The Perfect Way to Get Initiated to Bob Dylan

According to my dad, Bob Dylan had an accident on his motorcycle sometime after "Blonde on Blonde" was released and it was looking like it was going to be a long time before he was going to record again, if ever, so Colombia put out this "Greatest Hits" record with the unrelased "Positively 4th Street" on it. The song became a big single for the label and it's easy to see why, it's like a relationship closure kind of song, something unheard of in the Sixties. It must have been so weird back then for the suits in the biz, putting out this kind of music when they didn't have a clue. It's a great song, so even if you already have all the other releases that came out before this, you should buy the "Greatest Hit" CD anyway, just for that one song. It's worth it.

Because there were only four albums between "Greatest Hits, Vol. 2" and "Greatest Hits" a lot of people didn't think there was enough `hit' material for another record, but they were wrong, almost every song on "Highway 61" and "Bringing it all Back Home" are so called `hit material. However, the folks at Colombia and Mr. D. himself were aware of the criticizism they might get so they included enough new stuff to keep his fans happy, such as three new recordings Dylan did with banjo player Happy Traum "Crash on the Levee (Down in the Flood)," "I Shall Be Released," and "You Ain't Going Nowhere." Also this is the only album where you'll find, the two songs Leon Russell produced for Dylan, "When I Paint My Master Piece," and "Watching the River Flow" and then there is that haunting version of "Tomorrow is a Long Time," recorded live. This is a must have five star record.

This is a very interesting album and there are two ways of looking at it. One, if you're are like me, a died in the wool Dylan fan, then you've already got everything here, except "Dignity," recorded during the "Oh Mercy" sessions, and you probably wouldn't be too interested in "Hits Three," because "Dignity," alone isn't a strong enough reason to get this record. However, if you're not a huge fan, but you like Mr. D enough that you already own his popular records, but you've shied away from what a lot of critiques have called his weaker ones, then the this record is for you, cuz you can get the beautiful "Silvio" without having to buy "Down in the Groove," you can get "The Groom's Still Waiting at the Altar," without having to suffer through the lesser songs on "Shot of Love." You get "Under the Red Sky," without have to listen to the rest of the songs on the album of the same name, You get "Brownsville Girl," without having to hear the rest of "Knocked Out Loaded." You get "Knockin' on Heaven's Door," which many think is the only reason one would ever want to buy the "Pat Garret and Billy the Kid" soundtrack. Personally, I like and own all the above mentioned albums, both on CD and Vinyl. But a lot of people don't and these are unquestionably the best songs on those records, a great way for the non-fan who kind of likes Dylan to get this material. And since the music is sooooo good, sooooo cool, I'm giving this record five stars

There you have it, three five star records in one set, for way less money than if you bought them separately. If you're new to Mr. D, this is the perfect way for you to get initiated.

Reviewed by Stephanie Sane