Blood On The Tracks

“Blood on the Tracks” by Bob Dylan (1975) It takes a remarkable talent to produce poetically powerful emotional scenes and evocative narratives in a musical idiom, and that is what is on display in this album. A bit of advice for those who are not Dylan fans: Listen to the stories. Listen to the expressions of love fulfilled or frustrated. Generate images in your mind, guided by the lyrics. Anticipate and cherish the moments when you say to yourself, “I never thought of it that way before.” You’ll find life expanding within you. And if you find Dylan’s vocals unbearable, start with “Tangled Up in Blue” and “Lily, Rosemary, and the Jack of Hearts”. Listen to the creative variations in the synchronization between the poetic rhythms and the musical rhythms. You may not ‘get’ all the obscure references, but you’ll feel the feeling. Then you might be ready to embrace the passion of a man who sings to his estranged wife at the end of a failed marriage (in “Idiot Wind”): You’re an idiot, babe It’s a wonder that you still know how to breathe. . . . We’re idiots, babe It’s a wonder we can even feed ourselves. Try to put words to the development from the first two lines to the last two lines. This is not music for dancing, partying, getting stoned, lifting one up, easing one down, or background while one works. This merely culture-causing music fit for a serious listen. But if this album is over the heads of pop music consumers with three-minute attention spans, they should feel free to move on. I’ll stay awhile. Shelter from the storm. 5/5

I really can’t stand Dylan’s way of singing.

To me, this is his last 5 star masterpiece album. Me and my friends were practically Dylan cultists back in high school so this one is burned into me. Probably the most personal Dylan ever got and perhaps the greatest breakup album of all time.

Confession time: I’ve never listened to a Bob Dylan album before. Couldn’t tell you why. He seemed, I suppose, too much of a Goliath to tackle; I’d missed my window, surely - where would I start? But here we are. My window opened, and I leapt through. I listened to this album three times yesterday, and will surely have to listen more, and more intimately to unravel all the rambling tales and hidden crooked melodies, and its deceptively simple-not-easy instrumentation. I will always feel like I’m not getting something when it comes to Dylan, and like I’m playing catch up, such is the weight of mythology that comes with such an artist. But I’m pleased to have finally broken the seal.

Shit, as always

No more Bob Dylan please

Tangled up in blue is incredible. The rest of the album reminded me why I'm a distant admirer rather than a fan

You know how a harmonica sounds really annoying and whiney? Well, on this album Bob emulates a harmonica with his voice and sometimes doubles it with a harmonica too. Just can't get past the worst voice in music. Autotune wouldn't save this either. I'm sure the lyrics are cutting but can't get past the voice.

BOB FUCKING DYLAN

Following on the heels of an album where he repudiated his past with his greatest backing band, Blood on the Tracks finds Bob Dylan, in a way, retreating to the past, recording a largely quiet, acoustic-based album. But this is hardly nostalgia -- this is the sound of an artist returning to his strengths, what feels most familiar, as he accepts a traumatic situation, namely the breakdown of his marriage. This is an album alternately bitter, sorrowful, regretful, and peaceful, easily the closest he ever came to wearing his emotions on his sleeve. That's not to say that it's an explicitly confessional record, since many songs are riddles or allegories, yet the warmth of the music makes it feel that way. The original version of the album was even quieter -- first takes of "Idiot Wind" and "Tangled Up in Blue," available on The Bootleg Series, Vols. 1-3, are hushed and quiet (excised verses are quoted in the liner notes, but not heard on the record) -- but Blood on the Tracks remains an intimate, revealing affair since these harsher takes let his anger surface the way his sadness does elsewhere. As such, it's an affecting, unbearably poignant record, not because it's a glimpse into his soul, but because the songs are remarkably clear-eyed and sentimental, lovely and melancholy at once. And, in a way, it's best that he was backed with studio musicians here, since the professional, understated backing lets the songs and emotion stand at the forefront. Dylan made albums more influential than this, but he never made one better.

fuck bob dylan

There are some artists that should only be songwriters, NOT singer-songwriters. I'm sorry to say, but Bob Dylan is one of those artists. The man CAN NOT sing! I'll bury myself even deeper by adding that Bruce Springsteen is in the same boat, IMO.

The album before was "The Dark Side of the Moon" so it's a tall order to follow but I think this manages. This is my favourite Dylan album. As i get older I feel that the older stuff Dylan wrote that previously were my favourites now seem a bit mean and childish. This album however has grown on me so much. There are not many catchy songs but the lyrics are really where this shines. Many of the songs feel like poems more than songs in a way. The songs are all scenes from a relationship and there is so much optimism and sorrow between the lines. I think it's clear that this is a more adult break-up album, there is not too much anger but just a lot of regret and reminiscence. Favourite songs is hard to say as it's such a slow burn. I have a few favourite lyrics though from simple twist of fate: """ He woke up, the room was bare He didn't see her anywhere He told himself he didn't care Pushed the window open wide Felt an emptiness inside To which he just could not relate ... People tell me it's a sin To know and feel too much within I still believe she was my twin but I lost the ring """ Clear 5 star from me.

tangled up in blue is a classic, rest is pretty much nondescript except vocals that rise up into a weird falsetto. Great song writing but otherwise not sure why Bob Dylan is so popular.

Bob Dylan’s voice is an acquired taste and baby I have ACQUIRED it. This album rules.

Bob Dylan was one of the best songwriters of all time, and this is some of his best work. Idiot Wind is a work of lyrical genius. I love his trademark unconventional vocal delivery; to me it makes the songs more memorable than having a Michael Bublé type singing them. This album is going on repeat and straight to my personal collection.

08/19/2022 About a year ago, I woke up one morning and went out to find garage or estate sales. I came across a house in Alamo Heights where an older woman was selling lots of items for dirt cheap. She had a box full of CDs that were only a dollar. Taking advantage of the situation, I bought Neil Young, Bringing it All Back Home, and Blood on the Tracks. When she saw what I had picked she sighed and told me “When [Blood on the Tracks] came out it was just incredible. I bought the record and would play it all the way through, and then I would turn it over and start it again.” I didn’t really understand why anyone would feel compelled to do that. I liked the album at that time but wasn’t fully in love with it like I am now and figured that anyone would get tired of hearing an album over and over again. Regardless, I took the CD home with me. I was lucky enough to still have a CD player in my car at that time, so I would listen to it when I would drive around San Antonio. I slowly began to fall in love with each song, and to this day I grow to love this album more and more with each listen. Falling in love, experiencing heartbreak, longing for something or someone long gone, and feeling emptiness that only some of the darkest times in one’s life can bring out are the languages of this album. There have been times when listening to this album sets me right back in those head spaces, and I can only imagine what Dylan was going through during the production and recording of this album. Divorce from his wife, loss, heartbreak. There’s some sort of timeless quality about this album. Something that sounds and feels like it was made centuries ago, but with the same freshness and raw vulnerability that still holds strong and fits right in the time that one listens to it now. Dylan truly bared his soul for this album, regardless of his petty insistence that these songs have no relation to what was happening in his life at this time. When I saw this album was the one assigned to me today, I was so happy and also thought it was the funniest thing, because just like how that old woman told me how she would play this album over and over, I had come to do the exact same thing. Just yesterday I was playing this album over on Spotify only to skip to playing the record and sitting next to the player as each track rang out. — No skips on this album for me. Although I think every track is wonderful in its own way, I’m extremely biased toward You’re A Big Girl Now, You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go, Shelter from the Storm, and Buckets of Rain. — Otherwise, today has been very calm. Did lots of housekeeping today. Laundry, cleaning, unpacking, all that. School starts in just three days. I’m so nervous, but so excited as well. Listening to albums like these give me the strength to keep pushing. The only thing I knew how to do Was to keep on keeping on like a bird that flew Tangled up in blue

Perhaps because I was looking forward to it all day, or it’s been a while since I last listened, or what I look for from Dylan has changed, or I’ve changed, or I’ve never ‘got it’ before, but in the ten years and many listens since I first spun Blood on the Tracks this is the first time it’s sounded like a 5. And I don’t doubt that change for a second. I’d rather luxuriate in the delicious tangibility of growing with an album – surely one of music listening’s greatest and mysterious pleasures. So, what am I hearing differently? First, Dylan’s writing, which is equal to (no higher praise) Hank Williams in the way he uses the hook – often just one line: “shelter from the storm”, “a simple twist of fate”, “tangled up in blue”, “the Jack of hearts” – like a recurring dream or deadly obsession that pulls him back no matter how far he strays. Second, melodies and arrangements that are somehow both gentle and played with a muscular, sometimes even virulent, intensity and exactness, hoarily putting me in mind of a master painter – let’s say Turner out of laziness, though that’s probably a good comparison for delicacy qua intensity. And last, something extraordinary about the limitations of what he’s saying, or rather feeling. By which I mean that (to paraphrase something I read recently on the interwebs) these songs are about romance not love and, however gorgeously complex, are confined to one man’s limited and very solipsistic experience of those romance. Somehow, the narrower parameters improve the overall effect. Don’t ask me how. I’ll only say, “That’s art.”

One of my favorites from the first time I heard it. Beautiful lyricism, and no tracks I would throw out.

Nopy nope.

This was the first Dylan album I ever listened to that wasn’t a best of and it was the thing that finally helped me understand what people saw in him. The music is complicated, the lyrics are intricate and tell such vivid stories, and his voice sounds phenomenal. The only knock against it is that it isn’t quite as good as some of the albums leading up it, which is more just an indication of what an insane hot streak Dylan was on at that point in his career.

Had heard before one of my fav albums ever

tangled up in blue, you're gonna make lonesome when you go

Loved it.

Thank god he turned down the volume of the harmonica from Blonde On Blonde, that could get very hard to listen to. Ok nevermind "you're gonna make me lonesome when you go" fucking killed my ears holy shit. The lyrics are really great and all, but none of the songs really hit me very hard. I think Bob Dylans music is a bit overrated, felt the same with Blonde On Blonde, except for "I Want You", that song is fucking exceptional. Some songs though, like "Lilly, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts makes me physically cringe because the intro is so horrible to listen to. And then of course a song like "If You See Her, Say Hello" comes and fucking breaks the mold. Fuck man. a 4 for that actually And "Shelter From the Storm" is quite good too. Was ready to hear a 5 but I just don't see it. An album of 3 but, If you see her, gets it to a 4 to me.

Actually not terrible for a Bob Dylan album. He still can't sing for the life of him, but it was bearable and there wasn't too much harmonica. 3/5

The first lp in this ist i couldnt listen to the end - his whining makes me sick

From start to finish, this is Dylan's greatest achievement. It's his most literary record b/c it's his most confessional, his most sustained, his most motivated and focused. I guess love will do that to you - will exalt a writer to brass tacks. Featuring a vindictive storyteller getting his get back ('Idiot Wind'), and a nearly nine min interlude about Big Jim and the Jack of Hearts, the album tells it like it is by telling his version of it. As much as I revere 'Blowin' in the Wind,' 'Like a Rolling Stone,' and 'A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall,' I love those records b/c they speak to something culturally or societally universal. Here, Bob jettisons the cultural and societal for the personal - and he may just be a tad deeper b/c of that.

I decided to give this one more time to grow on me and I’m really glad I did. I’m not a native English speaker so with anything rich in lyrics I need extra time to truly immerse myself in the ideas of the writer. This is the best full album I’ve heard from Dylan and I’m gonna give it a 5/5 and continue to listen to it closely. He really captures different emotions that almost everyone goes through during break up and the fact that each song reflects a different perspective makes it so much better. I really love this and I continue to discover new meanings with each listen

40 minutes of perfect music and also a song about playing cards or something

Just the fucking best.

The first time I heard this record was a shocking, exciting, revelatory, coming-of-age experience. I was just a kid, and I knew Dylan, but I had no idea of the significance and history surrounding the album, I had never heard of it in fact. It became one of my favourite records from the very first time I heard it. A few hundred times later it is still a fantastic, astonishing, breathtaking listen. There's an enduring magic about these songs that never makes them sound dated; on the contrary, it makes them eternal, somehow

Utterly unparalleled in quality, coherence, depth and range of emotion, plus epic singalongs, (personal) protest anthems twinkling tunes and tender – even heart-breaking – ballads. Not only are there no filler cuts, there’s nary a wasted note and Dylan’s voice has never been stronger nor clearer, and never more assured in delivery. One of the best records of all-time …. Easily top 5.

And I was listening to each side of the disc Words falling in my ears Hearing an album of pain and grief Lord knows there's some amazing tunes getting through Tangled up in Bob

How have I not heard his before! This is why I do this list..

Honestly loved it. Songwriting was great and the overall sound was so raw and emotional, though it ran probably 5-10 minutes too long. I’ll give it a strong 9

Un clasico, pero no me gusta Bob Dylan

One of my favourite albums

10/10

Tangled up in Blue, the first track is a great example of amazing storytelling and song writing. The instrumentation is also really good with the 12 string guitar shining throughout the whole song. Idiot Wind, contains some great songwriting. The song seems autobiographical but Dylan has denied it. Regardless, it conveys bitterness or anger and in another version that I found online I hear a bit of sadness as well. The chorus contains a little of Dylan's humor and the harmonica solo at the end is a blistering exclamation point on it all. "A lot of people tell me they enjoy that album. It's hard for me to relate to that. I mean... people enjoying that type of pain, you know?" - Dylan 1975 You're gonna make Me Lonesome when You Go is a nice western style country rock that throws in a bit of blues.

Never heard this album all the way through. Loved it.

Top 5 dylan easily. 10/10

Grande Dylan. O Raul Seixas dos estates

Never really listened to Dylan, but I enjoyed this a lot.

Dylans beste, og topp ti i vinylhylla. Alle må eie denne.

This is not the best Dylan for me, but I should say that the Wikipedia article on the page helped me to understand a little bit more of the importance of this album. Being the "most" personal of Dylan's work, it's increasing my evaluation of it. Musically, it's too much country for me, but it's still Bob Dylan and it counts!

Might be my favourite Dylan album and possibly emotionally the polar opposite of another favourite, Blonde on Blonde. Accessible and really good songs. Yes, it's about heartbreak, but good music just gets you.

An intensely personal album about being in and out of love. More direct than other Dylan albums, this has a strength that I didn't appreciate when I was a callow youth. Now, I get it.

Thorns: I'm not a huge fan of the way Bob Dylan sings. There are some singers where they no doubt have an amazing voice even if perhaps you don't like the song. In general I don't think Dylan is a great singer, when listening to the album at times it didn't bother me while other times it did. Often times the best part of folk songs are the lyrics but for me it's hard to focus on the lyrics if the melody is overly repetitive and doesn't hook me. Many of the songs on the album were too long and repetitive that my mind wandered off and I wasn't listening to what he was saying. Roses: There were catchy moments and none of the songs were bad to listen to, at worst they were repetitive or unmemorable. Standout songs: Tangled Up in Blue, Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts

Goddamn this list for making me appreciate Bob Dylan. Ok, 5 songs in and I’m back to being annoyed by him. I think Dylan is just one of those musicians I can take in small doses, but more than 15 minutes and it starts to become excruciating.

Yawn. I know I’m supposed to love Bob Dylan and particularly this album. I don’t. It’s boring to me.

This is tough because it's Bob mfckn Dylan. I went through a Dylan phase in college and really loved his poetic ramblings. I guess my tastes have changed since I really don't have the patience for his nasal inflections and longass songs. I do like "Tangled Up in Blue" and other singles, just not a whole album at once.

Two rules, every line must rhyme no matter how nonsensical and every track must end in a harmonica solo. Only slightly better than the live double album that I was forced to skip.

Bd is lame

It's Dylan. I swear I hear a completely different thing than everybody else who listens to him, because I can't get into him at all. His albums are too long, the songs all sound the same, and his legendary (Nobel prize winning!) songwriting just does not speak to me at all.

This is kitsch, brute-force lyricism contorted to fit over instrumentals that are just happy to be there. I'm sure Bob Dylan plugging in his guitar was a watershed moment for a generation that just got done wetting themselves over Elvis Presley, but I can't understand from this record how Bob Dylan and his songwriting are considered to be legendary, ('Time is a jetplane, it just moves too fast') It's all so gauche and obvious and it makes me scared for the inner life of Dylan fanatics everywhere.

I do not like Bob Dylan.

Not a fan. Don’t like his voice and the music just too dull. Just don’t understand the hype.

Not for me

I discovered I do not like bob Dylan, or at least this album. Bonus: my headphones disconnected while I was in the bathroom, so my office heard a track or two and died of second hand embarassment

God were all the “great” songwriters mediocre fucking hacks? I swear to god, every one of the “great” albums on this list are tedious, mind numbing exercises in unmusical repetition. What the actual fuck am I supposed to take away from this album? Does ol’ bob know that there are more instruments than just the guitar? His Spotify calls him “One of the greatest figures of the 20th Century”. I wanna vomit. Stalin, Mao, Roosevelt, step outta the way! This nasally overrated fuck is here to spew pretentious nothing at you for an hour. Fuck rock & roll, fuck folk music, and fuck the baby boomers who ate that shit up, consequently forcing me to listen to all of it due to its “historical significance”. “Greatest songwriter of all time” my ass. The music is utterly unremarkable. And I’m not listening to the lyrics, you have to bribe me with good tunes first. Schumann was a real first rate songwriter, and you actually want to listen to his music even though it’s all in German. God this entire culture of ranking fucking albums based on historical significance is so goddam tedious, a way for musically illiterate tools to learn what they’re supposed to like and what they aren’t. AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I FUCKING HATE BOB DYLAN

100/5

Definitely my favorite Dylan

No notes.

I was in a contest but I was in a house for so long choking and unable to wallow I forgot what the contest was for and all the other events that had taken place before. I was trying to swallow my medicine but it wouldn't go down so I stuck my finger deep in my throat and scraped it out. I walked into a room t9 get the guy who I was waiting on to call my turn and the room was a resteraunt.. like in a food court but just one resteraunt. There was a glass door that led to another city. I still felt like I was choking when the host finally, who seemed to be ignoring me, asked what he could do for me. I told him I felt like I was choking and having trouble breathing. He looked down my throat and started laughing. I noticed he looked a lot like the comic book artist Erik Larson. He asked me if I ever got beer nuts stwisted in my throat. I said no. Then screamed wake up.

Possivelmente o melhor disco do Bob Dylan. Um dos mais melódicos, com uma produção extremamente aconchegante e Dylan no auge da sua narrativa. Idiot Wind e Tangled Up In Blue são os maiores destaques.

Not only is it Bob, it’s top 5 Bob.

Bob in awesome mode. Porch swing music.

Blood on the Tracks is Dylan at his most emotionally raw and poetic, delivering a collection of songs that feel deeply personal without ever being plainly autobiographical. Whether it’s the aching If You See Her, Say Hello, the winding heartbreak of Tangled Up in Blue, or the quiet devastation of Simple Twist of Fate, every track is steeped in reflection, regret, and the complexity of love lost. Musically, it’s stripped down and intimate, letting the stories take centre stage. The arrangements are warm and organic—acoustic guitars, soft drums, and the occasional splash of organ—perfectly framing Dylan’s worn, expressive vocals. There’s a quiet power in how understated it all is. Blood on the Tracks isn’t just one of Dylan’s best albums—it’s one of the greatest singer-songwriter records ever made. Honest, wise, and full of beautifully bruised melodies, it’s the sound of someone trying to make sense of their life and inviting you to do the same.

more bob dylan. i wouldn't be surprised if his entire discography is on this list, i swear... this album is effusive and full of emotion; the album was made shortly after dylan's wife left him. it's a folksy breakup album, written in a way only bob dylan can. i really like the sultry and romantic tracks in the album. even as i'm still not used to his voice... his songs are VERY nice to listen to this time around. mans is pouring his heart and soul into these songs.

lol

Bob dylan always 💯

just unreal, i loved it... dylan is finally clicking

Great

LOVED this one. His voice and the music breathe as one. He also articulates way more in this one compared to the previous one of his I listened to, which was Bringing It All Back Home. 5/5

this is the most divorced anyone has ever been.

As soon as this album came into my feed I was already looking forward to hearing 'Tangled Up In Blue'. The rest was equally enjoyable.

finally

Bob here is in top form. Honestly, for those looking for definitive Dylan, there are several records that fit the bill, but for me, this is the one.

Ten years on from the seismic shock of appearing on stage at the Newport Folk Festival playing an electric guitar (gasp!) Bob returned to playing mostly acoustic for this album. This is the classic Dylan sound of guitar, harmonica and those familiar vocals, plus a comparatively restrained backing band. Dylan always denied that any of the lyrics were autobiographical but given that he was in the middle of a marriage breakdown at the time it’s hard not to speculate about some of them. As always, they are complex with multiple layers of meaning and literary allusions, especially on Tangled Up In Blue that explores different interpretations of the title phrase and casually name drops “some poet from the 13th century” set on top of a simple repeated guitar riff. I wonder if those outraged folkies ever returned to this album and asked themselves what they were so upset about back in 65? Bob-tastic!

My first Bob Dylan album!

Tangled Up in Blue is probably my favorite Dylan song, and this is right up there for my favorite album of his as well. It's honestly so hard to pick his best album, it always seems to change for me. Idiot Wind and Shelter from the Storm are my next two favorites on this one, but there's not a weak song on here. Rating: 4.9

One of the best records ever made and still not even this man’s best

Classic album from a legend.

Complaining that Blood on the Tracks isn't my favourite Dylan album is like complaining about the colour of the defibrillator someone is using as you lie motionless on the pavement outside the library. This album is brilliant, life changing, expansive. It is everything. Its deep cuts would be headline hits for other artists. And then there are the bigs ones. Shelter from the Storm; Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts; Tangled Up in Blue; You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go; If You See Her, Say Hello ... feed these electrons directly to my ventricles and maybe through his pain I will live again. I do see this album as a little more of a "bag of songs" compared to the more holistic works of say Highway 61 Revisited or Blonde on Blonde. But no bother. This is an easy 5.8 stars.

So glad to see this on here, it’s always been my favorite Dylan album. Top 10 All time for sure

One of the last great Bob Dylan Albums. Feels like he's in his element here doing all of the things that have made him so great for so long

Some of the classics of my youth that have popped up here - Rumours, Murmur - have instantly evoked nostalgia, amusement, or wistfulness. This one still gets me in a place that feels present, live, and meaningful. From the first chord on the album, I am engaged.

One of my favorite albums. I find it flawless and Dylan's best. I once went as Shelter from the Storm to one of our friend group's infamous theme parties...this was come as a Bob Dylan song.

Not bad at all, I thought I would hate this

awesome

That's what I'm talking about. Greatness. Perfection. It's a 5/5 It's a 10/10 Have a great day you all

An easy five stars for me. One of my favorite albums, occasionally my favorite Dylan. I guess the question is, why? Why has this been such a critical darling forever, and why do I love it? The lyrics mostly make little sense, the playing is adequate but not blowing anyone away, and the singing is….Bob Dylan. I think it’s because even if you don’t quite understand what he’s singing about (and I think he rarely does either) Dylan is an impressionist painter with words. He gives you an idea of a story or a mood and you fill in the gaps yourself. That could be lazy or ineffective, but he’s got a certain mystical quality to his writing that just works just enough to get you in the mood for creativity. I dunno. He’s somehow a master, and no one has really recreated this sort of songwriting in my mind.

This is my second favorite Bob Dylan records and honestly just one of my favorite albums of all time. To me this is kind of the apex of what Dylan is good at. Great song writing, with folk, blues and rock composition. I think it's a perfect revisit of what he became known for in the 60s, but when he finally comes back to this record it's a new Bob Dylan. A better, more refined and mature Bob Dylan. I like almost every song on this record, but its the book ends that stand out the most. Tangled Up in Blue is brilliant and Simple Twist of Fate is such a perfect follow up. In the same fashion, Shelter from the Storm is one of my all time favorite songs. Its brilliant. Its perfect storytelling, but the follow up of Buckets of Rain is the really cherry on top.

Blood on the Tracks is the most focused collection of songs in Dylan’s catalog, and his greatest artistic achievement in terms of crafting a structured, thematic piece of work. In the throes of a major life shift, Bob accurately conveys every emotion and coping mechanism that comes with the dissolution of a long-term relationship. Throughout these ten songs, he expresses bitterness (both understandable and irrational), replays multiple scenarios with a seemingly impossible balance of confusion and clarity, admits fault while not being afraid to place blame on other parties, resigns himself to mournfulness, and occasionally offers the glimmer of hope or optimism that you can only believe so much coming from a damaged lover. Conceptually, it’s a total success, but what elevates this record to its rarefied brilliance is the astonishing execution of the material. For as great as the lyrics are across the board, Bob graces every single song with a melody that’s just as good, and furthermore, delivers a cogent, passionate vocal on each one. Regardless of which tracks derive from the original New York sessions (shoutout to Tony Brown’s exceptional bass work on these songs in particular) or the last-minute Minneapolis sessions, the soundscapes provide the right amount of musicality and tunefulness without detracting from the lyrics’ emotional impact. I suppose each statement in the last two paragraphs should have the obligatory “in my opinion” attached to it, given the subjectivity of art in general. This has been a subjective ranking, after all. More so than any other Dylan record, though, the heights of Blood on the Tracks feel about as close to objective or undeniable as possible. For me, it’s apparent right from the opening of “Tangled Up in Blue”; I’m completely hooked even before Bob’s flawless lyric, vocal, and melody enter. The blend of acoustic and electric guitars with Gregg Inhofer’s subtle keyboard pad is a sound as glorious as anything ever committed to tape, and anchors the nearly-six-minute journey with sheer elegance. After all these years, it’s still a top 20 Dylan track for me. “Simple Twist of Fate” and “Shelter from the Storm”, both from the New York sessions, also rank among my top 20, and deserve every bit of praise they’ve received over the last 50 years. Bob’s storytelling and imagery are as effective as they’ve ever been on these two tracks, with both receiving an added boost of distinct, dynamic emotionalism. “You’re a Big Girl Now” and “If You See Her, Say Hello” are equally stunning and particularly devastating, featuring two of the most impressive vocal performances on the record. And with all due respect to the numerous instances of first-class songwriting between John Wesley Harding and Planet Waves, “Idiot Wind” is Bob’s most ambitious, industrious accomplishment since Blonde on Blonde, and for my money, an absolute triumph. To this day, the last verse never fails to make me shake my head in awe (“You’ll never know the hurt I’ve suffered/Nor the pain I rise above/And I’ll never know the same about you/Your holiness or your kind of love/And it makes me feel so sorry”). Hell, I even love the occasionally-maligned “Meet Me in the Morning”. The blues have been a large part of Bob’s musical DNA from day one, so it seems fitting to me that he would include a blues number on an album centered around heartbreak. I dig everything about it, especially Bob’s soaring vocal and the perfect tones of each electric guitar. It’s never felt out of place to me, and regardless of how much love is given to the outtake “Up to Me”, I wouldn’t trade this track for anything. I must admit that I gravitate towards a few alternate takes of these songs. Give me take two from the New York sessions of “Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts”, featured on More Blood, More Tracks. As much as I love the album cut of “You’re a Big Girl Now”, I return even more to the outtake originally issued on Biograph. It’s even a close call on “Idiot Wind”; the album version is a top 30 Dylan track for me, due in part to his fiery delivery and excellent band performance, but I like the acoustic version from The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3 at least just as much. But really, it’s basically irrelevant at this point. We’re talking about Blood on the Tracks here. I could sit here and attempt to further delineate the majesty of these songs, but there’s nothing I could say to do any of them justice, and most anyone reading this understands the overwhelming power of this album anyway. I feel truly lucky to live in a world where Blood on the Tracks exists. I’ll never take it for granted. Least favorite track: “Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts”. To my ears, this one has always felt more out of place than “Meet Me in the Morning”. I don’t dislike it; it’s an intriguing story (one that honestly still confounds me) and another solid vocal from Bob. After living with this album for decades, it’s continued to grow on me. But every now and then, the organ still feels over-prominent to me, especially given the song’s length (one of the main reasons I much prefer the acoustic take). It’s the only track that wouldn’t land in my top 100 Dylan songs. Favorite track: “Buckets of Rain”. From a compositional standpoint, my answer would be “Tangled Up in Blue”, “Simple Twist of Fate”, “Idiot Wind”, or “Shelter from the Storm”, all of which are among my top 30 favorite Bob songs. But there’s a magic to this song, both on its own and in context of the record, that deeply affects me every single time I listen to it. The musical conversation taking place between Dylan’s magnificent guitar work and Brown’s dancing bass line is simply one of the most serene sounds ever captured. Bob’s vocal is as wistful and splendidly straightforward as the lyrics, and each line, no matter how simple, packs such a strong emotional punch. It’s the perfect closing track for this record, and often closes out any Dylan playlist I make. A top 10 personal favorite for me. Pure greatness. 5+/5

Classical Classic of Rock Music

Never really listened to Bob Dylan but thought the album was really lovely. Shelter by the storm made the playlist so it gets 5*

It's my fav Dylan album. So beautiful in its execution and storytelling 5⭐

Now I have never listened to any 70's music, but this album was special. The storytelling is amazing, the long songs hit the hardest

I don't usually like folk, but this one was so good I'm gonna replay it a few times, and I didn't even pay attention to the lyrics