Mr. D. When he was Young and at his Best

"Freewheeling'" 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.

My father told me he was disappointed in "The Times They Are A-Changin'" and when I asked why, he said that it wasn't nearly as good as "Freewheelin.'" And there you have the problem with a lot of Dylan fans, Bob is always changing, moving on and it's hard for his fans to keep up. The title song of this album is a raging protest against the establishment, one young people could still be singing today. "Girl from the North Country" is a tender love song that zings straight to your heart. "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll," a ballad that just makes you want to scream, "Why!" My dad was wrong about this record back then, thankfully he knows it now.

My dad liked "Another Side" better than "Freewheelin'" but I did not. Sure it's a great record that includes "It Ain't Me Babe," A different kind of love song, way different, and "Chimes of Freedom" made popular back then by the Byrds, and "My Back Pages," the ultimate song about growing up, "I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now." How can anybody put it better than that?

This set is an excellent way to get started on a Bob Dylan collection if you don't already own these records. It's also some of Mr. D's best work.

Reviewed by Stephanie Sane

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind...

Make this known; if you enjoy the best of Bob Dylan then you already own these three CDs. However if you enjoy great music but don't own these three classic Dylan sets (shame on you) then this is the way to get them. They're essential '60s folk from the greatest poet of the past 50 years with great sound, coming at an exceedingly low price. (Less than 8$ per CD, in fact) If you insist on knowing more let me review each one for you.

The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan- 4 Stars The weakest of three. While much of it is average and it contains its share of filler (Honey Just Allow Me One More Chance is one of Dylan's worst) it also contains some of the greatest material of Dylan's career and in all of music (A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall, Blowin' in the Wind, Girl from the North Country, Don't Think Twice Its All Right, Masters of War). Essential folk and protest music.

The Times They Are a Changin- 5 stars The most consistent and most satisfying of the three albums. Its still folk, but not quite as traditional. Captures Dylan at his most whimsical as a poet, giving us vivid images and fascinating lyrics through his music. Not a bad song in the set. Up there with Dylan's best poetry (Behind Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61, Blonde on Blond, and Time out of Mind.)

Another Side of Bob Dylan- 5 stars Another step in Bob Dylan's evolution. He may still be using accoustic guitar, but Dylan now has some rock 'n' roll attitude to back up his folk style. Here he moves beyond protest music, becoming far more witty and loose. While it is inconsistent (but with less filler than Freewheelin') classics such as My Back Pages, Chimes of Freedom, All I Really Want to Do, and It Ain't Me Babe this is a 5 star classic.

So if you are a long time Dylan collector, then you already have these albums in some form or another, so this is obsolete to you. But if you need to get some high quality Dylan at a nice price this box set is something you should get today. And if you don't have them (and I'd hate to be you if you don't) get Blonde on Blonde/Blood on the Tracks/Time Out of Mind (Another Bob Dylan box set) and Highway 61 Revisited while you're at it. YOU WILL NEVER REGRET IT!

P.S. Why are you still reading this. Get them NOW!

The Chimes Of Freedom Flashing

Putting these three albums together in a box set is a great idea. You can hear Zimmy changing and evolving in almost every cut. It's interesting to hear how well some of his more traditional "folk" renditions hold up over time. "Corinna Corinna" retains an astonishing beauty. Some of his other works, though, come across as nothing more than pedantic rants. Listening to these discs in order, as a set, give you a great feeling for how Dylan invented himself, and continually honed and modified that creation.

It's a pretty uneven mix, which makes for an interesting whole. I'd like to give the works a collective five stars, but the obvious self-indulgence of about a quarter of the material prevents me.

Still, I must pay tribute to how this early work molded and changed me. The best of the stuff provided brief, brilliant flashes of light on my dark and tragic adolesence. They were, for me, the chimes of freedom flashing.