4.5 stars - Some of the best work of Dylan's folk period

The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1963.) Bob Dylan's second album.



In 1962, Bob Dylan, the now legendary folk-rocker, released his debut album, which was self-titled. Although the debut was excellent, it also left a lot to be desired (for instance, the production was shoddy and most of the songs were covers.) The following year, Dylan released his second LP, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. How does he measure up the second time around? Read on and find out!



To put it in the simplest terms possible, Dylan manages to avoid the sophomore jinx that has inflicted so many famous musicians over the years; this album is an improvement over its predecessor in every way. Obviously, there are more Dylan originals here this time around, and that helps the overall quality of the album. There are also two big hits that emerged from this LP. The first of which, Blowin' In The Wind, is not only one of Bob Dylan's most popular songs of all time - it has become one of the most popular folk songs ever recorded. The other big hit is the lesser-known but still excellent Don't Think Twice It's All Right. And, of course, the excellence of the album doesn't stop there. Most of the tracks on this album are unknown to the casual Dylan fan, and that's a shame, because there are so many excellent ones on here. There really isn't a whole lot else to say, other than this - Of all the records that Bob Dylan recorded during his folk period, this is probably the best one overall.



Today (as of December 17, 2004), this album is now readily available in two formats - A regular CD version and an SACD Hybrid version. The album is also available in a three-disc discount set. Take my advice - Since the SACD Hybrid version costs quite a bit more than the regular reissue, don't get it unless you've got a SACD player. If you're starting a Dylan collection, either get the standard version, or get the three-disc discount set (it's like getting three albums for the price of two.)



In the end, this stands as one of Mr. Dylan's finest efforts. Many casual fans of Dylan tend to overlook his folk period (which is covered by his first few albums), and this is greatly disappointing, since this era shows you Dylan as he was - before he became a music legend. Every fan of his, casual or die-hard, should definitely check this album out.

A Contrarian's View of Dylan

Bob rarely does the same thing twice (well - he rarely does the same thing three times in a row), and here on his second album he's already changing things around. Gone are most of the covers (only "Corrina, Corrina" remains). Instead we get a lot of Bob Dylan in his own words. In fact two of the songs include his name in the title ("Bob Dylan's Blues" and "Bob Dylan's Dream"). And furthermore The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan is a good album. He manages to create a fairly wide diversity of styles with his limited instrumental palette of voice, guitar, and harmonica. Although there is one song one here, "Corrina, Corrina", which features outside musicians - upright bass and brushed drums - for the first time (unless you count the deleted single "Mixed-Up Confusion") already showing Bob's frustration with that limitation. While the album is best known for its finger-pointing protest songs ("Blowin' In The Wind", "Masters Of War", "Oxford Blues", and "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall"), there's a lot more to it than that. There are a couple of great touching sad songs (the classic "Girl From North Country" and "Don't Think Twice"). And there's also a lot of fun goofy songs that are as well remembered - "Talkin' World War II Blues", "Honey, Just Allow Me One More Chance", and "I Shall Be Free". There's also a couple examples of a common Bob Dylan M.O.: a standard 12-bar blues progression that he plays like he invented it, as a vehicle for some of his wild and wooly words: "Bob Dylan's Blues" and "Down The Highway".

A Kind of Warning

Released in March of 1963 this album, unlike his first, consists mostly of songs by Mr. Dylan himself. The songs, everyone a gem, seem to be a running commentary on what it must have been like to be in young in the early Sixties and getting mixed messages from those in power. JFK was alive with the promise of hope and a New Frontier, yet the war in Vietnam was hotting up.



Songs like the lead off "Blowin' in the Wind," "Talking World War III Blues," "A Hard Rain," and "Masters of War," which appears to be just as relevant now as it was forty years ago, seem to be a somber message of the turbulent times to come.



With "Don't Think Twice," "Girl From the North Country," and "Corrina, Corrina," Mr. Dylan shows us that he's not just about protesting and complaining, that he can sing the tender ballads as well, and why not, this was a time of hope, there was tenderness in 1963, however there were storm clouds on the horizon, Dallas and a full blown war were coming and this record seems to be a warning.



Jack Priest, Writer from the Darkside

Not Disappointed

I haven't listened to many folk songs, and even less Bob Dylan (only "Tangled Up in Blue," "Simple Twist of Fate," and the "Everybody must get stoned" song), but I like this album. I read the beginning of a book called Studio 1: The Bob Dylan Reader, and I heard mention of this album, so I went to a record store and bought The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. His girlfriend (I forgot her name) is on the front and back.

There are political songs, like "Blowin' in the Wind," "Masters of War" (which is very relevant to today), and "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall."

Many humorous songs, too - "Bob Dylan's Blues," Talkin' World War III Blues," and I Shall Be Free" ("Make love to Elizabeth Taylor, catch hell from Richard Burton").

Plus love songs - "Girl from the North Country," `Corrina, Corrina" (the only track with drums, I think), and "Honey Just Allow Me One More Chance."

I like "Oxford Town" and "Corrina, Corrina" best.

I shouldn't categorize the songs and try to pigeonhole them; listening to the album as a whole, I don't categorize - I just listen.

As my first Bob Dylan CD, I am not disappointed. In the future, the Dylan albums I purchase will, hopefully, be as good as this one.

Okay second album...

Bob has pretty well buried "Blowin' in the Wind" these days, and "A Hard Rains..." not as great as I was hoping that it would be. This is, for me, the hardest Dylan album to listen to. How could it be great when it gets to its climax about Taylor and Burton? A little too optimistic, and a little too cute to be cool. "Masters of War" scared me, and I don't even know where that came from. "Don't Think Twice..." is a great tune, but it doesn't fit in with something like "Chimes of Freedom", which wasn't as great a song as it should have been. Again, there is intrusive harmonica and the bellowing vocal powerhouse of its creator, so it hardly sounds different than the rest. Although as he matured, his songwriting hit a creative and stimulating peak, which was a few years in the future at the time of this release. Check it out, but don't expect HIGHWAY 61 REVISITED.

SACD Version is Great

I am thrilled with the SACD version of this classic. It's given me a chance to get to experience one of Dylan's greatest albums all over again. It's hard to express how fine the SACD sound is. Maybe the best way I can explain it is this: think about how much new detail you hear when you listen to a favorite album for the first time through headphones. The ambience, the pick on the guitar strings, the voice in breathy detail. SACD gives you that through regular speakers. Plus, the sound is definitely warm and atmospheric, no harsh highs like on the regular CDs. I can't wait to see the whole Dylan catalog released on SACD.