Highway 61 Revisited (1965)

Once upon a time you dressed so fine, threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn't you?


1. Like a Rolling Stone (6:13)
2. Tombstone Blues (5:58)
3. It Takes a Lot to Laugh, it Takes a Train to Cry (4:09)
4. From a Buick 6 (3:19)
5. Ballad of a Thin Man (5:58)
6. Queen Jane Approximately (5:31)
7. Highway 61 Revisited (3:30)
8. Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues (5:31)
9. Desolation Row (11:21)



Review: Highway 61 Revisited is Bob Dylan's 6th studio album, arriving at the end of August in 1965.  He had already released Bringing it All Back Home that year, the album that involved electric instrumentation for the first time in the young folk singer's career.  Much has been written about Bob's decision to "go electric" in 1965.  By the time Highway 61 Revisited came out, it seemed that Bob had left his acoustic folk roots more or less in the past.  Every song is predominantly electric, with the exception of the epic closer Desolation Row.

But all that history is secondary to the jolt the listener receives the moment the album begins.  The bold pop of a snare drum kicks off Like a Rolling Stone.  What can be said about the song at this point?  It was named the top song of all time by Rolling Stone Magazine.  The song's lyrics appear to be directed at a former lover, Bob sneering "How does it feel?  To be on your alone / a complete unknown / like a rolling stone."  The song could just as well be interpreted as another goodbye to the folk establishment.

The album doesn't let up from there, moving to the upbeat guitar driven, surreal Tombstone Blues This tune contains the great line "The sun's not yellow, it's chicken."  At 5:58, the song is just 15 seconds shorter than the famous opener.

The pace slows down for the bluesy It Takes a Lot to Laugh, it Takes a Train to Cry, then it quickens for From a Buick 6. These songs haven't gotten much live play from Bob, but Train especially is a nice relaxed number.

Ballad of a Thin Man makes things a bit spooky with its opening dark piano riff.  Clocking in at around 6 minutes, it is another one of the heavyweights of the album.  The song was famously directed towards an interviewer who Bob made very uncomfortable with his verbal jabs.  Bob had grown tired of the media at this point, especially those who asked him questions without having the slightest idea (and maybe didn't even care) what they were talking about.  It's a vicious vision of the reporter as an outsider, with the refrain "You know something's happening here but you don't know what it is."

The mood lightens a bit with the next track, Queen Jane Approximately.  But the lyrics do not, at least some of them, possibly aimed at Joan Baez.  Its one of the more underrated tracks in Bob's canon, with a world-weary theme that keeps returning to the a sneering Bob: "Won't you, come see me, Queen Jane."

The title track follows, an absurdist hard-rocking blues which doesn't have the impact it should due to an out-of-place clown whistle that opens the song and shows up, unwelcome, a few more times.

Another underrated song follows with the wonderful Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues.  Now the song titles themselves are getting absurd!  This is actually a fairly straight forward number, with a series as verses and no apparent chorus.  The song closes with the narrator finally going back to New York City.  The song was covered nicely by Neil Young in NYC at The 30th Anniversary Concert.

The album closer is one of Bob's first epics, the 11 minute apocalyptic Desolation Row.  The song feels fuller than his earlier solo acoustic compositions on account of the additional lead acoustic guitar of Charlie McCoy - an interesting choice since the superb Michael Bloomfield played on the rest of the album.  Still, McCoy is more than up to the task, filling in without taking over the song. Numerous literary characters make an appearance in the song, including Ezra Pound, T.S. Eliot, "Einstein disguised as Robin Hood," Cain and Abel, and many others.  He later sings "All these people that you mention, yes I know them, they're quite lame."  Bob bookends the album with 2 of his greatest songs ever.

Rating: 10/10  **********/**********

Best 3 Song Run: Highway 61 Revisited/Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues/Desolation Row (mostly for desolation Row)

Song I am most likely to skip: Highway 61 Revisited.  That annoying siren - no contest.

Song Tiers: A+: Like A Rolling Stone, Desolation Row
                     A-: Queen Jane Approximately, Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues, Ballad of a Thin Man
                     B+: It Takes a Lot to Laugh, it Takes a Train to Cry
                     B: Tombstone Blues
                     B-: From a Buick 6, Highway 61 Revisited

Steven Sroczynski is an author and attorney from Massachusetts.  He can be reached at steve.sroczynski@gmail.com

Copyright 2015 by Steven Sroczynski.  All rights reserved.  This blog, or any portion of it, may not be reproduced without the express written consent of its author, Steven Sroczynski.

Bringing it All Back Home (1965)

While preachers preach of evil fates

Teachers teach that knowledge waits

Can lead to hundred-dollar plates

Goodness hides behind its gates

But even the president of the United States

Sometimes must have to stand naked

1. Subterranean Homesick Blues (2:21)

2. She Belongs To Me (2:49)

3. Maggie's Farm (3:57)

4. Love Minus Zero/No Limit (2:51)

5. Outlaw Blues (3:06)

6. On The Road Again (2:37)

7. Bob Dylan's 115th Dream (6:33)

8. Mr. Tambourine Man (5:28)

9. Gates Of Eden (5:44)

10. It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) (7:33)

11. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue (4:15)

Review: A few jangly chords, a couple notes on a screeching lead guitar, then the full band comes in.  Dylan, high pitched and just a bit nasally: "Johnny's in the basement, mixin' up the medicine / I'm on the pavement, thinkin' 'bout the government."And in a matter of 10 seconds, Bob Dylan put the world on notice.  The king of folk rock had gone electric.

Once the initial shock of 'Subterranean Homesick Blues' is through, one of Bob's finest, most tender love songs has already begun: 'She Belongs To Me.'  Not enough has been said about this beautiful ballad.  "She never stumbles / She's got no place to fall."

Back to some more jangly chords for the electric protest song 'Maggie's Farm.'  "I ain't gonna work on Maggie's Farm no more!"  What is Maggie's Farm, exactly?  The government?  The folk movement?  Some other entity?  An actual farm in upstate New York?

Mirroring the first 2 songs on the album, Maggie's Farm is followed by the tender 'Love Minus Zero / No Limit.'  If the title doesn't make much sense, the lyrics are more easily distilled down to a simple ode to a lover.  But in typical fashion, Bob couches the ode in his surrealistic poetry, as he had been doing with most songs at this time.  Again, underrated and beautiful.  

Next up are the two most forgettable songs on the album, not to say they are bad at all: 'Outlaw Blues' and 'On the Road Again' are 2 lighthearted bluesy electric numbers.  

'Bob Dylan's 115th Dream' is a guilty pleasure of mine.  A maniacal tale of arriving on land from the Mayflower to passing Christopher Columbus at the end, and getting himself into all sorts of hi-jinx along the way.  The song seems a precursor of sorts to Bob's great, lengthy first-person songs such as 'Black Diamond Bay' and 'Brownsville Girl,' which he would write decades later.  A series of verses with no chorus, it is worthwhile for the lyrics and Bob's clever delivery.  

The final 4 tracks "bring it all back" to acoustic Bob.  

'Mr. Tambourine Man' and 'Gates of Eden' contains heaps of Bob's terrific surrealistic poetry, similar to songs such as 'Chimes of Freedom' and 'My Back Pages' from his previous album.  

'Mr. Tambourine Man' was of course better known by The Byrds sing-songy radio-friendly cover, but Bob does a fine job here, accompanied only by his own acoustic guitar, harmonica, and a mellow lead guitar.  

'Gates of Eden' might be one of the most bizarre Bob tunes released.  

"The motorcycle black madonna

Two-wheeled gypsy queen

And her silver-studded phantom cause

The gray flannel dwarf to scream."

"Dense" doesn't begin to explain the depths of these words!  Its a fine song, I just don't think anyone will ever have any idea what it's about.  But I suppose that could be said for many Dylan songs.  

The final 2 acoustic tracks might be the greatest works on this masterpiece.   

'It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)' is simply one of the greatest songs ever written.  An ode against, well, just about everything.  Materialism, authority, you name it - its probably covered within this brilliant song.  The choruses bring it back, again, to a plea to his mom that its alright.

'Its All Over Now, Baby Blue' is held in even higher regard by some Dylan fans.  Running a meager 4 minutes (compared with 'Its Alright Ma' gong over 7 minutes), it still manages to attain its place towards the top of Bob's massive canon.  A goodbye to someone or something - again, perhaps the folk movement generally or Joan Baez specifically.  Accompanied by acoustic guitar and bass - a few verses, a harp solo, and a final verse - it might be the prototypical Bob song.

Indeed, the album might be the prototypical Bob Dylan album.  Solo acoustic, band acoustic, band electric - it's all in here.  Bob sounds rejuvenated too, hitting all the right notes with force, something that hadn't been heard since 'Freewheelin, but here he sounds better as he is older and more confident.

Historically the album has its place.  It begun an "electric trilogy" that consists of itself, Highway 61 Revisited (1965), and Blonde On Blonde (1966) - 3 of the most important albums in rock n roll history.  Bringing It All Back Home generally gets the short end of the critical stick among these 3 rock albums.  Which is not to say it has a bad reputation - just that it seems to be given 4.5's whereas Highway and Blonde get 5's.  Personally, I find the acoustic songs a welcome mix as they balance out the cacophony of the electric ones.  Highway and Blonde would be almost entirely electric, which in my opinion gets a bit grating, especially on the epic 72-minute Blonde on Blonde.  So maybe its the balance, maybe its his voice (peak 60s voice for me here, powerful but not overly drawling), or maybe its the fact that its the very first full Dylan album I ever listened to start to finish, but for some reason this is the album out of the trilogy I come back to time and time again.

In terms of Dylan's own travels, he had recently met the Beatles and introduced them to hallucinogens, which led to their own 'Rubber Soul' in 1965, and 'Revolver' the following year.  So really, the importance of this album cannot be understated.  Until this point Dylan had been a folk troubadour, but now he showed he could rock too.  Later this year 'Highway 61 Revisited' would solidify his rock credentials as he would release 'Like a Rolling Stone,' one of the single greatest tracks of all time.  But more on that next time...

Rating: 10/10  **********/**********

Best 3-Song Run: TIE between She Belongs To Me-Maggie's Farm-Love Minus Zero/No Limit and Gates of Eden-It's Alright, Ma-It's All Over Now, Baby Blue

Song I'm most likely to skip: None of them.

Song Tiers:
A+: It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding), It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
A: She Belongs To Me, Love Minus Zero/No Limit, Subterranean Homesick Blues, Mr. Tambourine Man
A-: Bob Dylan's 115th Dream, Gates of Eden
B+: Maggie's Farm
B: Outlaw Blues, On The Road Again


Steven Sroczynski is an attorney and author from Massachusetts.  He can be reached at Steve.Sroczynski@gmail.com

Copyright 2015 by Steven Sroczynski.  All rights reserved.  
This blog may not be reproduced, whole or in part, without the express written consent of its author, Steven Sroczynski.