Top 10 Best Bob Dylan Albums

Bob Dylan has had a long and distinguished career since be burst onto the scene at the start of the sixties. I personally have been an ardent follower of his for 25 years, since I was first introduced to his material by my art teacher in the 1980s, probably Dylan’s worst decade creatively. I was soon spending all my evenings listening to tape recordings and LPs and enraptured by Dylan’s strange, original and compelling music.

At the time of writing Dylan has switched from guitar to keyboards and is still moving from town to town on his never-ending tour. Below are the Top 10 Best Bob Dylan albums in my opinion. I have drawn on material from throughout Dylan’s career, though the mid sixties was probably the period when he was at his most captivating and influential.

This album was only Bob Dylan’s second, but it has everything that you’d want from an album of his – memorable tunes, beautifully surreal but insightful lyrics and biting wit. He took the Woody Guthrie folk-singing influence to another place. Somewhere that nobody had been before (or since?)  Notable song: "Bob Dylan's Blues"

With its iconic cover and unusual structure of having one side largely acoustic and the other electric, this album was both ground-breaking and seminal. It also proved to be controversial for some of Bob Dylan’s hardcore folk and protest song fans, who saw Dylan’s new direction as a sell-out.  Notable track: "It's All Right, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)"

Bob Dylan’s first fully electric album (apart from the final track!) and maybe the best Dylan album of the 1960s, it is packed full of classics. It starts off with his iconic hit, “Like a Rolling Stone”, finishes with the dark and surreal, “Desolation Row” and never dips at any point imbetween. Everybody should own a copy of this album.

The third and final album in the trio of mid-sixties offerings Bob Dylan made which changed the pop music world forever. Dylan suffered a motorcycle crash not long after and it seemed to permanently alter his musical approach. Dylan’s blend of blues rock and surreal lyrics is faultless. This release is also the best-selling double album of all time.  Notable song: "Just Like a Woman"

The best Bob Dylan album in my opinion. Deeply personal and moving and written at the time of his split from his wife, it is difficult to believe Bob Dylan’s protests that the album isn’t autobiographical. “Tangled up in blue” and “Simple Twist of Fate” are tracks with real emotional power that you never forget once heard.  Notable track: "Simple Twist Of Fate".

Though maybe not quiteas strong as “Blood on the Tracks”, Desire is definitely a Bob Dylan album that you should own. Most of this album takes the form of short stories set to music and even sees a return to protest songs. Heartfelt and tuneful, Desire is a must for any Dylan collection. Notable song: "Sara".

Another change of musical direction, the song lyrics is themed around Bob Dylan’s troubled marriage and social commentary, but also sees for the first time an increase in religious and mystical references, possibly foreshadowing Dylan’s conversion to Christianity.  The album was digitally remixed which greatly improved the sound quality in 1999.

An underrated Bob Dylan album, in my opinion, Infidels features some great songs and strong musical backing. Co-produced by Mark Knopfler with reggae superstars, Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare supplying the drums and bass, this album signified Dylan’s return to secular music after his religious period.  Notable track: "Jokerman".

The best Bob Dylan album of his later period, in my opinion, Time Out of Mind is a deeply atmospheric album that rightly won three Grammy Awards when it was released.  Seen as a comeback album at the time, it features the haunting track, “Love Sick” as its opener. 

This live recording circulated for many years before it was finally officially released in 1998. Despite its name, the concert recorded actually took place at Manchester Free Trade Hall. Taking place shortly after Dylan went electric, angry sections of the crowd can be heard heckling him, at one point labelling him, “Judas”.  Notable song: "Like a Rolling Stone".