Who here doesn't think that "Blood On The Tracks" is the best Bob Dylan release?

That would be me.

For starters, everything between Freewheelin' and John Wesley Harding (incl next month's Complete Basement Tapes), then Time Out of Mind and Love and Theft, as well as Manchester 1966.

 

I think that Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 and Blonde On Blonde are better.

 

Blonde On Blonde is Numero Uno. Many of his albums come close, but this one does it for me.

 

Bringing It All Back Home or Highway 61.

 

I can't think on less than 5 or 6 Dylan albums that might be my Bob's favorite

 

I think Highway 61 takes the top prize. But man BOTT is great too!

 

In my top 5...........but prefer at least the Home/Highway/Blonde trilogy.

 

I'm not crazy about it. I'm not a huge Dylan fan except for the 1964-1966 years.

 

Another vote for Blonde On Blonde. Blood On The Tracks is one of his 5 best.

 

I don't. Some good tracks, but a lot of dross, especially the ugly Idiot Wind.

 

Neil

 

Nothing else is within a mile of "Nashville Skyline"

 

Egad, I never even considered that BOTT could be better than Saved or Shot Of Love!

 

I wouldn't necessarily put it in my top five. Most of his 60's output ranks higher.

 

Love. And. Theft.

 

Lots of good remarks and insights in this thread!

I gravitate for some reason toward Basement Tapes and John Wesley Harding, which are so, so different from one another! Basement Tapes is a clown case and a make me smile with some mysterious ones thrown in like Going to Acapulco, Too Much of Nothing, This Wheel's on Fire, I Shall be Released, Nothing was Delivered, and Tears of Rage. JWH was great for the title tune, Frankie Lee and Judas Priest, All Along the Watchtower, I Pity the Poor Immigrant, and some deceptively easy songs like The Drifter's Escape, I Am a Lonesome Hobo, and The Wicked Messenger. WTF! And the picture of the mysterious Indians on the cover? What, were they tapping a maple tree? Just great!

I know Blood on the Tracks is great but I can't listen to it often. Someone mentioned its polish, and I can agree with that.

 

BOTT is a tremendous album. But, Track for track, Highway 61 is tighter and rocks harder. In fact, it's hard to rank any album by anyone above Highway 61.

 

Blonde on Blonde for me

 

I love "Blood on the Tracks". However, for me its "Bringing It All Back Home". Its the first Bob Dylan record I ever purchased and it is still my favorite after all these years.

 

Well BOTT is my favorite. Still get goose bumps like I'm hearing it for the first time.

 

Blonde on Blonde & New Morning

 

Call me crazy.....Planet Waves!

 

I think it's a fantastic record but it may be my 5th favorite of his...that's not a knock on blood on the tracks, cuz frankly Dylan has at least 10 albums that are just so ridiculously amazing it happens...

I'd pick:
Freewheelin

Blonde on blonde

The ridiculously incredible and underrated John Wesley Harding

Bringing it all back home

And then blood on the tracks....

I'd probably pick bootleg series vol 1 over blood on the tracks but since that's not sold separately, tracks tis

 

Blood On Tracks floored me when I first heard it so, it's still my favorite. I love the open E tuning.

 

I think that BOTT is his best album of the 70s.

Overall, if you're talking about the quality of the songs and the impact the album had, I would say Highway '61. Freewheelin was great but Highway '61 opened up all kinds of doors as to how one could make folk music and helped bring electric instruments into it.

I think Blonde On Blonde is better, but H61 was the catalyst.

As far as 80s Bob goes, I tihnk Infidels, if you include the great amount of quality outtakes, is the Best of his 80s albums by far and comes close to BOTT for me.

I would say Oh Mercy, but I kind of end up lumping it in with the 90s releases as he went so fast from OM to UTRS. Its kind of a good starting point for the 90s era.