The Best of Dylan

[MylesBAstor]

Dylan, with over five decades of music to choose from, might just arguably the hardest musician to choose twelve, much less 24 or 36 best songs. As someone who grew up in the '60s, there's perhaps no one that speaks to our generation more than Dylan. I remember as a sophomore in HS (that would have been 1970) reading Dylan's poetry in our English classes. No, I'm not fooled by his act as Robert Shelton outlined in his excellent, albeit long, Dylan biography No Direction Home. Like many performers, they certainly have at least two sides.

I tried to make a quick top twelve list and that attempt proved futile finding myself with about 50 songs written down on the back of two envelopes. If I got anything out of this endeavor it was just how great Bloods on the Track was (though only one song from that album made my list)! So just to keep things interesting, I decided to make a top twelve list of Dylan's songs and a top six of his lyrics. So in no particular order, here is a list of my top twelve songs:

It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
Just Like a Woman
Knockin' on Heaven's Door
Like A Rolling Stone
The Times They Are A-Changin'
All Along the Watchtower (though prefer Hendrix' version)
A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall
Lay, Lady Lay
Gotta Serve Somebody
Forever Young
Rainy Day Women #12 and 35
Mr. Tambourine Man

And now for top six lyrics:

Blowin' in the Wind--OK this is my all time favorite Dylan song! (The most amazing four chords in music history???)

It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleedin')
Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest
The Times They Are A-Changin'
Subterranean Homesick Blues
Desolation Row
Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again (know that's seven! )

[GaryB]

I'm a big Dylan fan as well. While it's impossible to pick only one favorite Dylan song, the one that immediately popped into my head was Boots of Spanish Leather. Here are a couple of takes, both of which I like quite a bit.
---Gary

https://youtu.be/QQ7CDzwcHX8

https://youtu.be/y8PDL_ZTvmI

[Johnny Vinyl]

Didn't care much for Bob Dylan when he first exploded onto the music scene, but I've recently seen the light and I hope to be buying a few more of his albums. Because I'm really quite unfamiliar with his body of work I can't rightfully come up with a list of favourite songs, but I will say that Knockin' On Heaven's Door is my fave songs of those I've heard so far.

[Metamatic]

Great song

[Andy]

ok, I'm going to go with Myles' list, and agree w/ "Blowing in the Wind" - sort of grew up with that one.
Also, while not technically a "song", going to give a shoutout to the Basement Tapes - a really interesting
listen for those fans of, or those interested in, the early days:

[JCOConnell]

ok, I'm going to go with Myles' list, and agree w/ "Blowing in the Wind" - sort of grew up with that one.
Also, while not technically a "song", going to give a shoutout to the Basement Tapes - a really interesting
listen for those fans of, or those interested in, the early days:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]n10041[/ATTACH]

Dylan IS "the early days"

[MylesBAstor]

Didn't care much for Bob Dylan when he first exploded onto the music scene, but I've recently seen the light and I hope to be buying a few more of his albums. Because I'm really quite unfamiliar with his body of work I can't rightfully come up with a list of favourite songs, but I will say that Knockin' On Heaven's Door is my fave songs of those I've heard so far.

Am learning to play that one on guitar. Just basically four chords to the whole song.

[MylesBAstor]

ok, I'm going to go with Myles' list, and agree w/ "Blowing in the Wind" - sort of grew up with that one.
Also, while not technically a "song", going to give a shoutout to the Basement Tapes - a really interesting
listen for those fans of, or those interested in, the early days:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]n10041[/ATTACH]

Didn't Classic Records release some of the basement tapes on LP?

[MylesBAstor]

Dylan IS "the early days"

Do you ever wonder what Dylan thinks seeing seeing the resurrected tapes of his early concerts, TV shows, performances today?

[JCOConnell]

Do you ever wonder what Dylan thinks seeing seeing the resurrected tapes of his early concerts, TV shows, performances today?

I don't know, but BLOOD was his last really good LP and its been 40 yrs...

[Johnny Vinyl]

As a novice to Bob Dylan I wouldn't know about that, but it's an album I bought (33rpm Mofi) and I really do like it!

[MylesBAstor]

Blood on the Tracks was very, very good. I saw Dylan in concert at MSG in '77 and it was awesome. The whole arena was enveloped in a smoke cloud. Not like today with the room freshners everywhere!

[ashandger]

Very hard to pick just 12 fav tracks but fav albums are Oh Mercy, Infidels, Time Out of Mind, Blood on the Tracks, Bootleg Series Vol 8: Tell Tale Signs and Real Live (has great versions of Masters of War and Tombstone Blues but sound is poor)

[MylesBAstor]

If not the greatest rock 'n' roll act, certainly the best solo artist when you consider the volume of work. Thanks to John Hammond, Sr. for signing Dylan! (as well as boatload of the best artists ever known to mankind!)

[GaryB]

I don't know, but BLOOD was his last really good LP and its been 40 yrs...

Couldn't disagree more. After a dry spell from the mid-70's to the late 80's, I find his output to be surprisingly strong, starting with the album Oh Mercy in 1989 and then following with album after album that I like quite a bit. But take what I say with a grain of salt. I even like his take on "Must be Santa", which isn't everyone's (or probably anyone's) cup of tea.
---Gary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8qE6WQmNus

[MylesBAstor]

I thought his most recent (and all analog recording IIRC) got good reviews. Done by Al Schmitt.

[Bill Hart]

Some stuff from the early albums is good. I think a lot depends on your point of entry. If you were into the folk scene and old enough, the really early Dylan is important. I got into him in the '70s, so more Dylan and the Band era. Love Blood on the Tracks, but worth going backwards for Blonde on Blonde, which is a great album. Nashville Skyline has some wonderful stuff too.
My buddy Rob, who played with Dylan during the Rolling Thunder years, is a font of information re Dylan. I've tried to get him on some of the forums to talk about it, but suspect he'd rather wait for a book deal.
I did get a kick out of that Masked and Whatever soundtrack that Classic Records did, with a cover of a Dylan song in Japanese.
There are people who live and breath things Dylan. Me, I'm more of a casual passerby.

[Rust]

Dylan is a great songwriter but I don't own a single recording done by Dylan, can't stand the nasal sound of his singing. I think Hendrix was the best at covering Dylans better works. Hollies weren't to bad either.