4 Underrated Bob Dylan Albums You Shouldn’t Miss

Bob Dylan has released 40 studio albums in his fantastic career. Several of those records have been hailed as masterpieces. But what about the records that have fallen through the cracks? The following four albums aren’t among the most highly regarded of Dylan’s career, at least based on the consensus. We’re here to tell you that their respective reputations deserve better.

‘Another Side Of Bob Dylan’ (1964)

The title alone kind of puts you on a bad foot with Another Side Of Bob Dylan. It’s the kind of hacky, punny thing that was common for albums by lesser artists. (Dylan disliked it.) But the title was accurate in that this was the first Dylan album to mostly push away from the protest songs that had done so well for him on his previous two LPs. The monumental “Chimes Of Freedom” is the only thing that qualifies as even quasi-topical, and even that is drenched in allegory. Instead, Dylan focuses mostly here on relationship difficulties. He occasionally cracks wise on the subject (“I Don’t Believe You”, “All I Really Want to Do”). But he also shows striking honesty (“Ballad In Plain D”) and nuance (“To Ramona”).

‘Street-Legal’ (1978)

It’s hard to understand now why Street-Legal got such a bad rap right off the bat. Some reviews of the time referenced the sound quality, but there’s no evidence of that when listening to it today. The big-band rock approach irked some, but why deny Dylan the chance to fill out his sound? Maybe the fact that it didn’t possess the thematic togetherness of his previous two albums rubbed people the wrong way. We think that the sense of urgency evident in these narratives qualifies as a unifier. Moody, mystical, and utterly compelling tracks like “Changing Of The Guard”, “Senor (Tales Of Yankee Power)”, and “Where Are You Tonight? (Journey Through Dark Heat)” display Dylan out on the lyrical high wire without a net. And it’s thrilling.

‘Empire Burlesque’ (1985)

You can gripe all you want about the production choices that Dylan made here. Remember this was the 80s, so we should give him a bit of a pass. (And, honestly, nothing here sounds too ridiculous.) If you choose, you can chuckle at the videos that Dylan made for some of the songs. But you can’t deny the brilliance of the writing. With “I Remember You” and “Emotionally Yours”, he went for a very direct, soulful approach, his vocals meeting the tenderness of the lyrics. “Clean Cut Kid” belongs on any Dylan deep-cut playlist. And he puts away the synths and dance beats for the acoustic finale “Dark Eyes”, a tender confessional that really hits home.

‘Tempest’ (2012)

At a certain point, heritage artists like Dylan go past the point where every album they release is pored through with a fine-toothed comb as in the old days. Tempest received excellent reviews upon its release in 2012. But it didn’t feel like it impacted the culture like his albums usually do. Perhaps that’s because it’s a bit of an oddball, but in the best possible way. You get Dylan doing his best Otis Redding imitation on “Long And Wasted Years”. He and his crack band churn out the biting “Pay In Blood” as if they’re auditioning to be an 80s Stones cover band. Both the Titanic and John Lennon get off-kilter tributes. Meet Tempest on its slightly loopy wavelength, and you’ll find an unheralded gem.

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