DISC ONE (the outtakes):
1. Trouble in Mind 4.51
2. Ye Shall Be changed 4.09
3. Blind Willie McTell (acoustic version) 5.53
4. Someone's Got A Hold Of My Heart 4.33
5. Tell Me 4.25
6. Lord Protect My Child 3.57
7. Foot of Pride 5.58
8. Death Is Not The End 5.10
9. Julius And Ethel 4.47
10. This Was My Love 4.09
11. Blind Willie McTell (electric version) 4.56
12. Angel Flying Too Close 4.46
13. Straight A's In Love 2.23
14. Clean Cut Kid 6.49
15. Don't Fly Unless It's Safe 3.16
16. Dark Groove 2.48
17. Trouble in Mind 4.16

Track #1: This is the uncut version with an extra verse.
Perfect sound quality. Never officially released.
Track #2-8: Perfect sound quality.
Track #9-11: The sound quality varies. Never officially released.
Track #12 b-side.
Track #13-16: The sound quality varies. Never officially released.
Track #17: b-side. Same recording as track #1 but with one verse cut.

DISC TWO (the alternative versions):
1. Jokerman 6.22
2. Sweetheart Like You 4.15
3. Neighbourhood Bully 4.38
4. License To Kill 3.31
5. Man Of Peace 6.35
6. Union Sundown 5.06
7. I and I 4.30
8. Don't Fall Apart On Me Tonight 5.48
9. Foot Of Pride (version #2) 6.01
10. Someone's Gotta Hold of My Heart (version #2) 5.05
11. Tell Me (version #2) 4.35
12. Lord Protect My child (version #2) 4.41
13. Death Is Not The End (version #2) 5.02
14. Angel Flying Too Close (version #2) 4.06
15. This Was My Love (version #2) 3.46
16. Julius and Ethel 4.41

Tracks #1-8: Alternative versions of the Infidels songs.
Tracks #9-15: Alternative versions of outtakes.
Track #16: Mono version, same take as the other one. The lead
guitar has almost disapeared.
All tracks; Never released officially. Sound quality varies.

DISC THREE (rehearsels and live):
1. I and I (version #2) 5.00
2. Sweetheart Like You (version #2) 4.08
3. Union Sundown (version #2) 6.49
4. Sweetheart rehearsals 28.14
5. Blowin' In the Wind 5.55
6. Rock 'Em Dead 4.43
7. Knocking On Heavens Door 3.50
8. All Along The Watchtower 4.37
9. Leopardskin Pillbox Hat 4.24
10. License To Kill 4.48
11. Knocking On Heaven's Door 5.32

Tracks #1-3: Alternative versions. Sound quality varies.
Track #4: Sweetheart Like You rehearsals. Alternative takes,
talking, improvisations. Sound quality varies.
Track #5-7: Mark Knopfler joining Bob Dylan at a concert in
Sydney, Australia, February 10, 1986. The backing band is
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. Poor sound.
Track #8-11: Dylan joining Dire Straits at a concert in
Melbourne, Australia, February 19, 1986. Poor sound.

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01. All I Really Want To Do – 4:03
02. Black Crow Blues – 3:12
03. Spanish Harlem Incident – 2:23
04. Chimes Of Freedom – 7:07
05. I Shall Be Free - No.10 – 4:45
06. To Ramona – 3:49
07. Motorpsycho Nitemare – 4:31
08. My Back Pages – 4:20
09. I Don't Believe You – 4:20
10. Ballad In Plain D – 8:14
11. It Ain't Me Babe – 3:31

Personnel:
- Bob Dylan – vocals, acoustic guitar, piano, harmonica

Another Side Of Bob Dylan was Dylan’s second album release of 1964 and was far different from The Times They Are A-Changin’. He was in a transition stage in his career and was no longer merely a writer of excellent songs but had moved in a sophisticated lyrical direction. His songs were becoming more philosophical and rooted in the present. Dylan’s lyrics were beginning to have layers of meaning open to interpretation. The protest songs were falling by the wayside.

A number of his fans, especially those rooted in the protest movement, were unhappy with the direction of this album. Yet, the melodies and textures of the music and lyrics would gain him millions of new adherents.

“All I Really Want To Do,” which opens the album, would find a playful and somewhat sarcastic Dylan really singing about what he did not want. Cher and The Byrds would both have hit versions of this song exposing more people to his music. The album’s closing song; “It Ain’t Me Babe” would take the same themes but present them in a blunt and forceful way. This song would become a pop hit for the Turtles and a country song via Johnny Cash. “It Ain’t Me Babe” would be one of the first songs that Dylan would perform electric.

“Chimes Of Freedom” was a different kind of protest song. It was poetic and filled with imagery which forced the listener to wade through its layers and provide their own interpretation. This song would be in Dylan’s concert repertoire for years and would be sung by him at Bill Clinton’s first Presidential inauguration.

One of the most interesting songs in the Dylan catalogue is “Ballad In Plain D.” This 8 minute opus was about the break-up of his long term love affair with Suze Rotolo. She would be immortalized as the girl on the cover of The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan. This long autobiographical tune would be one of Dylan’s most intimate songs and a rare look into his personal life as he was coming to terms with the end of an important relationship. Years later he would say it was one of the few songs he regretted publishing. “To Ramona” is another relationship song but is more general in tone. It is a stark, extremely poetic and heartfelt performance that is one of the highlights of the album. “Black Crow Blues” is the first song to feature Dylan on the piano and nothing but the piano supporting his vocal. It is a basic blues tune with a little honky tonk thrown in for good measure. “My Back Pages” was another song that emphasized Dylan’s distancing himself from the protest movement. It has a memorable refrain and is ultimately a song of rejection.

Another Side Of Bob Dylan would be an important step in the development of Bob Dylan, not only as an artist but as a person. Many times we forget how young he was when he began his recording career and by 1964 he was maturing. He would never return to the design and lyrical patterns of his early releases. As such, he would bring a uniqueness to American music which would enrich the fabric of society itself. ---David Bowling, blogcritics.org

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1. "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35"
2. "Pledging My Time"
3. "Visions of Johanna"
4. "One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)"
5. "I Want You"
6. "Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again"
7. "Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat"
8. "Just Like a Woman"
9. "Most Likely You Go Your Way and I'll Go Mine"
10. "Temporary Like Achilles"
11. "Absolutely Sweet Marie"
12. "4th Time Around"
13. "Obviously 5 Believers"
14. "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands"

Personnel:
- Bob Dylan – vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano
- Bill Atkins – keyboards
- Robbie Robertson – guitar, vocals
- Rick Danko – bass, violin, vocals (not on final album)
- Garth Hudson – keyboards, saxophone (not on final album)
- Richard Manuel – drums, keyboards, Vocals (not on final album)
- Charlie McCoy – bass, guitar, harmonica, trumpet
- Al Kooper – organ, guitar, horn, keyboards
- Hargus "Pig" Robbins – piano, keyboards
- Paul Griffin – piano
- Kenneth A. Buttrey – drums
- Sanford Konikoff – drums
- Joe South – guitar
- Jerry Kennedy – guitar
- Wayne Moss – guitar, Vocals
- Henry Strzelecki – bass
- Wayne Butler – trombone
- Bob Johnston – producer

Bob Dylan released Blonde On Blonde in 1966 and in many ways it completed and culminated the first phase of his career. A motorcycle accident would separate this release from his next which would find a far different Dylan.

Rolling Stone Magazine ranked this album as the ninth greatest album of all time, which may be too low. This is one of the rare double albums that should not have been a single disc. In many ways it established double disc releases as a viable commercial entity as it achieved double platinum status. The songs bring to a completion the musical advances begun on Bringing It All Back Home and Highway 61 Revisited. Personally I place Blonde On Blonde at the top of the Bob Dylan pantheon.

Dylan continued to record with a variety of rock musicians. Charlie McCoy returns to bring his country guitar to this release as did keyboardist Al Kooper. More important to his future are the appearances of Danko, Robertson, Hudson, and Manuel who would go on to form four fifths the Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall Of Fame group, The Band, who would play such an important part in his subsequent career.

In many ways Blonde On Blonde is Dylan’s least disciplined album as he lets his imagination run wild. There is no overall theme or direction but there is wit, sarcasm, melody, imagery and even some wonderful love songs along the way.

The words, “Everybody Must Get Stoned,” begin the musical journey as part of the upbeat and offbeat “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35." Just check out Proverbs 27:15. “Pledging My Love” is a blues song that Dylan would morph away from during the next part of his career. “Visions Of Johanna” is a poignant love song about things always just out of reach. “One Of Us Must Know (Sooner Or Later)” is Dylan in the confessional. And this is just side one of the first disc. The gems continue throughout the album. “Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again” is just a joyful romp. “Leopard Skin Pill-Box Hat” is Dylan at his humorous best. This bluesy song is filled with memorable images “Just Like A Woman,” with its unique vocal delivery, is one of Dylan’s most covered songs. “Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I’ll Go Mine)” is a song of parting or getting rid of; take your choice. The serious content is hidden in an upbeat tempo. “Absolutely Sweet Marie” find Dylan in all out rock mode with guitars and organ in support.

“Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands” concludes the album and takes up the whole fourth side of the original release. This eleven plus minute opus is a hypnotic ode to his wife Sara.

Blonde On Blonde is a scattered and ultimately brilliant look into the musical mind of Bob Dylan. It remains a fascinating listen four decades later and is legitimately recongnized as one of the best albums in history. ---David Bowling, blogcritics.org

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01. Subterranean Homesick Blues – 2:18
02. She Belongs To Me – 2:45
03. Maggie's Farm – 3:54
04. Love Minus Zero/No Limit – 2:48
05. Outlaw Blues – 3:01
06. On The Road Again – 2:33
07. Bob Dylan's 115th Dream – 6:30
08. Mr. Tambourine Man – 5:24
09. Gates Of Eden – 5:40
10. It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) – 7:29
11. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue – 4:12

Personnel:
- Bob Dylan – guitar, harmonica, keyboards, Vocals
- John H. Hammond, Jr. – guitar
- John Sebastian – bass
- Kenny Rankin – guitar
- Bobby Gregg – drums
- John Boone – bass
- Al Gorgoni – guitar
- Paul Griffin – piano, keyboards
- Bruce Langhorne – guitar
- Bill Lee – bass
- Joseph Macho Jr. – bass
- Frank Owens – piano

Bob Dylan went electric at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival and the music world changed. The folk community was up in arms but for Dylan there was no turning back.

Bringing It All Back Home was issued in the fall of 1965 and would contain an electric side and an acoustic side. Dylan began to fuse his folk stylings with a rock beat and created a whole new kind of music dubbed folk/rock. Dylan was becoming a better singer and his vocal style would continue to fit his changing music. This new style would elevate his commercial appeal as Bringing It All Back Home would be his first album to reach the American top ten and would climb all the way to number one in England.

Bob Dylan’s lyrics would continue to become more inventive and the imagery would almost take on a mythical quality. The message and content of his writing would become increasingly personal and tell stories but would also continue to follow a liberal philosophy. Underpinning these lyrics was creative poetry and ultimately a beauty.

“Subterranean Homesick Blues” begins the album by continuing Dylan’s withdrawal from the protest movement, except now he was making fun of it. The album finishes with “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” which was a fine counterpoint to the opening song. This acoustic, love song is filled with sadness and resignation but can also be interpreted in a political context.

The electric “Maggie’s Farm” finds Dylan in rock ‘n’ roll mode. This song, about freedom of expression, is unique in that Dylan is expressing his new found freedom by creating a rock song. “Love Minus Zero/No Limit” is a haunting love song of infatuation and would become one of Dylan’s favorite concert tunes.

“Mr. Tambourine Man” was the first track on acoustic side of the album. The melody and lyrics would point ahead to rock and psychedelia. This is one of the few Dylan songs that another artist would produce a more famous and in many ways a better version. The Byrds would take this stark, acoustic song and apply guitars and harmonies and create the perfect folk/rock song. “Gates Of Eden” was a song about lost innocence including his own. “It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)” contains some of the most memorable lines that Dylan would create including; “Money doesn’t talk it swears.”

Finally “Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream” is just a tour-de-force for Dylan. The surreal imagery touching on such subjects as the discovery of America and Moby Dick remain obscure over forty years later. If this is a typical Dylan dream, where is Carl Jung when you need him?

Bringing It All Back Home would find Dylan at the first crossroads of his career. While the acoustic songs would be superb, it was the electric compositions that would point toward one of the most creative periods of Dylan’s career. ---David Bowling, blogcritics.org

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01. Here Comes Santa Claus [02:36]
02. Do You Hear What I Hear? [03:03]
03. Winter Wonderland [01:53]
04. Hark The Herald Angels Sing [02:31]
05. I'll Be Home For Christmas [02:55]
06. Little Drummer Boy [02:54]
07. Christmas Blues [02:55]
08. O' Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles) [02:49]
09. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas [04:06]
10. Must Be Santa [02:49]
11. Silver Bells [02:36]
12. First Noel [02:31]
13. Christmas Island [02:29]
14. Christmas Song [03:57]
15. O' Little Town Of Bethlehem [02:18]

Amanda Barrett - Vocals
Randy Crenshaw - Vocals
Abby DeWald - Vocals
Bob Dylan - Guitar, Harmonica, Piano (Electric), Vocals
Tony Garnier - Bass
Walt Harrah - Vocals
Donnie Herron - Guitar (Steel), Mandolin, Trumpet, Violin
David Hidalgo - Accordion, Guitar, Mandolin, Violin
Robert Joyce - Vocals
George Recile - Drums, Percussion
Phil Upchurch - Guitar
Patrick Warren - Celeste, Organ, Piano 

After the initial shock fades, the existence of Christmas in the Heart seems perhaps inevitable. After all, the thing Bob Dylan loves most of all are songs that are handed down from generation to generation, songs that are part of the American fabric, songs so common they never seem to have been written. These are the songs Dylan chooses to sing on Christmas in the Heart, a cheerfully old-fashioned holiday album from its Norman Rockwell-esque cover to its joyous backing vocals. Apart from the breakneck "Must Be Santa," which barrelhouses like a barroom, Dylan doesn't really reinterpret these songs as much as simply play them with his crackerjack road band, dropping in a little flair -- restoring "we'll have to muddle through somehow" to "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," singing the opening of "O Come All Ye Faithful" in its original Latin -- but never pushing tunes in unexpected directions. Many would argue having Dylan croon these carols is unexpected enough and, true, there are times his gravelly rumble is a bit pronounced, but nothing here feels forced, it all feels rather fun, provided you're on the same wavelength as latter-day Bob, where the sound and swing of the band is as important as the song, where there's an undeniable nostalgic undertow to all the proceedings. And, of course, there's no better time for celebratory sound, swing, and nostalgia than the holidays, which may be why Christmas in the Heart is a bit of a left-field delight. ---Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

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A1 	Like A Rolling Stone	5:59
A2 	Tombstone Blues 	5:53
A3 	It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry 	3:25
A4 	From A Buick 6 	3:06
A5 	Ballad Of A Thin Man 	5:48
B1 	Queen Jane Approximately 	4:57
B2 	Highway 61 Revisited 	3:15
B3 	Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues 	5:08
B4 	Desolation Row 	11:18

Bass – Harvey Goldstein, Russ Savakus
Drums – Bobby Gregg
Guitar – Charlie McCoy, Michael Bloomfield
Guitar, Harmonica, Piano, Sounds [Police Car Sounds] – Bob Dylan
Organ, Piano – Al Kooper
Piano – Frank Owens
Piano, Organ – Paul Griffin 

I never “got” Bob Dylan. I never understood the appeal, and I didn’t know what the big deal was. He was just a guy with a raspy voice and an alright harmonica player. He had his signature voice thing, but besides that, I never knew what made him so revolutionary and worthy of recognition. Maybe living in today’s world, where everyone obsesses over fads and focuses on what’s “in” now, I couldn’t fathom the idea of a timeless artist. Or maybe I’m just not old enough to see any of the artists of my generation become timeless.

I’ve never called myself a Bob Dylan fan, but listening to Highway 61 Revisited for the first time, I liked it. I recognized the first and last songs, and I was surprised by how upbeat and rock-influenced the album sounded. His voice isn’t my usual taste, but it fits with his style and lyrics perfectly. I sensed a political theme in many of his lyrics, but I still didn’t quite understand any of the songs or why Bob Dylan was so celebrated.

Bob Dylan was, and still is, known for his acoustic folk protest songs. Songs such as “The Times They Are a-Changin” and “Blowin’ in the Wind” articulated the political climate of the sixties and voiced the disparity between the younger and older generations. He sang about the abundance of political changes during that time, such as the Civil Rights movement and the Vietnam War. Highway 61 Revisited, released in 1965, was Bob Dylan’s first completely electronic album; this means he ditched the solo acoustic guitar and harmonica for a blues inspired rock and roll band on every song except the final “Desolation Row.” His previous album, Bringing It All Back Home, released the year before, contained half acoustic and half electronic songs, but Highway 61 Revisited was the first album where Dylan brought his band with him on tour.

People hated it. They were outraged Dylan would release anything besides his famous acoustic protest solo songs, and when he infamously played “Like a Rolling Stone” at the Newport Folk Festival in July 1965, people booed until they could barely hear the music. The album received many nasty reviews, and people felt he had betrayed his scene. That didn’t make sense to me. I always thought Bob Dylan was universally praised and was considered one of the greatest songwriters of all times; only bad opening bands got booed.

Highway 61 Revisited was Dylan’s first real rock and roll album, and it included direct influences from traditional blues musicians rather than his original folk sounds. The influences are obvious, and Dylan made them obvious. Michael Bloomfield, who played in Paul Butterfield Blues Band, played lead guitar on the album, and many of his lyrics allude to traditional blues artists and songs.

The title Highway 61 Revisited situates the album in America, and some claim that Highway 61 links Minnesota, Dylan’s birthplace, to New Orleans, the birthplace of the blues. Dylan has officially transitioned from folk to blues, at least for now, and he’s not holding back. When people boo, he will play louder and he won’t give in.

Learning about the opening track alone, “Like a Rolling Stone,” I started to understand what everyone was saying. It’s catchy and when Dylan asks, “How does it feel?” it’s no surprise it became a number one hit. However, for the time period, it was revolutionary. “Like a Rolling Stone” is over six minutes long, and its lyrics reject the materialism most of mainstream pop seems to embrace. It’s thought provoking, and although it includes very vivid and specific imagery, the vague and versatile chorus challenges people to question the meaning and satisfaction of their own lives. It’s no wonder The Rolling Stone named it number one on its list of Top 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Beginning an album with a six minute song is risky, and can risk detracting listeners nowadays, but “Like a Rolling Stone” holds enough power and ferocity to entice the listener. It’s the hit, but the album doesn’t go downhill from there; each song brings something new, whether it’s the power of “Ballad of a Thin Man” or the cheek of “Queen Jane Approximately.” Similar to “Like a Rolling Stone,” “Ballad of a Thin Man” asks “Is this where it is?” He creates a character, unfulfilled and questioning the way he or she has chosen to live, but he obviously directs the questions to the listeners.

Highway 61 Revisited is a transitional album for Dylan, and he’s not apologizing. Musicians evolve and experiment, and for somebody whose career has spanned 50 years and is still continuing, it’s impossible not to change, no matter how much people love his folk music. The lyrics perfectly fit Dylan’s style, whether he plays on his acoustic guitar or with an electronic band. Although Bob Dylan isn’t the greatest vocalist, his voice works with his style, and a more polished vocalist wouldn’t give the lyrics their same validity. Never sounding too raucous and maintaining a laid back ease, Dylan’s lyrics give his songs their ferocity and controversiality rather relying on harsh instrumentals. The sound changed, but his songs still hold their meaning. His lyrics still speak to the ever changing political climate of the sixties, and they challenge people to find their own interpretation. His songs are rooted in their time period, but with themes such as the futility of materialism and superficiality, they are also timeless. ---Marissa Mykietyn, theodysseyonline.com

Bob Dylan:”Jeśli chodzi o to, co było dla mnie przełomem, to musiałbym powiedzieć, że „Like a Rolling Stone”, ponieważ napisałem ją po tym, jak rzuciłem, śpiewanie i granie, i wtedy nagle zorientowałem się, że piszę tę piosenkę, tę historię”. Dylan będąc pod wrażeniem brzmienia takich zespołów jak The Beatles, The Animals czy The Byrds szukał czegoś pełniejszego, rhythm and bluesowego brzmienia połączonego z folkową emocjonalnością. Potrzebne mu było ostrzejsze brzmienie, które nadawałoby znaczenie jego słowom. Wcześniejsza płyta nagrana była na poły akustycznie, teraz Dylan stworzył już cały album elektryczny.

Do studia zaprosił m.in. gitarzystę bluesowego Mike’a Bloomfielda, basistę Harveya Brookesa czy Ala Koopera. Sesja nagraniowa, która miała miejsce w studiu CBS 15 czerwca 1965 roku, przeszła już do legendy kultury pop. Głównym źródłem tej legendy jest wersja podana przez Ala Koopera w jego autobiografii zatytułowanej „Backstage Passes”. Kooper miał zagrać na gitarze, kiedy jednak Dylan przyprowadził ze sobą Bloomfielda zrozumiał, że na gitarze nie zagra. Jednakże w momencie rozpoczęcia nagrania nowej piosenki Dylan postanowił, że będzie potrzebować zarówno fortepianu jak i organów. Kooper zaproponował wtedy, że zagra na organach. Al opowiada, że zmieniał rejestry „jak małe dziecko po omacku szukające kontaktu w ciemnościach”. Dylanowi odpowiadało to brzmienie i bardziej wyeksponował organy. W ten sposób powstało to jedyne w swoim rodzaju połączenie organów i gitary, tak charakterystyczne dla wielu innych utworów Boba.

Nazwa albumu pochodzi od jednej z ważniejszych amerykańskich arterii komunikacyjnych, Autostrady 61. Autostrada ta łączy dom Dylana w Minnesocie z miastami na południu St.Louis, Memphis czy New Orleans, które słynną z muzycznego dziedzictwa. Dylan: ”Autostrada 61 to główna arteria country bluesa. To było moje miejsce we wszechświecie, zawsze czułem, że płynie w mojej krwi”. „Like a Rolling Stone” to otwierający ten album utwór, jest chaotycznym bluesem, pełnym impresjonizmu i intensywnej bezpośredniości. Piosenka odnosi się nie do jednej prawdziwej postaci ale raczej do tego typu kobiety z ówczesnego społeczeństwa, która potyka się, bez celu idzie, niepohamowana przez życie. „Kiedyś przed laty ubierałaś się ładnie/byłaś taka młoda, rzucałaś włóczęgom grosz, czyż nie? ”Wyśmiewałaś każdego kto nie mógł sobie znaleźć miejsca/Teraz nie mówisz już tak głośno/Teraz nie jesteś już tak dumna/I jak się czuje taki ktoś/Kto nie ma domu, nie znany nikomu, wałęsa się jak toczący się kamień”.

Kolejne utwory zostały przyporządkowane nowemu brzmieniu Dylana. I tak szybki, bluesowy „Tombstone Blues” urozmaicił Bloomfield strzelająca gitarą na tle, której kolorowa mieszanka postaci historycznych przechodzi przez słuchacza. „Geometria niewinności, istota życia/sprawia, ze notatnik Galileusza/zostaje rzucony w Dalilę, kusicielkę siedzącą tak bezczynnie samą”. „Król Filistyńczyków” to L.B. Johnson, wysyłający swoich niewolników do dżungli. Również bluesowym, dynamicznym miał być utwór „Phantom Engineer”. Jednakże po wykonaniu nagrania, kiedy zespół poszedł na lunch, Dylan usiadł przy fortepianie i zmienił utwór, tak, że powstała nieco wolniejsza i bardziej sentymentalna opowieść. W rezultacie narodziła się piękna wersja płytowa „It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry”. „From A Buick 6” jest bluesem mocno osadzonym w Delcie, hołdem dla takich muzyków jak: Robert Johnson czy Big Joe Williams.

Diabelnie brzmiący fortepian i falujący Hammond opisane przez Koopera jako „muzycznie bardziej wyrafinowane niż cokolwiek innego na płycie”, to w najczystszej postaci protest song wszechczasów, to jedna linijka tekstu, która zmieniła oblicze świata. Przecież wokoło było nowe. Stary, zdegustowany świat wyparty został przez młodzieńcze Lato Miłości. Kontrkultura opanowała cały świat. „Wchodzisz do pokoju z ołówkiem w ręce/Widzisz kogoś nagiego i pytasz: ”Kim jest ten człowiek?”/Bardzo się starasz, ale nie rozumiesz/Co powiesz, kiedy wrócisz do domu/Ponieważ coś tu się dzieje, ale nie wiesz co to jest/Prawda Panie Jones?”. „Ballad Of a Thin Man” jest kolejnym przykładem jak daleko odszedł Dylan od swoich początków. Już nie wystarcza mu tylko gitara i harmonijka. Cały zespół akompaniujący tworzy potężną falę, która podobnie jak tekst utworu rozbija nadbrzeże.

„Rzekł Bóg do Abrahama „Zabij dla mnie syna”/Abraham na to „Człowieku, chyba ze mnie kpisz”/Bóg zaś „Nie”, Abraham „Jak to?”/Bóg „Możesz robić co chcesz Abrahamie”/Lecz następnym razem gdy mnie ujrzysz lepiej uciekaj/No więc, mówi Abraham „Gdzie chcesz, żebym to zrobił”/Bóg odpowiada „Tam na 61 autostradzie”. To historia drogi, slide gitara Bloomfielda daje jej odpowiedni napęd i tworzy bluesowe boogie jak dźwięk maszynki do mięsa.

Płytę Dylan kończy osobliwy akustycznym ponad jedenastominutowym numerem „Desolation Row”. To pełna surrealizmu opowieść, zawierająca aluzje do różnych znanych postaci kultury zachodniej. Niektórych historycznych jak Neron czy Einstein, niektórych biblijnych (Noe, Kain, Abel), niektórych fikcyjnych (Ophelia, Kopciuszek) i niektórych literackich (T.S. Elliot, Ezra Pond).

„Chwała Neptunowi Nerona, Tytanic wyrusza w morze o świcie/Wszyscy krzyczą „Po której jesteś stronie?”/A Ezra Pond i T.S.Elliot walczą na kapitańskim mostku/Między oknami morza, gdzie pływają śliczne rusałki/I nikt nie musi zbytnio rozmyślać o zaułku osamotnionych”. W tej pełnej pokrętnych aluzji piosence na gitarze akustycznej zagrał Charlie McCoy, legendarny muzyk z Nashville. Brzmienie jego gitary przypomina południowo-zachodnią muzykę amerykańską.

Płyta „Highway 61 Revisited” ponownie odkryła rock and rolla w jedyny sposób, który nie został osiągnięty przez następne lata. Nikt nie napisał wcześniej takich tekstów na longplay rock and rollowy. Jednak było jasne, że jest to album rock and rollowy – od łomotu werbla w „Like a Rolling Stone” czy szaleństwa gitary w „Highway 61 Revisited” po majestatyczne brzmienie „Ballad Of a Thin Man” i ekspresję śpiewu Dylana w „Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues”.

Powstał wielki album, który przetrwa wszelkie zawieruchy i będzie tkwił na firmamencie wszechświata po wieki. ---Grzegorz Wiśniewski, artrock.pl

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CD 1 (01:19:21)
01. Blowin’ In The Wind 02:48
02. Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right 03:39
03. The Times They Are A-Changin’ 03:13
04. It Ain’t Me, Babe 03:34
05. Maggie’s Farm 03:52
06. It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue 04:15
07. Mr. Tambourine Man 05:28
08. Subterranean Homesick Blues 02:19
09. Like A Rolling Stone 06:09
10. Positively 4th Street 03:54
11. I Want You 03:05
12. Just Like A Woman 04:51
13. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 04:35
14. All Along The Watchtower 02:32
15. Lay, Lady, Lay 03:18
16. If Not For You 02:41
17. You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere 02:45
18. I Shall Be Released 03:03
19. Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door 02:31
20. Tangled Up In Blue 05:43
21. Forever Young 04:58

CD 2 (01:19:17)
01. Shelter From The Storm 05:02
02. Hurricane 08:32
03. Gotta Serve Somebody 05:24
04. Groom’s Still Waiting At The Altar 04:03
05. Jokerman 06:14
06. Everything Is Broken 03:12
07. Blind Willie McTell 05:53
08. Not Dark Yet 06:28
09. Make You Feel My Love 03:31
10. Dignity 05:36
11. Things Have Changed 05:08
12. Mississippi 05:20
13. Thunder On The Mountain 05:52
14. When The Deal Goes Down 05:01
15. Beyond Here Lies Nothin’ 03:51

The title explains itself. This 2013 compilation contains both music and photos from Bob Dylan, with the latter -- arriving as ten full-size photographic prints within this book -- taking precedence over the former. Which isn't to say the music here is bad, of course. This is a good double-disc collection containing 36 staples sampled from throughout Dylan's lengthy career, including almost all the usual suspects, most of which aren't sequenced in chronological order. All this is great music but it's all easily available elsewhere, so it's not an enticement for the kind of fan who will pick this up solely to get the photos. Nevertheless, this is a handsome package designed for those who prefer photos to music. --- Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

Sony Music prezentuje kolekcjonerskie wydawnictwo z serii Music & Photos. Dziesięć wspaniałych wielkoformatowych fotografii i dwie płyty CD pokazujące muzyczny geniusz Boba Dylana. Na dwóch krążkach dołączonych do tego niezwykłego wydawnictwa usłyszeć można jak rozwijała się kariera Dylana. Od przełomowego hymnu praw obywatelskich "Blowin 'In The Wind", poprzez jego okres "elektryczny" do dojrzałego, jednego z najbardziej kulturowo znaczących artystów we współczesnej historii. Całość uzupełnia dziesięć unikalnych, wielkoformatowych fotografii artysty. --- merlin.pl

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01. All The Tired Horses (Dylan) – 3:09
02. Alberta #1 (Traditional, arranged by Dylan) – 2:54
03. I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know (Cecil A.Null) – 2:20
04. Days Of '49 (Alan Lomax, John Lomax, Frank Warner) – 5:25
05. Early Mornin' Rain (Gordon Lightfoot) – 3:31
06. In Search Of Little Sadie (Traditional, arranged by Dylan) – 2:25
07. Let It Be Me (Gilbert Bécaud, Mann Curtis, Pierre Delanoë) – 2:58
08. Little Sadie (Traditional, arranged by Dylan) – 1:58
09. Woogie Boogie (Dylan) – 2:05
10. Belle Isle (Traditional, arranged by Dylan) – 2:28
11. Living the Blues (Dylan) – 2:40
12. Like A Rolling Stone (Live) (Dylan) – 5:16
13. Copper Kettle (The Pale Moonlight) (Alfred Frank Beddoe) – 3:32
14. Gotta Travel On (Paul Clayton, Larry Ehrlich, David Lazar, Tom Six) – 3:04
15. Blue Moon (Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers) – 2:27
16. The Boxer (Paul Simon) – 2:45
17. The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo) (Live) (Dylan) – 2:45
18. Take Me As I Am (Or Let Me Go) (Boudleaux Bryant) – 3:00
19. Take A Message To Mary (Felice Bryant, Boudleaux Bryant) – 2:44
20. It Hurts Me Too (Traditional, arranged by Dylan) – 3:13
21. Minstrel Boy (Live) (Dylan) – 3:30
22. She Belongs To Me (Live) (Dylan) – 2:41
23. Wigwam (Dylan) – 3:07
24. Alberta #2 (Traditional, arranged by Dylan) – 3:12

Personnel:
- Bob Dylan - guitar, harmonica, keyboards, vocals
- Byron Bach, Martha McCrory - cello
- Brenton Banks, George Binkley III, Emanuel Green, Martin Katahn, Doug Kershaw, Sheldon Kurland, Barry McDonald, Lilian Hunt - violin
- Norman Blake, Fred Carter Jr., Ron Cornelius, Fred Foster, Bubba Fowler - guitar
- David Bromberg - guitar, dobro, bass
- Albert Wynn Butler - clarinet, saxophone
- Kenneth A. Buttrey - drums, percussion
- Marvin Chantry, Gary Van Osdale  - viola
- Charlie Daniels, Stu Woods, Bob Moore - bass
- Rick Danko - bass, vocals
- Pete Drake - steel guitar
- Delores Edgin, Hilda Harris, June Page, Carol Montgomery,
  Maretha Stewart, Albertine Robinson - vocals
- Solie Fott - violin, viola
- Dennis Good, Rex Peer, Frank Smith - trombone
- Levon Helm - mandolin, drums, vocals
- Freddie Hill, Ollie Mitchell - trumpet
- Karl Himmel - clarinet, saxophone, trombone
- Garth Hudson - keyboards
- Al Kooper - guitar, horn, keyboards
- Richard Manuel - piano, vocals
- Charlie McCoy - guitar, bass, harmonica, vibes
- Gene A. Mullins - baritone horn
- Joe Osborn - guitar, bass
- Bill Pursell - piano
- Robbie Robertson - guitar, vocals
- Al Rogers - drums
- Bob Wilson - organ, piano
- Bill Walker - arrangements
- Bob Johnston – Producer

Bob Dylan’s first release of the 1970’s was different from any album that preceded it. Dylan had a history of musical about faces, but this time it was not aimed in a positive direction. If Blonde On Blonde was one of the strongest double albums in rock history, then Self Portrait was one rock’s most disappointing double releases.

Self Portrait was an album of cover songs, obscure traditional folk tunes, live performances from The Isle Of Wight Festival and a few originals. Dylan’s reasoning behind such a release at the time was obscure, and critical reaction was universally negative.

Some felt that this release was Dylan’s protest against his universal fame. Years later Dylan would consider Self Portrait as one of his poorer efforts. Whatever Dylan’s motives, the album would sell well reaching number four on the National charts while also becoming Dylan’s third consecutive number one album in England.

It took Dylan almost a year to record Self Portrait and he gathered a group of all star musicians in support. The Band, Al Kooper, Pete Drake, David Bromberg, Doug Kershaw plus a huge supporting cast all make, for the most part, wasted appearances. Dylan would also make use of cellos and violins as background.

The passage of years has put the album is a little better light. There are some good performances among the 24 songs but they must be ferreted out.

The best of the original songs are “The Mighty Quinn,” which had already become a giant hit for Manfred Mann a few years prior, and “All The Tired Horses.” Dylan’s had rarely written a bad song during his career but “Woogie Boogie,” “Wig Wam,” and even “Living The Blues” can be regulated to just album filler.

The cover songs are hit and miss as well. Dylan gives a credible performance of "Early Morning Rain” by Gordon Lightfoot and Alfred Beddoe’s “Copper Kettle” may be the best song on the album. This calm song of the simple life is Dylan at his best in spite of himself. On the other hand “Blue Moon” and “The Boxer” are so bad that you can only hope that Dylan was not serious when he recorded them.

The live performances from the Isle Of Wight do not fare well. “Like A Rolling Stone” is just flat. “She Belongs To Me” is a song that should have remained acoustic. The best of the lot is “Minstrel Boy,” where at least Dylan seems engaged and interested. Self Portrait remains an enigmatic release even for Bob Dylan. While it covers a lot of ground, it ultimately collapses upon itself and remains one of the strangest and weakest albums of Bob Dylan’s career. ---David Bowling, blogcritics.org

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1.I'm A Fool To Want You 	4:51
2.The Night We Called It A Day 	3:25
3.Stay With Me 	2:56
4.Autumn Leaves 	3:02
5.Why Try To Change Me Now 	3:38
6.Some Enchanted Evening 	3:28
7.Full Moon And Empty Arms 	3:26
8.Where Are You? 	3:37
9.What I'll Do 	3:21
10.That Lucky Old Sun 	3:39

Bass – Tony Garnier
Conductor, Arranged By [Horns Arranged And Conducted By] – D.J. Harper (2)
French Horn – Dylan Hart (tracks: 1), Joseph Meyer (tracks: 2)
Guitar – Charlie Sexton, Stu Kimball
Pedal Steel Guitar – Donny Herron
Percussion – George G. Receli
Trombone – Alan Kaplan (tracks: 2), Andrew Martin (tracks: 1, 10), Francisco Torres (3) (tracks: 1, 2)
Trumpet – Daniel Fornero (tracks: 10), Larry G. Hall (tracks: 10)
Vocals – Bob Dylan

As an encore at almost every show on his North American tour last fall, Bob Dylan performed an unlikely ballad: "Stay With Me," recorded by Frank Sinatra on a 1964 single and written for a 1963 film, The Cardinal, about a young priest who ascends to a post in the Vatican. Sinatra cut the song, a prayer for guidance, as if from on high, in orchestration as grand as papal robes. On this quietly provocative and compelling album, Dylan enters the words and melody — as he did onstage — like a supplicant, in a tiptoe baritone through streaks of pedal steel guitar that suggest the chapel-like quiet of a last-chance saloon. But Dylan's need is immediate, even carnal, and he pleads his case with a survivor's force, in a deep, shockingly clear voice that sounds like rebirth in itself. In stripping the song to pure, robust confession, Dylan turns "Stay With Me" into the most fundamental of Great American Songs: a blues.

Dylan transforms everything on Shadows in the Night — 10 slow-dance covers, mostly romantic standards from the pre-rock era of American popular songwriting — into a barely-there noir of bowed bass and throaty shivers of electric guitar. There are occasional dusky flourishes of brass (the moaning curtain of horns in "The Night We Called It a Day"), but the most prominent voice, other than Dylan's, is his steel guitarist Donny Herron's plaintive cries of Hawaiian and West Texas sorrow. Sinatra is a connecting presence: He recorded all of these songs, and Dylan made Shadows at the Capitol Records studio in Los Angeles where Sinatra did his immortal work for that label. Sinatra even co-wrote the first song, "I'm a Fool to Want You," in 1951. When Dylan crawls uphill through the line "To share a kiss that the devil has known," it is easy to hear Sinatra's then-tumultuous romance with Ava Gardner — along with echoes of the wounded desire Dylan left all over Blood on the Tracks.

Yet Shadows in the Night is less a tribute to Sinatra than a belated successor to Dylan's 1992 and '93 LPs of solo folk and blues covers, Good as I Been to You and World Gone Wrong: a spare, restorative turn to voices that have, in some way, always been present in his own. "Autumn Leaves" and Irving Berlin's "What'll I Do" are the kind of ladies' choices Dylan surely played with his Fifties bands at school dances. "That Lucky Old Sun" (Number One for Frankie Laine in 1949) turned up in Dylan's early-Nineties set lists, but that's no surprise: Its near-suicidal resignation is not far from that of Blind Willie McTell's "Broke Down Engine," on World Gone Wrong, or Dylan's own "Love Sick," on 1997's Time Out of Mind.

The great shock here, then, is Dylan's singing. Dylan's focus and his diction, after years of drowning in sandpaper, evoke his late-Sixties poise and clarity on John Wesley Harding and Nashville Skyline — also records of deceptive restraint and retrospect — with an eccentric rhythmic patience in the way he holds words and notes across the faint suggestions of tempo. It is not crooning. It is suspense: Dylan, at 73, keeping fate at arm's length as he looks for new lessons, nuance and solace in well-told tales. ---David Fricke, rollingstone.com

Bob Dylan postanowił zmierzyć się z wyzwaniem nie lada, a mianowicie nagrać płytę z piosenkami Franka Sinatry. Jak zaśpiewać szlagiery osoby obdarzonej wachlarzem szlachetnych wokalnych środków, która słynęła z pełnych emocji i zapadających w pamięć interpretacji - dodajmy: interpretacji uważanych często za najlepsze z najlepszych? To sprawa karkołomna, zwłaszcza gdy nie posiada się imponujących możliwości głosowych. Wiele dzieli tę dwójkę: Dylan, sumienie pokolenia kontestatorów, bliższy muzycznie amerykańskiej wsi, choć osadzony duchowo w atmosferze studenckich kampusów, kameralny i szorstki; Sinatra wyrosły w wielkomiejskim klimacie Nowego Jorku i w pełni go wyrażający, otoczony blichtrem wielkich sal, pełen elegancji i lejący do uszu słuchacza miód. Tak różni, choć przecież łączy ich coś - pochodzili z rodzin imigranckich, a z czasem stali najpełniejszymi wyrazicielami skomplikowanej i pełnej wieloznaczności amerykańskiej duszy. Niewątpliwie ich piosenki na stałe wpisały się do narodowego śpiewnika.

Czy zatem próba podjęta przez Dylana udała się? Nie do końca tym razem, choć wizja artysty jest tutaj przynajmniej jasna i spójna. Stawiając sobie ambitny cel, Dylan nie porwał się jednocześnie z motyką na słońce - z repertuaru Sinatry wybrał utwory bardziej kameralne, w których mógł poczuć się pewniej. Mały zespół, oszczędne aranżacje, tylko niekiedy jakieś subtelne orkiestracje. Efekt jest interesujący, ale też trudno oprzeć się wrażeniu pewnej monotonni. Każda piosenka wzięta z osobna jest piękna, razem brzmią rzeczywiście spójnie, ale nie przynoszą wahań emocji - brak tu arytmii muzycznego serca. Gdyby jednak zestawić te same piosenki w wykonaniu Sinatry, mogłoby być podobnie.

Część z tych utworów przenosi nas gdzieś do nowojorskich kafejek, by wymienić: "The Night We Called It A Day" albo znany z rozlicznych interpretacji (nie tylko Sinatry) "Autumn Leaves". Sporo tu czaru i zwiewności. Z tych niby prostych, pozbawionych fajerwerków aranżacji można wyłowić sporo ciekawych smaczków. Ładny motyw gitary odzywa się nam na początku "Why Try to Change Me Now" i pięknie też gitara "łka" w "Where Are You?" (i nie tylko w tej piosence). "Some Enchanted Evening" z kolei to pełen elegancji walc, jakby zagrany na koniec nocy, gdzieś w pustoszejącej z wolna tanecznej sali. Ale na mnie najlepsze wrażenie zrobiły te utwory, w których Dylan przełożył wysoki styl Sinatry, na prostszy dialekt Południa Stanów. W "Stay With Me" słychać powiew nostalgii, brzmi to, jakby zostało zagrane na werandzie, skąd roztacza się widok na bezkresne pola bawełny. Ale jeszcze bardziej w klimacie Południa brzmi "That Lucky Old Sun", w końcu śpiewana także przez wielu tuzów piosenki amerykańskiej, w tym wykonawców country. Wzruszający dźwięk trąbki na wstęp, czarujące smyki i jakby obraz słońca zachodzącego gdzieś nad samotnym domem, zagubionym pośród prerii. Bardzo amerykańskie.

Dylan robi to, na co ma ochotę. Już nie raz obrał ścieżkę, która niezbyt podobała się fanom i krytykom. W przypadku tej płyty zdania mogą być podzielone dość wyraźnie. Na pewno album jest ciekawostką i należy mu się uwaga. To tak, jakby nastawić stare lampowe radio i w skąpym blasku nocnej lampki wsłuchiwać się w ciepłe dźwięki kojących duszę piosenek. Nikt nie śpiewa tak piosenek Dylana jak Dylan i nikt nie może się równać ze stylem Sinatry. Niemniej warto sprawdzić płytę "Shadow In the Night". Nie dziwię się bardzo entuzjastycznym recenzjom, ani tym, w których muzyczni dziennikarze uciekają od kategorycznej oceny, bo gdy ktoś otoczony kultem mierzy się z inną legendą, wtedy efekt zawsze jest przynajmniej interesujący, a krytyczne spojrzenie bywa utrudnione z powodu nabożnej czci, która się roztacza. Myślę, że po czasie będziemy w stanie trafniej ocenić tę płytę, wskazać jej mielizny i lepiej nazwać oczarowania przez nią przynoszone. ---Paweł Lach, rockmagazyn.pl

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1. Duquesne Whistle
2. Soon After Midnight
3. Narrow Road
4. Long And Wasted Years
5. Pay In Blood
6. Scarlet Town
7. Early Roman Kings
8. Tin Angel
9. Tempest
10. Roll On John

Bob Dylan describes Tempest, his 35th studio album (out September 11th), as a record where "anything goes and you just gotta believe it will make sense." But it isn't the record he set out to make. "I wanted to make something more religious," he says. "I just didn't have enough [religious songs]. Intentionally, specifically religious songs is what I wanted to do. That takes a lot more concentration to pull that off 10 times with the same thread – than it does with a record like I ended up with."

The "anything goes" album he ended up with is full of big stories, big endings and transfixing effect. The disc was recorded in Jackson Browne's studio in L.A. with Dylan's touring band – bassist Tony Garnier, drummer George G. Receli, steel guitarist Donnie Herron, and guitarists Charlie Sexton and Stu Kimball – as well as David Hidalgo on guitar, violin and accordion. "Tin Angel" is a devastating tale of a man in search of his lost love; the doleful "Soon After Midnight" seems to be about love (but maybe it's revenge); the vengeful "Pay in Blood" has Dylan darkly repeating, "I pay in blood, but not my own." Tenderness finally seals Tempest, in "Roll On, John," Dylan's heartfelt tribute to his friend John Lennon.

The title track is a nearly 14-minute depiction of the Titanic disaster. Numerous folk and gospel songs gave accounts of the event, including the Carter Family's "The Titanic," which Dylan drew from. "I was just fooling with that one night," he says. "I liked that melody – I liked it a lot. 'Maybe I'm gonna appropriate this melody.' But where would I go with it?" Elements of Dylan's vision of the Titanic are familiar – historical figures, the inescapable finality. But it's not all grounded in fact: The ship's decks are places of madness ("Brother rose up against brother. They fought and slaughtered each other"), and even Leonardo DiCaprio appears. ("Yeah, Leo," says Dylan. "I don't think the song would be the same without him. Or the movie.") "People are going to say, 'Well, it's not very truthful,' " says Dylan. "But a songwriter doesn't care about what's truthful. What he cares about is what should've happened, what could've happened. That's its own kind of truth. It's like people who read Shakespeare plays, but they never see a Shakespeare play. I think they just use his name."

Dylan's mention of Shakespeare raises a question. The playwright's final work was called The Tempest, and some have already asked: Is Dylan's Tempest intended as a last work by the now 71-year-old artist? Dylan is dismissive of the suggestion. "Shakespeare's last play was called The Tempest. It wasn't called just plain Tempest. The name of my record is just plain Tempest. It's two different titles." ---Mikal Gilmore, rollingstone.com

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