Come gather round (all ye beginners and collectors)

This collection of three (3) Dylan albums covers his most prolific years from 1962 to 1965. Album one "The Free Wheelin' Bob Dylan" is his second album and his first containing 100% Bob compositions including the world's most popular protest song Blowin' in the Wind as well as the beautiful Girl from the North Country, Corrina,Corinna and more. This album is early Dylan in acoustic mode. Next up there's Dylan in the middle of a transition between folk and rock with "Bringin' it all back home". Half acoustic and half electric this album contains classics like the spitfire Subterranian Homesick Blues, It's all over now baby blue and the weaving words in It's alright ma. Finally the third disc "Highway 61 Revistited" contains THE majestic Like a Rolling Stone as well as the lengthy Desolation Row and Highway 61 (including Dylan on Police Siren). This album is often considered his best by many Dylan fans (and critics) and together with the previous two albums completes a trilogy that is a must have for anyone interested in Dylans music. (Plus it's cheaper to buy them this way then seperatly).

Great Early Bob Collection

Freewheelin' is Bob Dylan's second album, a folk record of some of the best songs he's ever done, and he was so young. On this CD you'll find "Masters of War," a song as timely now as it was way back in 1963 and a song Dylan has revisited time and again throughout his career. "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" is on this album as well. It's my personal favorite, especially the way he performed it during the Concert for Bangla Desh with George Harrison at Madison Square Garden in 1971. If that isn't enough, Dylan performs the sweetest version of "Corina, Corina" you'll ever hear. And, of course, I have to mention, "Blowing in the Wind," perhaps the greatest protest song ever written.

If you had to choose your favorite Dylan album, well I guess you couldn't do that, so let's say if you had to choose your top five favorites, then "Bringing it All Back Home" would have to be on the list. This is the album where Dylan gave birth to folk rock when he went electric. "Subterranean Homesick Blues," is a fast electric number that's very rap like. That's right, I said rap, way back in 1965. "Maggie's Farm" is a scorcher. The two electric ballads, "Love Minis Zero-No Limit" and "She Belongs to Me," are haunting in their beauty. Rick Nelson used to sing these and his versions are just as good as Dylan's. And, of course, I can't forget to mention "Mr. Tambourine Man," a song my dad says he's been trying to figure out for almost four decades.

Some children got lullabies, but my hippie parents played Dylan all they time, especially "Highway 61 Revisited", no "Mary had a Little Lamb" in our house. So pardon me if I'm a little biased toward this one. Their isn't a bad song on "Highway 61 Revisited," and there isn't even any songs that are better than the others, they're all outstanding. Everybody's heard "Like a Rolling Stone" a song that coulda been the Stones anthem (in fact they did get around to recording it thirty-five years later). "Like a Rolling Stone," is the rocker that starts the album and "Desolation Row," is the eerie, very long song that ends it. I feel like I'm slighting the great songs in between, but I just can't list them all, but they are all superb.

This is a great combination of CD and a wonderful way to start your Dylan collection.

Reviewed by Stephanie Sane