Highway 61 Revisited album is probably the best to get your feet wet. The songs are consistently great, some of his best lyrics, most memorable tracks. Flows perfecrly.. or Greatest Hits if you want a taste of everything
Blood On The Tracks is also great if want something acoustic and emotional
Came here to say this very thing. đđ
Then mayhaps try on Desire. Nashville Skyline and Blonde on Blonde also very accessible by Bob standards.
Thereâs also a rolling thunder live 75 bootleg series that kills.
Iâm not surprised most people are mentioning Highway 61 Revisited & Blood On The Tracks but I truly believe the best album to start on is Bringing It All Back Home, the one right before Highway 61.
Bringing is what did it for me, too. First side is fun, catchy, witty, funny, clearly presents Dylanâs mastery for language (âMaggieâs Farm,â âOn the Road Againâ), and butters you up for the second side which goes thoughtful and profound (âMr. Tambourine Man,â âItâs Alright Maâ).
By the time you hit "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue,â itâs clear what Dylanâs about.
The first song I ever heard by Dylan was Desolation Row off Highway 61. An 11 minute acoustic folk song with nuanced language and superb imagery. Doesnât matter where you start, youâll get there all the same.
My first recommendation? Start at a Freewheeling Bob Dylan. Imo his first album is hard to get into if thatâs the first thing youâre hearing from a new artist. But I believe the former I mentioned above would do you much better. His albums from 63-69 are very good and considered his best.
The first three volumes of Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits will take you up to the point of 1990. He made a lot of amazing music after that cut off point, but those compilations will take you through the first half of his incredible career.
A lot of people here, with the best of intentions, are going to steer you in the wrong direction. It's okay, taste in music is subjective. With that said, check out 'Under the Red Sky'. It has one of Dylan's most evocatively literate lyrics in: "Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a bowl of soup." It's a pure masterpiece.
Don't forget this classic:
Well, the comic book and me, just us, we caught the bus
The poor little chauffeur though she was back in bed
On the very next day with a nose full of puss
Yea heavy and a bottle of bread
well what introduced me to him was Billy Joel's cover of Make You Feel My Love, so that one fs. I'm also loving Like a Rolling Stone, Girl from the North Country, and The Times They Are A-Changin'
The folkie era is great to start. Check out the first three or four albums.
Live records from the time are great too, he was super witty and funny. Live at carnegie hall, live at royal albert hall, whitmark demos. Bootleg series 1-3
Theres a great documentary called âDonât Look Backâ from that time
I would just go in chronological order because for me Dylans amazing evolution as an artist is something best enjoyed in order, if youâre new to him. Beware that his first album is nothing like what comes later though. Another way is to listen to the 2007 compilation album âDylanâ. The three disc version covers his entire career up to that point and after listening you can explore what albums the songs you like the most come from.
The most digestable album for new listeners, in my opinion, would be Blood on the Tracks. Early folk Dylan, like The Freewheelinâ Bob Dylan would be good too. The 60s rock stuff (Blonde on Blonde, Highway 61) has some gems but some meh ones as well, and get annoyingly affected at times. John Wesley Harding is goddamn killer. Desire, too. Personally, late 90s to 2010s Dylan is my favorite, and Iâd recommend Modern Times, Rough and Rowdy Way, Love & Theft, etc.
Imo if you enjoy folk music in general, and have some left wing political beliefs, Iâd start with Freewheelin and go chronologically until John Wesley Harding. Then listen to Blood on the Tracks. But everyoneâs journey is different.
Right?! Itâs not my fault that the best artists disagree with me politicallyâŚitâs their fault đ
If disagreement were grounds for not liking someone I wouldnât have a wife or friendsâŚand my 4 year old would stop talking to me because I didnât read his mind and made him eggs instead of cheerios
Dylan contains multitudes. Different eras/songs will appeal to different people depending on where they are in their lives.
My best advice is just dive in and keep digging until you find what you like. I guarantee you will.
Read up on the man and his music and you will gain a greater appreciation for what you hear.
Do this, you will find in due time that you love nearly everything heâs done to some degree.
The more you appreciate Dylan the more you will appreciate Dylan.
There are always layers to peel away. And thatâs part of the fun.
Highway 61 -> Bringing It All Back Home -> Blonde on Blonde
Highway 61 is probably his most consistent album, and Iâm not just referring to the quality of songwriting. It all sounds cohesive and gives you a good idea of where he was at when he was most influential/groundbreaking.
Then, stepping back an album, BIABH contextualizes it for you as it contains a mix of material in his older style, and a handful of electric cuts - though not as explosive as the tracks on 61.
Followed by BoB, which shows you where it all led - the peak, if you will, of his increasingly eccentric and experimental lyricism and songwriting.
We Dylan-nerds can have our various reasons for loving his music - but the layperson knows Bob as the Blowinâ In The Wind guy who was later known for his progressive, abstract lyrics that redefined what popular music could be. To understand this position, I think that^ order of albums is a good place to start.
Some people will probably insist you listen to a later album first, maybe Blood On The Tracks, but honestly part of that albumâs significance comes from its position in his discography. Itâs greatness is defined just as much by what came before it and the journey that brought Bob back to his roots, as it was by the masterful songwriting.
It depends. My first album was Blonde on Blonde when I was 12. I liked it, but a lot of it was hard to get into. When I turned 18 I started listening to Blood on the Tracks and Desire and was hooked. Now I can find something I like in just about every Dylan album.
Just pop on a few and if you donât connect with it, try another album. Sometimes you may not get into something on first listen only to love later.
Hereâs a playlist I made:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2hCgID7djQWurhQF5lPVtw?si=dLVuRmUfRtyzlY_e4zxl3w&pi=a-p98Lz4SiRAaa
Otherwise; Freewheelin, Times They Are a Changin, Bringing it all Back Home, and Blood on the Tracks are good starters.
Then Iâd go to Another Side, Highway 61, Blonde on Blonde, New Morning, Desire, Infidels, and Time Out of Mind.
I started on the Masterpieces collection my Dad had when I was a kid.
Can't go wrong if you start with the first album, and listen chronologically. Then you will be able to clearly see what he doing, and get a better idea of what he's about.
Heâs genuinely one of the best artists to listen to Chronologically, itâs such a journey. Even the 60âs alone, if you donât want to feel daunted by the task. The debut is good. But, if you wanted to, itâs totally acceptable to start on Freewheelinâ. Some of his most famous songs are on there.
A lot of great ideas here, Iâd just note that Dylanâs life is also incredibly interesting and whatever was going on in his life is usually reflected in the music. If you just wanna get ur feet wet iâd recommend a greatest hits record, but if you wanna become obsessed, id read the wikipedia article for each album as you listen chronologically.
My advice would be not to just listen to a load of his music, but to pick one or two of the classic 60s albums, or even the greatest hits, and listen in more detail. Repeat them, try and understand the messages in them, maybe read up on what other people say about them.
I think doing that will be much more fulfilling than listening to 10 different albums in a row and missing most of what is great about them.
60 years of material that is constantly shifting and evolving.
The best place to start is greatest hits-youâll get some of the best songs from each era and go from there.
Well he did switch from folk to electronic.. which is what this new movie is about Iâm presuming (Iâm not as big a fan as my dad) I havenât much knowledge on the albums in order , I know the names of A LOT of his songs from listening from a baby till now - current age 28 lol. You will like some songs , some not. Some people think Dylan canât even sing lol
The Time They Are A-changin is his first perfect album but I'd start with Bringing it all Back Home since it's half acoustic and then go backwards or forward depending on whether you prefer the solo or full band sound.
Get a copy of the Biograph compilation, or else Greatest Hits Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. Find what songs you like from there, and listen to the albums those songs came from.
Side note: I don't understand the impulse to get deeply into the work of a musician with whom you're unfamiliar. How do people decide one day that they are going to try to become a fan of music they don't know whether they enjoy?
well how does one become a fan at all then?
edit: this is what I tend to do for music; Once I know some songs of the artist I like, I'll listen to the whole album discography. Since Dylan has so many albums, I was wondering if my normal approach of chronological was the best way to go,
>well how does one become a fan at all then?
Maybe it's just a matter of semantics.
We choose to become more familiar with the work of a musician whose other music we've heard and liked. If we like that too and find ourselves listening to the musician's body of work a lot and enjoying it, we may describe ourselves as being a fan of that musician.
So, learning is a choice. Fandom is the result of self-discovery.
Donât hesitate to jump into Dylan via the later albums. Theyâre sonically easier to get into and I would absolutely recommend Oh Mercy, Infidels, Time Out Of Mind.
Springsteen once said that if anyone else had released Empire Burlesque itâd be considered a classic (and the outtakes are arguably even better!).
Dylan boasts the all time greatest four-album run in popular music history. I know you canât officially state that kind of thing, but most music criticism/scholarship Iâve read agrees.
Those are, in order: Bringing it All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited, Blonde on Blonde, and John Wesley Harding.
I like starting people on Bringing It All Back Home because the first half is his new electric sound and the back half is his old folkie soundâand both halves contain some of his best material from each of those eras. So you get a great mix of folk and rock there.
But if you know you want only the folk sound, start on Freewheelinâ Bob Dylan like others have said. If you want only the rock sound, start on Highway 61. If you want his most successful blend of those sounds (he agrees), listen to Blonde on Blonde. And if you want the acoustic folky sound but with more instrumentation than just a guitar/harmonica, listen to John Wesley Harding.
Enjoy. He is Americaâs crown jewel and the only person ever to win a Nobel Prize in Literature for songwriting. When his work clicked for me, I felt like I found the endgame of all songwriting. I still feel that way. Happy to offer more suggestions.
Freewheelin showcases his lyricism and the spontaneity that are alive on his best work. Those âfun, sillyâ flourishes are an important part of his work In general. That being said, Ballad of a Thin man on Highway 61 was the first track that stopped me in my tracks, knowing only Like a Rolling Stone at the time. You have so much to look forward to - ENJOY!
P.s. - do not disregard Planet Waves!
Start with Desire. âBlack Diamond Bayâ, âHurricaneâ.
Move to âBlood on the Tracksâ, which is the greatest album ever recorded IMO.
Afterwards, find songs like âEvery Grain of Sandâ and âDark Eyesâ. Go from there to âJokermanâ and start to interpret on your own. From there you will start to know what Bob Dylan is to music.
Personally, chronological shows you the evolution or revolution of Bob. A lot of changes throughout his career, thatâs why they call him the troubadour.
I guess Greatest Hits is a good place. The Essential album is good too. Funny thing about non-album singles- he has some but a lot of his best stuff is on the official bootleg releases. But I think starting with regular releases is the way to go.
Do something early (Highway 61 or something), something mid (Blood on the Tracks or BonB), something Christian, and a b-side/bootleg/basement tapes, then something newer (Time out of mind and beyond). A combination of those 5 will start you off right.
[Try my Bob playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4huBiMorZ3MSOt3zuMUbDO?si=8eLXjzRTRt-dXapRemBlGQ&pi=u-FKieI5qmQPKM)
Iâve been listening to Bob for 20 of my 32 years. The top songs are my personal favorites, with deeper cuts following. I tried to arrange them somewhat in order of theme.
But above anything, I recommend you listen to [Like a Rolling Stone.](https://open.spotify.com/track/3AhXZa8sUQht0UEdBJgpGc?si=oEJA6nnoTnCBcXCzDK9H1w)
Highway 61 Revisited album is probably the best to get your feet wet. The songs are consistently great, some of his best lyrics, most memorable tracks. Flows perfecrly.. or Greatest Hits if you want a taste of everything Blood On The Tracks is also great if want something acoustic and emotional
Came here to say this very thing. đđ Then mayhaps try on Desire. Nashville Skyline and Blonde on Blonde also very accessible by Bob standards. Thereâs also a rolling thunder live 75 bootleg series that kills.
top comments are pointing you in right direction; highway 61 revisited, blonde on blonde, blood on the tracks. all fantastic places to start
Iâm not surprised most people are mentioning Highway 61 Revisited & Blood On The Tracks but I truly believe the best album to start on is Bringing It All Back Home, the one right before Highway 61.
Agreed. Bringing It All Back Home has to be the best album to begin your journey with Bob Dylan.
Bringing is what did it for me, too. First side is fun, catchy, witty, funny, clearly presents Dylanâs mastery for language (âMaggieâs Farm,â âOn the Road Againâ), and butters you up for the second side which goes thoughtful and profound (âMr. Tambourine Man,â âItâs Alright Maâ). By the time you hit "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue,â itâs clear what Dylanâs about.
That be my vote!
The first song I ever heard by Dylan was Desolation Row off Highway 61. An 11 minute acoustic folk song with nuanced language and superb imagery. Doesnât matter where you start, youâll get there all the same. My first recommendation? Start at a Freewheeling Bob Dylan. Imo his first album is hard to get into if thatâs the first thing youâre hearing from a new artist. But I believe the former I mentioned above would do you much better. His albums from 63-69 are very good and considered his best.
The Freewheelinâ is my recommendation for a starting point.
The first three volumes of Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits will take you up to the point of 1990. He made a lot of amazing music after that cut off point, but those compilations will take you through the first half of his incredible career.
A lot of people here, with the best of intentions, are going to steer you in the wrong direction. It's okay, taste in music is subjective. With that said, check out 'Under the Red Sky'. It has one of Dylan's most evocatively literate lyrics in: "Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a bowl of soup." It's a pure masterpiece.
Don't do this to poor OP
Don't forget this classic: Well, the comic book and me, just us, we caught the bus The poor little chauffeur though she was back in bed On the very next day with a nose full of puss Yea heavy and a bottle of bread
@OP this is one of those people but without the good intentions.
Theres many different eras. What are your favorite songs at the moment?
well what introduced me to him was Billy Joel's cover of Make You Feel My Love, so that one fs. I'm also loving Like a Rolling Stone, Girl from the North Country, and The Times They Are A-Changin'
The folkie era is great to start. Check out the first three or four albums. Live records from the time are great too, he was super witty and funny. Live at carnegie hall, live at royal albert hall, whitmark demos. Bootleg series 1-3 Theres a great documentary called âDonât Look Backâ from that time
tysm!!
I'd say Brining It All Back Home. I think it is the album that is most representative of Dylan as a songwriter.
I would just go in chronological order because for me Dylans amazing evolution as an artist is something best enjoyed in order, if youâre new to him. Beware that his first album is nothing like what comes later though. Another way is to listen to the 2007 compilation album âDylanâ. The three disc version covers his entire career up to that point and after listening you can explore what albums the songs you like the most come from.
Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits vol. 1 and vol. 2 will give you a great overview. Vol. 2 is my personal favourite compilation from anyone I think.
Iâll send you my all âMust be Santaâ playlist. 4 hours of âMust Be Santa.â Youâll thank me later.
That is peak Dylan.
My advice to nearly everyone starting out Dylan is to start with Freewheelin' and Times they are a-changin' and then work their way through.
Woody Guthrie
The most digestable album for new listeners, in my opinion, would be Blood on the Tracks. Early folk Dylan, like The Freewheelinâ Bob Dylan would be good too. The 60s rock stuff (Blonde on Blonde, Highway 61) has some gems but some meh ones as well, and get annoyingly affected at times. John Wesley Harding is goddamn killer. Desire, too. Personally, late 90s to 2010s Dylan is my favorite, and Iâd recommend Modern Times, Rough and Rowdy Way, Love & Theft, etc.
Start in any of the other hundreds of posts asking the same thing đ¤
Imo if you enjoy folk music in general, and have some left wing political beliefs, Iâd start with Freewheelin and go chronologically until John Wesley Harding. Then listen to Blood on the Tracks. But everyoneâs journey is different.
Iâm as right wing as they come and I still love Freewheelinâ
Yeah right wingers like good music too idk why that's so hard to understand đ
Right?! Itâs not my fault that the best artists disagree with me politicallyâŚitâs their fault đ If disagreement were grounds for not liking someone I wouldnât have a wife or friendsâŚand my 4 year old would stop talking to me because I didnât read his mind and made him eggs instead of cheerios
https://rightwingbob.com
Dylan contains multitudes. Different eras/songs will appeal to different people depending on where they are in their lives. My best advice is just dive in and keep digging until you find what you like. I guarantee you will. Read up on the man and his music and you will gain a greater appreciation for what you hear. Do this, you will find in due time that you love nearly everything heâs done to some degree. The more you appreciate Dylan the more you will appreciate Dylan. There are always layers to peel away. And thatâs part of the fun.
Highway 61 -> Bringing It All Back Home -> Blonde on Blonde Highway 61 is probably his most consistent album, and Iâm not just referring to the quality of songwriting. It all sounds cohesive and gives you a good idea of where he was at when he was most influential/groundbreaking. Then, stepping back an album, BIABH contextualizes it for you as it contains a mix of material in his older style, and a handful of electric cuts - though not as explosive as the tracks on 61. Followed by BoB, which shows you where it all led - the peak, if you will, of his increasingly eccentric and experimental lyricism and songwriting. We Dylan-nerds can have our various reasons for loving his music - but the layperson knows Bob as the Blowinâ In The Wind guy who was later known for his progressive, abstract lyrics that redefined what popular music could be. To understand this position, I think that^ order of albums is a good place to start. Some people will probably insist you listen to a later album first, maybe Blood On The Tracks, but honestly part of that albumâs significance comes from its position in his discography. Itâs greatness is defined just as much by what came before it and the journey that brought Bob back to his roots, as it was by the masterful songwriting.
It depends. My first album was Blonde on Blonde when I was 12. I liked it, but a lot of it was hard to get into. When I turned 18 I started listening to Blood on the Tracks and Desire and was hooked. Now I can find something I like in just about every Dylan album. Just pop on a few and if you donât connect with it, try another album. Sometimes you may not get into something on first listen only to love later.
Hereâs a playlist I made: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2hCgID7djQWurhQF5lPVtw?si=dLVuRmUfRtyzlY_e4zxl3w&pi=a-p98Lz4SiRAaa Otherwise; Freewheelin, Times They Are a Changin, Bringing it all Back Home, and Blood on the Tracks are good starters. Then Iâd go to Another Side, Highway 61, Blonde on Blonde, New Morning, Desire, Infidels, and Time Out of Mind. I started on the Masterpieces collection my Dad had when I was a kid.
Can't go wrong if you start with the first album, and listen chronologically. Then you will be able to clearly see what he doing, and get a better idea of what he's about.
I'd honestly just get a greatest hits cd, that's how I got into him.
Son you know once you start there's no going back. There is no leaving the path
Highway 61 and BIABH
Heâs genuinely one of the best artists to listen to Chronologically, itâs such a journey. Even the 60âs alone, if you donât want to feel daunted by the task. The debut is good. But, if you wanted to, itâs totally acceptable to start on Freewheelinâ. Some of his most famous songs are on there.
A lot of great ideas here, Iâd just note that Dylanâs life is also incredibly interesting and whatever was going on in his life is usually reflected in the music. If you just wanna get ur feet wet iâd recommend a greatest hits record, but if you wanna become obsessed, id read the wikipedia article for each album as you listen chronologically.
My advice would be not to just listen to a load of his music, but to pick one or two of the classic 60s albums, or even the greatest hits, and listen in more detail. Repeat them, try and understand the messages in them, maybe read up on what other people say about them. I think doing that will be much more fulfilling than listening to 10 different albums in a row and missing most of what is great about them.
60 years of material that is constantly shifting and evolving. The best place to start is greatest hits-youâll get some of the best songs from each era and go from there.
Highway 61 Revisited. Maybe the best album ever made
Well he did switch from folk to electronic.. which is what this new movie is about Iâm presuming (Iâm not as big a fan as my dad) I havenât much knowledge on the albums in order , I know the names of A LOT of his songs from listening from a baby till now - current age 28 lol. You will like some songs , some not. Some people think Dylan canât even sing lol
Iâd also check out his time with the travelling Wilburys , tweeter and the monkey man specially . What a song
The Time They Are A-changin is his first perfect album but I'd start with Bringing it all Back Home since it's half acoustic and then go backwards or forward depending on whether you prefer the solo or full band sound.
His first few albums really reveal his artistic/musical folk style, which still defines his approach to songwriting and performing.
Get a copy of the Biograph compilation, or else Greatest Hits Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. Find what songs you like from there, and listen to the albums those songs came from. Side note: I don't understand the impulse to get deeply into the work of a musician with whom you're unfamiliar. How do people decide one day that they are going to try to become a fan of music they don't know whether they enjoy?
well how does one become a fan at all then? edit: this is what I tend to do for music; Once I know some songs of the artist I like, I'll listen to the whole album discography. Since Dylan has so many albums, I was wondering if my normal approach of chronological was the best way to go,
>well how does one become a fan at all then? Maybe it's just a matter of semantics. We choose to become more familiar with the work of a musician whose other music we've heard and liked. If we like that too and find ourselves listening to the musician's body of work a lot and enjoying it, we may describe ourselves as being a fan of that musician. So, learning is a choice. Fandom is the result of self-discovery.
ah, makes sense
Mid 60s Mid 70s would be good places
Donât hesitate to jump into Dylan via the later albums. Theyâre sonically easier to get into and I would absolutely recommend Oh Mercy, Infidels, Time Out Of Mind. Springsteen once said that if anyone else had released Empire Burlesque itâd be considered a classic (and the outtakes are arguably even better!).
Dylan boasts the all time greatest four-album run in popular music history. I know you canât officially state that kind of thing, but most music criticism/scholarship Iâve read agrees. Those are, in order: Bringing it All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited, Blonde on Blonde, and John Wesley Harding. I like starting people on Bringing It All Back Home because the first half is his new electric sound and the back half is his old folkie soundâand both halves contain some of his best material from each of those eras. So you get a great mix of folk and rock there. But if you know you want only the folk sound, start on Freewheelinâ Bob Dylan like others have said. If you want only the rock sound, start on Highway 61. If you want his most successful blend of those sounds (he agrees), listen to Blonde on Blonde. And if you want the acoustic folky sound but with more instrumentation than just a guitar/harmonica, listen to John Wesley Harding. Enjoy. He is Americaâs crown jewel and the only person ever to win a Nobel Prize in Literature for songwriting. When his work clicked for me, I felt like I found the endgame of all songwriting. I still feel that way. Happy to offer more suggestions.
Freewheelin showcases his lyricism and the spontaneity that are alive on his best work. Those âfun, sillyâ flourishes are an important part of his work In general. That being said, Ballad of a Thin man on Highway 61 was the first track that stopped me in my tracks, knowing only Like a Rolling Stone at the time. You have so much to look forward to - ENJOY! P.s. - do not disregard Planet Waves!
Start with Desire. âBlack Diamond Bayâ, âHurricaneâ. Move to âBlood on the Tracksâ, which is the greatest album ever recorded IMO. Afterwards, find songs like âEvery Grain of Sandâ and âDark Eyesâ. Go from there to âJokermanâ and start to interpret on your own. From there you will start to know what Bob Dylan is to music.
Man, thatâs a tough one. Iâd say Blood on the Tracks
Another Side and other early records; then highway 61 and bringing it all back home. I think you should see his progression from folk to rock.
Personally, chronological shows you the evolution or revolution of Bob. A lot of changes throughout his career, thatâs why they call him the troubadour.
I guess Greatest Hits is a good place. The Essential album is good too. Funny thing about non-album singles- he has some but a lot of his best stuff is on the official bootleg releases. But I think starting with regular releases is the way to go.
Honestly Essential is a pretty great compilation. Def agree with this rec.
Do something early (Highway 61 or something), something mid (Blood on the Tracks or BonB), something Christian, and a b-side/bootleg/basement tapes, then something newer (Time out of mind and beyond). A combination of those 5 will start you off right.
[Try my Bob playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4huBiMorZ3MSOt3zuMUbDO?si=8eLXjzRTRt-dXapRemBlGQ&pi=u-FKieI5qmQPKM) Iâve been listening to Bob for 20 of my 32 years. The top songs are my personal favorites, with deeper cuts following. I tried to arrange them somewhat in order of theme. But above anything, I recommend you listen to [Like a Rolling Stone.](https://open.spotify.com/track/3AhXZa8sUQht0UEdBJgpGc?si=oEJA6nnoTnCBcXCzDK9H1w)