though which gets boring

Wasn't listening to the lyrics all that much, but man can this guy shred the harmonica. Decent background music, probably better with some active listening.

Pretty solid for what it is, I know Dylan is super influential to so much I listen to and I enjoy what I listen to by him, but it’s never really anything I find myself wanting to come back to save for a couple songs. That said Blowin in the Wind and Don’t think Twice are incredible songs. The rest is OK.

A classic album with some timeless tunes. Still, I was surprised with how underwhelming the overall listening experience was, especially when compared with my expectations.

Wenig mitreißendes Singer-Song-Writer Gedudel.

Not my vibe

I always had this weird preconception that despite not really knowing anything by Bob Dylan, I just wouldn't like it. I think it was his 'spoken' vocal delivery that perhaps put me off. I'm so glad that I've now heard my first full Dylan record. There are some real sparks of genius on this record, and according to my maths he was roughly 22 when he recorded this, despite his voice sounding husky and mature. Favourite tracks: Down the Highway, Don't Think Twice and It's All Right.

pretty nice old folk, nice harmonica, okay songs

Rudimentary folk with stirring lyrics

the opener sounds less like one is listening to a musical artist and more like one is witnessing in moving live colour a great historical firsthand; like napoleon or christ or maybe thats just a bit silly

I like Bob Dylan, but his albums get a bit old partway through.

Decent.

I’m buying what Robert is selling.

Gets old after a bit

Generally good but not great, with Don't Think Twice as an elite song. The creativity is showing and so is the lyrical quality, but the musical maturity isn't there yet.

вкратце: мне зашло, местами весело местами трогательно, к ознакомлению советую. blowing in the wind - песня о вечных вопросах, звучит вполне мелодично спокойно 6/10 girl from the north country - о прошедшей любви с джонни кешем, 6/10 masters of war - сильные слова про войну, 8/10 down the highway - понравилась игра вокалом и снова о любви с джонни кешем только без джонни кеша 7/10 bob dylan's blues - 7/10 xDDDDDD кек a hard rain's a-gonna fall - 6/10 masters of war на минималалках don't think twice it's all right - относись к жизни проще :) 7/10 bob's dylan dream - 9.5/10. слушать обязательно oxford town - про расизм и оксфорд, 6/10 невпущенных в заведение негров talkin' WW3 blues - ебать целая история, тема войны снова, 7/10 чисто за 12 куплетов corrina, corrina - про любовь но че то скудно ваще 4/10 honey, just allow me one more chance - отличный кавер веселый 8/10 i shall be free - честно без понятия как оценить оставлю так, текст не понял. что то про анлаки алкоголика и девушку?

At just 22/23, Dylan already sounds like a master of his craft, with songs like Blowin in the Wind, A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall and Don’t Think twice standing the test of time incredibly. There are some other fun songs here and the musicianship is generally impressive, but on the whole it does maybe suffer slightly from a couple of weaker tracks and an overuse of harmonica. Probably the strongest 3 I’m going to give

ANOTHER Bob Dylan. Give me a break. I'm sure lots of people will love it. I just can't get on with it. He always just sounds like a guy doing an impression of Bob Dylan. That said, I did start to enjoy some of these ones, when you push yourself to forget the weird heeny-hoony-wheeny-whoony voice. He's done worse.

I’m sure it’s a classic, but not for me

Not sure if I owned this album back in my college days, but wouldn't surprise me if I did in one form or another because I listened to quite a bit of Dylan's music back then. I don't actively listen to him these days -- haven't for a long, long time -- not because I grew to dislike his music or anything like that; just wasn't motivated to do so. I am glad this project served up this album for me today. It gave me a chance to listen to one of his albums all the way through, especially this one, which I really don't think I've listened to for probably thirty years or so. It's an excellent album. The tracks are sparse, it's one of his first big steps into sharing his original works, and the lyrics are poetry in a very real sense. This album also does a nice job of showcasing his excellent guitar playing. I'm not a big fan of harmonica and because it appears on most of the tracks, it kind of grated on me but that's just a matter of personal preference and I get how it fits with this album's style.

Mmm, c'è "Blowin' in the wind", però in generale non mi piace.

An album of its time, so it gets a three.

I now get what the saying about "young Dylan spiitin' words" is about. I appreciate the wit and I try my hardest to understand that this album is 60 years old, but still not really my kind of music.

Good

I was completely consumed by the storytelling.

Good, gets a little blurry in the end

great early bob dylan

You can have too much Dylan.

rinkydink

Good early Dylan

Grrrrrr...

Альбом - классика фолка. Мне нравится как звучит в нем губная гармошка а также что Боб Дилан поднимает в этм альбоме достаточно интересные темы и даже затронул тему войны. По звучанию в целом сказать нечего, классическая гитара звучит чисто как аранжировка. В целом альбом интересный но переслушивать его я вряд ли буду.

I really liked a lot of the tracks on here, some really great songwriting. There just comes a point where I kind of can't stand Dylan's voice.

First time I've listened to Bob Dylan. I get it, he's definitely a core example of folk music in the US. Very much like listening to a campfire story told with a guitar

Sure it's great, a masterwork. The aggressive lack of adornment helps the lyrics hit that much harder. But oof, pretty rough to actually listen to. I want to like it more than I actually do.

3.5

Some classic songs and early enough that his voice is completely fried. Loved the first side but my interest waned on the second. But most of it still resonates today,

Wow... maybe I'm one of those people who might've been clamoring when Dylan went electric. This is certainly the more palatable version of his art from where I stand. There were even a couple of tunes I downright enjoyed on this album. I'm familiar with "Don't Think Twice," as I used to play that with Jack a while back (channeling my Dylan folk rhymin' dictionary) and "Blowin' In The Wind" is timeless and relevant. There were a couple of others, too. There's even the slightest undercurrent of humor in places (gasp), which is nice. And, god help me, some of the harmonica playing compliments the songs. So look at me, growing as a human and saying nice things about Bob Dylan's music. But, at the end of the day, there's planty here to whine about. But I've spent the morning whining, so I'm going to stay positive. Relatively.

loved it. Classic Dylan. Hes my boy

fine background music, unnoticeable lyrics

Bob Dylan doing his Dylan thing

- some solid songs, including Blowin in the Wind - overall just more Bob Dylan