Album Review 7

Bob Dylan- Highway 61 Revisited

1 - Like a Rolling Stone*****
2 - Tombstone Blues ****
3 - It Takes a Lot To Laugh, It Takes a Train toCry*****
4 - From a Buick 6 **
5 - Ballad of a Thin Man*****
6 - Queen Jane Approximately ****
7 - Highway 61 Revisited ***
8 - Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues ****
9 - Desolation Row *****

It's definitely been a while! Time to return with a good album!

I don't know where to start or where to begin! This is considered the quintessential album for anyone whoever listened to Dylan, and it sets a milestone in Rock, when Rock and Roll and Folk crossed paths. Dylan never sounded more confident in not just songwriting, but singing and musicality. Every word he spews out from angry, biting lyrics to trippy eccentric imagery to majestic story telling comes out exactly the way it was ever intended to be. He is backed by spectacular musicianship, including Al Kooper's Organ debut (he literally never played organ before!). Songwise, there are no misses. "Like a Rolling Stone" boasts catchy melodies, interesting hooks and that great organ part from Al. This is most likely Dylan's most famous song, and rightfully so. He spews angry lyricsover upbeat music. "Tombstone Blues" kicks into gear with Mike Bloomfield's raging guitar and loud drumming. Following the angry beats of "Tombstone," Bob kicks into relaxed jam mode, and launches off my favorite song "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry." Not only is the title very long and hard to type, but Dylan lays a lazy bluesy vocal over a relaxed chord progression, with tasteful piano fills and solid drumming. Everything about the song is enjoyable and this album benefits from its flow.

I never really got into "From a Buick 6." The two most bizzare songs in the Dylan catalogue show up in"Ballad of a Thin Man" and "Queen Jane Approximately." In the former, Bob spews out non-sensical lyrics with the most bitter tone which can come out of his mouth (which is pretty damn bitter) and the latter could be about anything! The title track is enjoyable but not the best track on here, but has some very enjoyable sound effects. "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" is basically "Train Pt. 2,"with a laid back feel and catchy rhymes. Highway 61 Revisited ends with the epic storytelling song of the album. "Desolation Row" sets a horribly morbid setting of the "Dusty ol' Trail" whilst Bloomfield fills in space with beautiful guitar leads. There is really no downside to this album.