Some personal stuff first: hearing Tangled Up In Blue under the bedclothes on late night radio, when I should have been revising for O' Levels, first turned me on to this album - and to the power of poetry and the blues. Until punk came along and shifted my musical axis, this album was rarely off my turntable...ultimately the turntable broke and got replaced by a CD player, so that it has been twenty years since I listened to this album. I finally got around to buying it on CD 6 months ago - and it sounds as great and moving as it first did to the callow teenager under the bedclothes.
There's never been a doubt about Dylan's lyrical ability, but the poetry, combined with narrative flow, of Tangled Up in Blue, Simple Twist of Fate and Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts turn them into real "tours de force". The emotional connection that You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go, If You See Her, Say Hello and Shelter From the Storm make - and the sweet bitterness of Idiot Wind and Buckets of Rain - really hit the spot. Oh - and the melodies are strong too. These are Dylan tunes you can hum along too, if you're so inclined.
Surely every music lover has this album already?
Dylan may not be my favourite artiste of all time - but if I could take just one album with me when I die, it would be this one.