***3/4. Plenty of gems. Occational weirdness as well

This album is perhaps not quite as remarkable as "The Freeweheelin' Bob Dylan" or "The Times They Are A-Changin'", and certainly not as highly touted, but "Another Side" is nevertheless a highly imaginative record with a broader musical spectrum than Dylan's earliest folk records.



The album's title may well be taken literally..."Another Side Of Bob Dylan" is quite different from its predecessor, "The Times They Are A-Changin'", which was a strict folk record filled with harsh, uncompromising protest songs.

Here on Bob Dylan's fourth album you'll find straight blues (a fine "Black Crow Blues"), poetic love songs ("To Ramona"), and whimsical surrealism (the humorous narrative "Motorpsycho Nitemare").

More casual listeners who prefer Dylan is his later electric rock n' roll guise may be turned off somewhat by the fact that this is simply Bob Dylan, an acoustic guitar, a harmonica rack, and a nasal whining sound! Still, you can't deny that there are several gems here, including "It Ain't Me Babe", "Chimes Of Freedom", "I Don't Believe You", and "My Back Pages".

If you're into early Dylan, "Another Side" is one you should pick up right after "Freewheelin'" and "Times".

***3/4. Several early gems here. Occational weirdness, too

This album is perhaps not quite as remarkable as "The Freeweheelin' Bob Dylan" or "The Times They Are A-Changin'", and certainly not as highly touted, but "Another Side" is nevertheless a highly imaginative record with a broader musical spectrum than Dylan's earliest folk records.



The album's title may well be taken literally..."Another Side Of Bob Dylan" is quite different from its predecessor, "The Times They Are A-Changin'", which was a strict folk record filled with harsh, uncompromising protest songs.

Here on Bob Dylan's fourth album you'll find straight blues (a fine "Black Crow Blues"), poetic love songs ("To Ramona"), and whimsical surrealism (the humorous narrative "Motorpsycho Nitemare").

More casual listeners who prefer Dylan is his later electric rock n' roll guise may be turned off somewhat by the fact that this is simply Bob Dylan, an acoustic guitar, a harmonica rack, and a nasal whining sound! Still, you can't deny that there are several gems here, including "It Ain't Me Babe", "Chimes Of Freedom", "I Don't Believe You", and "My Back Pages".

If you're into early Dylan, "Another Side" is one you should pick up right after "Freewheelin'" and "Times". This 2003 SACD-edition is a digipack, featuring magnificent sound quality, a 5.1 surround mix, and reproductions of all original artwork.

A Bob Dylan masterpiece? Perhaps Not.

Sorry, I must be honest: ths is Not a masterpiece.

I own many Bob Dylan albums, and I really like him, but this is -by far - my least favorite album of his.

The whole album lacks melody. The lyrics are good, but the songs are long, even tough the songs are incredibly boring.

The big problem is, you cannot say No to this album, because you're suffering in a really curious disease: you must say Masterpiece, to anything, you think you'll like, and this is Terrible!

Let's face it: musically the album is weak, you must admit it. A little accoustic guitar and a bit of harmonica cannot satisfy me.

Sorry boys & girls, I must take heart against your fury & your 'Not-helpful-review-voting-angry-mouse-clicking': this album is a BIG MUCKER.

A Contrarian's View of Dylan

Another Side is right. Two albums of finger-pointing songs and Bob's already bored again and ready to move on. Although many critics tend to think of Another Side­ Of Bob Dylan as an electric album without the electric instruments, since the words have a lot more in common with Bringing It All Back Home or Highway 61 Revisited than they do with The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan or The Times They Are A Changin'. But really it's another acoustic album. And of Bob's first four solo acoustic albums, this is my least favorite. I'm not sure why I don't like it more. It features some of the last of Bob's out-and-out funny songs (only "Bob Dylan's 115th Dream" really remain until the Traveling Wilbury days), and a lot of them ("Motorpsycho Nightmare", "All I Want To Do", and "I Shall Be Free No. 10"). He's once again attempting to expand his range with the piano-playing "Black Crow Blues". It's not that I'm upset that his lyrics have abandoned the sloganeering of Woody Guthrie for the rambling of Jack Kerouac. It's just that funny songs aren't as funny; the love songs aren't as touching. The music isn't as interesting. "My Back Pages" and "It Ain't Me, Babe" are good songs, but these performances are so uninspired that it'd take other performances (by Bob not the Byrds or the Turtles) to really show them off. "Chimes Of Freedom" is just annoying. Really, my favorite song on here is the one that everyone (including Bob himself) seems most embarrassed by: "Ballad In Plain D". First of it's a great title. The main reason I think everyone doesn't like it is because it's too personal, too mean, reveals too many details. They probably are, but I don't really mind. Not being the kind of person who digs through Bob's garbage to find out more about his private life, I couldn't tell. Really they only part of Dylan's personal life is the part he puts down on record. The rest is really none of my business - or even interest.

A Great Album

I'm something of a Bob Dylan neophyte...I haven't heard very much of his music. So, a big part of the reason I loved this album is that it has a great range. It has songs that highlight Dylan's sensitive side (such as 'To Ramona'), and it also has two songs that show his spectacular creative wit ('Motorpsycho Nitemare' and 'I Shall Be Free No. 10'). Other reasons to buy this album are 'The Spanish Harlem Incident' and 'Chimes of Freedom.'

A turning point in rock lyrics.

This album represents a turning point, not just in Dylan's career, but in rock music, with Bob developing his writing style of unique metaphors and chains of random imagery that was to became so influential in rock music lyrics from this point on. It also represents his turning away from overt social statements and topical songs (a manifesto explicitly stated in "My Back Pages"). This album was recorded quickly, with just Dylan on guitar or piano and harmonica. At first listen the sparse production is a bit off-putting. The opener, "All I Really Want to Do", depsite being a great song, is rather irritating due to his falsetto singing. Many of the songs could definitely have used a more upbeat tempo, particularly, "It Ain't Me Babe", "All I Really Want to Do" and "Chimes of Freedom". (Although most of the up tempo covers of these songs by other artists - i.e. Sonny and Cher, The Byrds - are too "cutesy" for my liking.) Some songs drag on a verse or two too long. One can argue that Dylan deliberately wanted some songs to be overly long and so to fully appreciate the album you need to understand that. He was anti-pop, without question, and that was/is a great part of his fan appeal. All that being said, given a few listenings, this album does grow on you. And while it's famous for the songs mentioned above there are some sleepers here that are just excellent - "Black Crown Blues" and "Spanish Harlem Incident" in particular. Perhaps the two most (deliberately) hilarious songs Dylan ever wrote are on this album ("I Shall Be Free No. 10", "Motorpsycho Nightmare"). The album really needed some tightening up and more instrumentation would have helped enourmously. Obviously, he figured that out and his next few albums have similar lyrical style, but much better presentation. And he performed several of the songs from this album with full electric backing in later years - and they sound great - i.e. "I Don't Believe You"). Despite any complaints, this is a marvelous album. Four and a half stars.

Freedom is Flashing, Can We Lose it?

There are probably boat loads of people out there who will disagree with me, but I think the best song on this album is "To Ramona". It's stood the test of time, this I know, because I've got in on my favorite Dylan playlist in iTunes. It ain't just no silly lovesong, it's a portrait painted in words. Words that will take you in, move you and leave you wanting more. "I Don't Believe You" is another song like that and it's also one of the songs he chose to electrify during his 66 tour. A powerful song with our without the band. Of course, everybody is familiar with "It Ain't me Babe," a song done by a lot of people, but in the end Dylan's version is the best. And if you don't believe, like I do, that America is losing her way, give a listen to "Chime of Freedom", and just maybe you'll change your mind.



Jack Priest, Sailor Home from the Sea

PLUG HIM IN! PLUG HIM IN!

Another Side of Bob Dylan is a release that is not exactly essential Dylan. The trademark poetry is somewhat there but does not contain the words that would lead one to proclaim Dylan as a visionary or prophet. The references between the numbers are simply too specific and erstwhile (e.g. Cassius Clay before changing his name to Muhammad Ali and Barry Goldwater as an active, energetic force in government).



Chimes of Freedom, It Ain't Me, Babe and All I Really Want to Do are perhaps the best known songs and reveal a songwriter whose talents were emerging into stages of maturity. The other tracks are good but, on average, are mere fillers in comparison to the aforestated three.



All in all, Another Side of Bob Dylan was a good offering to the world of popular music when it came out in 1964. As a reissue, it still is. However, Another Side pales in comparison to the electric-and-acoustic catalogue that would comprise of the almost immediate followups of Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde.



In the Hybrid SACD format, Another Side of Bob Dylan sounds great, but it is still Dylan in his earlier, rawer stages. For those mostly accustomed to Positively 4th Street, Like a Rolling Stone, or anything else from Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits, do not expect a masterpiece but a key foundation to a career that has come to flourish for at least four decades.

This is a much more difficult recording...

and if you aren't patient, you may not make it through it. It seems like each song is longer than the one that preceeded it, and this in no way is going to be stopped. I enjoy Dylan's literary lyrics, his light strumming, and his voice isn't that nerve-wracking. But this isn't BRINGING IT ALL BACK HOME. He plays piano on one blues tune, blows the harmonica so loud at other times that it hurts your ears, and does his idea of a falsetto on the opening cut (which I gather is supposed to be comical). A lot of the songs are funny, some are serious, and others are word-plays that go from 'what did he say?' to 'did he sing what I think he sang?' So if you like Dylan, pick it up because I think it is a decent album to listen to, but if you're either uninitiated or unsympathetic towwards Dylan's poetry, steer clear. The music may sound tuneless and anti-melodic, but the structures were practically designed for the words.