Customer Reviews

Greatest Hits

5 star:		(88)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Bob Dylan recorded so many classic songs in the 1960s that trying to pick out a single disc's worth as being definitive is a fool's errand at best. Fortunately, "Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits" was follwed by a double disc "Volume 2" that together make for two incredibly strong anthology albums. This album does contain perhaps the most well known songs of Dylan's incredible output from the 60's, though songs like "Mr. Tamborine Man" (The Byrds) and "It Ain't Me Babe" (The Turtles) were chart hits for other artists. The epic "Like a Rolling Stone" was the biggest chart hit for Dylan himeslf, while "Blowin' in the Wind" and "The Times They are a-Changing" came to define the protest generation. "Positively 4th Street" is one of the most biting putdowns ever recorded while on "I Want You" and "Just Like a Woman" Bob proved he can write great romantic songs as well.

Overall, this is a great disc to start your Dylan collection and will ultimately leave you wanting more.

No point in going over each song. There is no greatest hit collection to compare to this one. If you're clueless to Dylan and his music, and you're a thinking human being with the slightest sense of humanity and poetry in your soul, buy it, listen to it, listen to it, listen to it. He was the voice of the 60's that stretches beyond, above, behind and everywhere else. So many have given their interpretations of his songs. I never get tired of hearing a new Dylan song re-interpreted. I'm energized when I hear a Dylan tune on the radio. I mean, how can you not feel the eternal pain of "Blowin' In The Wind", the TRUTH of "Like A Rolling Stone", the poetry of "Mr. Tambourine Man", the cutting insights of "It Aint Me Babe", the words of "Positively 4th Street". There is no replacement "singer" or "writer" to compare to Dylan. He changed all of us in ways we have all lost sight of. Thanks, Bob.

Those who bash this best-of for not being complete enough are, I think, missing the point; "Greatest Hits" was never intended to be anything like a definitive overview of Dylan's early work. It was, quite simply, an attempt by Columbia Records to cash in on a hot talent and, simultaneously, provide consumers with "new" product while the artist himself pieced himself back together (physically, mentally, and artistically). Crass? Exploitative? Shameless? You betcha. But in spite of its unholy origins, "Greatest Hits" works.

For one thing, there's absolutely no filler here; every cut is a stone-cold classic. (Granted, that's not because of any special care on Columbia's part but because Dylan is incapable of writing a totally worthless song.) For another, it functions admirably well as a "starter kit"; I, for one, was first introduced to Dylan's work though this album; if not for "Greatest Hits" to whet my appetite I might never have gone on and discovered his "real" albums.

That said, I have to wonder why Columbia didn't take a little more care with the reissue CD. Sure, the remastered sound is a marked improvement, but why not throw in a few bonus tracks? And couldn't a decent booklet with liner notes and session information have been provided? If and when the rest of Dylan's catalog is reissued, I hope Columbia gives them more the kind of treatment they've given the Byrds and Miles Davis. Those complaints aside, I see no reason to be ashamed of owning, and liking, this CD.

For an artist of Bob Dylan's stature, greatest hits packages just don't cut the mustard. This overview of Dylan's early 60s work is completely inadequate as a complete representation of his Bobness' work. Every album the guy did during this period was brilliant from beginning to end. Any serious Dylan fan will yearn to hear "Tombstone Blues" after "Like a Rolling Stone," or "Girl From the North Country" after "Blowin' in the Wind." Forget this disc, stop being a cheapskate, and shell out the money for as many Dylan records from the 60s as you can afford. Then consume his 70s work, maybe half his 80s records, and soak in his renaissance in the 90s. If you insist on buying this, just know you're seriously missing out on the rest of the best body of work rock n roll has ever produced.

Bob Dylan has made some fine albums in his lifetime, especially in the '60s. Albums like THE FREEWHEELIN' BOB DYLAN, BRINGING IT ALL BACK HOME, HIGHWAY 61 REVISITED, and BLONDE ON BLONDE (among others) are cohesive pieces of work and rock classics. He did, however, also have some great singles and this concise but perfect compilation demonstrates. Though it was released as a stop-gap as Dylan recovered from his motorcycle accident, BOB DYLAN's GREATEST HITS remains the perfect single disc distillation of Dylan's '60s work.

"Blowin' in the Wind" hails from THE FREEWHEELIN' BOB DYLAN. This song has such a mature viewpoint that it's hard to believe it came from a kid in his 20s.

The protest classic "The Times They Are A-Changin'" comes from the album of the same name. "It Ain't Me Babe" is from ANOTHER SIDE OF BOB DYLAN. Though I like the cover by Johnny Cash and June Carter, I still prefer Dylan's more understated orginal.

BRINGING IT ALL BACK HOME was originally divided into acoustic and electric sides and each wisely gets one track. The wonderfully noise-ridden "Subterranean Homesick Blues" represents the electric side while "Mr. Tambourine Man" comes from the acoustic side. Again, the Byrds did a great job on their cover, but Dylan's original is still the best (and contains some of his greatest lyrics).

My favorite Dylan record of this period, HIGHWAY 61 REVISITED, has only one song on here but it's a good one. "Like a Rolling Stone" was his first genuine hit single and is still one of his best known songs.

The double disc BLONDE ON BLONDE is represented by the opener "Rainy Day Women..." (who could forget that chorus), the aching "I Want You," and the pretty but pointed "Just Like a Woman."

In addition to these album classics, the non-LP single "Positively 4th Street" made it's album debut on this record. It's a great song and, while it's unfortunate it never made it onto one of his proper albums, it's right at home with these other Dylan classics.

This was the first Dylan album I bought and I would reccomend it to others looking for their first Dylan album. Then I would move on to the double disc GREATEST HITS, VOL. II then start getting his original albums. Dylan is one of rock's most proflific performers, but this short but sweet compilation is a great place to start.

This is a collection of 10 of the greatest anthems of the 1960's - indeed, ever. Here we get a sampling of everything from early folk protest Dylan (Blowin' In The Wind, The Times They Are A-Changin') to the stoned/semi-psychedelic Dylan (Mr. Tambourine Man, Rainy Day Women - better known as "The 'Everybody Must Get Stoned'" song), to sneering electric Dylan (Like A Rolling Stone, Positively Fourth Street.) The album isn't assembled chronologically, neither is it categorized, and the running order makes for an interesting, if somewhat scattershot listen. It gives an interesting (very) brief overview of Dylan's 60's work... though it is BY NO MEANS a full representation of his work from that period. The album was a Record Company idea, put out after Dylan secluded himself from public view (and hence, the recording studio) after his motorcyle accident in '66. Though he had a few bona-fide hit singles (and many, many, many cover versions of his songs have been turned into big hits by other artists), Dylan was never a singles artist. After all, it was Bob - and not Led Zeppelin, as is often stated - who introduced the concept of an album as a flowing complete work, rather than just simply a collection of songs. Thus, the music on this album is absolutely wonderful - some of the best songs of the 20th century - but, please, please, don't take this as the final word on Bob Dylan. You are only depriving yourself of one of the greatest and most valuable artists of our time if you are. If you get it, use it as your intro into the wonderful World of Bob. However, if you're just getting into Bob - and insist on a compilation - then the more recently released Essential Bob Dylan is a better starting place. However, this is still a fine, 5-star album for emphasis and historical perspective.

Yeah, I know its just a greatest hits album, but its a darn good one. I remember buying this album after hearing a snippet of a Dylan song (I think it was Hard Rain)on the Beatles anthology. (The Beatles practically worshipped Dylan). I thought, "Heck, if the Beatles thought he was good, then I'll take thier word for it." So I went to Target and bought my CD. I put it in my stereo player and sat there mezmorized. I usually can't listen to a CD all the way through right away, but I just kept playing this over and over, and the more I played it the more it grew on me. I remember first hearing "Like a Rolling Stone". That must be one of the greatest rock songs of all time, it just blew me away. Well, it didn't stop there, I would take this CD with me wherever I went. I'd listen to it in the car, at school in between classes, and anywhere else I got a chance. I probably listened to it at least 3 times through every single day for 2-3 months. You might be wondering what the big deal is, right? A greatest hits album with a mere 10 songs, right? Well, I'll explain it the best I can. Dylan's not just music, he's art. His lyrics, his voice, his songs. Everything he did, was original, even if it had been done before. It wasn't what he did, it was the way he did it: the feeling and inflection that he put into every song, the ambiguous lyrics that give a mood more than a story or picture, and the songs, which feel like they might be more important than anything. Dylan changed the way I listened to music. I used to just keep my ears open for a catchy song now and then, but now I listen for songs with feeling and meaning and soul. Well... here ends my tribute to my favorite singer/songwriter of all time. Thanks for listening.

There's just 10 tracks on here, so of course it doesn't exhaust Bob's body of work. But the 10 that are here are all good, Bob's most recognzied and beloved stuff. An excellent quick shot of Dylan. Definitely worth having.

This collection of Dylan's hits of the sixties contains some of its best. 'Rolling Stone ' not long ago chose one of them ' Just like a rolling stone' as the greatest pop song of all time. Among the ten here are some of the great songs of his beginning folk mode 'Blowin in the Wind' for instance and of his romantic longing mode ( Just like a Woman)(I want you) and of his folkrock knock em out mode ( Rolling Stone).
Dylan really was something else when he came along, and for those of his generation his music came to live in us. We hear it when we walk alone . His lyrics could at times seem crazy and irrelevant but often they were too striking and forceful, and original. And the music, that sound he alone made with the guitar- and the - mouth- organ and that strange cranky voice which taught us that a sound not conventionally beautiful could have a beauty of its own.
Dylan is by now a living legend, and whether we want to protest against some of the vulgarity and rudeness and sheer stupidity he may have displayed through the years, we know his music is the genuine thing not simply the voice of his generation but what people will want to hear when they want to hear real sounds.

Its not fair. One man shouldn't be allowed to be this good. One man shouldn't be allowed to churn out classics faster than anyone else in history. One man shouldn't be able to change the national conscience with a song less than 4 minutes long. One man shouldn't be allowed to have a legendary career over 35 years long, and still be this good (as evidenced by TIME OUT OF MIND). And yet, one man is.

The definitive protest-Dylan compilation, this is the album that puts together the protest anthems (Blowin' in the Wind, The Times They Are A-Changin'), with the rockers (Like A Rolling Stone), and the folk songs (Mr. Tambourine Man), into one gargantuan album that is nothing but legendary. Everyone of these songs are high points in a career. What were you doing at 21? I'm not even 21 yet. Most people are finishing college. Bob Dylan was busy changing the world.

There is nothing fake about these songs. They're as honest and as poetic as ever. What is true is their ingenious constructions. They are all very simple, but they tell honest truths under their lyrics. The guitars are simple, the songs have been covered. But they're still damn good. There's nothing like the jolt of hearing "Blowin' in the Wind", or "The Times They Are A-Changin'" for the first time. There's nothing like getting into the chorus of "Like A Rolling Stone" for the 1st time, and asking yourself, "How does it feel?"

If you own Greatest Hits, and you play it over and over, and you worship it as the ultimate collection of 10 anthems from an era that produced radical change, if you worship it for its genius, if you dream of the man who wrote these songs and somehow still plays today, you know how it feels. You know what playing Dylan feels like. When he asks "How does it feel?", tell him it feels damn incredible.