Tag: Bob Dylan

Title: Bob Dylan – Blonde On Blonde (2CD) (1966) [SACD 2003]
Genre: Rock
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Blonde on Blonde is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on May 16, 1966, on Columbia Records. Recording sessions began in New York in October 1965 with numerous backing musicians, including members of Dylan’s live backing band, the Hawks. Though sessions continued until January 1966, they yielded only one track that made it onto the final album — “One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)”. At producer Bob Johnston’s suggestion, Dylan, keyboardist Al Kooper, and guitarist Robbie Robertson moved to the CBS studios in Nashville, Tennessee. These sessions, augmented by some of Nashville’s top session musicians, were more fruitful, and in February and March all the remaining songs for the album were recorded.
Blonde on Blonde completed the trilogy of rock albums that Dylan recorded in 1965 and 1966, starting with Bringing It All Back Home and Highway 61 Revisited. Critics often rank Blonde on Blonde as one of the greatest albums of all time. Combining the expertise of Nashville session musicians with a modernist literary sensibility, the album’s songs have been described as operating on a grand scale musically, while featuring lyrics one critic called “a unique blend of the visionary and the colloquial”.It was one of the first double albums in rock music. The album peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard 200 chart in the U.S., where it eventually went double-platinum, and reached No. 3 in the UK. Blonde on Blonde spawned two singles that were top twenty hits in the U.S.: “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35” and “I Want You”. Two additional songs, “Just Like a Woman” and “Visions of Johanna”, have been named as among Dylan’s greatest compositions and were featured in Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list. The album was included in Robert Dimery’s 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

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Title: Bob Dylan – Highway 61 Revisited (1965) [SACD 2003]
Genre: Rock
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Highway 61 Revisited is the sixth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on August 30, 1965 by Columbia Records. Having until then recorded mostly acoustic music, Dylan used rock musicians as his backing band on every track of the album, except for the closing 11-minute ballad, “Desolation Row”. Critics have focused on the innovative way in which Dylan combined driving, blues-based music with the subtlety of poetry to create songs that captured the political and cultural chaos of contemporary America. Author Michael Gray has argued that in an important sense the 1960s “started” with this album. Leading with the hit single “Like a Rolling Stone”, the album features songs that Dylan has continued to perform live over his long career, including “Ballad of a Thin Man” and “Highway 61 Revisited”. He named the album after the major American highway which connected his birthplace, Duluth, Minnesota, to southern cities famed for their musical heritage, including St. Louis, Memphis, New Orleans, and the Delta blues area of Mississippi. Highway 61 Revisited peaked at No. 3 in the United States charts and No. 4 in the United Kingdom. The album was ranked No. 4 on Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”. “Like a Rolling Stone” was a top-10 hit in several countries, and was listed at No. 1 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list. Two other songs, “Desolation Row” and “Highway 61 Revisited”, were listed at No. 187 and No. 373 respectively.

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Title: Bob Dylan – Bringing It All Back Home (1965) [SACD 2003]
Genre: Rock
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Bringing It All Back Home is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on March 22, 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 music 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 towards the abstract and personal. The album reached No. 6 on Billboard’s Pop Albums chart, the first of Dylan’s LPs to break into the US top 10. It also topped the UK charts later that Spring. The first track, “Subterranean Homesick Blues”, became Dylan’s first single to chart in the US, peaking at #39.

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Title: Bob Dylan – Another Side Of Bob Dylan (1964) [SACD 2003]
Genre: Rock
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Another Side of Bob Dylan is the fourth studio album by American singer and songwriter Bob Dylan, released on August 8, 1964 by Columbia Records. The album deviates from the more socially conscious style which Dylan had developed with his previous LP, The Times They Are A-Changin’. The change prompted criticism from some influential figures in the folk community – Sing Out! editor Irwin Silber complained that Dylan had “somehow lost touch with people” and was caught up in “the paraphernalia of fame”. Despite the album’s thematic shift, Dylan performed the entirety of Another Side of Bob Dylan as he had previous records – solo. In addition to his usual acoustic guitar and harmonica, Dylan provides piano on one selection, “Black Crow Blues”. Another Side of Bob Dylan reached No. 43 in the US (although it eventually went gold), and peaked at No. 8 on the UK charts in 1965.

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Title: Bob Dylan – The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan (1963) [SACD 2003]
Genre: Rock
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, released on May 27, 1963, by Columbia Records, marks Bob Dylan’s second studio album and the emergence of his songwriting prowess. Unlike his debut, which featured only two original songs, this album includes eleven of Dylan’s thirteen compositions. Iconic tracks like “Blowin’ in the Wind,” a 1960s anthem later popularized by Peter, Paul & Mary, alongside “Girl from the North Country,” “Masters of War,” “A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall,” and “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right,” became folk classics. Dylan’s lyrics address civil rights, nuclear fears, love, and surreal humor, blending political and personal themes. The album propelled Dylan to international fame, earning him the “Spokesman of a Generation” title, which he rejected. It peaked at number 22 in the U.S., went platinum, and hit number one in the UK in 1964. In 2003, Rolling Stone ranked it 97 on its 500 greatest albums list, and in 2002, it was among the first 50 recordings added to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry. The SACD reissue enhances its timeless sound, showcasing Dylan’s transformative impact on folk music. This album remains essential for its lyrical depth and cultural significance.

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