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Time to revisit Highway 61 Revisited!


Highway 61 Revisited (1965) tracklisting:
01 | Like a Rolling Stone
02 | Tombstone Blues
03 | It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Crain
04 | From a Buick 6
05 | Ballad of a Thin Man
06 | Queen Jane Approximately
07 | Highway 61 Revisited
08 | Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
09 | Desolation Row

Now, those who were born to run, get ready to run to Bruce next week.

01 | Like a Rolling Stone
05 | Ballad of a Thin Man
09 | Desolation Row
07 | Highway 61 Revisited
02 | Tombstone Blues
06 | Queen Jane Approximately
08 | Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
03 | It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry
04 | From a Buick 6

06 | Queen Jane Approximately
09 | Desolation Row
01 | Like a Rolling Stone
07 | Highway 61 Revisited
05 | Ballad of a Thin Man
08 | Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
02 | Tombstone Blues
03 | It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry
04 | From a Buick 6

01 | Like a Rolling Stone
09 | Desolation Row
05 | Ballad of a Thin Man
08 | Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
02 | Tombstone Blues
03 | It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry
07 | Highway 61 Revisited
06 | Queen Jane Approximately
04 | From a Buick 6

01 | Like a Rolling Stone
06 | Queen Jane Approximately
02 | Tombstone Blues
05 | Ballad of a Thin Man
07 | Highway 61 Revisited
08 | Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
04 | From a Buick 6
09 | Desolation Row
03 | It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry

I can't reasonably go against the consensus number one. This latest listen has really brought out its greatness. If there's anyone on this forum who remembers when "Like a Rolling Stone" became a hit, could you share a bit on what that was like? In today's pop landscape I can't imagine anything quite like it becoming popular.

01 | Like a Rolling Stone
05 | Ballad of a Thin Man
02 | Tombstone Blues
07 | Highway 61 Revisited
08 | Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
06 | Queen Jane Approximately
09 | Desolation Row
03 | It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry
04 | From a Buick 6

The album that got me into Dylan's electric side. Very recently, actually.

05 | Ballad of a Thin Man
01 | Like a Rolling Stone
09 | Desolation Row
03 | It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry
08 | Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
07 | Highway 61 Revisited
02 | Tombstone Blues
06 | Queen Jane Approximately
04 | From a Buick 6

01 | Like a Rolling Stone
09 | Desolation Row
05 | Ballad of a Thin Man
07 | Highway 61 Revisited
08 | Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
02 | Tombstone Blues
06 | Queen Jane Approximately
03 | It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry
04 | From a Buick 6

Ballad of a Thin Man
Like a Rolling Stone
Desolation Row
Tombstone Blues
Highway 61 Revisited
From a Buick 6
Queen Jane Approximately
Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
It Takes a Lot To Laugh It Takes a Train To Cry

09 | Desolation Row
01 | Like a Rolling Stone
05 | Ballad of a Thin Man
06 | Queen Jane Approximately
07 | Highway 61 Revisited
08 | Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
03 | It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry
02 | Tombstone Blues
04 | From a Buick 6

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


This is an album in my Top 100. It gets better every time I hear it.

My parents are old enough to remember LARS when it first came out, so I might ask them what it was like at the time. Of course, Honorio might know as well.

01 | Like a Rolling Stone
05 | Ballad of a Thin Man
09 | Desolation Row
06 | Queen Jane Approximately
07 | Highway 61 Revisited
08 | Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
03 | It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry
02 | Tombstone Blues
04 | From a Buick 6

01 | Tombstone Blues
02 | Ballad of a Thin Man
03 | From a Buick 6
04 | Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
05 | It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry
06 | Queen Jane Approximately
07 | Like a Rolling Stone
08 | Desolation Row
09 | Highway 61 Revisited

Positions 1-6 are all equally (and incredibly) good, #7-8 are huge classics that are not among my personal favorites, #9 is the only track that falls from the high level kept through all the album.

Toni wrote:03 | From a Buick 6

I've had my moments as gamemaster where I felt I needed to be quiet, but this is somewhat wrong... (This coming from someone who ranked "A Day in the Life" as the weakest of the tracks on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.) I just... Why do you like this more than the last three?

babydoll wrote:

Toni wrote:03 | From a Buick 6

I've had my moments as gamemaster where I felt I needed to be quiet, but this is somewhat wrong... (This coming from someone who ranked "A Day in the Life" as the weakest of the tracks on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.) I just... Why do you like this more than the last three?

Well, maybe I can consider this song as a guilty pleasure, but, even though I've ranked it #3, that doesn't mean it is superior to the other tracks.
Although "From a Buick 6" is much more simple in structure and lyrics when compared to the other songs, it does an important role inside such a dense album. It's the moment that breaks the mood for a while, kind of like "Electioneering" does on "OK Computer", "Sugar Spun Sister" on "The Stone Roses" or "Dancing Choose" on Dear Science.
We are always trying to rationalize why some music is better than the other, but I think it would be almost impossible to explain why I am more pleased while listening to all the tracks in the middle of this album than to it's opener. I appreciate all LARS qualities, specially the clever lyrics and Dylan's delivery, but while it looks "interesting", the other tracks look "pleasing". In other words, maybe I appreaciate that song with the "mind" and the others with the "ears". Another explanation could be the fact that I always listen to this album as a whole, so I don't know how each song works alone.
About "Desolation Row", it's has a beautiful pungent arrangement and unique lyrics, but loses some "points" for going too long.

Besides all that, even though I appreaciate good lyrics, the music always comes first for me, specially when the words are spoken in a language that is not my native one.

01 | Like a Rolling Stone
02 | Ballad of a Thin Man
03 | Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
04 | Highway 61 Revisited
05 | Desolation Row
06 | Queen Jane Approximately
07 | Tombstone Blues
08 | It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry
09 | From a Buick 6

01 | Like a Rolling Stone
09 | Desolation Row
05 | Ballad of a Thin Man
08 | Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
06 | Queen Jane Approximately
03 | It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry
07 | Highway 61 Revisited
02 | Tombstone Blues
04 | From a Buick 6

01 | Like a Rolling Stone
09 | Desolation Row
06 | Queen Jane Approximately
05 | Ballad of a Thin Man
08 | Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
02 | Tombstone Blues
07 | Highway 61 Revisited
04 | From a Buick 6
03 | It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Crain

1 | Like a Rolling Stone
2 | Ballad of a Thin Man
3 | Highway 61 Revisited
4 | Desolation Row
5 | It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry
6 | Queen Jane Approximately
7 | From a Buick 6
8 | Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
9 | Tombstone Blues

01 | Like a Rolling Stone
02 | Ballad of a Thin Man
03 | Tombstone Blues
04 | It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry
05 | Queen Jane Approximately
06 | From a Buick 6
07 | Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
08 | Highway 61 Revisited
09 | Desolation Row

I should stay this is 95% purely ranked on music, as a non native speaker, even one who has no trouble conversing fluently in the language, I still have tough time focusing on lyrics, safe for albums I have listened again and again (which means that I actually know the lyrics of the top 2 songs here relatively well, because I have listened to them quite a lot).

01 | Like a Rolling Stone
05 | Ballad of a Thin Man
02 | Tombstone Blues
06 | Queen Jane Approximately
07 | Highway 61 Revisited
09 | Desolation Row
08 | Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
03 | It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry
04 | From a Buick 6

05 | Ballad of a Thin Man *
01 | Like a Rolling Stone *
09 | Desolation Row
02 | Tombstone Blues
06 | Queen Jane Approximately
08 | Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
03 | It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Crain
04 | From a Buick 6
07 | Highway 61 Revisited

Personal favorites *
Overall album rating: 7.56

1. Like a Rolling Stone
2. Tombstone Blues
3. Desolation Row
4. Ballad of a Thin Man
5. It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry
6. Highway 61 Revisited
7. Queen Jane Approximately
8. Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
9. From A Buick 6

01 | Like a Rolling Stone
07 | Highway 61 Revisited
05 | Ballad of a Thin Man
09 | Desolation Row
02 | Tombstone Blues
08 | Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
06 | Queen Jane Approximately
03 | It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry
04 | From a Buick 6

01 | Like a Rolling Stone
09 | Desolation Row
06 | Queen Jane Approximately
05 | Ballad of a Thin Man
08 | Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
03 | It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Cry
02 | Tombstone Blues
07 | Highway 61 Revisited
04 | From a Buick 6

"Then they’ll kill him with self-confidence. After poisoning him with words."

01 | Tombstone Blues
02 | Like a Rolling Stone
03 | Desolation Row
04 | Ballad of a Thin Man
05 | Highway 61 Revisited
06 | Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
07 | From a Buick 6
08 | It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry
09 | Queen Jane Approximately

01 | Like a Rolling Stone
05 | Ballad of a Thin Man
02 | Tombstone Blues
09 | Desolation Row
08 | Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
07 | Highway 61 Revisited
04 | From a Buick 6
03 | It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Crain
06 | Queen Jane Approximately

1. Desolation row
2. Like a rolling stone
3. Tombstone blues
4. Just like Tom Thumb's blues
5. Queen Jane approximately
6. Highway 61 revisited
7. Ballad of a thin man
8. From a Buick 6
9. It takes a lot to laugh, it takes a train to cry

01 | Like a Rolling Stone
05 | Ballad of a Thin Man
09 | Desolation Row
07 | Highway 61 Revisited
02 | Tombstone Blues
06 | Queen Jane Approximately
03 | It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry
08 | Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
04 | From a Buick 6

09) Desolation Row
01) Like A Rolling Stone
08) Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
06) Queen Jane Approximately
02) Tombstone Blues
05) Ballad Of A Thin Man
03) It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry
04) From a Buick 6
07) Highway 61 Revisited

1 Like a Rolling Stone

9 Desolation Row

3 It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Crain
5 Ballad of a Thin Man

7 Highway 61 Revisited

8 Just Tom Thumb's Blues

5 Queen Jane Approximately

4 From a Buick 6
2 Tombstone Blues

9. Desolation Row
1. Like A Rolling Stone
7. Highway 61 Revisited
4. From A Buick 6
2.Tombstone Blues
5. Ballad Of A Thin Man
8. Just Like Tom Thumb Blues
6. Queen Jane Approxiamately
3. It Takes A Lot to Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry.

This album rates #4 on my all time list, and is easily my favorite Dylan - Like Rolling Stone and Desolation Row rate right up there with Gimme Shelter/Can't Get What You Want, Baba O'Riley/Won't Get Fooled Again, What's Going On/Inner City Blues and a few others as greatest album bookends of all time.

babydoll wrote:

Toni wrote:03 | From a Buick 6

I've had my moments as gamemaster where I felt I needed to be quiet, but this is somewhat wrong... (This coming from someone who ranked "A Day in the Life" as the weakest of the tracks on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.) I just... Why do you like this more than the last three?

I've got it listed 4th - it's got the best garage groove of any song on the album. Pure visceral reaction to that for me - lyrics or simplicity be damned.

Illiniq wrote:

babydoll wrote:

Toni wrote:03 | From a Buick 6

I've had my moments as gamemaster where I felt I needed to be quiet, but this is somewhat wrong... (This coming from someone who ranked "A Day in the Life" as the weakest of the tracks on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.) I just... Why do you like this more than the last three?

I've got it listed 4th - it's got the best garage groove of any song on the album. Pure visceral reaction to that for me - lyrics or simplicity be damned.

You said it all, Illiniq: visceral reaction! Lyrics in English don't have the same impact on me like lyrics in my own language (Portuguese) do, and I think it's one of the reasons I'm not so fond of Dylan. This album, though, is a very pleasant one, and that's due to the great wall of sound on songs such as "Like a Rolling Stone", to the creativity seen on "Ballad of a Thin Man" and "Just Like the Tom Thumb's Blues", and also due to the energy he displays on tracks like "Tombstone Blues" and "From a Buick 6". Strangely, though, I don't care about the title track, maybe I should listen more frequently to this album.

01| Like a Rolling Stone
08| Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
07| Highway 61 Revisited
05| Ballad of a Thin Man
03| It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry
06| Queen Jane Approximately
09| Desolation Row
04| From a Buick 6
02| Tombstone Blues

01 | Like a Rolling Stone
02 | Desolation Row
03 |Ballad of a Thin Man
04 | Highway 61 Revisited
05 | Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
06 | Tombstone Blues
07 | It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry
08 | Queen Jane Approximately
09 | From a Buick 6

1 | Like a Rolling Stone
2 | Desolation Row
3 | Tombstone Blues
4 | Highway 61 Revisited
5 | Ballad of a Thin Man
6 | Queen Jane Approximately
7 | It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry
8 | From a Buick 6
9 | Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues

1. Like a Rolling Stone
2. Desolation Row
3. Ballad of a Thin Man
4. Tombstone Blues
5. Queen Jane Approximately
6. Highway 61 Revisited
7. It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry
8. Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
9. From a Buick 6