4 Must-Have Albums To Start Your Bob Dylan Vinyl Collection

We are undertaking a tough task here today. The Bob Dylan catalog contains at least a couple of dozen albums that many would consider classics. But we’re going to pick just four that we think would be the best way to start a Dylan vinyl collection.

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Keep in mind that we’re not necessarily saying these are Bob’s best albums, although there will be some overlap. We just think that these four albums will present to you the best overview of why he’s such a special artist.

‘The Times They Are A-Changin”

We needed to have Dylan’s early folk period represented in some way. Many might choose The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, the album that first showed off his stunning songwriting prowess. But for our money, The Times They Are A-Changin’ took the strengths displayed by the previous LP and expanded upon them. If you’re looking for a reason why Dylan moved away from topical material following Times, it could be because he realized he got it just about perfect on that LP. Songs like “The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll” and “Only A Pawn In Their Game” find Dylan dissecting events with the kind of nuance that you wouldn’t expect from someone so young.

‘Blonde On Blonde’

The “Dylan Goes Electric” period wasn’t nearly as raucous as folks made it out to be. In fact, Blonde On Blonde, the third and final album in his trilogy of albums released in 1965 and 1966, actually comes off more tender than tough, at least for most of the four sides. Dylan’s choice to record in Nashville allowed the session players to bring a slight country sensibility to ballads like “Just Like A Woman”. His lyrical derring-do on the double album never falls short of astounding. He spends the entire last side on “Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands”, his greatest ever love song. Dylan’s motorcycle accident and a huge shift in his career trajectory followed right after this record, meaning that it was the towering end of an era.

‘Blood On The Tracks’

Dylan returned to the ambitions of his 60s music when he recorded Blood On The Tracks. Only this time, he narrowed his focus to matters of the heart. His writing inspired by painting lessons, Dylan created multilayered lyrical canvases that don’t follow any linear path but still land at the truth. His last-second decision to record half the album with somewhat unknown musicians in Minnesota changed up the sonic flavor just enough. As such, the album does more than wallow. It rages and rants, queries and moans, and eventually comes to sad resignation. Come to think of it, “Idiot Wind” hits all the emotional extremes in a single song.

‘”Love And Theft”‘

Coming up with just a single album from Dylan’s last 50 years or so of recording is quite the conundrum. What makes it even harder is that he’s pretty much been on a consistent tear ever since his big comeback with Time Out Of Mind in 1997. You could certainly go with that album. Or you could choose the perfect Oh Mercy as the album that salvaged the bumpy 80s for him. But we just couldn’t imagine leaving “Love And Theft” out of the mix. It continues on Dylan’s late-career path of lyrics that are filled with both world-weary wisdom and fetching feistiness. Where it stands out is in the music, as Dylan leads his touring band through thrillingly lively interpretations of the roots of rock and soul.

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