Greatest hits packages have been around for about as long as there have been hit records. For a long time, artists took a relatively formulaic approach to them, simply gathering 10 or so of their highest-charting singles or most well-known songs, without much thought put into it beyond that.
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As he did with so many aspects of the music world throughout his career, Bob Dylan managed to change the game in this department. His 1985 collection Biograph presented fans with a whole new paradigm for the greatest hits collection, and other artists took notice and followed suit.
Good Timing
In summer 1985, Bob Dylan made what seemed to be an overt effort to get back into the pop music wars with the album Empire Burlesque. He slicked up the sound with the help of top producer Arthur Baker, and even made videos for the first few singles. But the album failed to make a huge impact, either on the charts or at radio.
It represented his fourth straight album that failed to go any higher than No. 20 on the Billboard album charts. Although each of those albums had their defenders at the time (and we’re telling you today that at least three of them remain way underrated), there was also a consensus among critics that Dylan had lost the artistic plot.
All of which meant a celebration of all the amazing work that he’d done throughout his career couldn’t have come at a more opportune time. Dylan had already been given the greatest hits treatment a few times before in his career. But Biograph was to be something completely different.
A New Way to Sum Up a Career
Upon first glance, the most striking thing about Biograph, released in December 1985, was its length. Spanning 53 tracks over five albums (or three CDs), it was way longer than your average compilation. It helped to introduce the notion of a so-called “box set,” which to that point was a somewhat rare phenomenon in the pop/rock music world.
What also separated Biograph from the pack was Dylan’s willingness to dig deep into his vaults. Eighteen of the songs included on the set had never before been officially released. There were songs that didn’t make it onto studio albums, live cuts, and alternate versions of tracks that had already been released.
Some of these extras, including brilliant cutting-room floor stuff like “Abandoned Love” and “Caribbean Wind,” were just as high-quality as the well-known hits. In compiling these forgotten tracks for Biograph, Dylan and his handlers must have experienced a eureka moment. Just a few years later, he’d begin his Bootleg Series that consisted of nothing but unreleased material.
Fresh Insight
Dylan also threw his promotional weight behind the project, agreeing to sit with interviewer Cameron Crowe and expound on his most famous songs in ways he’d never done before. These chats, compiled in the liner notes, also gave fans the impression they were getting bang for their buck.
The whole thing worked like gangbusters. It sold extremely well for a package much pricier than your average record. And suddenly, the music press that had been giving him a hard time couldn’t help but acknowledge the brilliance of his work all over again.
On top of all that, Biograph was a trendsetter, as other heritage artists began falling over themselves in a rush to deliver their own career-spanning box sets. And what an appropriate title. Bob Dylan was giving us the life story his most curious fans always demanded, while slyly suggesting it was always there for us to discover by listening to his old records.
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