Highway 61 Revisited

Not my favorite, but I can appreciate his musical talent

This is a 2 for me personally, 3 generally. I didn't hear Bob Dylan growing up and when I tried listening as a teen, I found the singing-speaking and nasally tone too much. Same thoughts 12 years later, but at least now I can appreciate the poetry and lyricism. Would probably be a 5 if I only read it.

Don’t come at me. I’m just not the biggest fan of this type of music. Rolling Stone is great but I’m a much bigger fan of music than I am of lyricism. Bob Dylan is a great songwriter but that’s not my highest priority if a listen.

Lots of repetition in his lyrics ramming it down your throat until it catches on. Think overall it was just ok

This is a fucking great album, let’s get that out the way. A few classic tracks, a few ramblers and many of those long story songs that describe people and situations out of an alternate Dylanverse. The background of the songs seems so often obscure, so inside baseball, that I wonder, is Dylan universal? Or relatable? Maybe not, and I’m not sure it matters. The songs with staying power hit like anvils lyrically and musically, and when he’s cooking it doesn’t really matter if you can relate. Because he’s beyond that point. “Rolling Stone” and “Desolation Row” nail the zeitgeist perfectly. So we keep listening. Because he gets it often enough to indulge his follies.

Ground Zero for Boomerdom. I have complicated feelings about Bob. He's important for sure, but I resent him for convincing a generation of Americans that this is what "poetry" is: obscurity that passes for profundity, infelicities for which my old teacher Barney Childs would have boxed my ears: "Avenue Rue Morgue," "You better go back to from where you came," my goodness. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature, Bob did. This is part of my DNA as a Gen X American, so I can't not like it. But it's a very generous 4.

The 5/5 of 5/5s.

This was actually a tad better than most of the Dylan albums on this list that I'd heard. This is the 6th; there's still one left, and I've got just over 30 records left.

Highway 61 Revisited is my favorite Bob Dylan album so far though i almost didn't listen to it by complete accident. I got this confused with a cover album by Chris Dylan which i assumed was a remastered album but thankfully i caught that before i listened meaning i got the correct version. Anyways, i quite liked this one. It had all the energy i would expect from a Bob Dylan album and i had no issue with his voice despite that being a common point of criticism with his older albums. My only real issue with this album is The Great Harmonica Assault Of 1965 in a few songs. Other than that though, this was a solid listen. Best Song: Ballad of a Thin Man Worst Song: Desolation Man

Like a rolling stone Tomb stone blues Ballad of a thin man

Some of it I like ok, but some get too bluesy, and some just don't do anything for me.

1. Like A Rolling Stone - 6/10 2. Tombstone Blues - 3/10 3. It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry - 5/10 4. From A Buick 6 - 4/10 5. Ballad Of A Thin Man - 6/10 6. Queen Jane Approximately - 7/10 7. Highway 61 Revisited - 4/10 8. Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues - 5/10 9. Desolation Row - 6/10 OVERALL - 5.1/10

If this isn't the greatest album ever made, then the Beatles probably made the best. But if so, this is by a blink # 2. Personally, there is no rating high enough for Highway 61. Fuck 11, this goes to infinity and beyond. 5 "arguably the most influential album of all time" stars.

Hate the harmonica, starts and ends strong

I see post and this was good but idk voice

Like a rolling stone is my favorite on the album. I also love the harmonica in it takes a lot to laugh, it takes a train to cry. There are things I like about Bob Dylan and his music. It wasn't horrible and I would relisten to this.

I don't remember hating it as much as the other Bob Dylan album I've listened to but he's definitely not my favorite

The songs might have felt quite meaningful in their day, and I can catch pieces of that, but the lyrics often felt nonsensical and hard to follow

Please see previous Bob Dylan review.

Couldn't do it. Bob Dylan is pretty much terrible by definition.

awesome. never saw a complete unknown...

I have never sat down to listen to a full Dylan album before this. I never felt I had to because I felt I knew the "greatest hits". Really great to enjoy this as a single piece of work. It wasn't mind blowing for me, but definitely a 4*. I have listened to this one twice today.

Eu queria não gostar de Bob Dylan, mas como já disse em outro album dele, não consigo não me impressionar com suas letras e a vibe de um cara contando histórias em volta de uma fogueira. A produção do album também ajuda, com vários músicos de rock da época.

banger. possible 5/5?

Awful just awful. That harmonica was piercing my ears. Torture

Listened before? No Familiar with the artist? Yes Thoughts: - Third Bob Dylan album and I'm not even 100 days in! Not really complaining though, I've already found I'm a bigger fan than I thought I was. - I think overall this is my least favorite of the three, but it's still good. Most of the songs just don't quite reach the level of the excellent first and last tracks. - Some of the harmonica parts did sound grating in my headphones... I had to turn down the volume a few times 🙃 - I did really like the title track though; laughed at the slide whistle lmao. Favorite track(s): Like a Rolling Stone, Desolation Row

If there was anyone on the list I thought I might give "prestige" points to despite my not liking their music, it's Bob Dylan. I can't do it this time. I'll try and find some positives. Like A Rolling Stone has a tune I don't mind, and Ballad of a Thin Man doesn't sound too bad. There are certainly a lot of lyrics and I can see why some people might connect with them. But... There are so many elements that make this album borderline unlistenable for me. The primary one is the harmonica playing -- it's easily the worst I've ever heard outside of a small child playing the thing with the goal of being annoying. That piercing sound ruins every song it's in, which I believe is all but one. Dylan's signing is also among the worst I've ever heard. I can tolerate it for one song at a time, but this is the first time I've ever tried to play an entire album. The half-speaking, half-singing, never-quite-reaching-the-intended-tune just wears me out. I realize this isn't exactly a new criticism. Beyond that, Tombstone Blues might be the most irritating song I've heard doing this challenge in several weeks... and Highway 61 Revisited is chock full of a shrill siren sound or slide whistle. Silly and annoying. I was ready to round up to a 2 because I think I recognize why some people like this, but then he started playing harmonica AT me during the last 4 minutes of the interminably long closer, Desolation Row. I can't abide by that. After more than 200 albums, this is in my bottom 5. I wish I could appreciate it for the things it does well... but there just isn't enough of them to matter.

Yeah good but the mumbling rambling is too much sometimes

listening to bob dylan reminds me of talking to a girl who keeps complaining about these people you've never met so you have no choice to nod along and go "yeah she seems awful" and I know bob dylan would hate me saying that because he hates women

Opens on a high note with his biggest hit, Like A Rolling Stone. Enjoyed that as usual, but holy shit I was unprepared for Tombstone Blues. I was completely caught up in the tale of struggle that unfolded over the upbeat blues track and I’m gonna be thinking about that one for a long time!

Salright.

Good, not great.

This album may have converted me to enjoy Bob Dylan more. 4/5.

A heater. So many great memories with this one. This was one of the albums I listened to when making my way through the Rolling Stone greatest albums list when I was living in China in 2013. It lives up to hype. "Like a Rolling Stone" is peak Dylan, but you could make a pretty strong case that "Queen Jane Approximately" is his best. I love this record. I've listened to it dozens of times, and I'll listen to it dozens of times more. I never get tired of it. 11/10

Best so far. First real experience with Dylan. Love it. Bluesey deliciousness.

i like this one because it has minimal use of the harmonica

This is my second Bob Dylan album on this list—the first was Blood on the Tracks, which earned a perfect 5 stars from me. It was such a great record. Now we're listening to Highway 61 Revisited, an album made earlier in his career. Will it top Blood on the Tracks? Let's find out! TRACK-BY-TRACK COMMENTARY: Like a Rolling Stone – Great opening track. What a concept—a "riches to rags" story? Sign me up. Tombstone Blues – The energy picks up here. Very sharp, vivid lyrics. It’s not as singable as the opener and loaded with information, so it requires a few re-listens. I’m not complaining, but some listeners might get bogged down by all the exposition. It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry – Very long title—he could’ve shortened it, just sayin'. Things slow down here. I adored the harmonica solo, especially toward the end. From a Buick 6 – Lots of hidden symbolism packed in here. Another track that definitely needs a re-listen. Ballad of a Thin Man – Difficult to digest on a first listen without knowing the context. I’ll definitely have to look up the interpretations for this one. A sword swallower? What? Queen Jane Approximately – Dull and repetitive. I don't care for this one, I'm sorry. Highway 61 Revisited – A much more interesting song than the last few tracks. A welcome change of pace. Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues – A nice, laid-back groove after the faster tracks. It feels like a weary road trip journal—sluggish, blue, and atmospheric. Desolation Row – This is a good one. Great storytelling without being overly cryptic. A stellar closer. FINAL THOUGHTS Dylan, I love you, but this record was definitely difficult. For an initial listen, the album felt like a bit of a drag compared to The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan and Blood on the Tracks, which I fell in love with right away. These songs are dense and complex, both melodically and lyrically, with heavy symbolism to unpack. Still, I can't deny how impressive the genius of his storytelling, wordplay, and vision are here. Even if I don't enjoy it quite as much as Blood on the Tracks, it's a phenomenal work of art. Favorite Song: Like a Rolling Stone (The most singable track on the album) Will I listen to this album again? It’s a requirement for me. Will I recommend this album? Yes, but with a caveat: the lyrics are extremely dense.

Fav: Like a Rolling Stone, From a Buick 6, Ballad of a Thin Man L: Tombstone Blues 4.5 Opens with potentially Bob Dylan's best and is immediately followed by what feels like a parody of a Bob Dylan song. At times the harmonica was a bit much. Cover: 2.5 Name: 3 Minecraft Parody: Like a Cobblestone, Ballad of a Tame Wolf, Woodland Mansion Row

Zimmy!!

Probably a more a a four and a half, but VERY close to five. I’d give Blonde on Blonde the edge.

Classic ‘Like a Rolling Stone’ is the standout, but the rest aren’t too shabby either.

A couple of the tracks were really good, generally like the whole album.

Another one I wanted to like more than I did. Man this one drags on. The music is pretty decent but i just don’t think i love Bob Dylan’s storytelling thing

3/5

What is there left to say about this album? Bloomfield’s guitar. Kooper’s story of sneaking into the studio sums up this: everybody who cared about music wanted to be there at the moment of creation of this. Slogans from lines linger in our dialogue. One of my favorites is “well you know something is happening, but you don’t know what it is, do you, Mr. Jones” and “I’m in the kitchen with the tombstone blues”.

Another Bob Dylan record, and the sound of the harmonica is really starting to grow on me. And the sound of Bob’s voice? Continues to grow on me! Correction (2X) replace “grow” with “grate”

The OG FUCKBOY MUSIC

Dette er full pott på skalaer som går mykje lengre enn til 5. Ei av dei beste platene nokonsinne.

Jeg har ikke ord for å beskrive hvor sjukt bra jeg synes denne plata er! Det er den første av de fem Dylan-platene jeg mener er 10/10, og en av de hele fjorten (!) Dylan-albumene jeg mener enhver platesamling bør inneholde. Denne er soleklar 10/10, og det er ikke engang hans beste album!

Kva skal ein sei, det meste er sagt og det dei seier er sant. Tvers gjennom fantastisk plate. Språkleg lysande og musikalsk heilt på høgget.

Nivå!

Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited Litt harry, men de veit etter ei lang arbeidsveke… sjølve lyden - kjensla - når du jekkar opp den første boksen med kaldt øl? For min del er hammond-orgelet til Al Kooper som innleiar denne plata (og samstundes kanskje tidenes beste låt) mykje av det same. I 1965 var Bob Dylan verdas kulaste mann og då denne plata kom ut var den vel blant dei 3-4 beste platene rock ‘n’ roll verda hadde høyrt. Og no, seksti år seinare, gjeld jo dette framleis. 10/10

Such a classic record, not one that I listen to a lot, but I always enjoy it when I do - one of the better Dylan records in my opinion

There's a Johnny Cash sized hole in my heart and I think Bob Dylan could fill it.

Sehr gutes Album von Bob Dylan ich finde seine songs mega gut auch Stimmlich wenn sie rauch ist Passt es super ich werde Bob Dylan weiter verfolgen

I don't need to listen to this again. Every note is burned into my brain. A classic album

Album #213: Bob Dylan – Highway 61 Revisited ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Dylan’s second-best album, and the one in which, courtesy of Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper, he nails down his Wild Mercury Sound. And what a raggedy and unique sound it is. Pristine it is not. Songs threaten to fall apart under the sloppiness of their arrangements, and on the alternative takes from the Bootleg Series, they do! But they capture that lightning in a bottle on every take here. Nobody else sounded like this at the time. I’d argue no one ever sounded like this again, even Dylan. Especially Dylan! The guy’s voice, appearance and sound change from album to album. The master of reinvention. This might be his most treasured incarnation. You could take any verse and spend forever pontificating on it or dissecting it, but before you have a chance to think, Dylan has moved onto another complex, literary, reference-filled verse, flowing out of his amphetamine-addled mind. He’s also capable of just phenomenal blues lyricism. Take the opening verse of It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry. But it’s best just to appreciate the marvel of his lyricism from a distance, or you could spend the rest of your life studying it. Nobody wrote better songs than Dylan. No one. The absolute GOAT. He saves the best for last with Desolation Row, and the best musical performance of the album from Charlie McCoy. The man we owe for getting Dylan out of New York and down to Nashville, where he would make his best album, Blonde on Blonde. Charlie, I’m eternally grateful.

My standard view on Dylan is that he can write songs but they’re almost always better when sung by someone else. This album is the exception That opinion relies heavily on two or three big hitters on here though – the obvious two tracks and Desolation Row. Beyond those it’s OK but not great. But I enjoyed the listen much more than I usually do with Dylan.

Промежутки без хармоники вполне себе можно слушать, но каждый раз, когда она появляется, уши тут же вянут

Do I like Bob Dylan?

This was fun and definitely made me enjoy Bob Dylan more than I did before. I still don’t love this album as much as a lot of other people seem to do.

ok

So far, this is the best Bob Dylan album I've heard, but I have the same issue with this one as I do with the other ones I've heard. I simply do not like his voice, it's just so pretentious sounding. There's a music reviewer I watch sometimes that explained it best, when he said "I like Bob Dylan songs when Bob Dylan doesn't sing them".

Started on 10/13, finished on 10/14 I think I would enjoy this album more if I understood the references. I enjoyed a few songs but overall I didn’t enjoy the album. Maybe I’ll come to appreciate Dylan, but so far I find him overrated.

Contains two of Bob’s all time greatest songs and a lovely epic ending, though I would say everything between Rolling Stone and Thin Man is just solid.

The songs are kind of like poems recited with a bg music. not a sit down to listen song. It's something i wouldn't mind to listen while cycling along the countryside.

Bob Dylan: Wow what a masterful song writer! Who else can fit 9 syllables into a line that should naturally fit 5? Who else can write a song with the same structure the whole time? And what variety! One track was Bob Dylan singing and then…by the gods…is that a HARMONICA? Genius! No one can do it like Bobby Dylan! It’s a miracle that anyone was ever able to transcribe his songs - he’s never actually sung a note, he’s just speaking. I’m having a particularly anti-Bob Dylan day. 2.5/10. Write a poem instead Bob.

Zimmerman does it again

Still find his voice kind of whiney nasally, but I think he's growing on me. Album seemed good

no me gusta este tipo de musica

Dylan can’t sing and that makes his records a bit difficult to endure. BUT his vocal style is exactly the kind of thing you need when you can’t hear yourself shouting over a band on stage at a festival that only gives you the bare minimum of level adjustments. You can hear the difference between how he sings with a full band and how he sings on pared down acoustic tracks. His voice isn’t particularly good in either scenario, but it’s not because he isn’t trying. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt that it works better in a live setting, and also some credit for keeping the recordings as authentic to that live sound as possible. I’ve never been a “lyrics person” (probably something to do with my autism) so the gibberish kinda goes over my head while I focus on the instrumentation. Again, his voice presents some struggles with its out of tune melodies, and the harmonica is a little overpowering from time to time. But overall, the songs on this record are pretty good and a little remastering to tame those rough spots could yield a real all-timer here. Can’t wait for the next 4?5? Dylan records in the project

The more I listen to him, the more I like Bob Dylan. Ballad of a Thin Man feels of desperation. Highway 61 revisited is funny, twisted, sarcastic and poignant. Like a Rolling Stone is one of the greatest songs ever made. The world cares little of my thoughts, this album is incalculably influential.

Oooooooh okay. Now I get it.

Have never sat and delved into a full Dylan album before but I wish I had this was a really good album to just sit back too and experience

Nice

This is the record where Dylan took electric to heart. Adding Al Kooper, Mike, Bloomfield, etc., and rocking the hell out of some absurdist lyrics, as well as some beautiful and mournful, classic ballads. In its day, just extraordinary record, even if you excluded Like a Rolling Stone.

4/5 Good song writing, instrumentals added to the mood very well. Top Three songs: ballad of a thin man, Highway 61 Revisited, Like A rolling stone

This was much better than that live album that rolled around first on this project, because that was awful. This was listenable at least

A few classics and a few with a less nasal voice. Also a few that are just purely incomprehensible.

Not my favorite Dylan album, but a great album nonetheless.

Overrated.

The best start to any album, Like a Rolling Stone begins with a bang to signify Dylan's departure from his folk sound and the reflection that is this album to the changing society of the 1960s. I lovedddd this album so much! Queen Jane Approximately is a new favourite, as a Dylan lover!

- Boycotting this misogynist Zio domestic abuser. - Like a Rolling Stone is a great song... unfortunately, the rest of the album is a huge let down for me. - You already know this, but the lyrics are the biggest appeal on most of the songs. When he gets a good melody with them, it's the best, but that only happens once in a blue moon and only once on this album. When the songs are almost good, they sound pretty much like a less engaging version of his hits. What I hear is a lot of never ending (honkey-tonk) verses with short, unsatisfying choruses. - I don't find the music on this album engaging enough to want to stop doing other things and listen to it. It's also not background music because of the wordiness and his whiny shouty vocals that are hard to tune out. Also, the instrumentation feels really loud and busy (including a (fucking) kazoo), but at the same time, too laid back. - All the songs feel way too long. Why is Desolation Row 11+ (fucking) minutes? - Very, very weird to me that this (mostly boring) album is his highest rated on this site. Blood on the Tracks is so much better, imo.

Bob Dylan has a long, long way to go, and I’m a huge fan of his, but this one just isn’t it. I think you can map his career by how well he’s learned to manage his vocal inadequacies. In the beginning it’s terrible, he figured it out, then it goes to shit again when he stats getting old.

Folk Rock from 1965. I never really listened to a lot of Bob Dylan, so color me surprised to hear his voice and it's not nearly as hyperbolic as the years have led me to believe. Musicianship on here is good, but I wouldn't call these technically flashy folks. The songs are fun and have an effervesence to them that is infectious. However, some of them devolve into almost quasi-parody with the silly lyrics (see "Ballad of a Thin Man"). The songs are performed with authenticity and confidence, and the energy is fun as mentioned before. All-in-all not bad, but not something I'll revisit.

I’m definitely not the biggest Dylan fan overall, but this one is my hands-down favorite. Not just for him going electric after years of acoustic folk, but also for the dark and witty songwriting. It was good to listen to this one again.

After all these years, still very good

Did not expect to like this, but it’s so well produced. So richly layered I literally thought there was other music in the background and paused the song during Tombstone Blues. The man can sing, it’s a good time.

Upset that I enjoyed this.

I’ve already heard this one before but listening to it this time gave me the keenest sledgehammering reminder that Bob Dylan does, in fact, have the license of poetic sauce.

Great album. Loved like a rolling stone. Great guitars and stora telling. Relatable in a lot of ways.

bob dylan eterno sobrevalorado

Tylsää

Like a Rolling Stone is a top 5 Dylan song. This is the tier below Blonde on Blonde and Freewheelin

I lack a connection to Bob really, didn't hear him growing up. I understand he revolutionised songwriting and he does have some brilliant songs but his general sound doesn't grab me. Knew the first and last songs as you might expect, rest of it was a bit more varied than I would have thought, bit rockier which was a nice switch up. This goes alongside the other bob Dylan albums we've had that aren't freewheelin', nice enough but unlikely to return. 3.5.

It has been well over a year since the last Dylan album. The slide whistles on Highway 61 are obnoxious and distract from quite a fun story. Okay - Like A Rolling Stone is the standout, but Ballad of a Thin Man is a real surprise, really intricate and cool. I think it is however my least favourite overall of the Dylan albums we've had. Some of it is too anonymous - Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues is dull. My dad loved this one though, this and Time Out Of Mind (which is cracking to be fair).

Listened to this before and know it's highly regarded, deservedly so. Like a rolling stone is the only huge hit of his on here, but the whole thing is very good. It's almost more spoken word, or poetry at times. I really like "ballad of a thin man". No idea what its about, but it's really interesting Tombstone blues really good too. 4.5 but perhaps not quite a 5

Bob’s best album. His voice is crackling with cynical anger, his lyrics point insane and vivid portraits on every song, and the Nashville session musicians are cooking. (I’m particularly partial to Charlie McCoy’s guitar on Desolation Row.) This album will probably not convince many haters, but for me the core of his talent is in this recording.

like a rolling stoneeeee me deixa brava que alguns artistas que são seres humanos horríveis sejam muito bons nas suas áreas artisticas

Vibe Road Trip pas mal, good vibe! Good mood, été! Je connaissais aucune musique, c‘Est fou ça fait ps trop vieux pour dire que c‘est 1965