In honor of Bob Dylan’s 70th birthday today, I humbly submit my choices for the top five Dylan albums of all time:
- Blood on the Tracks
- The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan
- Blonde on Blonde
- Highway 61 Revisited
- Slow Train Coming
A word of explanation: Blood on the Tracks is one of the best albums by anyone ever, so it’s pretty much a gimme for this list. Numbers 2–4 aren’t exactly controversial, either.
As for Slow Train Coming, well, what can I say? Purists tend to decry it’s spiritual themes, but the song “When He Returns” is one of the most powerful—and gutsy—in Dylan’s entire oeuvre.
[audio:https://helveticka.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/When-He-Returns.mp3|titles=When He Returns]