# The Essential Bob Dylan **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 3, 2002, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-bob-dylan/135062 "2002-11-03T03:18:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![fizgig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f04885/32.png) [@fizgig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fizgig)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2002, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-bob-dylan/135062/1 "2002-11-03T03:18:38Z")
OK, so I have Biograph (disc 2 is my favorite), Time out of Mind, and Love and Theft. I’ve been listening to Dylan all my life courtesy of dear old dad. However, I want to expand my collection with some of the older albums, but don’t know where I should start. I’d like some suggestions on the top five or so pre-1980 Dylan albums, the so-called “essentials.” ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2002, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-bob-dylan/135062/2 "2002-11-03T04:24:26Z")
According to the Classic Rock Canon, the following are considered his “essentials.” 1. “Highway 61 Revisited” 2. “Blonde on Blonde” 3. “John Wesley Harding” 4. “Blood on the Tracks” 5. “Bringing It All Back Home” That’s my list. I’m sure other posters will add their favorites. ---
**Author:** ![Hugh\_Jass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4da419/32.png) [@Hugh\_Jass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hugh_Jass)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2002, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-bob-dylan/135062/3 "2002-11-03T04:31:36Z")
I’m only a moderate Dylan fan, but “Blood on the Tracks” is one of my 5 favorite albums of all time. A definite desert island disc. ---
**Author:** ![Cholo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@Cholo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cholo)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2002, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-bob-dylan/135062/4 "2002-11-03T05:03:32Z")
Get the big three. Bringing It All Back Home Highway 61 Revisited Blonde on Blonde These were made in fairly quick succession. He’s never burned as brightly since then. From 65’ thru 66’ he just had so many GREAT songs in him. I dig all of his stuff but these three are fantastic! ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2002, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-bob-dylan/135062/5 "2002-11-03T05:05:18Z")
I happen to think that, if you throw out the long, stupid “Hurricane,” Dylan’s best album, by far, is “Desire.” ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2002, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-bob-dylan/135062/6 "2002-11-03T06:56:12Z")
Or you can do like my music-freak friend and just buy every album, single and compilation EVER RELEASED! I asked him to “bring over some Dylan” for a study session once, and he showed up with 30+ Cds 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MrO](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/50afbb/32.png) [@MrO](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrO)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2002, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-bob-dylan/135062/7 "2002-11-03T08:15:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by astorian \* > \*\*I happen to think that, if you throw out the long, stupid “Hurricane,” Dylan’s best album, by far, is “Desire.” \*\* **Desire** is probably my favorite Dylan album too–but how can we throw out “Hurricane”? Heck, that’s one of my favorite songs from the album. It’s also the first exposure I had to the story of Ruben Carter. “Joey,” while a good song, is longer by two and a half minutes, and the melody and story are less powerful too. In my opinion, of course. Anyway, we agree on the best album. **Street Legal** is another favorite, as is **Slow Train Coming** (from his overtly Christian phase). But I wouldn’t call them essentials. For me the essentials would be the three that **Cholo** mentioned, plus maybe **New Morning**. Dylan has long since been replaced as my favorite artist, but I still love him. He’s just too much a part of my youth. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Bee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Larry\_Bee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Bee)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2002, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-bob-dylan/135062/8 "2002-11-03T17:09:56Z")
The Bootleg Series Vol 4 - Live 1966 “The Royal Albert Hall Concert” complements **Cholo’s** Big Three list very well. An incredible live performance. The new Bootleg Series ‘Bob Dylan Live 1975’ looks really brilliant too.🙂 I also like ‘Nashville Skyline’ but ‘Blood On The Tracks’ still remains my favourite album though. ---
**Author:** ![fizgig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f04885/32.png) [@fizgig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fizgig)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2002, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-bob-dylan/135062/9 "2002-11-03T17:47:23Z")
Thanks for the suggestions. Though I can’t quite afford **mnemonosyne’s** suggestion 😉 this gives me a good list to work off of. I’ll probably go for Blood on the Tracks, Desire, Hwy 61 Revisited, Blonde on Blonde, and Bringing it all Back Home. Still taking suggestions, though! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2002, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-bob-dylan/135062/10 "2002-11-03T20:22:33Z")
Well, I’d like to put in a vote for _Infidels_, although it’s not quite pre-1980, and also for _The Freewheeling Bob Dylan_. Agree with most of the other choices, though (and damn … it’s hard to choose). ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2002, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-bob-dylan/135062/11 "2002-11-03T20:30:16Z")
Well, I’d like to put in a vote for _Infidels_, although it’s not quite pre-1980, and also for _The Freewheeling Bob Dylan_. Agree with most of the other choices, though (and damn … it’s hard to choose). ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2002, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-bob-dylan/135062/12 "2002-11-03T20:38:11Z")
Well, I’d like to put in a vote for _Infidels_, although it’s not quite pre-1980, and also for _The Freewheeling Bob Dylan_. Agree with most of the other choices, though (and damn … it’s hard to choose). ---
**Author:** ![Cholo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@Cholo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cholo)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2002, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-bob-dylan/135062/13 "2002-11-04T02:48:15Z")
I guess what Fretful Porpentine is trying to say is, he really likes “Infidels”. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Rhum\_Runner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rhum\_Runner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhum_Runner)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2002, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-bob-dylan/135062/14 "2002-11-04T03:39:08Z")
After you have explored all those all ready mentioned, take some time and check out Dylan w/ The Band _Before the Flood_ A double live CD of some great music. I aslo echo _Desire_ as a great album, and in an odd coincidence I just finished listening to it when I opened this thread. **Sara** is a fantastic song…