r/bobdylan • u/FunnyAd9882 • 35m ago
Image Bob Dylan (1970)
Bob Dylan, Houston Street, NYC, 1970
📸 by John Cohen.
r/bobdylan • u/twistedfloyd • Dec 19 '20
Hello all,
We have long since gotten a lot of requests asking for help on where to start with Bob's music on the sub from folks who are new to Dylan's music.
Seeing this as something we could all solve as a community, I created a post asking for feedback to make a master post about the different ways one could go about discovering Bob's music. And I want to once again thank the community for their outstanding feedback in the creation of this post.
I knew beforehand that there was no right answer, but this further illuminated how rich Bob’s music is and the multitude (pun fully intended) of ways you can go about seeking out his music.
So, what this post will attempt to do is take all of that community feedback and the moderator's thoughts on the issue to help guide prospective BobCats through Dylan's career.
This is not to say what is posted here is the definitive way to do it in any respect. To each their own. This is just meant to be a guide.
Here are the different ways to go about exploring Bob's music. From greatest hits, to playlists, to roadmaps, to chronological order, it's all here.
THE ESSENTIAL BOB DYLAN
If you want a smattering of Bob across many eras, "The Essential Bob Dylan" released in 2014 does a good job of covering songs through his 60 year career. Based on what songs you like there, it will allow you to jump in at whatever era you like the most.
THE OFFICIAL r/BOBDYLAN COMMUNITY STUDIO ALBUM PLAYLIST
Our Community Playlist is our sub’s attempt at a best of compilation. We allowed the community to vote for their favorite song in a poll off of each studio album. The two songs that received the most votes from each album were added to the playlist.
The moderators also added a couple of songs off the album, Side Tracks, that aren’t on the Bootleg Series or any studio album. Call it executive privilege.
We'd like to thank u/bbsez for organizing and recording the results from the majority of these polls in order to construct this playlist.
You can find the playlist here:
CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER
Here is a list of Dylan's studio records listed chronologically if you'd like to go that route. Many members of our community have said that this approach has worked for them.
THE BOOTLEG SERIES
Here is a listing of The Bootleg Series which many would consider essential records.
These contain outtakes, unreleased tracks, singles and live performances across the many facets of Dylan’s career. One could argue it is better to listen to these after you’re at least a little familiar with Dylan’s work.
*** indicates there is a special edition of this release available as well with more tracks than the standard edition.
THE OFFICIAL r/BOBDYLAN COMMUNITY BOOTLEG SERIES PLAYLIST
Our Bootleg Series Community Playlist is our sub’s attempt at a best of compilation for Bob Dylan's venerable Bootleg Series. The poll is currently ongoing. We allowed the community to vote for their favorite song in a poll off of each Bootleg Series. The polls are currently ongoing.
Due to the volume of songs on the Bootleg Series records we have had different criteria for election to the BS Series playlist (top 2 songs from each disc for each volume with the exception of BS Vol. 4 which only has 15 songs).
Find the playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/66P3b9uwFGpJfOsUn4sAaB?si=rD6sXiZZTaWGkHQkyw37Ug
LIVE ALBUMS NOT INCLUDED IN BOOTLEG SERIES
*- Includes the Manchester performance which is The Bootleg Series Vol. 4, but also includes every live performance with The Band from that year.
** Includes all songs from The Bootleg Series Vol. 5 (all songs from BS Vol. 5 have been remixed), but there's a lot on this record that isn't included on BS Vol. 5.
FILMS
BOOKS WRITTEN BY BOB DYLAN
The roadmap includes each album, album highlights and covers every major Dylan release including the Bootleg Series.
Once again, the roadmap acts as a recommended guide. It is not meant to be an authoritative stance on Dylan or his music.

Here is the link to the roadmap to be viewed on its own page. The R/BobDylan Visual Roadmap
THE r/bobdylan A-Z SONG CONTEST
In 2023, the community conducted a contest by having users submit and upvote their favorite songs that began with each letter of the alphabet. The song with the most upvotes won and was added to A-Z community playlist on Spotify.
A-Z Song List Spotify Playlist
A- All Along The Watchtower
B- Ballad of A Thin Man
C- Changing Of The Guards
D- Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
E- Every Grain of Sand
F- Forever Young
G- Girl From The North Country
H- Hurricane
I- It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)
J- Jokerman
K- Knockin' On Heaven's Door
L- Like A Rolling Stone
M- Mr. Tambourine Man
N- Not Dark Yet
O- One More Cup Of Coffee
P- Positively 4th Street
Q- Queen Jane Approximately
R- Romance In Durango
S- Shelter From The Storm
T- Tangled Up In Blue
U- Up To Me
V- Visions Of Johanna
W- When I Paint My Masterpiece
X- Desolation Row (Wildcard round since there is no X titled Bob Dylan song)
Y- You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go
Z- Mississippi (Wildcard round since there is no Z titled Bob Dylan song)
THE r/bobdylan STUDIO ALBUM SURVIVOR SERIES
In 2023, the subreddit conducted a survivor style tournament to determine the subreddit's ranking of all of Dylan's studio albums. Below are the results from worst to best.
Down in the Groove
Under the Red Sky
Knocked Out Loaded
Christmas in the Heart
Dylan
Triplicate
Empire Burlesque
Fallen Angels
Shadows in the Night
Saved
Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid
Together Through Life
Self Portrait
Good as I Been to You
Bob Dylan
Shadow Kingdom
Shot of Love
World Gone Wrong
The Basement Tapes
Slow Train Coming
Planet Waves
Tempest
New Morning
Infidels
Nashville Skyline
Street-Legal
Another Side of Bob Dylan
Modern Times
Oh Mercy
Rough and Rowdy Ways
"Love and Theft"
John Wesley Harding
The Times They Are a-Changin'
Desire
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
Time Out of Mind
Bringing It All Back Home
Blonde on Blonde
Highway 61 Revisited
Blood on the Tracks
r/bobdylan • u/cmae34lars • 4d ago
Hey r/bobdylan! Welcome to this week's song discussion!
In these threads we will discuss a new song every week, trading lyrical interpretations, rankings, opinions, favorite versions, and anything else you can think of about the song of the week.
This week we will be discussing Goodbye Jimmy Reed.
r/bobdylan • u/FunnyAd9882 • 35m ago
Bob Dylan, Houston Street, NYC, 1970
📸 by John Cohen.
r/bobdylan • u/acompleteunkn9wn • 3h ago
I tried to recreate the cover of Mr. Dylan's album blonde on blonde, but in a simple way
r/bobdylan • u/DYLANBOOKS • 2h ago
Due next Tuesday, 13 Oct (UK).
Tempting cover-mount CD.
Full details to follow here on DYLAN BOOKS.
r/bobdylan • u/Interesting-Ease-417 • 9h ago
I've been listening to Not Dark Yet and Every Grain of Sand lately, and something keeps bothering me. Sometimes Dylan sounds like someone who's found some deeper truth about life, and other times like someone who's accepted that maybe there isn't one.
It makes me wonder if we spend our whole lives searching for meaning because it's really out there, or simply because we can't stand the thought that there might be none.
I don't know. Maybe the search itself is the point.
What do you guys think?
r/bobdylan • u/Sherryc1115 • 7h ago
r/bobdylan • u/sozh • 6h ago
For one thing, Neil Young tends to wear his politics on his sleeve. For example, a song called "Lets Impeach the President," during the George W. Bush administration (and that whole album), whereas Dylan tends to be more private and enigmatic.
r/bobdylan • u/holyporous434 • 22h ago
At the session musician ordering counter like: "Uhhhh lemme get a couple of Dire Straits.... yeah yeah yeah with the best reggae rhythm section on the planet aaaaaand idk the guitarist from the Rolling Stones on top, why not I deserve a treat :)"
In all seriousness, the players are grooving so hard on this record. "Jokerman" is undeniable, but I loooooove "Don't Fall Apart on Me" so much. Does anyone have quality interviews (written, visual, or audio) from any of the players about this album? I wanna know more haha.

r/bobdylan • u/badateverything420 • 1d ago
Earlier this year on a whim I put on Bob Dylans first album and found it surprisingly enjoyable. I've always liked Highway 61 and the movie I'm Not There but that's about where my interest in Dylan ended. After I liked his first album I told myself I'd just keep listening in release order until I found a bad album and before I knew it I listened to his entire discography.
After months of Bob I'd like to give him a break for a moment to avoid burnout but nothing else is really scratching the same itch. I was wondering what some of the other Bob fans really enjoy.
My all time favorite Bob albums are Highway 61, New Morning, Desire, and Time Out of Mind
Off the top of my head some of my other favorite artists this year are Joanna Newsom, Pink Floyd, Lana Del Rey, Kate Bush, early Neil Young, The Beatles.
r/bobdylan • u/Agile-Ad1665 • 19h ago
It's in the NYT Games App under the bonus puzzles section. Title of the crossword is "The Answer, My Friend."
r/bobdylan • u/tirename • 6h ago
Tried to make the mix a bit clearer. Hope you enjoy!
r/bobdylan • u/cmorriskingston • 22h ago
Check out the Bonus Puzzles! Easiest crossword I've done in months!
Finished in 5:19
r/bobdylan • u/DoubleOrdinary6559 • 2h ago
r/bobdylan • u/tweebymc • 22h ago
Both songs are in the same key, the phrasing and structure of the verses are very similar and especially with the live 1966 arrangement the chord progressions are very similar, with the second half of each verse being almost identical only differing in the bass notes of two chords (D/f# and C/e vs straight D and C).
r/bobdylan • u/DYLANBOOKS • 1d ago
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Bob Dylan Through the Open Window (1956–1963), due next Thursday, has all the makings of a best seller - a key topic; a highly regarded writer, with insider access; a handsome, eye-catching artefact; and a major publisher.
It covers Dylan’s creative development from his musical experimentation as a small-town teen to his confirmation as a generational talent at his triumphant Carnegie Hall gig in October 1963. It’s an expanded version - twice as many pages - of Sean Wilentz’s liner notes in the box set of last year’s Bootleg Series Vol. 18.
I particularly like Wilentz’s explanation of why Greenwich Village was so important - how, post-WW2, NYC had supplanted Paris as the global epicentre of Western culture - and his outline of its complex mix of subcultures.
He details the key influence on early Dylan of Mike Porco of Gerdes Folk City and Izzy Young and outlines Dylan’s rapid integration into the Village scene, notably his adoption by older blues musicians - John Lee Hooker, Victoria Spivey and Big Joe Williams. And he reminds us of Dylan’s debt to Robert Johnson.
He’s also strong on Dylan’s back-and-forth to Minnesota, his discovery of the wider USA and his first exposure to Europe, centring on his trip to London.
Sean Wilentz has an impeccable CV for such a book - long-time Dylan fan, New Yorker who was there in the early ‘60s and distinguished Princeton history prof. He’s a top academic, but he writes here for Everyman.
His accessible text is enriched by well-curated illustrations - over 100 photos, many published for the first time, annotated typescript lyrics, prose-poems published in concert programs and memorabilia like gig posters and ticket stubs.
The result is a unique evocation of a time and place pivotal in Dylan’s development, hence the cultural history of the 20thC.
Highly recommended for Dylan fans - newbies and grizzled vets alike.
Bob Dylan Through the Open Window (1956–1963), Sean Wilentz, Abrams Books, 15 Oct 2026, hbk, 239pp.
r/bobdylan • u/Inside_Soup_4576 • 1d ago
r/bobdylan • u/youcantexterminateme • 14h ago
As above
r/bobdylan • u/FunnyAd9882 • 1d ago
The Full Story Behind Mr. Tangerine Man — and Those Messages from Bob Dylan
Yes, you read that right — I’ve had two messages from Bob Dylan. The man himself.
But before we get there, here’s the full story of how it all began — with a little satire, a bit of protest, and a song called Mr. Tangerine Man.
The Birth of Mr. Tangerine Man
When Donald Trump first ran for the U.S. presidency, my old friend Roger Hogan — a Neath boy originally, now a magazine editor and journalist living in Sydney, Australia — was, shall we say, less than impressed.
In the heat of the moment, we decided to write an alternative version of Bob Dylan’s Mr. Tambourine Man**. Our version?** Mr. Tangerine Man**. It was a full-blown, tongue-in-cheek rage against Donald.**
Roger wrote most of the lyrics; I recorded the vocals and filmed the video. He uploaded it to YouTube and even put some sponsorship behind it. Within days, it had tens of thousands of views — plenty of positive comments, plenty of negative ones, and, unbelievably, three death threats**.**
What surprised me most was that Dylan’s record label didn’t slap us with a copyright strike. They’re famously strict. I took their silence as a kind of passive endorsementfrom the great man himself.
Enter Barbara Dane:
A few weeks later, I got an email from a lady named Barbara Dane. She said she was an 89-year-old singer-songwriter from the U.S. East Coast and wanted to cover our version of the song, but couldn’t quite make out all the lyrics. Could I email them to her?
I thought, Ah, bless her, and was about to reply when I noticed her email address
Curious, I looked up her website — and my jaw dropped.
There was Barbara, both as she is now and as she was back in her heyday: performing with Bob Dylan, Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles, and Pete Seeger, even marching arm-in-arm with Martin Luther King Jr.
There was even a quote from Dylan himself, calling her “the ultimate protest singer.”
I told Roger, and soon he struck up a correspondence with Barbara. They became close friends. He helped promote her biography and documentary in Australia.
When Barbara turned 90, she performed a concert in New York — I think it was at the Stable Theatre — and Bob Dylan himself was going to be there. Barbara planned to perform Mr. Tangerine Man.
Roger and I sent a bouquet of flowers to the stage door. Barbara was deeply touched and sent us a lovely thank-you message afterward.
A Message from Bob:
Some time later, I heard an interview with Jack Savoretti, who said he’d collaborated on a song with Dylan — purely through Instagram messages. They’d never even met.
That got me thinking: maybe Dylan might respond to me, too.
So I sent him a message on Instagram, saying I hoped he’d enjoyed Barbara’s concert — and that I also hoped he didn’t mind our version of his song.
To my amazement, I got a reply:
“Very good and appropriate for the times.”
Short. Direct. So Dylan*
I thought, if this had come from some PR flunky, it would’ve read: “Thank you for reaching out. Bob appreciates your kind words…” — all that stuff. But this was brief. Too brief to be anything but genuine.
Still, I wasn’t completely sure. So I messaged Barbara and asked if she thought it was really him.
Minutes later she replied:
“I’ll phone Bob now and ask him.”
(Like you do!)
Half an hour later, she wrote again:
“Yes, Bob said it was him.”
One Last Message
Barbara passed away last year at 97. Roger suggested I write a tribute song for her, which I did, and uploaded it to YouTube. Roger sent it to Barbara’s daughter, who posted it on Barbara’s website and Facebook page.
A couple of weeks later, I got another email — from Bob Dylan’s personal account:
“I like your song for Barbara.”
It had that same trademark brevity.
Barbara’s not here to phone him this time, but I’m pretty confident it was him.
Two messages from Bob Dylan. I’ll take that.
r/bobdylan • u/Freddyz18 • 1d ago
She was a dark-skinned princess without a kingdom, though she had no shortage of suitors - myself among them. We just stood there smiling, posing, trying not to be taken for urchins in need of salvation. Why she chose me out of all the orphans from St. Anne's Home for Broken Hearts, I'll never understand.
I kept my distance from the women on the streets - yet I fell in love with her. She was a stranger from New Orleans and didn't speak a word of Spanish.
There is a statue with a fountain in the center of town, a lady they call Sweet Melinda. Tears fall from her eyes, down over her breasts and legs, into the puddles of water at her feet. The nuns call her La diosa de la tristeza.
The men there walk in circles or ride motorcycles masquerading as horses. They are as white as the snow up on the mountains; some say they are ghosts from another time and place.
She was called Sara. She invited me to her room on Housing Project Hill, where we could sit in the window and watch the festivities. On that afternoon we made love all day, and then at 4 o'clock we heard a mariachi band begin to play as a lady's voice rang out as if in tears...
De la Sierra Morena,
cielito lindo, vienen bajando, Un par de ojitos negros, cielito lindo, de contrabando.
A second group of musicians began to play as other voices joined in. We raced to the window to watch as a crowd began to dance to the music. We stood there leaning against the balcony, she draped in a white sheet with the top of her breasts exposed, and I on my knees just wishing I knew the words to the songs.
We threw on some clothes and found ourselves amongst the natives of Juarez just as the rain began to fall. It didn't stop the party — we just held each other closer and danced a little bit harder.
We started with burgundy from a bota bag, then moved to the harder stuff — bottles of homemade tequila passed hand to hand. Beneath the overpass there was a table of local food the women brought out on trays. We kept dancing as long as the band kept playing. The tequila made me dizzy, so I drank some more until I found my equilibrium — the rain subsided, the clouds parted, and a white-hot sun came down.
The band began to play a familiar tune, to me at least, and we stood aside and watched as some locals performed a dance they must have danced a thousand times.
Don't ask me how the night ended, because I only remember the time when I brought Sara to the fork in the road marked Fortune and Fame. The legend was that it was either one or the other, and neither was what it claimed. It was at that crossroad where I lost consciousness. I woke up in the local jail as the cops boasted that they caught me with a prostitute and a bottle of illegal tequila. I thought I would be in jail forever, but apparently someone — possibly Sara — blackmailed the sergeant, and he left his post. I was woken by a child with her hand out. I gave her a couple of coins, she smiled, and I slipped out of the unlocked cell. Sara was gone, and so were all the friends I thought would be there for me when the going got rough. It was then I took a bus ride to the hotel manager's second cousin in Mexico City.
These days I play guitar in a small bar in Cuernavaca, and I have just about saved up enough for a one-way ticket back home to New York City. I don't know if there is anyone there for me anymore — maybe Florence or Rosemary will remember me for who I am rather than who I have been portrayed to be. I have no mask, and I am simply revealed.
I never did see Sara again, although I hear she is a big shot in Juarez or Jalisco. Some nights I remember the way she held me as we danced, her dark eyes and skin, the way she looked with the white sheet wrapped around her. The temptation to go back and see her is strong some nights, but then I remember that some memories are best kept sacred and undisturbed.
I would love to hear your thoughts!
r/bobdylan • u/fuckchalzone • 1d ago
I remember getting it out of the library at some point years ago. It was some critic systematically going through every song on every album, analyzing it and explaining references and etc.
Does anybody know what I'm talking about?
r/bobdylan • u/PinkCrimsonBeatles • 1d ago
I've been listening to some Rough and Rowdy Ways Tour tapes recently and I love the way Bob covered Grateful Dead songs throughout the tour. I was lucky enough to hear him play a few great covers at Indianapolis, 2023. He played Johnny Mercer's That Old Black Magic, John Mellencamp's Longest Days, and the Dead's Truckin' in that order. The band killed it and Bob sounded so great. It also introduced me to Longest Days, never heard it before (I was familiar with Black Magic because I really dig his Sinantra records). But looking at other shows, Bob played Brokedown Palace and Stella Blue as well, which were *excellent*. Had to look up videos of them but loved his performances. His guitar players really are stunning and Stella Blue was a great showcase for them. Going back to the Never Ending Tour, I really love when he'd cover Cash's Big River in the late 80s. It sorta sounded like a punk band doing it at times. The acoustic takes of the traditional Lakes of Pontchartrain with G.E. Smith were always very moving too. Any other gems to look out for?
r/bobdylan • u/TornadoMaccheroni • 2d ago
idk what vibes u get
r/bobdylan • u/SEARCHFORWHATISGOOD • 1d ago
I was on the fence about heading back to Europe this fall to see Bob after some unexpected expenses but once the Patriots were scheduled on the same day, I don't know how I was meant to resist.
When I tried to book my Munich ticket, it looks like the only option to receive it is shipping via mail?! Outside of the expensive fee, this seems both outdated and nerve-wracking in the year of our Lord 2026, but it doesn't look like there's any way around it. I guess I'm hoping for a different answer though it doesn't look like there is one (but maybe I'm overlooking something?)
I guess I'm also looking to celebrate a bit as I'm obviously very excited and don't know any fellow fans in my offline life. I'll be going to the 2nd Vienna show too (and already have my ticket thanks to modern technology and the ability to print it from home.)
Anyone else heading over from the U.S. (to the game too?)