The other day, after a brunch on Main Street, my girlfriend and I were at the antique store a few shops down from Neighborhood Jam, and as I was looking through their box of cheap vinyl I found a pressing of Highway 61 Revisited. Now, I’m a pretty big Bob Dylan fan AND he’s recently had a bit of a resurgence because of his biopic that just came out (which is unfortunately pretty good) So I told myself I’d put the album down for now, go home and listen to it the whole way through, make a blog post, and then if I liked it, I’d return to the antique store and pick up that Vinyl. So that’s what I did

Highway 61 is probably Dylan’s most popular album so I’ve of course heard 1 or 2 of the more popular songs on it but I hadn’t listened to it fully like I have a few others and both the album preceding it and the album following it. but having done so now, I’m honestly not impressed. That’s a pretty strong opinion to have about an album that’s number 4 on Rolling Stone‘s “The 500 Greatest Albums of all Time” but you’ll have to hear me out.

It’s not that the album is bad. I think it’s great, but that’s kind of the problem actually, It’s just great. Which for Bob Dylan, really isn’t saying much. listening today, this album just isn’t the one that I would recommend to somebody who wanted to listen to Bob Dylan for the first time (which would have to be the album before it, Bringing it all Back Home) If you want raucous blues jams then this album has that absolutely but all of those blues jams come second to the ones on Bringing it all Back Home and if you want deep lyrical cuts then this album has that too but they’re not as good as the ones on the album after it, Blonde on Blonde. To me, it seems like Highway 61 is unfortunately caught between Dylan’s best which is ironic since it is widely considered to be Dylan’s best.

Granted, it’s impossible for me to listen to this album with full appreciation of the type of social commentary that Dylan is famous for and this album is chalk full of it, so who knows, maybe if I was 19 years old in 1965 instead of 2025 I’d like it a bit more. But as it stands, Highway 61 is great, but when everything you make is great, it takes a bit more than that to stand out.

If you’re really desperate to know what I think though, Like a Rolling Stone, From a Buick 6, and the 11 minute banger Desolation Row are the best songs on the album with It takes a Lot To Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry also being pretty great. listen to those, then go listen to Bringing It All Back Home because that’s a better album, then watch the new biopic if you wanna know more about Bob.

Anyways, I’m going back to the store tomorrow to buy the Vinyl. Thanks for reading.