Bob Dylan
The essential Bob Dylan records, ranked — where to start and what to reach for next.
-
1Time Out of MindBob DylanStart here
Time Out of Mind
A weathered, atmospheric comeback of mortality and blues. Bold and Grammy-winning. A late masterpiece.
-
2Another Side of Bob DylanBob DylanEssential
Another Side of Bob Dylan
A more personal, playful turn away from protest. Witty and warm. A pivotal record.
-
3Bringing It All Back HomeBob DylanEssential
Bringing It All Back Home
Half electric, half acoustic, the record where Dylan reinvented folk and rock at once. Witty, surreal and prophetic. A pivotal moment in 1960s music.
-
4John Wesley HardingBob DylanEssential
John Wesley Harding
A spare, parable-like retreat from psychedelia toward acoustic mystery. Quiet and influential. A pivotal record.
-
5The Freewheelin' Bob DylanBob DylanClassic
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
The album that established Dylan as the voice of a generation, home to 'Blowin' in the Wind'. Spare and powerful. A folk landmark.
-
6The Times They Are a-Changin'Bob DylanClassic
The Times They Are a-Changin'
A stark, protest-focused folk peak, home to its anthemic title song. Direct and influential. A 60s landmark.
-
7Highway 61 RevisitedBob DylanClassic
Highway 61 Revisited
Dylan plugs in fully and the results are electric in every sense, opening with 'Like a Rolling Stone' and never letting up. The wordplay is savage and funny, the band loose and wild. A foundational rock record that still sounds dangerous.
-
8Blonde on BlondeBob DylanClassic
Blonde on Blonde
Often called the first great double album, a sprawling, mercurial set of wild imagery and 'thin, wild mercury' sound. Dense and brilliant. A peak of his electric trilogy.
-
9Nashville SkylineBob DylanClassic
Nashville Skyline
A gentle country turn of warm, simple songs, home to 'Lay Lady Lay'. Mellow and beloved. A surprising pivot.
-
10Blood on the TracksBob DylanClassic
Blood on the Tracks
Often called the great break-up album, its songs of love gone wrong are among the most affecting Dylan ever wrote. The arrangements are spare and the storytelling extraordinary, especially 'Tangled Up in Blue'. Mature, wounded and beautiful.
-
11Love and TheftBob DylanClassic
Love and Theft
A loose, witty roots-music peak of American song forms. Warm and acclaimed. A late high point.
-
12Rough and Rowdy WaysBob DylanClassic
Rough and Rowdy Ways
A rich, unhurried late-career triumph, full of wit, mortality and the sprawling 'Murder Most Foul'. Dylan's writing is as sharp as ever. Proof of a master still working at the height of his powers.
-
13DesireBob DylanDeep cut
Desire
A loose, romantic mid-70s record co-written with Jacques Levy, anchored by the epic 'Hurricane'. Warm and narrative. A fan favourite.
- Blowin' in the Wind from The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan · on Best Folk Songs of All Time, Best 1960s Rock Songs
- Like a Rolling Stone from Highway 61 Revisited · on Best Songs of the 1960s, Best 1960s Rock Songs
Tracks we've featured in our best-of lists — tap a title to find it on Amazon Music.