AnyBlogDotCom: Bob Dylan album by album (2) The Wilderness Years

Greatest Hits (March 1967)

A good, tight selection of some of Dylan's most popular and accessible songs from his peak period. An essential introduction.

Side one

No.	Title	Single release	Length
1.	"Rainy Day Women ♯12 & 35" (Blonde on Blonde, 1966)	March 1966; chart peak #2	4:40
2.	"Blowin' in the Wind" (The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, 1963)	August 1963; did not chart	2:51
3.	"The Times They Are a-Changin'" (The Times They Are A-Changin', 1964)	March 1965; chart peak #9	3:16
4.	"It Ain't Me Babe" (Another Side of Bob Dylan, 1964)	not released by Dylan as a single	3:38
5.	"Like a Rolling Stone" ( Highway 61 Revisited, 1965)	June 1965; chart peak #2	6:12

Side two

No.	Title	Single release	Length
1.	"Mr. Tambourine Man" (Bringing It All Back Home, 1965)	not released by Dylan as a single	5:31
2.	"Subterranean Homesick Blues" (Bringing It All Back Home, 1965)	March 1965; chart peak #39	2:22
3.	"I Want You" (Blonde on Blonde, 1966)	June 1966; chart peak #20	3:09
4.	"Positively 4th Street" (non album single)	September 1965; chart peak #7	4:12
5.	"Just Like a Woman" ( Blonde on Blonde, 1966)	August 1966; chart peak #33	4:53

Wikipedia
AllMusic:
Score:

John Wesley Harding (Dec 1967)

I love this album. This was for years my second favourite Dylan album. It is kinda special in a sparse, quiet, poetic way..... This was Dylan's first release after his mysterious motorcycle accident which saw him withdraw from the public for nearly 18 months. There is speculation that he withdrew more because he was stressed and unhappy after the 1966 tour in which he had been booed and heckled, than because of any accident. Much of what he recorded with The Band during this withdrawal period would be officially released in 1974 as The Basement Tapes. But this album was not part of what he recorded with The Band. This was a spontaneous moment when he took himself off to Nashville, quickly wrote some songs, and in a few days had recorded this semi-acoustic album. It sounds fresh and light and spontaneous. This isn't stuff he's worked over and pondered - this is magic fairy music. Stuff that dreams are made of.

This material stands one foot in the pre-fall (Judas incident/bike accident) recordings and one foot in the post-fall recordings. Dylan said "Right through the time of Blonde on Blonde I was doing it unconsciously. Then one day I was half-stepping, and the lights went out. And since that point, I more or less had amnesia… It took me a long time to get to do consciously what I used to be able to do unconsciously." None of it has the power or significance of his pre-fall material, nor the assured confidence of his pre-fall delivery or performance. This is more conventional material, presented almost like any other country folk musician. Indeed, Dylan would go more into that territory with his next two albums. But this does still hold some of his original Sixties magic. Enough to catch and hold attention. How much of that original magic and original confidence he had lost in the fall, and how much he was deliberately turning away from, is difficult to tell. But, clearly, by Self Portrait he had gone too far in the wrong direction, and it was time to come back. Here is the start of that journey in the wrong direction home, and the start of that journey still holds promise for Dylan and for us.

Released	December 17, 1967
Recorded	Oct 17, Nov 6 and 29, 1967
Genre	Folk rock, country rock
Length	38:24
Label	Columbia
Producer	Bob Johnston

All songs are written by Bob Dylan.

Side one
No.	Title	Recorded	Length
1.	"John Wesley Harding"	November 6, 1967	2:58
2.	"As I Went Out One Morning"	November 6, 1967	2:49
3.	"I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine"	October 17, 1967	3:53
4.	"All Along the Watchtower"	November 6, 1967	2:31
5.	"The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest"	October 17, 1967	5:35
6.	"Drifter's Escape"	October 17, 1967	2:52
Total length:			20:38

Side two
No.	Title	Recorded	Length
1.	"Dear Landlord"	November 29, 1967	3:16
2.	"I Am a Lonesome Hobo"	November 6, 1967	3:19
3.	"I Pity the Poor Immigrant"	November 6, 1967	4:12
4.	"The Wicked Messenger"	November 29, 1967	2:02
5.	"Down Along the Cove"	November 29, 1967	2:23
6.	"I'll Be Your Baby Tonight"	November 29, 1967	2:34
Total length:			17:46

Bob Dylan – acoustic guitar, harmonica, piano

Kenneth A. Buttrey – drums
Pete Drake – pedal steel guitar on "Down Along the Cove" and "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight"
Charlie McCoy – bass guitar

Wikipedia
AllMusic: 10
Score: 8

Nashville Skyline (April 1969)

Dylan's country album. This is probably his oddest album - it doesn't sound like Dylan at all. Not in the voice, the music, the lyrics, or the attitude. It's a pleasant album with some pleasant songs, but - hey - just about anyone could have made this, and it sounds like just another soft country rock album. This is really the start of Dylan's fallow period which would last until Blood On The Tracks. He wasn't the voice of a generation nor did he win the Nobel Prize for pleasant trivia like this. The closest he comes to being Dylan is a couple of lines in the pleasant "Lay Lady Lay": "His clothes are dirty but his hands are clean / And you’re the best thing that he’s ever seen".

Despite the trivial nature of the album (and it's not known if Dylan was intending some social commentary about trivial but pleasant country music at a time of significant social events such as the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert F Kennedy, or if he wanted to relax into some harmless songs - I suspect the latter), it's a charming and likeable album, and is one of his best sellers.

Released	April 9, 1969
Recorded	February 12–21, 1969
Studio	Columbia Studio A, Nashville
Genre	Country country rock
Length	26:46
Label	Columbia
Producer	Bob Johnston "Is it rolling, Bob?"

All songs written by Bob Dylan.

Side one
No.	Title	Recorded	Length
1.	"Girl from the North Country" (duet with Johnny Cash)	February 18, 1969	3:41
2.	"Nashville Skyline Rag"	February 17, 1969	3:12
3.	"To Be Alone with You"	February 13, 1969	2:07
4.	"I Threw It All Away"	February 13, 1969	2:23
5.	"Peggy Day"	February 14, 1969	2:01
Total length:			13:24

Side two
No.	Title	Recorded	Length
1.	"Lay Lady Lay"	February 14, 1969	3:18
2.	"One More Night"	February 13, 1969	2:23
3.	"Tell Me That It Isn't True"	February 14, 1969	2:41
4.	"Country Pie"	February 14, 1969	1:37
5.	"Tonight I'll Be Staying Here with You"	February 17, 1969	3:23
Total length:			13:22

Bob Dylan – guitar, harmonica, vocals
Norman Blake – guitar, Dobro
Kenneth A. Buttrey – drums, bongos, cowbell^[20]
Johnny Cash – vocals and guitar on "Girl from the North Country"
Fred Carter Jr. – guitar
Charlie Daniels – bass guitar, guitar
Pete Drake – pedal steel guitar
Marshall Grant – bass guitar on "Girl from the North Country"
W. S. Holland – drums on "Girl from the North Country"
Charlie McCoy – guitar, harmonica
Bob Wilson – organ, piano
Bob Wootton – electric guitar on "Girl from the North Country"

Wikipedia
AllMusic: 10
Score: 6

Great White Wonder (July 1969)

The world's most famous and sought after bootleg. It was originally released without title, and acquired the nickname "Great White Wonder" because it was a plain white gatefold double album. Later releases were stamped with that name. It is widely known that it contained early undubbed versions of songs recorded in 1967 that would later be released on The Basement Tapes, but it also contains ten songs from the "Minnesota hotel tape", a recording of Dylan solo in December 1961 in Bonnie Beecher’s apartment in Minnesota , plus some studio outtakes. All previously unreleased.

Released	July 1969
Recorded	1961–1969, Various locales
Genre	Folk, folk rock, rock, blues
Label	Trademark of Quality

Track listing as per original July 1969 release. All tracks written by Bob Dylan, except when noted.

Side one

"Baby Please Don't Go" (Big Joe Williams) Bonnie Beecher's apartment 12-22-61
Interview by Pete Seeger WBAI-FM NYC 5-62
"Dink's Song" (Traditional) Bonnie Beecher's apartment 12-22-61
"See That My Grave Is Kept Clean" (Blind Lemon Jefferson) Bonnie Beecher's apartment 12-22-61
"East Orange New Jersey" Bonnie Beecher's apartment 12-22-61
"Man of Constant Sorrow" (Traditional) Bonnie Beecher's apartment 12-22-61

Side two

"I Shall Be Released Basement Tapes 10-67"
"Open the Door, Homer" (take 1) Basement Tapes 10-67
"Too Much of Nothing" (take 2) Basement Tapes 10-67
"Nothing Was Delivered"^[1] (take 1) Basement Tapes 10-67
"Tears of Rage" (take 2) Basement Tapes 10-67
"Living the Blues" (Live, The Johnny Cash Show) The Johnny Cash TV Show 5-1-69

Side three

"Candy Man" Bonnie Beecher's apartment 12-22-61
"(As I Go) Ramblin' 'Round" (Woody Guthrie) Bonnie Beecher's apartment 12-22-61
"Black Cross" (Joseph S. Newman / Lord Buckley) Bonnie Beecher's apartment 12-22-61
"I Ain't Got No Home" (Woody Guthrie) Bonnie Beecher's apartment 12-22-61
"The Death of Emmett Till" WBAI-FM NYC 5-62
"Poor Lazarus" (Traditional) Bonnie Beecher's apartment 12-22-61

Side four

"Bob Dylan's New Orleans Rag" Studio Outtake
"If You Gotta Go, Go Now (Or Else You Got to Stay All Night)" Studio Outtake
"Only a Hobo" Studio Outtake
"Sitting On a Barbed Wire Fence" Studio Outtake
"Mighty Quinn"^[1] (take 1) Basement Tapes 10-67
"This Wheel's on Fire" (Bob Dylan and Rick Danko) Basement Tapes 10-67

Wikipedia

AllMusic:

Score:

Isle of Wight Festival (Aug 1969)

Dylan's first live appearance since the 1966 tour. The full concert appears on Side Three of the Deluxe Edition of Another Self Portrait.

Wikipedia

Self Portrait (June 1970)

Is it a joke or is it shit? As weird and throwaway as it is, it's kinda more interesting than Nashville Skyline. At least its a talking point, and people can debate exactly what the hell he thought he was doing. In discussions with friends we would often compare it with An Evening with Wild Man Fischer.

It's a mix of new songs, old songs live at the Isle of Wight, but mostly various covers. I usually come round to liking and/or respecting Dylan albums that I found off-putting at first. But somehow I can't imagine I'll ever get around to liking or respecting this oddity.

Dylan has said that it was released as a deliberately bad album in order to get people to stop idolising him. Yeah, sure. So why did he put his heart into singing "Copper Kettle"? The signs are that he was doing then what he has done more recently, and that this was simply an extension of what he was doing with Nashville Skyline. Yes, he was uncomfortable with being the spokesman of a generation, and was still suffering the British reaction to his 1966 tour, but he was getting himself together, and was finding space for himself as a singer rather than a writer/spokesman. And mainly a middle of the road country crooner. As he said, if this was a release by Elvis would the reaction have been so hostile?

I don't think this is an album to really think about. If he released it today folks would like it. It would fit in today with what he has been releasing for the past couple of decades. Just an entertainment album. Nothing serious. It was the timing that got people. Folks were still hoping that Dylan would recover from whatever was ailing him, and get back to making the great albums he had done before THAT tour. Despite the evidence before them, folks still thought that Dylan was the Great White Wonder, and that this was some kind of joke or statement. People still held out hope for the next great album. They'd have to wait a few years.....

Anyway, are there good songs on here? Other than "The Mighty Quin", none of the new Dylan songs amount to much - the opener, "All The Tired Horses", which consists of three female singers repeating the lines "All the tired horses in the sun / How'm I s'posed to get any ridin' done? Hmm", appears to be a harmless, amusing, throwaway ditty. "Woogie Boogie" is a simple boogie instrumental - a piece of filler. "Living The Blues" is an attractive, but again rather throwaway, country blues shuffle. "Wigwam" was released as a single, and has a pleasant throwaway tune, but no lyrics, just variations on "la da da de". He includes four songs from his appearance at the Isle of Wight Festival - two previously released - "Like a Rolling Stone" and "She Belongs To Me", and two officially unreleased (by Dylan - Manfred Mann released their own version of "Quinn" in 1968) songs from the Basement Tapes recordings - "Quinn" and "Minstrel Boy". "Minstrel Boy" is closest to a "Dylan" song, though is a little dreary. "Quinn" is the best of the new Dylan songs, and "She Belongs To Me" is a decent version of an older Dylan song, and is a tempting impression of what that concert was like.

The covers are a mix of traditional and modern folk songs and ballads. Dylan does two slightly different versions of the traditional folk songs "Alberta" and "Little Sadie", and covers, badly, a Gordon Lightfoor song, "Early Moring' Rain", and, appallingly, a Paul Simon song, "The Boxer". Most of the covers are acceptable rather than impressive, leaning to fairly straightforward country-tinged interpretations. Some are fairly pleasant, such as "Belle Isle" and "Gotta Travel On". The best is "Copper Kettle", with a vocal style reminiscent of the John Wesley Harding album. It is fairly compelling, and is possibly the best performance on Self Portrait, though nothing on the album is really essential. The album is a curiosity rather a considered work of art, and is better skipped than listened to, though is not quite as appalling or wacky as we all first thought.

Released	June 8, 1970
Recorded	April 24, 1969 – March 30, 1970
Genre	Folk rock blues rock country rock
Length	73:15
Label	Columbia
Producer	Bob Johnston

Side one
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"All the Tired Horses"	Bob Dylan	3:12
2.	"Alberta #1"	Traditional	2:57
3.	"I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know"	Cecil A. Null	2:23
4.	"Days of 49"	Lomax, Lomax, Warner	5:27
5.	"Early Mornin' Rain"	Gordon Lightfoot	3:34
6.	"In Search of Little Sadie"	Traditional	2:28
Total length:			20:01

Side two
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Let It Be Me"	Bécaud, Curtis, Delanoë	3:00
2.	"Little Sadie"	Traditional	2:00
3.	"Woogie Boogie"	Bob Dylan	2:06
4.	"Belle Isle"	Traditional	2:30
5.	"Living the Blues"	Bob Dylan	2:42
6.	"Like a Rolling Stone" (Recorded live at the Isle of Wight Festival on August 31, 1969)	Bob Dylan	5:18
Total length:			17:36

Side three
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Copper Kettle"	Albert Frank Beddoe	3:34
2.	"Gotta Travel On"	Clayton, Ehrlich, Lazar, Tom Six	3:08
3.	"Blue Moon"	Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers	2:29
4.	"The Boxer"	Paul Simon	2:48
5.	"The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo)" (Isle of Wight Festival 1969)	Bob Dylan	2:48
6.	"Take Me as I Am (Or Let Me Go)"	Boudleaux Bryant	3:03
Total length:			17:50

Side four
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Take a Message to Mary"	Felice Bryant, Boudleaux Bryant	2:46
2.	"It Hurts Me Too"	Traditional	3:15
3.	"Minstrel Boy" (Isle of Wight Festival 1969)	Bob Dylan	3:33
4.	"She Belongs to Me" (Isle of Wight Festival 1969)	Bob Dylan	2:44
5.	"Wigwam"	Bob Dylan	3:09
6.	"Alberta #2"	Traditional	3:12
Total length:			18:39

Wikipedia
AllMusic: 4
Score: 3

Another Self Portrait (2013)

Previously unreleased material from Dylan's dubious 1969/1970 period dug out in 2013 as part of the Bootleg Series. Just what we needed. Ha! Though, to be fair there's some listenable stuff here. Nothing important or essential, but moderately interesting. This is not for the general public, but is of interest to Dylan fans and critics (of which there are many!). I like it. I like it more than Self Portrait as there is more here, combining the most interesting aspects of Self Portrait and New Morning, plus the complete IOW concert.

Released	August 27, 2013
Recorded	1967, February 13, 1969 – March 19, 1971
Studio	Columbia, New York City
Genre	Folk rock country
Length	113:27
Label	Columbia
Producer	Bob Johnston

All songs written by Bob Dylan except where noted; traditional songs arranged by Bob Dylan.

Disc 1
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Went to See the Gypsy" (demo, New Morning, 3/3/70)		3:01
2.	"Little Sadie" (without overdubs, Self Portrait, 3/3/70)	Traditional	2:02
3.	"Pretty Saro" (unreleased, Self Portrait, 3/3/70)	Traditional	2:16
4.	"Alberta #3" (alternate version, Self Portrait, 3/5/70)	Traditional	2:37
5.	"Spanish is the Loving Tongue" (unreleased, New Morning, 6/2/70)	Charles Badger Clark	3:51
6.	"Annie's Going to Sing Her Song" (unreleased, Self Portrait, 3/4/70)	Tom Paxton	2:22
7.	"Time Passes Slowly #1" (alternate version, New Morning, 5/1/70)		2:18
8.	"Only a Hobo" (unreleased, Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II, 9/1/71)		3:25
9.	"Minstrel Boy" (unreleased, The Basement Tapes, c. 1967)		1:39
10.	"I Threw It All Away" (alternate version, Nashville Skyline, 2/16/69)		2:25
11.	"Railroad Bill" (unreleased, Self Portrait, 3/4/70)	Traditional	2:44
12.	"Thirsty Boots" (unreleased, Self Portrait, 3/4/70)	Eric Andersen	4:06
13.	"This Evening So Soon" (unreleased, Self Portrait, 3/4/70)	Traditional	4:49
14.	"These Hands" (unreleased, Self Portrait, 3/3/70)	Eddie Noack	3:43
15.	"In Search of Little Sadie" (without overdubs, Self Portrait, 3/3/70)	Traditional	2:26
16.	"House Carpenter" (unreleased, Self Portrait, 3/4/70)	Traditional	5:59
17.	"All the Tired Horses" (without overdubs, Self Portrait, 3/5/70)		1:15
Total length:			51:15

Disc 2
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"If Not for You" (alternate version, New Morning, 6/2/70)		2:29
2.	"Wallflower" (alternate version, 11/4/71)		2:18
3.	"Wigwam" (without overdubs, Self Portrait, 3/4/70)		3:10
4.	"Days of '49" (without overdubs, Self Portrait, 3/4/70)	Traditional	5:13
5.	"Working on a Guru" (unreleased, New Morning, 5/1/70)		3:43
6.	"Country Pie" (alternate version, Nashville Skyline, 2/14/69)		1:27
7.	"I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" (Live at the Isle of Wight Festival, 8/31/69)		3:31
8.	"Highway 61 Revisited" (Live at the Isle of Wight Festival, 8/31/69)		3:39
9.	"Copper Kettle" (without overdubs, Self Portrait, 3/3/70)	Albert Frank Beddoe	3:35
10.	"Bring Me a Little Water" (unreleased, New Morning, 6/4/70)	Traditional	3:58
11.	"Sign on the Window" (with orchestral overdubs, New Morning, 6/5/70)		3:51
12.	"Tattle O'Day" (unreleased, Self Portrait, 3/4/70)	Traditional	3:49
13.	"If Dogs Run Free" (alternate version, New Morning, 6/5/70)		4:10
14.	"New Morning" (with horn section overdubs, New Morning, 6/4/70)		4:04
15.	"Went to See the Gypsy" (alternate version, New Morning, 6/5/70)		3:33
16.	"Belle Isle" (without overdubs, Self Portrait, 3/3/70)	Traditional	2:35
17.	"Time Passes Slowly #2" (alternate version #2, New Morning, 6/2/70)		3:02
18.	"When I Paint My Masterpiece" (demo version, 3/19/71)		3:53
Total length:			62:12

Deluxe Edition[edit]

Deluxe Edition: Disc 3 (Live at the Isle of Wight Festival, 31/08/1969)
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Intro"		0:40
2.	"She Belongs to Me"		3:01
3.	"I Threw It All Away"		3:07
4.	"Maggie's Farm"		4:00
5.	"Wild Mountain Thyme"	Traditional	2:51
6.	"It Ain't Me Babe"		3:09
7.	"To Ramona"		2:25
8.	"Mr. Tambourine Man"		3:08
9.	"I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine"		3:32
10.	"Lay Lady Lay"		3:54
11.	"Highway 61 Revisited"		3:47
12.	"One Too Many Mornings"		2:38
13.	"I Pity the Poor Immigrant"		3:47
14.	"Like a Rolling Stone"		5:25
15.	"I'll Be Your Baby Tonight"		3:30
16.	"Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)"		2:49
17.	"Minstrel Boy"		3:48
18.	"Rainy Day Women #12 & 35"		3:17
Total length:			60:41

Deluxe Edition: Disc 4 (Self Portrait Remastered)
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"All the Tired Horses"		3:12
2.	"Alberta #1"	Traditional	2:57
3.	"I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know"	Cecil Allen Null	2:23
4.	"Days of '49"	Alan Lomax, John Lomax, Frank Warner	5:27
5.	"Early Mornin' Rain"	Gordon Lightfoot	3:34
6.	"In Search of Little Sadie"	Traditional	2:28
7.	"Let It Be Me"	Gilbert Bécaud, Mann Curtis, Pierre Delanoë	3:00
8.	"Little Sadie"	Traditional	2:00
9.	"Woogie Boogie"		2:06
10.	"Belle Isle"	Traditional	2:30
11.	"Living the Blues"		2:42
12.	"Like a Rolling Stone" (Live at the Isle of Wight Festival, 8/31/69)		5:18
13.	"Copper Kettle"	Albert Frank Beddoe	3:34
14.	"Gotta Travel On"	Paul Clayton, Larry Ehrlich, David Lazar, Tom Six	3:08
15.	"Blue Moon"	Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart	2:29
16.	"The Boxer"	Paul Simon	2:48
17.	"The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo)" (Live at the Isle of Wight Festival, 8/31/69)		2:48
18.	"Take Me as I Am (Or Let Me Go)"	Boudleaux Bryant	3:03
19.	"Take a Message to Mary"	Felice Bryant, Boudleaux Bryant	2:46
20.	"It Hurts Me Too"	Traditional	3:15
21.	"Minstrel Boy" (Live at the Isle of Wight Festival, 8/31/69)		3:33
22.	"She Belongs to Me" (Live at the Isle of Wight Festival, 8/31/69)		2:44
23.	"Wigwam"		3:09
24.	"Alberta #2"	Traditional	3:12
Total length:			73:15

Wikipedia
AllMusic: 8
Score: 5

New Morning (Oct 1970)

A poor album, but as it sounded like Dylan - nasal delivery, "Dylan" style songs all self-penned, a shuffling semi country, semi folk, semi rock approach similar to Blonde on Blonde, there was sense of relief and welcome at the time. That sense of relief and welcome hasn't lasted, and most people now recognise it for the collection of weak songs indifferently performed that it is.

It was recorded fairly quickly with seasoned country sessions musicians including Dylan's favourite Al Kooper on keyboards, mainly during five consecutive days in early June 1970 in New York, though there were five other days, including two for overdubs, scattered from May to August 1970.

The opening track "If Not For You" is attractive with an engaging melody, and sweet, direct, simple lyrics. George Harrison did a heartfelt cover on his All Things Must Pass album. Olivia Newton John took Harrison's arrangement with slide guitar and had an international hit with it. A sweet song. Not at all essential, and possibly the best song on the album. He has played it live 89 times.

"If Dogs Run Free" is a tongue-in-cheek/sardonic talking blues number with a jazz inflection, the sort of thing that Tom Waits would pick up on. Dylan has played it109 times live. Are we being mocked here?

"New Morning", the title track, is another harmless, throwaway "nice" song containing a handful of romantic images of a country morning "with you". Played 81 times live.

"The Man In Me" is Dylan's favourite track on the album - he's played it live 157 times since 1978. It looks like a genuine (if superficial) paean to his wife for helping him through the difficult times of his fall.

None of the other songs has he played live at all.

Released	October 21, 1970
Recorded	June–August 1970
Studio	Columbia 52nd Street New York
Genre	Country rock
Length	35:21
Label	Columbia
Producer	Bob Johnston

All songs are written by Bob Dylan.

Side one
No.	Title	Recorded	Length
1.	"If Not for You"	August 12, 1970	2:39
2.	"Day of the Locusts"	August 12, 1970	3:57
3.	"Time Passes Slowly"	August 12, 1970	2:33
4.	"Went to See the Gypsy"	June 5, 1970	2:49
5.	"Winterlude"	June 5, 1970	2:21
6.	"If Dogs Run Free"	June 5, 1970	3:37
Total length:			17:56

Side two
No.	Title	Recorded	Length
1.	"New Morning"	June 4, 1970	3:56
2.	"Sign on the Window"	June 5, 1970	3:39
3.	"One More Weekend"	June 3, 1970	3:09
4.	"The Man in Me"	June 5, 1970	3:07
5.	"Three Angels"	June 4, 1970	2:07
6.	"Father of Night"	June 5, 1970	1:27
Total length:			17:25

Bob Dylan – vocals, piano (on "Day of the Locusts", "Time Passes Slowly", "Went to See the Gypsy", "Winterlude", "Sign on the Window", "The Man in Me" and "Father of Night"), acoustic guitar, electric guitar, organ, harmonica
David Bromberg – electric guitar, Dobro
Harvey Brooks, Charlie Daniels – bass guitar
Ron Cornelius, Buzz Feiten – electric guitar
Al Kooper – organ, piano, electric guitar, French horn
Russ Kunkel, Billy Mundi – drums

Wikipedia
AllMusic: 9
Score: 4

Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II (Nov 1971)

A double greatest hits album with five previously unreleased songs, and many of the tracks not released as singles, so the title is a little misleading. It's a weighty selection that starts well, but starts to outstay its welcome. Probably best not played all in one go! Doubtful if there are many people who will agree that the selections really are the best, and most people could put forward a more interesting/entertaining/essential collection than this. Really, most of the best songs are on the 1967 Greatest Hits album. Notwithstanding that, this album sells well.

Released	November 17, 1971
Recorded	1962–1971
Genre	Folk rock country
Length	77:31
Label	Columbia
Producer	John H. Hammond Tom Wilson Bob Johnston Leon Russell

Side one
No.	Title	Source	Length
1.	"Watching the River Flow"	A-side single (June 1971)	3:32
2.	"Don't Think Twice, It's All Right"	The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1963)	3:36
3.	"Lay Lady Lay"	Nashville Skyline (1969)	3:14
4.	"Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again"	Blonde on Blonde (1966)	7:06

Side two
No.	Title	Source	Length
1.	"I'll Be Your Baby Tonight"	John Wesley Harding (1967)	2:37
2.	"All I Really Want to Do"	Another Side of Bob Dylan (1964)	4:02
3.	"My Back Pages"	Another Side of Bob Dylan (1964)	4:21
4.	"Maggie's Farm"	Bringing It All Back Home (1965)	3:49
5.	"Tonight I'll Be Staying Here with You"	Nashville Skyline	3:21

Side three
No.	Title	Source	Length
1.	"She Belongs to Me"	Bringing It All Back Home	2:46
2.	"All Along the Watchtower"	John Wesley Harding	2:30
3.	"The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo)"	Self Portrait (1970)	2:43
4.	"Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues"	Highway 61 Revisited (1965)	5:25
5.	"A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall"	The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan	6:47

Side four
No.	Title	Source	Length
1.	"If Not for You"	New Morning (1970)	2:38
2.	"It's All Over Now, Baby Blue"	Bringing It All Back Home	4:13
3.	"Tomorrow Is a Long Time"	Previously unreleased (live at Town Hall, New York City, April 12, 1963)	3:01
4.	"When I Paint My Masterpiece"	Previously unreleased (1971)	3:22
5.	"I Shall Be Released"	Previously unreleased (1971)	3:01
6.	"You Ain't Goin' Nowhere"	Previously unreleased (1971)	2:41
7.	"Down in the Flood"	Previously unreleased (1971)	2:46

Wikipedia

AllMusic: 10
Score: 5

Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (July 1973)

A rather sparse album (as - to be fair - a lot of soundtracks are); mostly acoustic instrumental mood music, though does contain "Knocking At Heaven's Door". It was poorly regarded at the time, especially as it came during Dylan's lean and difficult period when people were looking more negatively at whatever he released, and people struggle to be generous about it even now, though people do regard it more favourably these days. There was an interest in the mythology of America's Western outlaws in the late Sixties and early Seventies both in film and music. Also in 1973 The Eagles released Desperado, which has a similar feel to this album in places - though I have a much higher regard for the Eagles' album..

Reached 16 in US and 29 in UK.

Released	July 13, 1973
Recorded	January–February 1973
Genre	Country rock, folk rock, film score
Length	35:23
Label	Columbia
Producer	Gordon Carroll

All tracks written by Bob Dylan.

Side one
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Main Title Theme (Billy)" (instrumental)	6:07
2.	"Cantina Theme (Workin' for the Law)" (instrumental)	2:57
3.	"Billy 1"	3:57
4.	"Bunkhouse Theme" (instrumental)	2:17
5.	"River Theme"	1:30
Total length:		16:48

Side two
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Turkey Chase" (instrumental)	3:34
2.	"Knockin' on Heaven's Door"	2:32
3.	"Final Theme" (instrumental)	5:23
4.	"Billy 4"	5:04
5.	"Billy 7"	2:10
Total length:		18:43

Bob Dylan – guitar, vocals, harmonica
Byron Berline – backing vocals, fiddle
Fred Katz, Ted Michel – cello
Gary Foster – recorder, flute
Carl Fortina – harmonium
Jolly Roger – banjo
Bruce Langhorne – acoustic guitar
Roger McGuinn – guitar
Carol Hunter – twelve-string guitar, backing vocals
Booker T. Jones – bass guitar
Terry Paul – bass guitar, backing vocals
Jim Keltner – drums
Russ Kunkel – tambourine, bongos
Priscilla Jones, Brenda Patterson, Donna Weiss – backing vocals

Wikipedia
AllMusic: 7
Score: 4

Dylan (1973)

Dylan changed labels to Asylum in 1973 as he was not comfortable with Columbia. To compound the problems of the low esteem everyone was now holding of Dylan, Columbia released this album of covers that had been rejected from the albums that were already regarded as failures. It could hardly get worse, could it?

Of course, nearly 50 years later, Dylan is touring the world on his Never Ending Tour, doing covers of songs such as these. Some of it is mediocre, some of it is pleasant, none of it is essential. Yeah, he's a better singer than he's usually given credit for, though he's not one of the world's best, unless he's singing his own songs, when he's able to give them a delivery and a twist that no one else can, and bring in new meanings with a new intonation whenever he wishes. This is not a bad album, and does demonstrate that he is a versatile and attentive if not always successful singer.

Reached 17 in US.

Released	November 16, 1973
Recorded	April 24 & 26, 1969 June 1–4, 1970
Genre	Rock folk rock
Length	33:22
Label	Columbia
Producer	Bob Johnston

Side one
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Recorded	Length
1.	"Lily of the West"	traditional	June 3, 1970	3:44
2.	"Can't Help Falling in Love"	George Weiss, Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore	June 3, 1970	4:17
3.	"Sarah Jane"	traditional	June 1, 1970	2:43
4.	"The Ballad of Ira Hayes"	Peter LaFarge	June 1, 1970	5:08
Total length:				15:52

Side two
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Recorded	Length
1.	"Mr. Bojangles"	Jerry Jeff Walker	June 2, 1970	5:31
2.	"Mary Ann"	traditional	June 2, 1970	2:40
3.	"Big Yellow Taxi"	Joni Mitchell	June 4, 1970	2:12
4.	"A Fool Such as I"	Bill Trader	April 26, 1969	2:41
5.	"Spanish Is the Loving Tongue"	Billy Simon, Charles Badger Clark	April 24, 1969	4:13
Total length:				17:17

Wikipedia
AllMusic: 2
Score: 4

Planet Waves (1974)

With a new record label (Asylum) Dylan became energised, and reformed The Band to record a new "proper" album, Planet Waves, and to go out on tour for the first time since the stressful 1966 tour. The tour was hugely successful and would be recorded for Before The Flood. The album was less successful. People wanted it to be, and advance orders were big. But as people got to hear the songs, sales dropped off. The songs from the album were also gradually dropped from the tour, leaving only "Forever Young", and the tour ended up being a nostalgia tour of Dylan playing the old songs.

The album is partly in the style of Dylan's mid Seventies albums and partly in the style of The Basement Tapes, and is decent and accomplished, but not top level Dylan. It certainly doesn't deserve to be ignored, but is not essential listening. The best song, "Forever Young", is done better on the live Budokan album. The opening track, "On A Night Like This", is possibly the next best song, and has been included on two compilation albums, though Dylan has not performed it live.

On the whole a relaxed, low key, reasonably pleasant, non-essential album. It reached no 1 in the US charts, and no 7 in the UK charts.

Released	January 17, 1974
Recorded	November 2, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 14, 1973
Studio	Village Recorder, West Los Angeles, California
Genre	Roots rock
Length	42:12
Label	Asylum
Producer	Rob Fraboni

All tracks are written by Bob Dylan.^[16]

Side one
No.	Title	Length
1.	"On a Night Like This"	2:57
2.	"Going, Going, Gone"	3:27
3.	"Tough Mama"	4:17
4.	"Hazel"	2:50
5.	"Something There Is About You"	4:45
6.	"Forever Young"	4:57
Total length:		23:13