Reviews (page 4 of 14)
Day820 - a masterpiece
BOBBB ah sheeeeet loving this already shut up Bob Dylan's 115th dream intro is so cute favorite song: subterranean homesick blues
Thoroughly enjoyed this one. Dylan's a strange one because he's a terrible singer, but a phenomenal songwriter. Some great songs here.
Not necessarily anything I’ll remember. The acoustics are pretty good. The lyrics are alright. The album just doesn’t do anything to me.
I love the 12 Bar Blues progression. It's such a simple progression, and yet you can still simplify it further. There are a good few songs where Mr. Dylan basically drones on the starting I⁷ chord until he feels like changing it. Music theory aside, this is an amazing album. It's equal parts really bluesy and really reminiscent in a neat way. He's a great lyricist and harmonica player, and I really don't think his voice is as bad as I've seen people say it is. Maybe The Byrds should've found a different album to cover 3 songs from.
Not for me
loved it, wouldnt say it was Dylan at his best but really enjoyed it.
I'd like this if he wasn't so damn annoying
Dont need no weatherman to know which way the wind blows
Always been kind of fascinated with the Dylan obsession. The voice and songs are kind of annoying to me.
Rambling song written isn’t really my thing. Nothing grand to take away from the album.
Één volledig album Dylan is te veel voor mij
Tof maar beetje saai
his music has a lyrically complex and well written aspect, but i tend to find that musically is pretty servicing and simple. Here, this is somewhat ok, as i find the music good enough. But aside that, i can't concentrate on the lyrics. Idk why
Uncle Robert really rolls up his sleeves for this one.
Usually hate this fella but really enjoyed this one and will listen again
My main criticism of Bob Dylan has always been I just wish someone else was singing his songs. That said, for some reason his voice really works on this album and I honestly don't think someone else would do it justice. Quite possibly the best Bob Dylan album I've listened to so far.
Not as good as desire Favorites: last 4 tracks Starts strong and ends strong but middle tracks are boring Actually like 3.5
Maggies farm and outlaw blues were straight bangers
noise and jangles and a horrible singing voice
Quintessential Dylan, and thus essential Dylan.
It was alright, not really my thing though.
Now that I've heard a bunch of Dylan albums I can safely say that I too would be part of the crowd booing him for moving away from this music
Bob is king.
The album ranges from grating to stupor-inducing as the same braindead guitar strumming pattern is revisited track after track after track. Dylan's weaselly vocal performances offer little respite from the horrors of the stiff instrumentals. He belts out meaningless, faux-counterculture poetry with the gravitas of a much more talented singer.
Ningun skip 3 likes y guardadas
Can’ finish this one, too long and I don’t like country music.
country sucks
Definitely my favorite Bob Dylan album on this list so far. It sounded like he was actually trying to make music and sing. I also liked the song where he messed up, laughed about it, and kept going.
I don't know how people dislike Bob Dylan. This album is especially interesting, the first rock-n-roll part is unusual, but I like that it preserves the poetry of folk music. The second part is classic Bob Dylan, it's touching and honest. "Mr. Tambourine Man" is a great song. All in all, a good, solid album. The sound of harmonica may be too loud sometimes, but that's not a crime.
4.0 (47:21, 11 tracks, 5th album 1965), Folk rock (some consider the first Folk Rock album) Singles from Bringing It All Back Home "Subterranean Homesick Blues" / "She Belongs to Me" Released: March 8, 1965 "Mr. Tambourine Man" Released: March 22, 1965 "Maggie's Farm" / "On the Road Again" Released: June 1965 "Gates of Eden" I know I’m supposed to like Blonde on Blonde more but this is probably my favorite Dylan album. This is what I think of when I think of Dylan. Dylan's first album to incorporate electric instrumentation, it was so different from his earlier work that it caused controversy and divided the contemporary folk scene. On the first half of the album—the songs on side one of the original LP—Dylan is backed by an electric rock and roll band. The second half features mainly acoustic songs. The album abandons the protest music of Dylan's previous records for more surreal, complex lyrics. The album reached No. 6 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart, the first of Dylan's LPs to break into the US Top 10. It topped the UK charts later that spring. The first track, "Subterranean Homesick Blues", became Dylan's first single to chart in the US, peaking at No. 39. Bringing It All Back Home has been described as one of the greatest albums of all time by multiple publications. Ranked number 31 on Rolling Stone's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time"; it was ranked number 181 in the 2020 edition. Dylan spent much of the summer of 1964 in Woodstock, a small town in upstate New York where his manager, Albert Grossman, had a place. When Joan Baez went to see Dylan that August, they stayed at Grossman's house. Baez recalls that "most of the month or so we were there, Bob stood at the typewriter in the corner of his room, drinking red wine and smoking and tapping away relentlessly for hours. And in the dead of night, he would wake up, grunt, grab a cigarette, and stumble over to the typewriter again." Dylan already had one song ready for his next album: "Mr. Tambourine Man" was written in February 1964 but omitted from Another Side of Bob Dylan. Another song, "Gates of Eden", was written earlier that year, appearing in the original manuscripts to Another Side of Bob Dylan; it's unclear whether subsequent lyrical changes were made that August in Woodstock. At least two songs were written that month: "If You Gotta Go, Go Now" and "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)". Dylan's lyrics became increasingly surreal, and his prose grew more stylistic, often resembling stream-of-consciousness writing. Letters he wrote in 1964 became increasingly intense and dreamlike as the year wore on. Dylan returned to the city, and on August 28, he met the Beatles for the first time in their New York hotel. The meeting influenced Dylan, whose next three albums would invoke a rock sound. Dylan would remain on good terms with the Beatles, and as biographer Clinton Heylin writes, "The evening established a personal dimension to the very real rivalry that would endure for the remainder of a momentous decade." Dylan and producer Tom Wilson were soon experimenting with their own fusion of rock and folk music. The first unsuccessful test involved overdubbing a "Fats Domino early rock & roll thing" over Dylan's earlier, acoustic recording of "House of the Rising Sun", according to Wilson. It was quickly discarded, though Wilson would more famously use the same technique of overdubbing an electric backing track to an existing acoustic recording with Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence". In the meantime, Dylan turned his attention to another folk-rock experiment conducted by John P. Hammond, an old friend and musician whose father, John H. Hammond, originally signed Dylan to Columbia. Hammond was planning an electric album around the blues songs that framed his acoustic live performances of the time. To do this, he recruited three members of the Hawks, an American/Canadian bar band he met the previous year: guitarist Robbie Robertson, drummer Levon Helm, and organist Garth Hudson. (The Hawks would go on to become the Band.) Dylan was very aware of the resulting album, So Many Roads; according to his friend, Danny Kalb, "Bob was really excited about what John Hammond was doing with electric blues. I talked to him in the Figaro in 1964 and he was telling me about John and his going to Chicago and playing with a band and so on…" However, when Dylan and Wilson began work on the next album, they temporarily refrained from electric experimentation. The first session, held on January 13, 1965, in Columbia's Studio A in New York, was recorded solo, with Dylan playing piano or acoustic guitar. Ten complete songs and several song sketches were produced, nearly all of which were discarded. Take one of "Bob Dylan's 115th Dream" would be used for the album, but three would eventually be released: "I'll Keep It With Mine" on 1985's Biograph, and "Farewell Angelina" and an acoustic version of "Subterranean Homesick Blues" on 1991's The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961–1991. Other songs and sketches recorded at this session: "Love Minus Zero/No Limit", "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue", "She Belongs to Me", "On the Road Again", "If You Gotta Go, Go Now", "You Don't Have to Do That", "California," and "Outlaw Blues", all of which were original compositions. Dylan and Wilson held another session at Studio A the following day, this time with a full, electric band. Guitarists Al Gorgoni, Kenny Rankin, and Bruce Langhorne were recruited, as were pianist Paul Griffin, bassists Joseph Macho Jr. and William E. Lee, and drummer Bobby Gregg. The day's work focused on eight songs, all of which had been attempted the previous day. According to Langhorne, there was no rehearsal, "we just did first takes and I remember that, for what it was, it was amazingly intuitive and successful." Few takes were required of each song, and after three and a half hours of recording (lasting from 2:30 pm to 6:00 pm), master takes of "Love Minus Zero/No Limit", "Subterranean Homesick Blues", "Outlaw Blues", "She Belongs to Me", and "Bob Dylan's 115th Dream" were all recorded and selected for the final album. Sometime after dinner, Dylan reportedly continued recording with a different set of musicians, including John P. Hammond and John Sebastian (only Langhorne returned from earlier that day). They recorded six songs, but the results were deemed unsatisfactory and ultimately rejected. Another session was held at Studio A the next day, and it would be the last one needed. Once again, Dylan kept at his disposal the musicians from the previous day (that is, those that participated in the 2:30 to 6:00 pm session); the one exception was pianist Paul Griffin, who was unable to attend and replaced by Frank Owens. Daniel Kramer recalls, “The musicians were enthusiastic. They conferred with one another to work out the problems as they arose. Dylan bounced around from one man to another, explaining what he wanted, often showing them on the piano what was needed until, like a giant puzzle, the pieces would fit and the picture emerged whole … Most of the songs went down easily and needed only three or four takes … In some cases, the first take sounded completely different from the final one because the material was played at a different tempo, perhaps, or a different chord was chosen, or solos may have been rearranged...His method of working, the certainty of what he wanted, kept things moving.” The session began with "Maggie's Farm": only one take was recorded, and it was the only one they'd ever need. From there, Dylan successfully recorded master takes of "On the Road Again", "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)", "Gates of Eden", "Mr. Tambourine Man", and "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue", all of which were set aside for the album. A master take of "If You Gotta Go, Go Now" was also selected, but it would not be included on the album; instead, it was issued as a single-only release in Europe, but not in the US or the UK. Though Dylan was able to record electric versions of virtually every song included on the final album, he apparently never intended Bringing It All Back Home to be completely electric. As a result, roughly half of the finished album would feature full electric band arrangements while the other half consisted of solo acoustic performances, sometimes accompanied by Langhorne, who would embellish Dylan's acoustic performance with a countermelody on his electric guitar. Bringing It All Back Home consists mainly of blues and folk and, as a result of Dylan's adoption of a more electric sound, is considered to have been instrumental in the birth of folk rock. On his following albums, Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde, he would further develop the genre, influencing American folk acts such as Buffalo Springfield and Simon and Garfunkel as well as British Invasion bands like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones to innovate, producing more introspective lyrics and allowing the latter two groups to expand out of the confines of their pop rock roots. According to Pete Townshend of the Who, Dylan's folk style also influenced the writing of one of their most successful songs, the 1965 single "My Generation". In the Beatles' case, the results of this innovation — the albums Help! and Rubber Soul — would help push folk rock into the mainstream. 1) "Subterranean Homesick Blues" The album opens with "Subterranean Homesick Blues", heavily inspired by Chuck Berry's "Too Much Monkey Business". "Subterranean Homesick Blues" became a Top 40 hit for Dylan. "Snagged by a sour, pinched guitar riff, the song has an acerbic tinge … and Dylan sings the title rejoinders in mock self-pity," writes music critic Tim Riley. "It's less an indictment of the system than a coil of imagery that spells out how the system hangs itself with the rope it's so proud of." A dense, rapid-fire commentary on the counterculture and political paranoia of the 1960s. It serves as a survival guide for youth navigate a world of shifting social norms, government surveillance, and the hollow promises of the "American Dream". The song reflects a deep distrust of authority. Lines like "Look out kid, they keep it all hid" suggest that the government and society are concealing harsh truths from the public. "Better stay away from those that carry 'round a fire hose" refers to the police using high-pressure hoses against peaceful protestors during the Civil Rights Movement. The opening line, "Johnny's in the basement mixing up the medicine," is widely interpreted as a reference to the illegal production of drugs like LSD or codeine. Dylan mocks the "square" life of working a "day shift" after "twenty years of schooling," suggesting that following the rules doesn't guarantee a fulfilling life. "You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows," encourages individuals to trust their own instincts rather than relying on "experts" or leaders to tell them what is happening. The title likely references Jack Kerouac's novel The Subterraneans, and the song's stream-of-consciousness style mirrors Beat poetry. Dylan credited the song's rapid-fire rhythmic structure to Chuck Berry's "Too Much Monkey Business". The "outlaw" spirit and specific lines (like "Look out kid...") pay homage to Woody Guthrie. "The pump don't work 'cause the vandals took the handles" is often seen as a metaphor for a broken system where the tools for repair have been stolen or destroyed. This line famously inspired the name of the radical left-wing group, the Weather Underground, though the group formed years after the song was released. The "Subterranean Homesick Blues" cue card video, filmed in May 1965, is widely considered the foundational prototype for the modern music video. Though originally the opening segment of D.A. Pennebaker's documentary Don't Look Back, its minimalist, deadpan style shifted how music was promoted and visualized. Released 16 years before the launch of MTV, the clip is one of the first "modern" promotional films. It moved beyond simple performance footage to create a stylized, conceptual visual that emphasized the song's message over the artist's literal presence. Critics often describe the cue cards as "proto-memes". By combining rapid-fire text with a moving image, Dylan anticipated the way information is consumed in the digital age—fragmented, fast-paced, and layered with visual puns. The video serves as a parody of 1960s advertising and "polished" media. Dylan’s intentional use of misspellings (e.g., "pawking metaws") and mismatching text (writing "20" when the lyric says "11 dollar bills") was a rebellious jab at the era's structured, scripted truth. Filmed in an alley behind London's Savoy Hotel, the presence of Beat poet Allen Ginsberg in the background cemented the song’s status as an anthem for the intellectual and political underground. Layers of London The cue card format has become one of the most parodied and referenced visuals in pop culture: Famous homages include INXS's "Mediate" (1987), which follows the format card-for-card, as well as videos by The Flaming Lips, Belle & Sebastian, and "Weird Al" Yankovic. The romantic cue card scene in the 2003 film Love Actually is a direct, albeit softened, stylistic descendant of Dylan’s original. In 2022, to mark Dylan's 60th anniversary as a recording artist, a new version was released featuring a kinetic collage of visuals from various artists inspired by the original cards 2) "She Belongs to Me" extols the bohemian virtues of an artistic lover whose creativity must be constantly fed ("Bow down to her on Sunday / Salute her when her birthday comes. / For Halloween buy her a trumpet / And for Christmas, give her a drum.") "She Belongs to Me" (1965) is widely viewed as an ironic reversal of a traditional love song. While the title suggests possession, the lyrics describe a woman who is completely independent, powerful, and arguably the one in control of the narrator. Most critics agree the title is ironic; the woman "belongs" to no one. Instead, the narrator is "on his knees" and "proud to steal" for her, suggesting he is the one who belongs to her. A common interpretation is that the "she" is not a person, but Dylan’s artistic muse—unreachable, demanding total devotion, and capable of both enlightening ("take the dark out of the nighttime") and consuming the artist. A "Perfect" Goddess: Religious imagery throughout the song—"Bowing down to her on Sunday," "She never stumbles"—paints her as a divine or saint-like figure who exists above human law and morality. Possible Real-Life Inspirations. Dylan famously kept his subjects vague, but several women from his life are frequently cited as the inspiration for the "artist" who "don't look back": Joan Baez: The strongest candidate for many, as Dylan once gave her a "red Egyptian ring" similar to the one mentioned in the lyrics. The "walking antique" line is sometimes seen as a jab at her preference for traditional folk music. Suze Rotolo: His girlfriend from 1961–1964. Nico: The Velvet Underground singer, known for her "Egyptian" style jewelry and avant-garde persona. Sara Lownds: His future wife, who some believe is the woman "with everything she needs". "Egyptian ring": Represents a mystical, ancient power and unique identity. "Hypnotist collector": Suggests she has an effortless ability to entrance others and "collect" people who fall under her spell. "Nobody's child": Emphasizes her absolute independence from family, law, or social expectations. 3) "Maggie's Farm" contains themes of social, economic and political criticism, with lines such as "Well I try my best to be just like I am/But everybody wants you to be just like them" and "Well, I wake up in the morning, fold my hands and pray for rain/I got a head full of ideas that are drivin' me insane". It follows a straightforward blues structure, with the opening line of each verse ("I ain't gonna work...") sung twice, then repeated at the end of the verse. The third to fifth lines of each verse elaborate on and explain the sentiment expressed in the verse's opening/closing lines. It references working for Maggie, her father, her mother, and her brother on a farm. "Maggie’s Farm" (1965) is widely accepted as Bob Dylan’s declaration of independence from the folk music establishment and the protest movement that had claimed him as its "spokesman." While the lyrics describe a miserable experience working on a literal farm, the song functions as a biting metaphor for artistic and personal exploitation. The "farm" represents the rigid expectations of the folk revival movement. By singing "I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more," Dylan was announcing that he would no longer provide the "finger-pointing" protest songs his audience demanded. The song is a manifesto against conformity. Dylan complains that the people on the farm try to "make you just like them," highlighting his struggle to maintain his own identity against external pressures. On a more literal level, the song satirizes the absurdity of a workplace where the bosses are "slaves" to their own greed and the workers are treated as disposable tools. Maggie: The face of the institution—demanding and superficially polite but ultimately oppressive. The Mother: Represents the media or public relations, "talking about the victory" while hiding the harsh reality. The Father: Represents the enforcement of law and order, putting "his cigar out in your face" and hiding behind "six-shooters." The Newport "Electric" Incident The song is famously tied to the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, where Dylan performed it with a loud, electric blues band. The folk purists in the audience—who felt betrayed by his move away from acoustic music—booed him, making the song's message of "not working on the farm anymore" a literal reality played out on stage. 4) "Love Minus Zero/No Limit" is a love song. Its main musical hook is a series of three descending chords, while its lyrics articulate Dylan's feelings for his lover, and have been interpreted as describing how she brings a needed zen-like calm to his chaotic world. The song uses surreal imagery, which some authors and critics have suggested recalls Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" and the biblical Book of Daniel. Critics have also remarked that the style of the lyrics is reminiscent of William Blake's poem "The Sick Rose"." Widely regarded as one of Dylan’s most tender and sophisticated love songs. It serves as a calm, acoustic counterpoint to the more cynical and chaotic tracks on Bringing It All Back Home. The song depicts a woman who is a zen-like figure of stability in a world of pretension and noise. While everyone else is "talking" or "arguing," she simply exists in a state of quiet truth. "Love Minus Zero" is a mathematical paradox. If you subtract zero from love, it remains whole; "No Limit" suggests that this love is infinite. Together, they describe a love that is both absolute and boundless. The lyrics contrast the "clanging" and "screaming" of the outside world with her silence. Dylan suggests that her lack of "fake" conversation is proof of her authenticity ("My love she speaks like silence / Without ideals or violence"). Unlike many of Dylan’s "disdain" songs, this one is about total acceptance. She doesn't judge the narrator or the world; she knows "there’s no success like failure / And that failure’s no success at all." Most Dylan scholars believe the song was written for his future wife, Sara. She was known for her quiet, mystical demeanor, which matches the "silence" described in the lyrics. Following "She Belongs to Me," this song continues Dylan's fascination with a woman who is independent and spiritually superior to the "bankers" and "statues" of conventional society. "The bridge at midnight trembles / The country doctor rambles." This creates a sense of impending doom or fragility in the world, which only makes the woman's internal peace more valuable. "She brings me Spanish Mary / And she brings me gifts and flowers / But she’s not the one who’s sorry." She provides beauty and comfort without the guilt or "apologies" often found in transactional relationships. The song is deeply influenced by Zen Buddhism, particularly the idea that true wisdom doesn't need to be spoken and that contradictions (success/failure) are two sides of the same coin. Would you like to look at the "Success like Failure" lyric more closely, as it's often cited as one of Dylan’s most profound philosophical paradoxes? 5) "Outlaw Blues" is an electric blues song that lyrically follows a fugitive traveling through harsh conditions ("Ain't it hard to stumble and land in some muddy lagoon?/Especially when it's nine below zero and three o'clock in the afternoon") as he resents the life of being on the run. It serves as a defiant manifesto for his transition from a political folk singer to an "outlaw" rock-and-roll persona. The song uses blues imagery and historical references to express a desire for personal and creative freedom. The line "I might look like Robert Ford / But I feel just like a Jesse James" is the song's central image. Robert Ford was the man who betrayed and killed the outlaw Jesse James. Critics suggest Dylan is telling his audience that while he might look like a "traitor" to the folk movement (Robert Ford), he actually feels like the true outlaw being hunted or "shot in the back" by purists (Jesse James). The opening lines about stumbling into a "funny lagoon" and the refusal to "hang no picture frame" represent a rejection of domestic stability and the rigid expectations of the protest-song era. His wish to be on an "Australian mountain range" reflects a simple desire for a "change" and to be somewhere completely different from his current environment. The couplet "Don't ask me nothin' about nothin' / I just might tell you the truth" is often interpreted as a play on the old blues line "Ask me no questions, I'll tell you no lies". It suggests Dylan's weariness with being interviewed and analyzed, implying that the "truth" might be too much for those seeking simple answers. Musically, the song is a high-energy, 12-bar blues number influenced by Robert Johnson’s "When You Got a Good Friend" and the rhythm of "Hi-Heel Sneakers". Analysts often view "Outlaw Blues" as part of a trio of songs (alongside "On the Road Again" and "Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream") that subvert traditional blues forms with surreal, chaotic lyrics, effectively stating that "everything is available for re-writing". 6) "On the Road Again" catalogs the absurd affectations and degenerate living conditions of bohemia. The song concludes: "Then you ask why I don't live here / Honey, how come you don't move?" While Willie Nelson’s 1980 hit of the same name is a celebration of touring life, Bob Dylan’s "On the Road Again" (1965) is a surreal, biting blues track about the absurdity of a dysfunctional relationship and its social surroundings. Dylan described this track as one of his "needling" songs, intended to provoke or poke fun at his friends and the Greenwich Village scene. The lyrics depict a narrator's frantic desire to escape a partner's bizarre family. This "paranoid version of dread" includes surreal imagery like a mother-in-law hiding in a refrigerator ("icebox") and a father-in-law wearing a Napoleon mask. Like other songs from this period, it reflects Dylan's recurring theme of needing to leave a relationship as quickly as possible due to interpersonal conflict or a sense of being trapped. The title likely references Kerouac’s novel On the Road, a major influence on Dylan’s "Beat" sensibility. Musically, it is a traditional 12-bar blues that mirrors the Memphis Jug Band's song of the same title, which dealt with unfaithful women. The song represents Dylan's transition into folk-rock, utilizing a "Dadaist" or absurdist style where non-sequiturs and chaotic imagery (like thieving uncles and disgruntled monkeys) are set against a conventional rock band environment. 7) "Bob Dylan's 115th Dream" narrates a surreal experience involving the discovery of America, "Captain Arab" (a clear reference to Captain Ahab of Moby Dick), and numerous bizarre encounters. It is the longest song in the electric section of the album, starting out as an acoustic ballad before being interrupted by laughter, and then starting back up again with an electric blues rhythm. The music is so similar in places to Another Side of Bob Dylan's "Motorpsycho Nitemare" as to be indistinguishable from it but for the electric instrumentation. The song can be best read as a highly sardonic, non-linear (historically) dreamscape parallel cataloguing of the discovery, creation and merits (or lack thereof) of the United States. "Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream" is a satirical, surrealist romp through American history that lampoons modern society by jumbling together different eras into a single chaotic "dream". The song parodies the voyages of discovery. It begins with the narrator and a crew landing in a "newfound land" on the Mayflower, only to find it already developed and irrational beyond absurdity. Dylan merges various American myths and literary figures. The ship's leader, "Captain Arab," is a direct caricature of Captain Ahab from Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick. Upon landing, the crew is met with hostility, but the "savages" are actually modern-day Americans—specifically bureaucrats and police officers who arrest the narrator for carrying harpoons. The song features a "time-warp" quality where it is simultaneously 1492, 1620, and 1965. This allows Dylan to critique current events through a historical lens, such as the absurdity of "founding" a place that is already full of people. As the narrator flees the chaos and heads back to ship, he passes Christopher Columbus just arriving. He tells him "Good luck," knowing the bizarre world Columbus is about to encounter. The track famously begins with Dylan bursting into laughter after an acoustic start, before the full band kicks in. This sets the tone for the song's "anarchic satire" and gleeful absurdity. The title references his earlier, more nostalgic song "Bob Dylan’s Dream" (1963), but replaces its sentimental folk tone with a manic rock-and-roll landscape. 8) "Mr. Tambourine Man" is the first track on side 2 of the album. It was written and composed in early 1964, at the same approximate time as "Chimes of Freedom", which Dylan recorded later that spring for his album Another Side of Bob Dylan. The lyrics are surrealist and may be influenced by the work of Arthur Rimbaud (most notably for the "magic swirlin' ship" evoked in the lyrics). "Mr. Tambourine Man" is widely viewed as a celebration of artistic inspiration and the transformative power of music, serving as Bob Dylan's "declaration of independence" from his earlier role as a political protest singer. The song follows a narrator who is exhausted yet restless, seeking transcendence and escape from the "weary" reality of the everyday world. Many critics, and Dylan himself in various contexts, describe the character as a personification of the artistic muse. The narrator pleads for this figure to lead him into a realm of pure imagination ("the smoke rings of my mind") to help him find inspiration. The song’s surreal imagery—like dancing beneath a "diamond sky"—suggests a desire for a spiritual or mental journey far from "crazy sorrow". It reflects a longing to reach a higher state of consciousness where "memory and fate" are forgotten. A common interpretation in the 1960s was that the song was a "paean to drugs," specifically LSD, with "Mr. Tambourine Man" acting as a drug dealer offering a "trip". However, Dylan has consistently denied this, stating that "drugs never played a part in that song". Dylan identified his friend and fellow musician Bruce Langhorne as the visual inspiration for the character. Langhorne used to play a "gigantic tambourine"—actually a Turkish frame drum as big as a "wagon wheel"—which created a lasting impression on Dylan. The lyrics were influenced by the surrealist imagery of French poet Arthur Rimbaud and the dreamlike films of Federico Fellini. The song is noted for starting with its chorus, a technique that draws the listener immediately into the narrator's plea. It uses a "jingle-jangle" rhythm that mimics the sound of the instrument itself. 9) "Gates of Eden" is the only song on the album that is mono on the stereo release and all subsequent reissues. Dylan plays the song solo, accompanying himself on acoustic guitar and harmonica. It is considered one of Dylan's most surreal songs. "Gates of Eden" is one of Dylan’s most surreal and complex works, often described as a "sacrilegious lullaby". It explores the stark contrast between a decaying, corrupt human world and an unreachable state of perfect truth or "Eden". Each verse presents a "nightmarish vision" of human society—marked by war, materialism, and false religious promises—then contrasts it with the refrain "inside (or outside) the Gates of Eden". This suggests that true innocence or meaning cannot exist in our flawed reality. Some critics view the song as a critique of the "lie" of heavenly redemption. Dylan implies that waiting for an afterlife to solve life’s ugliness is a form of complacency; instead, "salvation begins right now". A psychological reading suggests that "Eden" is not a literal place but a state of mind or internal sanctuary. Pursuing an external paradise is seen as potentially "deadly to the spirit". The song features a "ghastly world of absurdity" with characters like a "savage soldier" and a "motorcycle black Madonna". Some interpretations argue these are figments of a "fevered imagination" wrestling with matters of justice and conscience. The Cowboy Angel: Appears as a bringer of portentous news, possibly an avatar for the singer himself. Utopian Hermit Monks & The Golden Calf: Represents the failure of organized religion and false idols that offer "promises of paradise". The narrator’s lover tells him her dreams without trying to analyze them. This "glimpse" suggests that truth isn't found in over-analysis but in the raw, unmediated experience of life. The Gray Flannel Dwarf: This character is widely interpreted as a symbol of the conformist, corporate citizen. The "Gray Flannel" Suit: The name likely references the 1950s novel The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, which satirized the soul-crushing uniformity of American corporate life. The "Dwarf" Stature: His reduced height is often seen as a metaphor for his diminished spiritual or mental state. "Bread-crumb Sins": He is depicted weeping over small, petty transgressions to "wicked birds of prey," suggesting a man trapped by guilt and a judgmental society. The Motorcycle Black Madonna: This figure is a surreal hybrid of sacred and rebellious imagery—part religious icon, part "two-wheeled gypsy queen". The Phantom Lover: Accompanied by a "silver-studded phantom," she represents a fierce, liberated, and perhaps intimidating sexual or creative force. Tormentor: In the song, she and her phantom are the ones who cause the "gray flannel dwarf" to scream, highlighting the clash between wild, unconventional freedom and rigid, fearful conformity. The Cowboy Angel: Appearing in the first verse, this figure rides on "four-legged forest clouds" and carries a candle lit into the sun. The Seeker: He is often viewed as an avatar for the narrator or artist—a messenger or seeker who is searching for truth in a world where the "sun" itself may be blackened or dead. The Savage Soldier and the Shoeless Hunter: These characters illustrate the futility and absurdity of human conflict. The soldier sticks his head in the sand (like an ostrich) while complaining to a deaf hunter, symbolizing a society that is willfully blind and incapable of truly communicating or hearing the truth. Utopian Hermit Monks & The Golden Calf: This verse targets false idols and empty religious promises. By placing "Aladdin and his lamp" alongside monks riding the "Golden Calf" (a biblical symbol of false worship), Dylan mocks those who trade spiritual integrity for "promises of paradise" that only result in laughter once one reaches the real "Eden" 10) "It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" was written in the summer of 1964, first performed live on October 10, 1964, and recorded on January 15, 1965. It is described by Dylan biographer Howard Sounes as a "grim masterpiece". The song features some of Dylan's most memorable lyrical images. Among the well-known lines sung in the song are "He not busy being born is busy dying," "Money doesn't talk, it swears," "Although the masters make the rules, for the wisemen and the fools" and "But even the president of the United States sometimes must have to stand naked." Musically, it is similar to Dylan's cover of "Highway 51 Blues", which he recorded four years earlier and released on his debut album, Bob Dylan. "One of Bob Dylan’s most ambitious and scathing social critiques. Spanning over seven minutes, the song is a relentless "apocalyptic litany" of societal ills, attacking everything from consumerism and hypocrisy to the false realities fed to the public by those in power. The central theme is the manipulation of the individual by established institutions—advertising, religion, and politics—that present a "phony" version of life. Dylan uses the song to declare his freedom from these rules and systems. The famous line "He not busy being born is busy dying" serves as a manifesto for continual growth and renewal. It suggests that if one isn't actively creating their own life, they are effectively decaying under the weight of tradition and societal expectations. (Get busy living or get busy dying, Shawshank) Dylan famously notes that "even the president of the United States / Sometimes must have to stand naked," emphasizing that no one is immune to human vulnerability or truth, regardless of their status. The title itself is often interpreted as a sign of total disillusionment. By telling "Ma" it’s alright because he's "only bleeding," the narrator implies that the world's horrors have become so commonplace that they no longer feel like a major injury. Imagery and Symbolism. Darkness at the Break of Noon: This opening line, possibly referencing Arthur Koestler’s novel Darkness at Noon, suggests a spiritual or moral eclipse where the truth is hidden even at the height of day. Flesh-colored Christs that Glow in the Dark: This image critiques the commodification of religion, turning something sacred into a cheap, mass-produced plastic consumer good. Money Doesn’t Talk, It Swears: One of Dylan's most famous aphorisms, it suggests that money has moved beyond simple commerce to become a force of obscenity and power that corrupts everything it touches. The song is noted for its extremely tight rhyme scheme (AAAAAB) and percussive, rhythmic delivery, which many modern critics compare to the cadence of rap. It remains a staple of his live sets, often receiving the loudest applause for its timeless critiques of power. $100 dollar plates and even presidents must stand naked reminds me of the Trump administration. 11) "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" is the album's closing song. The song was recorded on January 15, 1965, with Dylan's acoustic guitar and harmonica and William E. Lee's bass guitar the only instrumentation. Widely regarded as Bob Dylan’s final goodbye to his past. Closing out Bringing It All Back Home, it serves as a haunting, poetic dismissal of his former identity as a "protest singer" and the folk community that felt he belonged to them/ The Death of the "Old" Dylan: The most common theory is that "Baby Blue" represents Dylan himself—or at least the acoustic folk version of him. By telling Baby Blue to "leave your stepping stones behind," he is giving himself permission to move into rock and roll and surrealism. A Farewell to the Folk Movement: The "vagabond who’s rapping at your door" is often seen as a symbol of the changing times or the new, electric Dylan knocking to replace the old guard. The song tells the listener (and the folk purists) that the old ways are no longer useful: "Forget the dead you’ve left, they will not follow you". Many believe the song was written for Joan Baez, Dylan's former partner and "Queen of Folk". As Dylan’s music became more abstract and electric, their personal and professional paths diverged; the song may be his way of telling her that their era together had ended. On a broader level, it is an anthem for forced transformation. It captures the moment when a person’s world has collapsed, and they are forced to "strike another match" and start over with nothing but what they can carry. "The carpet, too, is moving under you": A vivid image of instability, suggesting that even the ground the narrator (or listener) thought was solid is being pulled away. "The empty-handed painter from your streets": This figure, drawing "crazy patterns on your sheets," likely represents the surrealist, non-literal art Dylan was beginning to create—art that didn't have a "point" or a political message. "The sky, too, is folding under you": Reinforces the "apocalyptic" feeling of the album's end; the entire universe of the narrator's past is collapsing to make way for something new. The song is famous for its bittersweet melody and has been covered by countless artists, most notably The Animals, Them (featuring Van Morrison), and The Grateful Dead, each emphasizing its themes of departure and rebirth. The album's cover, photographed by Daniel Kramer with an edge-softened lens, features Sally Grossman (wife of Dylan's manager Albert Grossman) lounging in the background. There are also artifacts scattered around the room, including LPs by the Impressions (Keep On Pushing), Robert Johnson (King of the Delta Blues Singers), Ravi Shankar (India's Master Musician), Lotte Lenya (Sings Berlin Theatre Songs by Kurt Weill) and Eric Von Schmidt (The Folk Blues of Eric Von Schmidt). Dylan had "met" Schmidt "one day in the green pastures of Harvard University" and would later mimic his album cover pose (tipping his hat) for his own Nashville Skyline four years later. A further record, Françoise Hardy's EP J'suis D'accord, was on the floor near Dylan's feet but can only be seen in other shots from the same photo session, as well as a copy of the Wilhelm/Baynes version of I Ching. Visible behind Grossman is the top of Dylan's head from the cover of Another Side of Bob Dylan; under her right arm is the magazine Time with President Lyndon B. Johnson as "Man of the Year" on the cover of the January 1, 1965 issue. There is a harmonica resting on a table with a fallout shelter (capacity 80) sign leaning against it. Above the fireplace on the mantle directly to the left of the painting is the Lord Buckley album The Best of Lord Buckley. Next to Lord Buckley is a copy of GNAOUA, a magazine devoted to exorcism and Beat poetry edited by poet Ira Cohen, and a glass collage by Dylan called "The Clown" made for Bernard Paturel from colored glass Bernard was about to discard. Dylan sits forward holding his cat (named Rolling Stone)[23] and has an opened magazine featuring an advertisement on Jean Harlow's Life Story by the columnist Louella Parsons resting on his crossed leg. The cufflinks Dylan wore in the picture were a gift from Joan Baez, as she later referenced in her 1975 song "Diamonds & Rust". Daniel Kramer received a Grammy nomination for best album cover for the photograph. On the back cover (also by Kramer), the woman massaging Dylan's scalp is the filmmaker and performance artist Barbara Rubin. The release of Bringing It All Back Home coincided with the final show of a joint tour with Joan Baez. By this time, Dylan had grown far more popular and acclaimed than Baez, and his music had radically evolved from their former shared folk style in a totally unique direction. It would be the last time they would perform extensively together until 1975. (She would accompany him on another tour in May 1965, but Dylan would not ask her to perform with him.) The timing was appropriate as Bringing It All Back Home signaled a new era. Dylan was backed by an electric rock and roll band—a move that further alienated him from some of his former peers in the folk music community. The album reached No. 6 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart, the first of Dylan's LPs to break into the US top 10. It also topped the UK charts later that spring. The first track, "Subterranean Homesick Blues", became Dylan's first single to chart in the US, peaking at No. 39. Bringing It All Back Home is regarded as one of the greatest albums in rock history. In 1979 Rolling Stone Record Guide critic Dave Marsh wrote: "By fusing the Chuck Berry beat of the Rolling Stones and the Beatles with the leftist, folk tradition of the folk revival, Dylan really had brought it back home, creating a new kind of rock & roll [...] that made every type of artistic tradition available to rock." Clinton Heylin later wrote that Bringing It All Back Home was possibly "the most influential album of its era. Almost everything to come in contemporary popular song can be found therein." In 2003, the album was ranked number 31 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time", maintaining the rating in a 2012 revised list. It moved down to number 181 on the 2020 list. In a 1986 interview, film director John Hughes cited it as so influential on him as an artist that upon its release (while Hughes was still in his teens), "Thursday I was one person, and Friday I was another." It was voted number 189 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's book All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000). Hip-hop group Public Enemy reference it in their 2007 Dylan tribute song "Long and Whining Road": "It's been a long and whining road, even though time keeps a-changin' / I'm a bring it all back home". In the film Dont Look Back, a documentary of Dylan's 1965 tour of the UK, Baez is shown in one scene singing a fragment of the then apparently still unfinished song "Love Is Just A Four Letter Word" in a hotel room late at night. She then tells Dylan, "If you finish it, I'll sing it on a record". Dylan never released a version of the song, and, according to his website, he has never performed the song live. Track listing All tracks are written by Bob Dylan. Side one – Electric Side 1. "Subterranean Homesick Blues" 2:21 2. "She Belongs to Me" 2:47 3. "Maggie's Farm" 3:54 4. "Love Minus Zero/No Limit" 2:51 5. "Outlaw Blues" 3:05 6. "On the Road Again" 2:35 7. "Bob Dylan's 115th Dream" 6:30 Side two – Acoustic Side 8. "Mr. Tambourine Man" 5:30 9. "Gates of Eden" 5:40 10. "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" 7:29 11. "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" 4:12 Personnel Bob Dylan – guitar, harmonica, keyboards, vocals Steve Boone – bass guitar Al Gorgoni – guitar Bobby Gregg – drums Paul Griffin – piano, keyboards John P. Hammond – guitar Bruce Langhorne – guitar Bill Lee – bass guitar on Side 1 and “It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" Joseph Macho Jr. – bass guitar Frank Owens – piano Kenny Rankin – guitar John Sebastian – bass guitar Technical Daniel Kramer – photography Tom Wilson – production
Album No. 0199 on my list. Wow, this is already my fourth Bob Dylan album, and the last remaining of his four iconic 60s records ("The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan", "Highway 61 Revisited", and "Blonde On Blonde" I had already reviewed). Looking at the track list, I recognized about half of the songs on "Bringing It All Back Home". I had never listened to the whole thing though. "Bringing It All Back Home" is certainly deserving of its status and its spot on the 1001 album list. It's a classic Dylan album, really, and clearly bridges his earlier albums with the subsequent "Highway 61 Revisited" and "Blonde On Blonde" albums. Great lyrics, good, powerful songs, a nice folk album and equally as good as its two successors. The album also contains some of my favorite Dylan songs (coincidentally also some of his most famous ones), which I'll add to my playlist: "Subterranean Homesick Blues", "Maggie's Farm", "Mr. Tambourine Man" (better than the The Byrds cover), and "It's All Over, Baby Blue". 4/5 stars!
Good
Probably 3.5
Maybe my favorite Dylan album.
I'd forgotten just how good this is. Not a dud track, humor, harmonicas and great lyrics.
Listenable but wasn’t doing too much for me
I have listened to it few times through out the day, and it grows on me every time i listen to it , what a fun album! 4/5 .
I started this project a certified Bob Dylan hater. Five or six albums in, I still don't like it, but I think I kinda get it. Maybe. I don't know. I enjoyed parts of this more than the other albums I've had so far.
Somehow don’t go to Dylan much but whenever I do it’s obvious how incredible he is
I'm on record as not being a fan of BD but I keep giving him high ratings. Maybe I should Know Thy Self more.
First half has charm: 'She Belongs to Me' and the opener are playful, structured, listenable. But then 'Mr. Tambourine Man' arrives and Dylan doubles down on what I hate about him — overlong rambling with no real melody, just poetic word-salad masquerading as profundity. 'The Gates of Eden' continues the torture. Half a decent album dragged down by the other half. If only he'd stopped before the mystical nonsense kicked in.
This album opened my eyes to just how great a poet Dylan was - but even with a rock band backing him these songs were essentially very clever spoken poems over music.
It ok
Fantastic album
I think this album is most successful when it's energetic. The more ballady or folky songs are a bit too plodding and highlight the deficiencies in Dylan's voice or harmonica. Also, I find the laugh at the beginning of Bob Dylan's 115th Dream to be soo endearing.
Poetic, artistic, of its era…
bon bob dylan quoi je suis pas éberluée c'était pas mal mais je suis pas convaincue plus que ça c'est certains que je ne réécouterai pas avec tout le respect bob évidemment 2.5
Love bob
Escuchable
Muy buen disco, el final decae un poco, pero tiene buenos picos. El trabajo de Bob Dylan con la armónica es bestial, es como parte de su cuerpo. Para no haber escuchado a Dylan en mi vida, y para no ser fan del género, me gustó bastante y lo disfruté.
Going electric only made it worse. Mr. Tambourine Man and Gates of Eden don’t save this album from being crap.
Like it. Good Bob.
Está bueno para un roadtrip
Solid album, easy listen
Ok, not my thing
I know he's a legend but I can't stand his voice and the harmonica for more than one song. Covers of his songs are usually better than his originals. There are a few of his more well known songs on this album.
- love bob dylan, his voice can get a little grating after too many songs in a row. - really adore the song writing though, some very beautiful lyrics - bob dylan's 115th (?) dream was a really funny song, that was fun! - really enjoyed the harmonica - 7/10
calm
I've never listened to a full Bob Dylan album before. I always thought it would be too folksy for me, but I understand why people are so attracted to his music now. It's raw and super relatable. I could connect really easily with what he had to say. I'm glad this was my first album generated and I will definitely listen to more Bob Dylan in the future. "She Belongs to Me" and "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" were an unexpected favorites on this album.
Pure. Am grateful for the new lease this site has given me on Dylan's music. It's alright, Ma. It's life and life only. Fav tracks: Subterranean Homesick Blues, Mr. Tambourine Man, It's Alright Ma, It's All Over Now Baby Blue. RYM: Y (#137) Saved a song: Y
Oh Bob... Why do you do this to me? This is my fifth Dylan album now, and I'm <200 albums in. So far the track record hasn't been great - all 2's and3's with the exceptions of Blood on the Tracks, which surprised me and got a 4. It seems my feelings on Bob Dylan are mixed, but nothing has yet been so good as to get a 5 or so bad as to get a 1. Six tracks in, I find myself genuinely thinking I might have finally found my Bob Dylan album. Every song is fantastic, and I'm starting to feel like this will earn a 5. Oh to reclaim that blissful ignorance... Out of nowhere, Dylan hits you with a 6 1/2 minute song about a weird dream he ostensibly had. Bob. Please. Nobody EVER wants to hear about other people's dreams. It's just the worst. And if I thought in that moment that I could maybe forgive one song, he turns it into a run of four back-to-back songs ranging from 5 1/2 to 7 1/2 minutes long. None of them are close to being as good as the first half of the album, even if they weren't long, repetitive and drawn out. The final track is good, and back to a reasonable length. It feels like Dylan was trying so hard to hold in the long meandering songs and halfway through his creative bladder was full and he just couldn't hold it any longer, pissing out a heavy stream of them directly into my ears. If this analogy upsets you, I invite you to listen to "Bob Dylan's 115th Dream", and by comparison my writings will upset you far less. Despite all of this I'm still going to give this a 4. The first half was phenomenally good - like "some of the greatest music ever written" good. The back half was rough, but not so rough as to completely invalidate the rest. If Bob Dylan doesn't end up my most controversial artist by the end of this I don't know who could be.
Whimsical, fun Dylan.
One of Bob's most lively albums. The blues elements really make this album very fun to listen to. The songs are full of life and very catchy. Bob Dylan is still great, I will not understand why some people call him a bad singer. Whether he is doing his traditional sound or straight up Blues Rock he kills it on this album.
Already have listened to this, a classic folk album that is underrated in his discography but I would say isn’t his best. Definitely a must listen, 4/5
Classic Dylan, a lot of good tracks, but I can usually only handle Dylan in moderation.
An undeniable classic. Maybe Dylan is too Dylan in this one (looking at ¨It's Alright, Ma¨) but that's what we love him for, no?
great introduction to Dylan's work, as i've not been familiar with the music. I enjoy his storytelling a lot on songs like Maggie's Farm or Mr.Tamburine Man. great uses of harmonic and other folk instrumentals with the occasional touches of electric guitar. Subterranean Homesick Blues is a strong opener and gets you immidiatley into the groove of the album. His lyricsm is marked by sharp obervations of people and their surroundings, witty remarks mixed with abstract metaphors. I can see this growing a lot more with each listen as there's a lot to unpack that i didn't catch with just one listen.
Not really my jam. Kinda ok.
Fine.
i don't think i have anything original to say about bob dylan but these are some great songs
Bobby did good
More bob
Nice to listen to this again
Album #98 Bob Dylan: Bringing It All Back Home You could put 20 Bob Dylan albums on this list, and I would gladly listen to them all without concern. As far as music being essential goes, Bob Dylan and The Beatles are the two acts which I feel like anyone who wants to understand modern music needs to listen to (with Bowie not far behind). Every single time I listen to a Bob Dylan song, I feel sad, for a few reasons. The first being that I just feel so inadequate as a person with a brain, the amount of incredible imagery and stories told by Bob Dylan in such a short period of time is insane. Between 1963 and 1966, he released six albums which could be considered amongst the top hundred of all-time without too many complaints, with this album being in the midst of that spell. I will never achieve anything remotely like that in one hundred years, let alone three. But I also feel sad for another reason, one that is far more innate and uncertain. The only signifier I have for identifying the mark of a truly great songwriter is whether or not they speak to my soul. Only a few artists that I have discovered have been capable of this, Bob Dylan and Neil Young, especially. They have some characteristic where I hear one word out of their mouth, and suddenly, I am just overcome with emotion. No matter what they say, it feels so impactful to me, specifically to the point where it feels like I am being read my life at the gates of heaven. Clearly, others feel this way as they are both celebrated as being amongst the greatest songwriters of all-time. I pity those who don’t get Dylan and can’t look past his voice, and I am grateful that he speaks to me. Bringing It All Back Home is one of his finest albums in my opinion, an album which if released by anyone else, would be considered their crowning achievement, yet for Dylan is often overshadowed. The storytelling is on full display here with songs like ‘Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream’, ‘It’s Alright, Ma’, and ‘It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue’ having some of my favourite Dylan lyrics. I feel like I fall victim to the common trap of comparisons when rating Dylan’s work, since by all means this album is a masterpiece, yet I can’t help but nit-pick at flaws when comparing it to his others works that are harder to find moments of inadequacy in. So maybe if this album was released by John Doe instead of Bob Dylan I would give it it’s rightful 10, but in the realms of Dylan albums I can’t say that this is on the level of a Highway 61, so it just misses out. Best Songs: Mr. Tambourine Man, It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding), Subterranean Homesick Blues Worst Song: Outlaw Blues Score out of 10: 9.5
Mumble, mumble, mumble, mumble, give a threeee!
Even though it's clearly the weakest of Dylan's electric era, it's honestly still pretty clear just how revolutionary the first half of this album was for him. It helps, I guess, that he starts it out with his most radical departure, that way you think of electric Dylan as "Subterranean Homesick Blues" and not as one of the later standard blues rock ones that don't really go anywhere. And yet, it's somehow the acoustic side that's the real highlight here! Maybe it's just because I'm a Byrds fan being swayed by "Mr. Tambourine Man", but these songs that all go on way too long are somehow among his most compelling! Simultaneously an album that serves to get you excited for the Dylan to come and one that makes you mourn the Dylan you're losing; it's not quite among his best, but if you called it the most important one, I couldn't argue with you.
een van de leukere bob dylan albums
So much greatness here, but presented all in an album, I was disappointed to hear so many of the midsection songs take almost exactly the same rhythm and cadence. Subterranean, Maggie's Farm, On the Road sound almost repetitive here placed together. The final sequence of 3 songs was wonderful.
I've heard Mr. Tambourine Man before. It's a song I really like, and the rest of the album is good too.
Better than expected
Bon - "It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" went to the Pepitos!
Christ almighty, what an asshole. Bob Dylan insists on himself and he’s tiresome. Ughhnhg! My fans love my music and I hate them for it! Remember when he was into religion for awhile? As if he wasn’t already preachy enough. This fucking album is so fucking tedious that I’m going have to listen to The Black Album to help me forget this God awful record exists.
Loved it more than I thought I would wow
This album and the next two that followed it, Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde On Blonde, is Dylan at his peak
Not bad! Surprised me this time
Amazing music and writing from one of the greatest music icons.
Je begint hoopvol aan een nieuwe dag. Buiten regent het, maar daar heb jij met je kantoorbaantje bijzonder weinig last van, al kijkt die grijze bende aan de andere kant van je raam wel wat minder gezellig weg natuurlijk. Het is dinsdag. De maandag heb je weer overleefd; steek die maar in je zak, dat heb je toch weer knap gedaan. 'Bijna weekend' is nog veel te optimistisch, maar toch is dat beter dan 'de week is weer begonnen'. Plichtsgetrouw start je de computer op om te kijken wat de baas en je collega's vandaag weer allemaal voor je in petto hebben. Sowieso het werk wat je gister het laatste uurtje bewust hebt laten liggen, maar vandaag met frisse energie heb je die ongein zo afgehandeld. Een vers bakje koffie wordt ondertussen gezet. Heerlijk, zeker aangezien het enige waardige alternatief - een 14% bourbon barrel aged imperial stout - maatschappelijk gezien minder geaccepteerd is. Eenmaal ingelogd wordt de browser naar keuze vrij snel opgestart. Spotify start zichzelf op de achtergrond op, klaar om te leveren waar je om vraagt (en waar je HELEMAAL NIET om VRAAGT zullen kwade tongen uit het midden des lands beweren). Je checkt je mail. Het valt mee; je collega's zijn je blijkbaar gunstig gezind, of zij hebben gister het laatste uurtje ook geen klap meer uitgevoerd. Wat je zometeen aantreft op Teams kan de boel nog wel aardig opschudden, maar dat is van later zorg. Eerst beweeg je de cursor richting de bladwijzerbalk waar je de knop treft die je inmiddels al ruim 900 keer hebt ingedrukt. Wat zeg ik, misschien wel 2000 keer, omdat je ook af en toe even moet opzoeken wat je zelf ook weer hebt gezegd over dat ene album waar je eigenlijk totaal geen herinnering aan hebt ("The Psychedelic Furs, ken ik die al?"). Gretig klik je op de bookmark. Je beoordeling en album van de vorige dag komen in beeld, samen met de zinnen en onzinnen die je erbij hebt getypt. Je merkt dat er bar weinig in zat gister, maar het was dan ook maandag. Die vervloekte maandag. En misschien lag het ook gewoon een beetje aan het album zelf hè. Onthou: Jij bent altijd de schappelijkheid zelve en je hebt altijd gelijk. Gelukkig heb je gister al bepaald wat je eindbeoordeling ging worden en heb je het erbij getypt, dat scheelt vandaag weer nadenken. Nog één keer lees je je eigen zinnen na. Klopt alles? Was ik niet onbedoeld toch té zuur? Schrijf ik nergens (goedbedoeld, maar natuurlijk compleet verkeerd) 'ik wordt'? Je beweegt de muis richting de knop waarmee je de beoordeling in een digitale steen houwt. Ja vooruit: Er is de mogelijkheid om je beoordeling naderhand nog te bewerken, maar eigenlijk wil je daar niets van weten. Dat is nep, man. Misschien ga je hooguit als je klaar bent met deze hele lijst de eerste beoordelingen (toen je nog te nat achter de oren was en je nog niet de ruimte in durfde te nemen die je als muziekcriticus in de dop eigenlijk wel verdiende) nog voorzien van een klein commentaar, maar we gaan die functie niet misbruiken om je beoordeling van 16 maart 2026 aan te passen, hou toch eens heel gauw op. Hoopvol klik je op de knop. Binnen een fractie van een seconde kaatst je toch weer sublieme oordeel via je Odido-lijntje van je computer naar de 1001 masterserver en (minstens net zo belangrijk) zal je lotsbestemming van vandaag worden teruggekaatst. Het machtige algoritme schept je bordje vol en jij zult gaan lepelen als een hongerig weeskindje. 'Als je ergens aan begint moet je het ook afmaken jongen, (zachter) jongen, (nog zachter) jongen' hoor je ergens in je geheugen je vader aan je jongere zelf meegeven. Niet dat je die motivatie nodig hebt; je hebt er gewoon weer zin in vandaag. Kom maar op met die onthulling! Wat ga je vandaag ontdekken? Een artiest die je in de jaren '90/'00 om de één of andere reden onterecht compleet gemist hebt? Een artiest die eigenlijk alleen in het Verenigd Koninkrijk een klein succesje heeft gehad? Een parel uit de jaren '60 waarover Leo Blokhuis (fap fap fap) voor de Top 2000 (fap fap fap) nog ooit zo'n heerlijk videografisch profielwerkstuk heeft gemaakt (fap fap fap)? Een kinderachtige rapper met zeer gemiddelde binnenrijm capaciteiten? Een artiest met een Wikipedia artikel dat zo onwerkelijk leest dat het als film te ongeloofwaardig zou zijn als iemand het zou naspelen? En dan is de pagina ververst. De titel van het album komt groot in beeld. Daaronder een zwart lijntje en weer daaronder een naam die je helemaal niet had willen zien. Nee, nee, nee! Dit kan toch niet man! Jawel hoor. Via de hoes kijkt hij je met één oog doordringend aan, terwijl z'n andere oog het stucwerk van het plafond rustig observeert. Je hebt wéér Bob Dylan. Kutzooi. [Wel het minst erge album van hem, vooruit...]
An album so good it almost makes you think change for the better is possible. Almost.
Tunes once again Simpsons: Yes
Again, it is a nice album to listen to, but not a top top one for me. My favourite was probably Subterranean Homesick Blues.
What a stunner. I was, of course, familiar with the superb Subterranean Homesick Blues, Maggie's Farm, Mr. Tambourine Man and It's All Over Now, Baby Blue, but such is the quality of this album they don't stand out that much from the rest of the pack. In particular Bob Dylan's 115th Dream is great, and I think It's Alright Ma (I'm only bleeding) might be my favorite song on the album. I know Dylan upset a lot of fans by using electric guitars on this album, and I don't want to dismiss those reactions even though in hindsight we might view things differently, but the quality of this album really vindicates his decision. It must've been really difficult for those fans to not love side 2 at least. Mr Tambourine Man has never been my favorite Dylan song; I've always viewed it as a bit too quaint and folksy. But in the context of this album it suddenly carries much more meaning to me. I'm not going to try to analyze it here (there is plenty of writing on the subject of the song's meaning) but to me it's Dylan at a crossroads, so putting it at the point in this album where it transitions from electric to acoustic is a brilliant move.
The album where Dylan went electric did not disappoint. I tend to really enjoy this era of Dylan. Lyrics are meandering in a fun way.
An old favourite. Listening to it with more attention, it's hard to believe that the limited and tasteful use of electric instruments was controversial (although that's partly a myth and the anger was more about Dylan shifting away from political songs). But I have to say that some of the lyrics don't quite manage the surreal poetry they're aiming for, and veer dangerously close to the Oasis school of writing down any old nonsense if it fits.
Don't follow leaders, watch the parking meters
Sorry Bob, I respect you and your place in music history, but your shit sounds bland.
Thank goodness for folk. Back then, artists weren't as focused on sound bites or virality, and it shows. Dylan's vocal performance, though, is lacking (shocker!), if only there was a cover band or something with stellar vocalists to foster a kind of second-wave Dylan movement. Alas.
I don't know what he's going on about but enjoyable!
Got it already
Solid classic
First time exploring folk rock. Not the biggest fan although interesting to try! Favorite songs: Bob Dylan's 115th Dream and It's Alright Ma
Dylan starts going electric, and starts getting good.
Ok, I agree that Bob Dylan needs to be on this list. I agree that he is an amazing songwriter and that he changed the game. But damn, there are just too many of his records on this list. I can't stand it anymore. All of the covers of his songs from other artists are better than his versions.
Not really a fan of the type of music in general. I did like "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" and "Subterranean Homesick Blues. Other than that, I think I didn't connect with most of the story telling that was happening, or heard something that caught me ear.
3/13/2026
I wrote a bunch of stuff, analysing and rationalising my thoughts on Bringing It All Back Home, but I deleted it all. My feelings come down to this one simple frustration. Why would someone put It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) and Bob Dylan's 115th Dream on the same record? Two harmonically repetitious epics, eating up side length, each comprised of gnomic utterances. One showcases Dylan's immense and obvious talents: the vocal on It's Alright Ma is spectacular; his performance of its simple melody and mastery of its straightforward structure is incantatory; the lyrics, although oblique, threaten insight or, at least, he really sells it. For proof of the clear control he holds over the song, listen to the Byrds' 1970 recording where the awkwardness of the lyrics are too much for these lesser performers. The Terrence Trent D'Arby version is pretty good though. Bob Dylan's 115th Dream showcases Dylan's immense and obvious vices: he lets the band do whatever rinky-dink, scratchband arrangement they want; he uses a harmonic pre-set as foundation for his ramblings; he mistakes obtuse for oblique or he chooses it intentionally. This stream of quirky images isn't clever or witty - wit is brief! It's a shaggy dog story with clunking, first draft end rhymes; an experiment in the studio or a test of the listener; a b-side that closes the a-side of the album. Subterranean Homesick Blues, at a third of the length, is three times the surrealist headfuck. It is a mistake to reduce Dylan to a poet, although he achieves poetry plenty. It is also a mistake to reduce him to a songwriter or a performer, although he excels at those things too. The greatest mistake, I think, was to expand him to a rock star. Poets have editors. Songwriters have the comforting buffer of singers; singers have their choice of the best songs. However, a rock star in 1965, especially one at the peak of their career, has no one standing between them and themselves. No one to contain the ego and sharpen the work. Bands have each other, although they're rarely equally weighted. But a solo artist has no one, especially when the industry wants them to churn out more material and is thrilled that the new album can be recorded in three days. We see it with Prince, most obviously, who loses all sense of quality control, but it can happen to any great pop performer. Especially, if like Dylan, they are a broken fire hydrant of ideas. In six months time, he'll record Highway 61 Revisited. It's a tired bromide that any good double album can be reduced to a brilliant single album. Well, what a great solitary album Bob Dylan could have released in 1965. Mr. Tambourine Man, It's All Over Baby Blue, Desolation Row, you wouldn't even necessarily have to lose the rockers - Subterranean... is on there, Maggie's Farm is on there, Highway 61. We just wouldn't have to endure the chugging dross like 115th Dream, Outlaw Blues, Tombstone Blues, Just Like Tom Thumb Blues... I don't know if Dylan is a victim of success here, being allowed to do what he wants and preferring, like any speed addict, to be spontaneous, record whatever, have fun, stick it out there. Or perhaps he buckled to the pressure to release more and more and recognised that filler was required. Maybe he just couldn't tell. Many of his fans can't. The great betrayal of Bringing It All Back Home is not the split between the electric and the acoustic, but between the ridiculous and the sublime, between the casual and the extraordinary. 3.5 Bringing It All Back Home is a big album, I suppose, but one could also be forgiven for thinking it was hardly an album at all. I have expended many hours arguing with friends (and strangers on the internet) that The Beatles ‘Magical Mystery Tour LP’ (Capitol 1967) is not a ‘real album’. This usually prompts an observation something like ‘of course it is, I have it in my house’. What I mean is that although MMT(LP) is undeniably a collection of songs by a particular artist commercially released by…someone, it isn’t a Proper Beatles Studio Album because the Beatles didn’t themselves choose the LP format as a vehicle for expression and had no intention of the songs on side 2 being slung together with the songs on side 1. The Beatles made a lovely EP with six songs on it. Capitol didn’t even put those songs in the right order on side 1 of the LP release. So MMTLP is a compilation (album/not album). Sure it sounds Album-y since the songs all represent the sound of The Beatles in 1967 (notwithstanding Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane actually having been recorded in 1966) but that doesn’t mean fuck all, and Bringing It All Back Home proves as much by contrapositive. Bob Dylan’s Album/Not Album barely holds together. I dare say even someone whose interest in Dylan and in albums in general extended only to owning ‘Bob Dylan Greatest Hits’ would be puzzled to learn that Subterranean Homesick Blues and It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue are on the same album - even though they sit side by side on the Greatest Hits. Some tracks - Mr. Tambourine Man and Gates of Eden - draw you back into the sound of The Times They Are a Changin’; Dylan’s slightly abrasive nasally vocal as well as the acoustic guitar/harmonica shop window. Some - She Belongs to Me and Love Minus Zero - point towards the breezy, cooing Dylan of Blonde on Blonde. It sounds like a compilation of different Dylans at different times. Different circumstances. Different studios. Different perspectives. Yet it isn’t. Maggie’s Farm and Mr. Tambourine Man aren’t just the same studio and producer - they were recorded on the same day. All of this happened in the same place in 3 days. Baffling. It doesn’t make much sense to me, truthfully, to situate Bob Dylan within the history of Album-as-expression; I think he maybe cared more in the latter half of his career about it than he did in his pomp. Blonde on Blonde might qualify as an exception among his 60s records but generally he just seemed happy to knock out a bunch of songs, sling what he figured were the best takes on a record and stick a cool photo on the front. That’s what has happened here. So if we’re judging BIABH as an Album with a capital A - I think it lacks unity, and I think it lacks a distinctive character of its own - notwithstanding the fact that it is absolutely iconic. If we judge it by the songs that are on it; well…there were giants in the earth in those days. It has awe on its side. 3.5/5
Krass wie viel besser bob dylan als all die andere singer songwriters bis jetzt isch. Müsstet mindestens no 3 anderi albe vo ihm cho
Don't think I'll ever be a Dylan fan but Subterranean Homesick Blues was fun and already better than anything on Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. I do like Mr. Tambourine Man despite harmonica. Didn't hate Gates of Eden but I think it could have done without harmonica. Liked It's Alright Ma (no/minimal harmonica?) By the end of this my fist was clenching every time the harmonica played, not good for my PTSD
aburrido
Can’t believe I enjoyed a Bob Dylan album. What’s next? David Bowie? Yeah, most folk-related stuff isn’t for me, but things like folk rock can be a lot less folk and a lot more like something else. I don’t even care that it’s a singer-songwriter album. For me, it’s just a fun, energetic rock album. It’s lively and just enjoyable. A bit too simple, so I can’t say this album is all that impressive, but I still very much liked it.
After having listened to a ton of Bob Dylan albums on here this one of them. Maybe even the best one of them. I don’t know they all still sound the same and by the same I mean that fucking frog from South Park that gets stuck up mr slaves ass and has to go on a hobbitesque adventure or whatever the fuck. Now all i can see if tomilee chalkymeat with his head stuck up the assless chapped ass of mr. Slave singing songs about not wanting to work on a farm anymore. 6/10
This album is twofold: the first half contains electric bluesy tunes while the second half finishes out with acoustic folk songs. I much preferred the acoustic songs to the electric ones, but Bob Dylan's storytelling (especially in "Bob Dylan's 115th Dream") captivated me throughout. The melodies and guitar carry the songs well (see "Mr. Tambourine Man"). I felt a sense of wistfulness and calm listening to this album even though the lyrics are far from peaceful (as is Dylan's tradition), and I even laughed at some of the parts of the stories. Another note about the lyrics is that they are very relevant today, and they should not be missed. My favorite song was probably "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)". Coincidentally, this song happened to have the strongest message, in my opinion. Normally I'm not into blues music and harmonicas, but this felt meaningful enough to me, particularly in the second half, to warrant me to give it a higher rating.
3,5/5
In retrospect, Bob Dylan going electric was the best decision he made in his career. It expanded his sound and entire image so much, and was ultimately what made him so well known. Not only because expanding his instrumental pallet made his music so much more accessible, but then on top of that it was around this sort of time where his lyricism really started to take off too. Even before this he had already proven how brilliant of a poet he is, but from this album onwards he really started to show his wit a lot more, as well as just in general using his words in a much more creative way.
Bob Dylan is an acquired taste. I say this because I listened to Highway 61 Revisited on my own a while ago, and wasn’t thrilled with it. Then, I got Blonde on Blonde through here a few weeks ago, and enjoyed it quite a bit. Then, listening to this, I was having a great time. Musically, Dylan holds his own with his unique blend of folk and rock, and his nasally voice that you either love, hate, or tolerate, but lyrically is where this album really shines. There are moments on this album that are heartfelt, moments that are angry, and moments that are just plain weird. I don’t think I was fully able to appreciate Dylan’s lyrical prowess until listening to this album, but there are some truly captivating songs with fantastic imagery. I really wasn’t expecting this generator to make me a Bob Dylan fan, but I suppose there are worse things to be.
Zlatne godine Bob Dylana.
I have always wondered what the best 'entry level' album for somebody new to Dylan would be? I think this is the one, a perfect blend of catchy numbers like, love minus zero, maggies farm & its all over now baby blue. Alongside the more lyrically demanding /cerebal hits like, mr tambourine man & its alright ma... I would suggest that if this not to their taste then Dylan is not for them. For me this is a work of genius & its not even Dylan's best album!
Good album
Idk mediocrity at its best
man bob dylan aint for me
Un capo pero no me gusta el country
Bob
Not my thing
I'll give this what it deserves and round up from a 4.25 - love Maggie's Farm, Outlaw Blues, 115th Dream, amazing imagery throughout, Gates of Eden, Alright Ma. I had always heard The Animals cover of Baby Blue, didn't even realize. Still love that version
Not sure why but this one hit harder than the previous day's Dylan album for me. More energy in this one or something. I feel like there's not much I'd be able to say about this record or Bob Dylan that hasn't been said before. The guy's a master of his craft, full stop.
Another great album. I'll need to revisit these two because back-to-back 5 stars from the same artist feels biased but for now that's what I'm doing.
*82 Lyrikken trækker i den rigtige retning, og der er nogle absolut fantastiske sange på, men også et par numre, jeg ikke brød mig om.
I love Bob Dylan !! So groovy yet so beautiful, and his lyrics are stunning. Fav song is ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’.
In the great Bob Dylan debate, I sit firmly on the side of "this guy can't sing". However, this is actually better than a lot of his other stuff
bobby d is always gettin a 5 from me
7/10
Not my fav Dylan but still so comforting
As someone who has already listened to this album and loved it, I was thrilled when this album came up. I love Dylan, and this album is definitely deserved to go into this list. The split between rock and folk is a stroke of genius, the lyrics are spontaneous and intense, but still has intention and clarity in every word. This album is such a special one, and includes some amazing songs. Dylan finds his jam in this record, and equally pisses off both parties of folk and rock. Definitely a 5/5! Hope to see more. Best tracks: It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding) , It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue, She Belongs to Me, Mr. Tambourine Man.
banging but not my vibe
Essential transitional album, from increasingly reluctant folkie to rebellious blues-folk rocker
I think this is Dylan's most accessible album (assuming you can handle his voice). Love the contrast between the band backed side one and acoustic side 2. Seems way ahead of his time for 1965.
My original rating was 3, bumping this to a 4 after a re-listen and embracing more of Dylan's discography
One of the best Bob Dylan albums for sure. Has the same thing as all his 60s, albums, top tier songwriting and some pretty solid instrumentation. Very good stuff
Bringing It All Back Home (1965) is the fifth studio album by Bob Dylan, and famously the one where he went ‘electric’. In fact only side A introduces us to his new fusion of rock and folk music, with Dylan returning to his more familiar acoustic folk on side B. This album, and Dylan’s subsequent performance at the Newport Folk Festival in July 1965 were pivotal in the development of the ‘folk rock’ genre. Although the term itself was first used in June 1965 to describe The Byrds’ musical style. Folk influence can be heard in a lot of rock music of the time (e.g. Rubber Soul [late 1965]), and rock was influencing others in the folk-revival community (e.g. Sounds of Silence [early 1966]). I am a big fan of the resulting ‘folk rock’ sound that was embraced by the likes of Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills and Nash. It’s hard to imagine how jarring Bringing It All Back Home must have sounded to Dylan’s fans in 1965. Many felt that Dylan had become a sell-out and was betraying his folk roots. An audience member famously shouted ‘Judas’ at him while he was on stage during his 1996 tour. Personally I love acoustic Bob and electric Bob, and this album, which bridges the gap between both, is a long-time favourite of mine. It’s got so many great songs I can’t really pick out favourites. I love Bob Dylan’s writing and the way he can switch between tongue in cheek humour, sneering anger, wistfulness and surrealism. Side A: 1. Subterranean Homesick Blues - 5/5 2. She Belongs To Me - 5/5 3. Maggie’s Farm - 4/5 4. Love Minus Zero - 5/5 5. Outlaw Blues - 5/5 6. On The Road Again - 5/5 7. Bob Dylan's 115th Dream - 4/5 Side B: 1. Mr. Tambourine Man - 5/5 2. Gates Of Eden - 4/5 3. It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) - 5/5 4. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue - 5/5
Love him or hate him, it’s an undeniable fact that nobody else could pull this off.
3 of 8 bob dylan albums on this list done now. I’m worried that, like a precious natural resource, I’m running out, and will be left in a bob dylan dessert for the last 500 albums. I don’t quite enjoy this as much as some of his other famous albums. But it’s still great.
2nd Bob Dylan album in a week. And the best 2 albums by some margin. Might abandon this whole thing and just listen to 1001 Bob Dylan albums instead.
Bob Dylan is such an iconic artist and a voice of a generation. That being said, this isn't his strongest album but still solid.
nothing but respect for mr dylan but i will always prefer the byrds' covers of his songs. i'm sorry
another no brainer
Not quite fully electric and several songs with the same sound scheme, but a fantastic listen. A couple songs I would’ve left off maybe, and some I felt could’ve been shorter. I challenge Bob Dylan in 1965 to write a shorter song.
Liked but not loved it, 8/10, pretty good, pretty simple, very enjoyable
A Masterpiece
Very Bob Dylan
Dylan goes electric. Lively. Not as unbearable as his acoustic mumblings
Away from home so didn’t have chance to listen closely but it is an album I’m familiar with. Landmark album by virtue that it heralded the beginning of Dylan’s electric stage. I’ve never got what all the fuss was/is about in the acoustic v electric argument. Plugged in Dylan sounds the same to me as his style is so is distinctive. I like other albums in his massive collection more but this is still a very significant in tracing his career landmarks. 4/5 3/3/26
The sweet spot between his "folk troubadour boy genius" era and his "irony poisoned rock 'n' roll surrealist" era
Beautiful Dylan album. I have to be in the mood for his music. The folksy sound and the sad subject matter can be a lot to take on some days.
I can appreciate this tbh. I need to do more research on how much he stole some the early rock stuff from black influences. You can definitely tell there are influences there. The lyrics are killer tho. Really love how he plays with pocket -- i guess that's his schtick. Highlights: Maggie's Farm, It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)
He's such a good storyteller you almost forget just how deeply unpleasant his voice and his harmonica are to listen to.
One of my favourite Bob Dylan albums. If i remember correctly, one of the first albums he uses electric guitar which comes across so naturally it's hard for me to understand how controversial it was, to his audience, at the time. Like all BD, lyrics are very surrealist and poetic. His voice, along with the guitars and tambourine create such an iconic folk-rock sound that is somehow nostalgic to me. Subterranean HS Blues is an incredible start. Baby Blue is such a lovely song to end. Mr Tambourine Man is a top 5 BD song.
Best: It’s all over now, baby blue Listening to Bringing It All Back Home genuinely impressed me way more than expected. I hadn’t listened to it before, and I had no idea so many of the tracks were from the same album. I loved the split between the two halves of the album. You can really hear BD starting to branch out into more rock orientated music in the first half. However, I do think I preferred the more folky/acoustic sound of the latter half. Production wise I always love how BD albums have a super unpolished feel to them. I think this matches his conversational style vocals and makes the music feel so much more alive/authentic? I always feel like I’m listening to someone so genuinely passionate about music when I listen to Dylan that the vocals don’t even matter as much, someone just doing what they love regardless of the imperfections. The lyrics on this album are all over the place (in a good way). BDs 115th dream was so silly, and hearing the little outtake at the start of it honestly made me smile. Overall, listening to Bringing It All Back Home made me genuinely happy. I thought it was a great album. I had no idea It’s all over now, baby blue was a BD song, and hearing it in this context made the album feel so much richer.
"Bringing It All Back Home" is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. Folk rock, folk and blues are the Wiki-listed genres. It was his first album to incorporate electric instrumentation which caused controversy and divided the contemporary folk scene. It is also cited as the birth of folk rock. The album is divided by side one in which the music is backed by an electric rock and roll band and the acoustic second side. Dylan was on lead vocals and played guitar, harmonica and keyboards. A large number of additional musicians participated including Steve Boone (bass), Al Gorgoni (guitar), Bobby Gregg (drums), Paul Griffin (piano, keyboards), John P. Hammond (guitar), Bruce Langhorne (guitar), Bill Lee (bass), Joseph Macho Jr. (bass), Frank Owen (piano), Kenny Rankin (guitar) and John Sebastian (bass). Commercially, it reached #6 on the US Billboard charts on #1 in the UK, and, critically, was very highly acclaimed. The electric side opens with "Subterranean Homesick Blues." Acoustic guitar, electric guitar accents and melody and a rock beat. Dylan with shotgun vocals as he comments on social, political and cultural events/situations in the mid-60's. He adds harmonica blasts, I think to take breaths. Oh, R.E.M. might have heard this song a time or two. "Maggie's Farm" comes on slowly with a bluesy guitar. Dylan in an angst-filled voice uses the analogy of working on a farm to being part of the folk community and he's not working there anymore. Dylan continues that same theme on "Outlaw Blues." A bluesy stomp with a driving guitar and harmonica. Dylan compares himself to Jesse James. The acoustic side begins with the wonderful "Mr. Tambourine Man." An acoustic guitar carrying the melody with a background keyboard/guitar sound. A dreamy atmosphere. Surreal lyrics as Dylan seeks advice from Mr. Tambourine Man to assist his escape from the daily grind. The song was named after Bruce Langhorne's giant tambourine. The album closes with "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue." A slow start. Dylan with authoritative vocals as he needs to leave his outdated past. The harmonica ringing out the great melody with a soulful bass. The electric side swings between songs of angst and rebellion against the folk crowd and society and gentler, more lovely songs about women. Layered guitars and accents. A more, overall bluesy vibe. The highlight of the acoustic side and probably the whole album are the poetic, surreal and dreamy lyrics. There's a darker edge. Dylan is confident and defiant in his vocals. I like a few other Dylan album more but, this is a great album. The highs are very high. A strong recommendation.
You gotta love Dylan.
One of the best openers and closers if all time
Why isn't the harmonica used more. It's fucking dope.
⭐︎4.3 名曲「Mr. tambourine man」を収録。 時代の割に長めの曲が多い印象。特徴的なアコギのリフが頭に残るアルバムだった。
I need to listen to this again to get the full picture of the album, but I very much liked what I heard. The music itself doesn't seem to be the point though, its just a vehicle for the lyricism to shine.
4/5 Definitely need to give this one another listen, but holy shit what lyricism. I didn't think I'd be listening to straight up poetry but here we are. First time I've listened to Bob Dylan and I'm pleased with what I heard. Some could be said about the musicality itself though, I didn't hear anything crazy revolutionary. However, while it's not entirely my genre I still feel very happy that I listened to it.
Hay buenas canciones en este disco, aunque me gustan más las eléctricas que las acústicas. Entiendo la importancia que tuvo este álbum en la carrera de Bob Dylan y lo que más puedo destacar es la energía que transmite en las canciones, que es lo que considero la magia de este cantante
Pretty good! I enjoyed this one. No takeaways from me or any bangers, but it was an enjoyable listen.
Not bad, didn't love it though.
Side One is wall to wall greatness. I don't remember ever listening to it before, but I think I must have owned it when I was a young man because I know all of these, and could pretty much sing along with Bob Dylan's 115th Dream. What a song that is. The acoustic side two doesn't hit me quite as hard, but finishes strong.
Spelade den så sent som i söndags av fri vilja och ska förstås spelas i mono allt annat är helgerån. Han var bra här Bob, dom här Judas-åren. Även om han inte har pluggat in här än så överger han i mångt och mycket folkmusikscenen här och hittar nåt friare och mindre dogmatiskt, ja eget kanske t.o.m. Det saknas ju inte direkt kvalitet här. Det är en dryg handfull verkliga kanonlåtar, på gränsen till klassiker faktiskt. Resten är jämnt skägg mellan någorlunda och rena utfyllnadslåtar. Maggie's farm ...baby blue Love minus zero ...115th dream Gates of Eden ...homesick blues ...på samma album det blir omöjligt att överskatta. Klockren fyra
Om texterna i det här vindlande ordflödet är rena skojerierna eller faktiskt betyder något, det får vi nog aldrig veta, och spelar mindre roll. Det är hur det levereras som betyder något. Och att lämna världsförbättrar-ambitionerna och hitta nya lekfulla sätt att uttrycka sig på, samt ta in ett elektrisk kompband, var ett genidrag och ger en ny lätthet till Dylans låtar. Synd bara att han inte går hela vägen utan kompromissar med folkpubliken med akustiska B-sidan. Inledande fyra från Subterranean homesick blues till Love minus zero/ No limit är femstjärniga. Därefter lite mer upp och ner. Men det får åtminstone landa på en fyra.
Det här albumet i sin helhet illustrerar den klassiska schismen då Bob går från akustiskt till elektriskt. Inte alls tokigt skildrat i ”The complete unknown”, med Edward Norton som mysfarbrorn Pete Seeger. Får man tro filmen och de vanligast förekommande berättelserna, var det verkligen en skam inom folkmusikvärlden när Bobban pluggade in. Sen borde vi kanske vara mer källkritiska. Anar ett visst beroende här. Hursomhelst, det var naturligtvis helt rätt att trycka in sladden i gitarren. Det blir inte minst uppenbart då låtarna fram till överskattade Tamburine man är elektriska och ger en då mycket mer komplex och intressant ljudbild. Tänk om It’s all over now, baby blue också hade arrangerats om. Hade antagligen varit albumets bästa spår. För bra låtar finns det gott om. Så det räcker till en stabil fyra.
Den första halvan är riktigt bra. Lärarna hade gärna fått växa ut lite till. De känns väldigt abrupt avhuggna. Andra halvan där det bara är Dylan och hans hamrande på gitarren så blir det inte lika roligt. Första halvan en svag fyra, andra halvan en tvåa.
i liked it better than the other bob dylan album but i guess i got 5 more to go now fav song: Subterranean Homesick Blues
Nog steeds niet fan van Bob Dylan, maar dit album vond ik wel leuker dan die vorige
That is album is noticeably good. I've listened to it in past.
Great songs
Fast Paced and Funny. Straddles the line between serious and straightforward folk and goofy non sequitur songs about who even knowns what, songs that are 2 minutes long and others that are 8 minutes long. Keeping the missed cue in the 115th dream was good, it shows the laid back vibe they must have had recording this, sounds fun. I think the humor is important for Dylan, something about the ability to not take even his own music that seriously is the same quality that let him change his sound over and over and write other songs that see through other things the way he sees through himself. Highlights: Subterranean Homesick Blues, Maggie’s Farm, Mr. Tambourine Man, It’s All Over Now Baby Blue
I mean, I don't really got a ton of things to say about Bob Dylan that I haven't said in other reviews. This one's just hitting really good. Probably on par with Freewheelin' (If not better) for me.
HEY MISTER TAMBOURINE MAN PLAY A SONG FOR ME IM SLEEPY AND THERE IS NO PLACE IM GOING TO HEY MISTER TAMBOURINE MAN PLAY A SONG FOR ME IN THE JINGLE-JANGLE MORNING, I'LL COME FOOOOOOLLOWING YOU
4.5 stars. Favorite Bob Dylan album so far. Starts of fun and rowdy with electric band backing. Second half is the more traditional acoustic folk Dylan. Includes Dylan's first hit, the catchy "Subterranean Blues" and the anthemic blues tune "Maggie's Farm". Poignant "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)". Comical and trippy "Bob Dylan's 115th Dream".
Very political, very good
Have I listened to this album before? No How familiar am I with this album? I know one song How do I feel about this artist? Bob Dylan's voice generally annoys me but I like to listen to his lyrics and I love some good harmonica Favorite song(s)? Title Track, Outlaw Blues, Bob Dylan's 115th Dream, Gates of Eden Overall Thoughts: I liked this more than I expected to. I associate Dylan heavily with protest music (nothing wrong with that), but this was just a straight forward blues album. I liked the switchover from electric to acoustic halfway through.
Not for me
Classic, some of my favorite Dylan songs. Probably my favorite Dylan album after Nashville Skyline
2 or 3/5 Not my style of music and song lengths seemed a bit long for my liking but I can see it as a chill album to study to.
Déjà écouté. L'album qui a fait de Dylan une légende, à juste titre. En passant à l'électrique et en se nourrissant de blues et de rock, il invente le folk rock le temps de la face A. Un monument de songwriting fondateur. Top : It's All Over Now, Baby Blue Flop : She Belongs to Me
Oooh boy…. BD Probably not in my top 5- maybe Still a great album- 9/10
The poetry in these songs is so good. Every lyric conveys so much meaning and I’m going to be thinking about how lyrically dense these songs are for a bit. Also, it’s so fun! Every song is fun to listen to. It was a fantastic album. Best songs: Subterranean Homesick Blues Maggie’s Farm Love Minus Zero Bob Dylan’s 115th dream Mr. Tambourine Man
It Dylan
Typical Dylan, but this one didn’t seem to grate on me like most of his does around the 3/4 mark.
Real tale of two halves…starts with energy and excitement, gradually turns more acoustic and slows down. Particularly enjoyed ‘Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream’. An interesting insight into an artist whose only songs I knew before were the ‘big hits’.
Loved it. Never listened to Bob Dylan before and was delightfully surprised. Found it hard to listen to the lyrics but will keep trying.
Utterly brilliant. Witty, often surreal lyrics that feel like they’re occasionally going to break out of folk’n’roll into full-blown hip-hop. Does the history of the album and the ‘Judas’ moment make it more compelling? Probably, but ultimately it’s just glorious songwriting.
Peak Dylan. Nothing more needs to be said.
Some of the best songs of all time and then sometimes he’s just like “I got a frog in my socks” doot doot doot
Very similar notes to my previous Dylan review... great songwriter and especially lyricist, but I just don't like his singing style. This album was more tolerable, and I enjoyed the addition of electronic sound on the first side. - Heard before? Not in its entirety, but I was familiar with many songs. - Will I listen again? If I'm ever craving Bob Dylan, this would be the (new) album I'd choose. - Does it inspire me to listen to more of this artist? Not yet, but I'm pleased that there are now two albums that don't make me cringe.
One side electric, one side acoustic, contains Subterranean Homesick Blues, Maggie's Farm, and Mr. Tambourine Man. There are a lot of Dylan albums on this list, and this is I think the 3rd one I've been assigned so far, less than 100 total in. It's about a 3.5, so maybe better than most Dylan.
Underrated melody maker
I actually really liked this album despite never going out of my way to listen to Dylan. Great way to start my morning with some twangy harmonica.
buen album, le doy un 3,5/5
I liked the popular songs, but the less popular ones didn’t make me feel anything. Solid 2,5/5
I still prefer him as a songwriter to a singer.
tuvo un par de temas piolas pero algunos no, le doy un 7 pero es mi primera escucha asi que deberia de darle un par mas para cazar la onda, como tema destacado pongo a Mr Tambourine.
Mr tambourine man slaps, really cosy vibes. 3.5/5 me thinks
When your drunk uncle brings his harmonica at Thanksgiving and expects you to listen to his rambling thoughts while holding the pumpkin pie hostage
One of my favorites from Mr. Dylan. Solid start to finish.
It’s good, not my fav Dylan I’ve heard
guys im officially a dylan guy...
country vibe, like it
In "Bringing It All Back Home", Bob Dylan adventures into the realm of electric instruments. Dylan's characteristic raspy voice is reinforced with a prominent harmonica and versatile guitar parts while he plays through a series of blues and folk songs. Yet, the stripped back production sometimes irritates the at times wild harmonica parts, through accentuating it over the rest of the song. It is a major drawback from the relatively lovely melodies Dylan crafts throughout the album. It is a good album, yet that feeling of tension is too overbearing; the best song on it is the deft "Love Minus Zero".
My first deep dive into Bob Dylan was last year in my final year of university. Rather than doing homework, review, or anything remotely academically productive, I would stay up late and put on Dylan albums while playing Civilization V. In other words, peak. With this album, and a few other Dylan ones that I'm sure will be on this list, I so often stopped playing, and sat back in my chair listening. "Love Minus Zero" is a quintessential Dylan track, "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" is one of my favourites of his, "It's Alright Ma..." should be a mandatory lesson in high school English classes everywhere. I used to view "Mr. Tambourine Man" as kind of a children's song, with "Hey Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me in the jingle-jangle morning" as somewhat juvenile, but upon further listening, it is way better than that. "Gates of Eden" is underrated, "Maggie's Farm" is fun, "She Belongs to Me" is also underrated. I heard "Subterranean Homesick Blues" in high school, and if we actually had a high school yearbook (wiped out due to COVID), my quote was going to be "You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows".
I struggle a bit with Bob Dylan’s voice — I find it quite abrasive. The songwriting is undeniably brilliant and clever, but vocally it’s just not really my thing, and I don’t find the record particularly melodic. Not all music needs to be melodic, of course, but melody is one of the ways I emotionally connect to songs, so its absence stands out. It’s only a first listen though, so I may revisit it — or try another era of his. “Mr. Tambourine Man” is probably my favourite track so far.
This fucking goes to 11....
One of his best. Great hits, fun lyrics, fun time.
Good Dylan album
130620 17:03 5
Jag tycker att vissa låtar som Gates of Eden och she belongs with me är super bra och har liksom hört de innan. Men många låtar hadde för mycket instrument och fick lite huvudverk känsla och mina öron blödde typ ibland. Men han är en fantastisk artist och hela albumet är ju bra det är bara int min grej helt och hållet så att säga!!
Gillar Bob Dylan och albumet var bra men det är förståeligt att hans musik inte är en favorit hos andra då han har en väldigt speciell musikstil men jag uppskattar att hans musik är som den är.
Bring It All Back Home is irresistibly catchy, but what makes it special is how it balances that hook-driven energy with a raw, vintage feel. The electric tracks crackle with attitude and confidence, while the acoustic songs remain intimate and poetic. It feels like a turning point — bold and experimental, yet still grounded in Dylan’s folk roots. Even decades later, it sounds fresh, sharp, and effortlessly cool.
every song is a hit !!!! is this the best Bob Dylan album???
Four in a row!
Not something I would usually play, but I really enjoyed it.
I like the music but I’m not a fan of his voice 🫣 She belongs to me could be cute Lots of blues!! I do quite like the imperfectness of the sound and the lyrics are really good
Some good songs, but not enough for 4 stars
We get electrified Dylan *and* acoustic Dylan. And “Subterranean Homesick Blues” and “Mr. Tambourine Man.” And that’s not all. Essential.
Du Dylan à son meilleur, pas un moment faible sure cet album!
Mais de quoi tu parles Bob? 4.49 étoiles
It’s fine. It’s just not for me. Dude sings like he’s pinching his nose shut because someone just cut a nasty fart. 2.5⭐️
Love the electric Dylan....Judas Schmudas. Side 2 though, is tremendous. Damn good album: 4.5
Excellent... the album that propelled a generation and influenced at least one more.
Big fan of this one
Ok so it’s Bob Dylan. I know that so many people absolutely love him and I totally understand how important he was in shaping music for a time. But an entire album of Dylan feels like a lot. The odd song here and there from his is fantastic but after a few Dylan songs in a row I could feel my mood lowering. To give credit where it is due it is a beautifully written album and I would happily listen to a track here and there but just not all in one go
Great album start to finish, no skips
Well, this album is just chock full of hits, isn't it?
Excellent
Großartiges Album. Die A-Seite zeigt Dylan von seiner rockigen Seite, mit fantastischen Songs wie den bissigen, energiegeladenen "Subterranean Homesick Blues" und "Maggie's Farm", dem traumhaft schönen "Love Minus Zero / No Limit" sowie herrlich witzigen Geschichten wie "On the Road Again" und "Bob Dylan's 115th Dream". Well, I rapped upon a house With the US flag upon display I said, "Could you help me out I got some friends down the way" "The man says, "Get out of here I'll tear you limb from limb" I said, "You know they refused Jesus, too" He said, "You're not Him Herrlich. :D Ich liebe auch den falschen Start von "Bob Dylan's 115th Dream". Unfassbar, dass die akustische B-Seite dann locker nochmal genauso gut ist, "Mr. Tambourine Man" und "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" sind nicht zu Unrecht Highlights. Und noch unglaublicher, dass die zwei Nachfolger noch besser sind.
Whitetrash music
Classic Dylan at his finest
Take me back to Newport, I’ll throw some tomatoes at Bob too.
A couple really great cuts, but not amongst my favorite Dylan albums
I quit at Maggie's Farm. I can't with his voice & harmonica.
One of greatest album of All Time, One of the greatest Bob Dylan album
not a fan of his vocals. begging him to put the harmonica down
Loved itttt
- First song: "Subterranean Homesick Blues" "THIS NIGGA FLOWING" - Tenth Song: It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) "MMMMMM" - Favorite Song: "Subterranean Homesick Blues" (8/10) Oldie with a few songs sounding the same but still great listen
This was pretty tight
I do wear an Egyptian ring ☥
Quintessential Bob Dylan
Was hoping this one would be different... but nope, still annoying, but respectable, of course
i love that he got criticized for this album being too "rock". you know. the most folksy 60s album i've heard. yeah sure. 4 stars.
I used to not like Bob Dylan, then I had a period when I listened to him and kind of liked him, and then ended back up disliking him. So I’m open to having my mind changed, but it’s not going to be this album that does it. Rambling stream of consciousness lyrics with shitty guitar playing and harmonica, I just don’t get it.
j’aime bien bob dylan
The Good: We get to take everything back home! The Bad: Home’s a lot smaller then we remember it to be… The Ugly: Fucking Yardsale to get rid of all the shit we brought back home… Mr Dylan is who he is… and that is probably one of the greatest singer/songwriters of all time… just like Leonard Cohen et al… So, my question is: do all singer/songwriters have to have annoying voices in order to become successful? There are some classic songs on this album, one’s which I might want to listen to again at some point in time, and probably will if I still manage to listen to the radio on a “golden oldies” kind of thing… However, I don’t really care to have to sit through this album again any time soon… so where does that leave us? 3* upgraded from 2 1/2
This is a hugely influential album, I can see it across so many of my favourite artists. On an individual level I enjoyed it too, a step into more modern music from straight acoustic song writing but with the strong song writing still being the backbone of the music.
Not bad. Bobs not my favorite, He ain't no Rodriguez, but this is good.
Love it! It's alright, Ma - is the definiyely the favourite.
Love
This was a great opportunity to listen all the way through a formative classic. I've heard a lot of Bob Dylan in my life, but hadn't ever listened to this album all the way through. My husband was listening with me, and as each familiar song came on, he asked, "is this all the same album?!" expressing the wonder that one album could contain so many songs with staying power.
I somehow remembered this being the lesser of Dylan's three peak Dylan electric albums, and boy was I stupid. This rules, with a sneer and an edge Highway 61 couldn't fully replicate. The middle is definitely a mess but that last half when he goes back to his folk roots to just utterly annihilate meaning from them - it's pretty great. It's not Blonde on Blonde but it'll do nicely.
Gdyby nie miał wkurwiającego głosu i odłożył harmonijkę, instant 4/5
Beautiful. That great shaky raw voice with a mix of electronic and acoustic undertones
Excellent piece of work that really holds up to this day.
Does not dosappoint
Another amazing album by Bob Dylan. Half of these songs are classics, covered by many other artists. This record really emphasizes the electric rock and roll sound, much less so the early folk sound. It also emphasizes his stream of consciousness approach to writing lyrics, occasionally veering into the absurd and surreal.
I thought I "liked" Bob Dylan, seems I might have been wrong and only heard things I liked before but I do kinda dislike the singing and the harmonica in the songs.
I really do not understand how people can enjoy listening to Bob Dylan's voice, it's so unbelievably grating. He's reasonably eloquent on this album though, so at least I could take in most of the lyrics. None of the music here was that bad, the harmonica was mostly fine. The electric-backed tracks were reasonably interesting as there was a decent amount going on in (though the backing was generally a bit too repetitive for my taste). The acoustic tracks were noticeably worse, mostly because the guitar strumming is pretty dull and uninteresting, and Dylan's voice is even more prominent. If you cut out the "singing", most of these tracks would be pretty enjoyable to listen to. With Bob Dylan's vocals, it can't be above a 2.
I like 'The Freewheelin Bob Dylan' a lot, but I can see how some would have issues with it. The lyrics are entirely the focal point with the tracks becoming stale instrumentally while going through a full listen, if you're not a fan of pure acoustics I can see how it's a slog to get through. Thankfully, 'Bringing It All Back Home' takes the Bob Dylan formula and enhances it brilliantly. It has punchy instrumentals curtesy of Dylan picking up an electric guitar, it's full of memorable hooks and riffs, and packed with the extensive lyrical quality expected from him. And it's not even his best on here. Highlights: Maggie's Farm Gates of Eden Bob Dylan's 115th Dream Subterranean Homesick Blues It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) Mr. Tambourine Man
2/7 bob dylan albums down There's nothing new going on here: - I've either heard these riffs before or he's just strumming - His voice is as gritty as ever - The harmonica is more tolerable than usual but still hurts my ears from time to time - Whenever I can make out the lyrics they are about nothing (no I'm not going to read and try to interpret the lyrics) People rave about him using an electric guitar in this one but all he does is play it like he's playing an acoustic. and gives up on it halfway through. The adverts between each song were a nice break I feel dizzy after this so I'm blaming the album only 5 more to go... 1
It was a good folk album. I know it’s his style, but his voice is kind of annoying and the harmonica really takes over, but the lyrics are good and I can understand how this was a very important record when it came out.
7/10 very country vibes
Theres a lot of Dylan songs i really really love on this albuk, and its still not even one of his best?????? What a man, imagine writing just one of the songs on this album. Its all over now baby blue, its alright ma (im only bleeding), maggies farm, tambourine man, SHB!! Christ alive 5.0/5.0 Best Song: It’s All Over Now Baby Blue
It's not even in his top 5 albums for me, but it is still 5/5, its an incredible showcase of writing, not one has ever written anything like this since. Best Track: It's all over now baby Blue
I appreciate talent and vision, but it's just not my kind of music
One of the better Bob Dylan albums for me (they’ve been surprisingly hit or miss throughout the project). Even the harmonica, which sometimes grates, felt tolerable here. A good mix of more traditional folk, rock, and creative lyricism. Subterranean Homesick Blues, Love Minus Zero, Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream, Gates of Eden 4?
I don't know why I love this nonsense so much but I do.
BOB IS KING!!!!!!!
his voice equally turns me on and pisses me off...like day drinking
Ok
Bob Dylan is a legend. Good album.
Classic Bob Dylan. Don't always know what he means but he sounds cool saying it.
I don't know how I could in good conscience rate this anything less than 5.
Not a big Dylan fan
Bobs best, the sounds he explores in folk and to a certain extent, in American rock in 1965 are miles ahead of contemporaries - and Tom Wilson behind the mixing desk for some of that new York grit
Maybe my favourite Dylan record, lyrically he really blew open what music could be.
Bob er best i små doser.
Never been a big Dylan fan, save for a few songs from his 70s albums. I was pleasantly surprised listening to this album front to back. Being his "going electric" record I enjoyed every song on it. He sure can paint a picture with his lyrics
Loved the harmonica in some of these songs!! Not something I would listen to day to day but definitely an interesting listen for me :) Fav songs: Outlaw blues On the road again
ah love the incoherent lyrics of subterranean homesick blues she belongs to me--is there a live version of this on self portrait? i think so? or maybe just the intro? "she's an artist" i know, but the rest of the song isn't familiar. maggie's farm--seems like this is gonna be more of a rocking dylan with a slower interlude here & there love minus zero--ooh this one is new. it's more serious in musical tone & lyrics than s.h.b. or maggie's farm, but it still has that lively band going at it outlaw blues--also a new one. ope. on the road again--i think this is new but it sounds so so familiar. lyrics seem a continuation of sub homesick blues, i.e., utterly nonsensical bob dylan's 115th dream--now i'm imagining that every nonsensical dylan song is just a narration of one of his dreams. capt. arab? moby dick is ahab.. arrested for carrying harpoons, waitress he was handsome, lol house with american flag turns him away says i'll tear you limb from limb i said you know they turned away jesus too he said you're not him. this is a ballad of bob dylan getting knocked down hey mr tambourine--an absolute classic gates of eden--hmm this one is new too it's alright, ma (i'm only bleeding)--new one; this is a nice slower one. ok i'm digging this, kinda surprisingly progressive it's all over now, baby blue--another classic do i have the slightest idea what any of that was about? nope. a nonsense album full of nonsense songs. subterranean homesick blues is the most well known of the nonsense songs, but several of the slower songs are also more well know i think (i'm probably a bad judge of how well known a dylan song is...). is it actually nonsense... maybe, maybe not. he definitely addresses some social themes, but he dresses it up in fast paced little nothings. not his best, i'd say it's in the 3.4-3.6/5 range. i'll decide tomorrow. final verdict--3.5/5 rounded to 4/5. presence of classics like subterranean homesick blues, mr tambourine, and it's all over now, baby blue add to the rating. a range of nonsense ballads appear on the album; 115th dream presents a critique of authority and its use of tradition to restrain people; most of the other ballads i could not decipher.
Finally understand why my mom always says “so you’re an artist, you don’t look back?”
i thought it was really boring
-Such a talented guitarist -Don't love the addition of the harmonica most times -Prefer the tracks that meet halfway between upbeat and mellow -Dylan has a especially raspy toned voice that works so well
goog
Always enjoy a bit of Dylan, and some staples on here.
Another day, another Bob Dylan album. Music is fairly inoffensive but his voice definitely grates on me.
I’d probably rate this highest of Bob Dylan’s ‘60s catalog (3.5)
Not my vibe totally, nothing saved
Maggie's Farm blows, Tamborine Man blows. Folk music often blows. This is where the brother Rob started to realise that. Easy 5 stars. Any complaint about Bobby's voice comes from a vapidity that I cannot be fucked with, even from my closest Guthries. The same year he'd record Highway 61... Wowee. Too much Dylan on this list? Absolutely. I'm a one album proponent and that's Highway no question. Listen to Subterranean again, watch the music video. Still don't get it? grow up
- Bob Dylan i mit hjerte - Mundharmonikaen er jeg fan af, godt og different kendetegn at have - Ikke meget variation, men det er egentlig heller ikke fordi det er nødvendigt, det gør bare at det er 4/5 i stedet for 5/5. Et hvert andet Bob Dylan album ville jeg synes var lige så godt
Still Dylan's voice but you can't deny the songs are great, loved the split album too
enjoyed the first half but got a lil lost in the ending