Rolling Stone Bob Dylan: The Complete Album Guide

by Rolling Stone - 2017-11-10 SIP

Genres: Music

100 pages, Single Issue Magazine

Published November 10, 2017

Reviews

[Brett C · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good starting point for someone new to Bob Dylan and looking for a vast overview of his career. Each album is mentioned along with backstory during his life at that time. Because this is a magazine, some of his albums are mentions in-depth while others are brief in their description. Additionally mentioned are top 5 books every Dylan fan should read/own, a list of must-see documentaries, essential rarities from the 'Bootleg Series', and an inset about various works of literature, songs, and movies that inspired Bob Dylan throughout his songwriting career.

This is not a long biography but I would say serves as an intro to Bob Dylan. This would leave the reader wanting to know more about him and his music career. I would recommend this to fans of his music. Thanks!

[Jeff Francis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone curious about the most interesting discography in music history (I mean, the guy won the Nobel Prize for literature, for God’s sakes!) will find this book not only entertaining but also helpful.

Bob Dylan’s vast oeuvre could be described as easy to enjoy but damn near impossible to master. This guide, which covers not only albums but even books and documentaries, is a good tool for those wanting to make the commitment… or even those who have already followed Dylan for some portion of his half-century+ career.

So, in the spirit of this guide, which features multiple lists, I’ll conclude with my own: what I consider the top 5 Bob Dylan non-album tracks:

1. “Talkin’ Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues”
An outtake from The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, this is performed in the same singing/talking style as that album’s “I Shall Be Free” and, obviously, “Talkin’ World War III Blues.” It’s so similar to those songs, in fact, that its omission from the final album makes sense. But if you really like that flavor of Dylan, you’ll like this quirky number that’s as delirious as its title.
2. “Positively 4th Street”
Yes this is such an obvious choice as to almost be cheating, but it’s literally my favorite Bob Dylan song. Why it wasn’t included on Highway 61 Revisited is baffling to me. Four minutes of acidic perfection.
3. “Foot of Pride”
Infidels was a bright-spot in Dylan’s most dire decade of music, the ‘80s. This clever, barking-voiced groove didn’t make the final cut, despite Dylan being fixated on getting it just right (the Rolling Stone guide states the song was recorded “a whopping 44 times.”). “Foot of Pride” would probably be better known if it wasn’t overshadowed by the album’s more lauded outtake, “Blind Willie McTell.”
4. “High Water (For Charley Patton) [Live 2003]”
This creepily brilliant song is a highlight of one of my favorite Dylan albums, Love and Theft. This live version, taken from Vol. 8 of the Bootleg Series, puts an uproarious spin on “High Water,” rendering it somehow both bluesy and upbeat. Also a good example of how Dylan famously changes up his songs for live performances.
5. “Catfish”
An outtake from Desire, “Catfish” is a lethargic ode to a real-life baseball player. The opening line, “Lazy stadium night,” sets the mood for three minutes of thoroughly enjoyable, well, laziness.

[misu · Rating 5 out of 5]

fascinating. what strikes me most is not only how much music bob was putting out but how quickly he was doing it. three or four of the nine albums he released in the 60s routinely make lists of the 100 best albums ever. it was great fun to read the stories behind the albums — how long they took to make, whose fingerprints are on them, how many guitars were smashed in the process.

i don’t remember the last time i enjoyed a birthday gift so much. thank you, Z! 🫶🏻