Track Listing

1. Like a Rolling Stone
2. Tombstone Blues
3. It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry
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

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13297 in Music
• Brand: Sony
• Released on: 2003-09-16
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Hybrid SACD - DSD, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .16 pounds

Amazon.com essential recording
Dylan was virtually gushing great songs when this masterpiece arrived in the summer of 1965. From the epochal opening of "Like a Rolling Stone" through the absurdly apocalyptic closer, "Desolation Row," his command of surrealistic language was daring and amazing. As a vocalist, he was rewriting the rules of the game. Jimi Hendrix made note of Mr. Z's technically suspect pitch and decided that he too was a singer. And the backing, though ragged, is precisely right. Is this the essential Dylan album? It's certainly one of them. --Steven Stolder

Customer Reviews

Dylan's Masterpiece
There are many dividing lines in rock and roll. Before Elvis and after Elvis, before The Beatles and after The Beatles, and so on. "Highway 61 Revisted" invites such a watershed moment in rock and roll. Prior to the release people such as Steve Allen would gather great laughs just from reciting the lyrics to rock and roll songs. For example, Steve Allen would read "Be bop a lu bop, she's my baby", and audiences would guffaw loudly. When "61" was released, it was evident that rock and roll had meaning, it was an viable art form. Dylan's fury and wounded ego can be heard throughout the album snarling and pleading to those seemingly unaffected by the times they lived in. "How does it feel", is rock and roll's preeminent and ultimate question. How DOES it feel? This album, in my humble opinion, is the greatest rock album ever produced. Dylan, Bloomfield, and Kooper on organ, transcend popular music and sent it spinning into areas artists are still exploring. Rock's first great masterpiece and Dylan's ticket to immortality.

The key to loving Bob Dylan as a 20 year old.
There are many great Bob Dylan albums. For some people, it's a hard to find the right one to truly see how brilliant Bob Dylan is; vocally, lyrically, and musically.

As a 20 year old, I was intrigued by listening to - Like a Rolling Stone - for the first time. I purchased Highway 61 Revisited and was absolutely floored by it's content. This is the single best album for younger people to grasp hold of Bob Dylan's amazing talent. The songwriting is absolutely amazing. The music differs a lot from his earlier work. This is the first time a full band was hired on, featuring Michael Bloomfield on lead guitar, giving it a full electric sound.

My past opinions of Bob Dylan being a Folk Musician were long gone. Bob Dylan is the epitome of Rock & Roll. I now own 13 Bob Dylan CDs now, and my life will be forever changed by them. Bob Dylan grows on you like nothing else. He draws you in, and obsession takes over from there. This album and most Dylan albums are an experience in themselves. They all give you a unique perspective into the personality of Bob Dylan.

Bob Dylan is an acquired taste. This music may not be for everyone; but it's a great feeling grasping the intensity of the lyrics, the attitude, and the message that Bob Dylan sends to his listeners. I hate thinking of all the years Bob Dylan hasn't been a part of my life. I wish I could go back in time to 1965 and see it for myself (like I said above - obsession). It will make you think; then make you think some more; and that's never a bad thing. So get out there and experience the magic for yourself.

(key track: Ballad Of A Thin Man)

One of the Best of all time
"Like a Rolling Stone" alone earns 5 stars. I remember hearing it on the radio when it first came out. Talk about anthems! To this day, that song gives me chills. Who knew where we were headed in the next 5 years?!? Chicago, Vietnam, Selma, Chicago again, Woodstock, Altamont, Watergate (alright, that one's more like 6), NIXON/AGNEW. And through it all, you could almost hear "Like a Rolling Stone" playing. It was more than just what the lyrics were saying.

I saw Dylan and the Band on tour in 72/73. When they played that song, the completely sold out arena just plain went nuts. A lot had happened since 1965, and that song just reminded us. "How does it feel?" Well, a lot had happened, but Bob and the Band were still with us. And somehow, that made it just a little easier to stomach.

I've pondered the significance of Highway 61 over the years. I think the name of the album alone is genius. Think of how much happened over the last 100 years within 50 miles of that road. The birth of the blues, the Civil Rights movement, the final death-knell for Jim Crow (though some still lingers). It's like an artery through the body of America.

p.s. I like Counting Crows, initially anyway, just on the basis that their song "Mr. Jones" is a reference to "Ballad of a Thin Man".