The news has been so bad the last few months I have needed "shelter from the storm." What with the election results, the Obama administrations moving the country to the left, the bad economy and last, but not least, the terrible Oregon Duck Basketball season, I have needed something to take my mind off all of all of the above and old Bob Dylan and his music have done the trick. I have always been a fan of Dylan's music but recently I have made a real study of him and his music. I have obtained a number of his albums and have read two biography's. ("Bob Dylan Behind the Shades" and "Bob Dylan an Intimate Biography")I have watched the movie about him, "I'm Not There" three times. I also have watched the documentary "No Direction Home A Martin Scorsese Picture." three times. This weekend I will be watching "Bob Dylan: 1966-1978: After the Crash." The more I study him the less I like him as a person but the more I admire his talent and appreciate his music. Bob Dylan has released at least 50+albums with another one coming out in April of 2009. With that much music it is difficult to get a handle on the music but in this post I am going to make an attempt. Stephanie Sane on Amazon.com's "listmania" has attempted to organise Dylan's music into categories.Dylan keeps reinventing himself and his music. I will be using her categories in my outline of his music. Not everyone wants to buy 50+albums, not even me, so I will list by category what I believe are the essential albums. For each album I will give a capsule description from Wikipedia followed by my comments.
THE EARLY RECORDS, THE ACOUSTIC FOLK PERIOD 1962-1965
"Bob Dylan"1962
is the eponymous debut album from the highly influential American artist of the same name. It was released on March 19, 1962 on Columbia Records, when Dylan was 20 years old. It features two original compositions, the rest being old folk standards, and was produced by Columbia's legendary talent scout John H. Hammond, who signed Dylan to the label.
Bob Dylan had just moved to New York from Minnesota and hung out with the folk crowd in Greenwich Village and had taken on a Woody Guthrie 1930's persona and the music is a reflection of that.
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan 1963
is singer-songwriter Bob Dylan's second studio album, released in May 1963 by Columbia Records.
Dylan's debut album, Bob Dylan, had featured just two original songs. Freewheelin' contained just two covers, the traditional tune "Corrina, Corrina", and "Honey, Just Allow Me One More Chance" — which Dylan re-wrote extensively.[1] All the other songs were Dylan originals and the Freewheelin' album showcased for the first time Dylan's song-writing talent.[2] The album kicked off with "Blowin' in the Wind", which would become one of Dylan's most celebrated songs. In July 1963, the song became an international hit for folk trio Peter, Paul & Mary
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan reached number 22 in the US (eventually going platinum), and later became a number 1 hit in the UK in 1965. It was one of 50 recordings chosen in 2002 by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry.
In 2003, the album was ranked number 97 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.[3]
Dylan leaves Woody behind. This was Dylan's protest album on issues of the day. I love the Civil Rights songs but hate "Talking World War III Blues". "Blowin in the Wind" is one of his best.We start seeing the angry Dylan with "Don't think Twice, it's all Right" one of my favorites.
Times They Are a-Changin'1964
is Bob Dylan's third album, released in 1964 by Columbia Records.
Produced by Tom Wilson, it is the singer-songwriter's first collection to feature only original compositions. The album consists mostly of stark, sparsely-arranged story songs concerning issues such as racism, poverty, and social change. The title track is one of Dylan's most famous; many felt that it captured the spirit of social and political upheaval that characterized the 1960s.
Some critics and fans were not quite as taken with the album as a whole, relative to his previous work, for its lack of humor or musical diversity. Still, The Times They Are a-Changin' entered the United States chart at twenty, eventually going gold, and belatedly reaching four in the United Kingdom in 1965.
Love "The Times They Are A Changin'" and "Boots of Spanish Leather." Hate "With God on our Side" Dylan's last real protest album.
Another Side of Bob Dylan 1964
is Bob Dylan's fourth studio album, released in 1964 by Columbia Records.
Consistent with its title, the album marks a shift away from the more overt, issue-oriented folk music that Dylan had previously been gravitating toward, dominating his previous LP, The Times They Are A-Changin'. This break from traditionalist roots prompted sharp criticism from influential figures in the folk community. Sing Out! editor Irwin Silber famously complained that Dylan had "somehow lost touch with people" and was tangled up in "the paraphernalia of fame". Most critics outside of these circles, however, praised its innovations in songwriting, which would have a tremendous influence on such legendary rock acts as The Beatles.
Despite the major thematic changes, Dylan still performed his songs solo, with acoustic guitar and harmonica, and even piano on one song. Another Side of Bob Dylan reached #43 in the US (although it eventually went gold), and peaked at #8 on the UK charts in 1965.
Dylan leaves the protest songs behind and this is my favorite album in this category. The songs are introspective, personal and poetic. "All I Really Want to Do" and "Chimes of Freedom" are my favorites. Is he singing about his x girlfriend Suze Rotolo when he sings "It Ain't me Babe"?
The Bootleg Series Vol. 6: Bob Dylan Live 1964, Concert at Philharmonic Hall
is a complete recording of Bob Dylan's October 31, 1964 "Halloween" show at New York's Philharmonic Hall. It was released in 2004.
The set list was dominated by Dylan’s protest songs, including "The Times They Are a-Changin’," "A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall," and "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll". Joan Baez, a major supporter of Dylan's in his early career, duets with Dylan on three songs, as well as singing another alone ("Silver Dagger"). However, Dylan performed these songs alongside early versions of three songs from the soon-to-be-recorded Bringing It All Back Home. New compositions like "It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)" and "Mr. Tambourine Man" showed Dylan moving in a new direction, becoming more immersed in evocative, stream-of-consciousness lyrics and moving away from social, topical songwriting. Even as he was moving in this new direction, Dylan was still portrayed as a symbol of the civil rights and anti-war movements, and the Halloween concert of 1964 caught Dylan in transition.
The album debuted on the Billboard 200 album chart on April 17, 2004 at number 28. It spent 4 weeks on the chart. It also reached number 33 in the U.K.
I am not a big fan of his "live" albums because he "fools around" with how he sings the songs often giving undue emphasis to certain words that spoil the song. This "live album" is an exception and is the best of his early folk period.Dylan would change but the audience did not know it that Halloween night in 1964.
Also check out BOB DYLAN the bootleg series Volumes 1-3 (rare & unreleased 1961-1991 (see below) because over 1/3 of the set is unreleased songs or alternate versions from this period.
THE ELECTRIC FOLK ROCK PERIOD 1965-1967
Bringing It All Back Home 1965
is Bob Dylan's fifth studio album, released in 1965 by Columbia Records.
The album is divided into an electric and an acoustic side. On side one of the original LP, Dylan is backed by an electric rock and roll band - a move that further alienated him from some of his former peers in the folk song community. Likewise, on the acoustic second side of the album, he distanced himself from the protest songs with which he had become closely identified (such as "Blowin' in the Wind" and "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall"), as his lyrics continued their trend toward the abstract and personal.
The album reached #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 lead-off track, "Subterranean Homesick Blues", became Dylan's first single to chart in the US, peaking at #39.
I like "Mr. Tambourine Man" but I like the acoustic songs the best. The three albums in this category are called "The Trilogy." Dylan was at his height in popularity but the "folkies" felt betrayed when he went electric. Dylan shocked his folk fans at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965 when he came out backed by an electric band.
Highway 61 Revisited 1965
is Bob Dylan's sixth studio album, released in 1965 by Columbia Records. It is Dylan's first album to be recorded entirely with a full rock band, after he experimented with the approach on half of Bringing It All Back Home. It is commonly tagged as documenting the "angry young man" period in Dylan's career, in-between the playfulness of its surrounding albums; many of the songs on Highway 61 are of an accusatory nature and feature rough, loud takes.
Featuring hits and concert staples such as "Like a Rolling Stone", "Desolation Row", and "Ballad of a Thin Man", it is also generally considered to be among the artist's best and most influential efforts. Dylan himself commented, "I'm not gonna be able to make a record better than that one... Highway 61 is just too good. There's a lot of stuff on there that I would listen to."[1]
The album peaked at #3 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart and #4 in the UK, while "Like a Rolling Stone" reached #2 on the US Pop Singles chart and #4 in the UK, also receiving the accolade of being placed #1 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The album itself was ranked #4 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Who doesn't like "Like a Rolling Stone."? But, my least favorite of "The Trilogy" albums
Blonde on Blonde 1966
is singer-songwriter Bob Dylan's seventh studio album, released in 1966 by Columbia Records.
It is believed to be the first significant double album in rock music,[1] its length forcing it to two LPs, although some digital reissues fit the album on one compact disc. It is notable for injecting Dylan's brand of blues rock, fully established on Highway 61 Revisited, with a more eclectic sound and even more surreal lyrics. Despite its uncompromising nature, it has come to be regarded as one of Dylan's greatest achievements, and "one of the greatest rock & roll albums ever made".[1][2] It also marked the end of an era for Dylan, who would soon be involved in a motorcycle accident (significantly changing his musical approach).
Recorded in Nashville, the album was produced by Bob Johnston. It peaked at #9 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart in the US, eventually going double-platinum, while it reached #3 in the UK. It is ranked as the ninth greatest album of all time by both VH1 and Rolling Stone.
The best of "The Trilogy albums." "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" is about his wife."Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again" and "Just Like a Woman" can be played again and again. After this album he is involved in a motorcycle accident and takes a break from music.
THE COUNTRY ROCK PERIOD 1967-1974
John Wesley Harding 1967
is Bob Dylan's 8th studio album, released by Columbia Records in 1967.
Produced by Bob Johnston, the album marked Dylan's return to acoustic music and traditional roots, after three albums of electric rock music. John Wesley Harding was recorded around the same time as (and shares many stylistic threads with) a prolific series of home recording sessions with The Band, finally released in 1975 as The Basement Tapes.
John Wesley Harding was exceptionally well received by critics and enjoyed solid sales, reaching the number 2 slot on U.S. charts and topping the British charts. The commercial performance was considered remarkable considering that Dylan had kept Columbia from releasing the album with much promotion or publicity. Less than three months after its release, John Wesley Harding was certified gold by the RIAA. Although Dylan also decided against releasing a single, "All Along the Watchtower" became one of his most popular songs after it was covered by Jimi Hendrix the following year.
In 2003, the album was ranked number 301 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
Wonderful album. Nice to see a softening to his music.
Nashville Skyline 1969
is Bob Dylan's 9th proper studio album, released by Columbia Records in 1969.
The album marked a dramatic departure for Dylan, previously known for his groundbreaking, poetic folk music and rock'n'roll. Nashville Skyline, building on a rustic style he experimented with on John Wesley Harding, displayed a complete immersion into country music. Along with the more basic themes and simple songwriting structures, it introduced audiences to a radically new singing voice from Dylan - a soft, affected country croon.
The result received some mixed reaction from critics at the time,[citation needed] but Nashville Skyline, despite its brevity (it is Dylan's shortest album), was a commercial success. Reaching number 3 in the US, the album also scored Dylan his fourth UK number 1 album
"Girl from the North Country" is about his high school girlfriend in his home town of Hibbing Minnesota. The song is sung with Johnny Cash. A nice bled of Country, Folk and Rock.
Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid 1973
is a soundtrack album released by Bob Dylan in 1973 for the Sam Peckinpah film of the same name. Dylan himself appeared in the film as the character "Alias". Consisting of primarily instrumental music and inspired by the movie itself, the soundtrack birthed one of Dylan's most beloved songs—and biggest hits—"Knockin' On Heaven's Door", which became a trans-Atlantic Top 20 hit.
A gold record, Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid reached #16 US and #29 UK.
The Soundtrack from "Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid" is good ,but mostly instrumental. Even my wife likes the hit ""Knockin on Heavan's Door." A college friend of mine, "Mark" loved this album and drug me to the movie.
THE SECOND ELECTRIC ROCK PERIOD OR BACK TO ROCK AND ROLL
Blood on the Tracks 1975
is singer-songwriter Bob Dylan's 15th studio album, released in 1975 by Columbia Records, which marked Dylan's return to Columbia after a two-album stint with Asylum Records.
The album, which followed several years of lukewarm reception for Dylan's work, was greeted respectably by fans and critics. In the years following its release, it has come to be regarded as one of his very best albums — making it quite common for subsequent records to be labeled his "best since Blood on the Tracks."[1][2][3][4] It is also commonly seen as a standard for confessional singer-songwriter albums; though Dylan has denied that the songs are autobiographical, his son Jakob Dylan has stated: "The songs are my parents talking."[5] Most of the lyrics on the album revolve around heartache, anger, and loneliness. In 2003, the album was ranked number 16 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
The album reached #1 on the Billboard U.S. pop charts and #4 in the UK. The single "Tangled Up in Blue" peaked at #31 on the Pop singles chart. The album remains one of Dylan's all-time best-selling studio releases, with a double-platinum US certification to date.[6]
After a period of not very good albums he hits it big time with this album that is full of heartbreak over the breakup of his marriage. The last really good album for a long, long time.
The Bootleg Series Vol. 5: Bob Dylan Live 1975, The Rolling Thunder Revue
is a live album by Bob Dylan released by Columbia Records in 2002. It documents the traveling caravan of musicians, entitled the Rolling Thunder Revue, led by Bob Dylan prior to the release of his hit 1976 album Desire. The only other released documentation of this tour is the live Dylan album Hard Rain, released in 1976 to largely negative reviews.
The 2-CD set got a warm reception from critics and fans - though some lamented that it does not document, or emulate, a typical complete show from the tour.[1] it reached #69 in the U.K.
The album debuted on the Billboard 200 chart on December 14, 2002 at number 56. It spent 9 weeks on the chart. It was certified and awarded a gold record on March 12, 2003 by the RIAA.
This a wonderful album I just added to my collection . There are duets with Joan Baez. This "live" album takes songs from several concerts when Bob was still interested and fresh and it showes. You get very lively and emotional versions of his studio songs. I Like the back up group better than "The Band." Scarlet Rivera on violin is particularly good. The second half of the first disc and the second disc are the best. This is a must have album for a Dylan fan.
Also check out Desire 1975. The album has three great songs "Hurricane," "Oh, Sister" and "Sara" about his wife. I don't like the rest so a download from Amazon.com does the trick.
THE RELIGIOUS PERIOD AND BACK TO ROCK AND ROLL PERIODS AND THEN ON TO BLUES 1976-1993
"Other than Slow Train Coming 1979 these albums were not very good. The late 1970's 1980's and early 1990's are best covered by Compilation Albums or downloading selected songs from Amazon.com and making your own album because for me there is not much there that I like even though he turned out a lot of albums. I do like "Gotta Serve Somebody".Do check out Oh Mercy 1989 for "Ring them Bells", "Most of the Time," "What good Am I," and "Shooting Star." I also like "Dark Eyes" from Empire Burlesque 1985. and Planet Waves 1974 has "Wedding Song" and "Forever Young."
THE CURRENT MOODY, REFLECTIVE PERIOD 1997-2009
Time Out of Mind 1997
is Bob Dylan's 30th studio album, released in 1997 by Columbia Records. It was his first double studio album (as it was released on vinyl - it was released also as a single CD) since 1970's Self Portrait.
For fans and critics, the album marked Dylan's artistic comeback after he struggled with his musical identity throughout the 1980s[citation needed], and hadn't released any original material since the release of Under the Red Sky in 1990. Upon release, Time Out of Mind was hailed as one of the singer-songwriter's best albums, and it went on to win three Grammy awards, including Album of the Year in 1998. It also made Uncut magazine's Album of the Year. Furthermore, the album was ranked #408 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2003.
The album features a particularly atmospheric sound, the work of producer (and past Dylan collaborator) Daniel Lanois, whose innovative work with carefully placed microphones and strategic mixing was detailed by Dylan in the first volume of his memoirs, Chronicles, Vol. 1. Despite being generally complimentary to Lanois, especially his work on the 1989 album Oh Mercy, Dylan has voiced dissatisfaction with the sound on Time Out of Mind. He has gone on to self-produce his subsequent albums.
Dylan sees his own mortality in "Not Dark Yet" one of his finest and most haunting songs. "Standing in the Doorway", "Tryin' to Get to Heaven" and "Make You Feel My Love" are some of the best songs he has ever done.
Modern Times 2006
is Bob Dylan's 32nd studio album, released on August 29, 2006 by Sony BMG. The album was Dylan's third straight (following Time out of Mind and "Love and Theft") to be met with nearly universal praise from fans and critics. It continued its predecessors' tendencies toward blues, rockabilly and pre-rock balladry, and was self-produced by Dylan under the pseudonym "Jack Frost". Along with the acclaim, the album sparked some debate over its uncredited use of choruses and arrangements from older songs, as well as many lyrical lines taken from the work of 19th century poet Henry Timrod.Modern Times became the singer-songwriter's first #1 album in the U.S. since 1976's Desire. It was also his first album to debut at the summit of the Billboard 200, selling 191,933 copies in its first week. At age 65, Dylan became the oldest living person at the time to have an album enter the Billboard charts at number one[1] (Neil Diamond has since earned the title). It also reached #1 in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Denmark, Norway and Switzerland, debuted #2 in Germany, Austria and Sweden. It reached #3 in the UK and The Netherlands and has sold over 4 million copies worldwide. As with its two studio predecessors, the album's packaging features minimal credits and no lyric sheet.
Well received but a little too "Bluesy" for my taste.
COMPILATIONS
Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits 1967
is the eighth album released by Bob Dylan on Columbia Records, catalogue CK 65975. It peaked at #10 on the Pop Album Chart, and went to #3 in the United Kingdom; certified five times platinum in the United States, it is one of his very best-selling albums.
Greatest Hits presented his first appearance on records after his epic Blonde on Blonde double-LP of May 1966 and his famed motorcycle accident of that summer. With no activity by Dylan since the end of his recent world tour, and no new recordings on the immediate horizon (the Basement Tapes sessions were still months away if the accepted chronologies are correct), Columbia needed new product to continue to capitalize on Dylan's commercial appeal. Hence the appearance of this package, the label's first Dylan compilation, and its first LP release with a $5.98 list price, one dollar more than that of standard releases.
This album also serves as Dylan's de facto singles collection for the 1960s, as all but three of the tracks present, "The Times They Are a-Changin'," "It Ain't Me Babe," and "Mr. Tambourine Man" had been issued at 45 rpm in the United States during the decade, although "Times" made it to #9 as a single release in the UK. A truncated rock and roll version of "Mr. Tambourine Man" had been a number one hit for The Byrds in the summer of 1965, the Turtles took a folk-rock version of "It Ain't Me Babe" to #8 the same year, and Peter, Paul and Mary enjoyed a huge hit with their #2 single of "Blowin' in the Wind" in 1963. The remaining six tracks all made the Billboard Top 40 in 1965 and 1966. Probably the most astounding thing of all concerning this collection is that it documents a time in America when this kind of lyric complexity and philosophic bent could actually become a top ten pop chart hit, "Like a Rolling Stone" and "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" both going to #2 and "Positively 4th Street" going to #7. The latter track, incidentally, was the only single of the collection not later released on or taken off an album, having been recorded during sessions for Highway 61 Revisited.
The cover photograph of Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits was taken by Rowland Scherman at Dylan's November 28, 1965 concert in Washington, D.C. The cover won the 1967 Grammy award for "Best Album Cover, Photography." The original album package also included Milton Glaser's now-familiar "psychedelic" poster depicting Dylan; it would later be disparaged by the burgeoning rock press. Though Dylan had been quoted as disliking the cover image, a similar image - taken at the Concert for Bangladesh in 1971 - was selected for Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II, a compilation Dylan had much more control over. John Berg, Senior Art Director at Columbia Records, should be noted here as the man who recognized that a backlit image such as Scherman's would work because of Dylan's unique sartorial style. It was his design, as well as Scherman's photo--that won the Grammy.
When this album was remastered for its 1997 rerelease 30 years later, a slightly longer alternate mix of "Positively 4th Street" was substituted for the original single version.
My first Dylan record album. As a student I couldn't afford to buy albums were I only liked some of the songs so this was a happy compromise.
Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II 1971
also known as More Bob Dylan Greatest Hits, was the second compilation album released by Bob Dylan. With Dylan not expected to release any new material for an extended period of time, CBS Records president Clive Davis proposed issuing a double LP compilation of older material. Dylan agreed, suggesting that the package include a full side of unreleased tracks from his archives. After submitting a set of excerpts from the Basement Tapes, which Davis found unsatisfactory, Dylan returned to the studio in September 1971 to recut several Basement songs, with Happy Traum providing backup.
The final package included one previously uncollected single, "Watching The River Flow," (which became an instant cult classic and is still performed live today); an outtake from the same sessions, "When I Paint My Masterpiece;" one song from Dylan's April 12, 1963 Town Hall concert, "Tomorrow is a Long Time," and three songs from the September sessions, "I Shall Be Released," "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere," and "Down in the Flood." The remaining tracks were drawn from existing releases.
The album package was designed to capitalize on the publicity surrounding George Harrison's Concert for Bangladesh, about to be released on film and LP. The photo on the album cover was taken during Dylan's performance at the concert by the film's still photographer, Barry Feinstein[1], and is a look-alike of Rowland Scherman's 1965 photo used for the cover of the previous volume, Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits. Reaching #14 the US and #12 in the UK, Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II is now
certified six times platinum in the US, making it one of Dylan's best selling albums.
My second Dylan record album. I played the record all the time after I got out of the Army. "Tomorrow is a Long Time" was previously unreleased on studio albums and one of his finest songs.
The Essential Bob Dylan 2000
is a compilation by Bob Dylan, released as a double-CD set in 2000, part of Columbia Records' "The Essential" series. The Essential Bob Dylan spans from 1963's "Blowin' In The Wind" (taken from The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan) to 1999's "Things Have Changed" (Dylan's Oscar-winning song from the motion picture, Wonder Boys).
The Essential Bob Dylan has proven to be a solid seller in Dylan's catalog, reaching #67 in the US, and peaking at #9 in the UK.
My first Dylan CD. At the time it was the best overview of his music on two CD's.
The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961–1991
is a compilation box set by Bob Dylan. Released in 1991 to satisfy enormous demand for Dylan's much-bootlegged unissued material, it contains rarities and unreleased works from the sessions for 1962's eponymous debut Bob Dylan to 1989's Oh Mercy.
The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961–1991 went gold in the US, reaching #49, and peaked at #32 in the UK.
The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961–1991 is a compilation box set by Bob Dylan. Released in 1991 to satisfy enormous demand for Dylan's much-bootlegged unissued material, it contains rarities and unreleased works from the sessions for 1962's eponymous debut Bob Dylan to 1989's Oh Mercy.
The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961–1991 went gold in the US, reaching #49, and peaked at #32 in the UK.
I love this album. Made up of songs or versions of songs that did not make his studio albums. Almost two CD of the three CD set is acoustic from his early years and I like much of it better than the albums. A lot of good stuff. If you like folk music this is a must album.
The Bootleg Series Vol. 8 - Tell Tale Signs: Rare and Unreleased 1989-2006
is a compilation album by singer-songwriter Bob Dylan and is the most recent installment of his official "bootleg series" of rare and unissued recordings.[1] It was originally released as a double, and (limited edition) triple album. It was later released as a single album, comprised of disc one of the double set. The three-disc version of Tell Tale Signs includes a 150-page book, and some editions include a 7" vinyl single with two tracks from the set.
The album spans the recording sessions for Oh Mercy, World Gone Wrong, Time Out of Mind, and Modern Times as well as a number of soundtrack contributions and previously unreleased live tracks from 1989 through 2006.[2] The collection also includes a track from an abandoned album Dylan had started to record with David Bromberg in 1992, and Dylan's duet with Ralph Stanley, 'The Lonesome River'. Although Under the Red Sky, Good as I Been to You and Love and Theft were all recorded during this time period, no tracks from these sessions are included on Tell Tale Signs. An alternate version of "Series of Dreams" was included on Vol. 3 of the Bootleg Series. "Dreamin' Of You", an outtake from the Time Out of Mind sessions, was offered for free download on Bob Dylan's site and was also sent to radio stations as a promotional single. In its first week it opened with #6 on the Billboard 200, selling over 600,000 copies and becoming Dylan's 17th album to open in the top 10.
I only like about 7 songs of the 27 on the two CD set so this is a good album to use Amazon.com to download what you like and skip the rest.
"DYLAN" 2007
A nice three CD set( there is also a 1 CD album) that gives an overview of his music from 1962 to 2006. A good place to start if you can buy only one album but don't stop there!
Happy listening and "shelter from the storm"!
(Click on the title for a link to the offical Dylan site and for photos of the covers of all Dylan albums.)
Updated March 15, 2009
