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I was 13 years old when I purchased this recording on "LP" format. In the 40 intervening years this work has never lost it's original impact.
The beauty of Dylan's poetry on this album - before the days of MTV and the necessity to be gorgeous and cool -is definitely worth the price of admission.
My highschool English teacher had us study Dylan's work because he recognized genius when he ran across it. He was right.
Acquire this classic and seminal work..
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A definite contrast, hence the title, to his previous album, the dark, folk protest album The Times They Are A-Changin', Another Side of Bob Dylan was Dylan's most eclectic and accomplished album up to this point. These were not only his best lyrics yet-staunch, poetic, and personal-but also featured his most diverse set of musical backing. Although there are a couple of undoubted classics here (particularly the excellent songs Chimes of Freedom and It Ain't Me, Babe; both indispensable classics), but what makes this one so great is the album tracks. Several have never appeared in any form on any subsequent Dylan release. We get everything from absurd, rambling narraritives like I Shall Be Free No. 10 and Motorpshycho Nightmare (both quite funny, in their classic Dylan style), to touching, heartfelt pieces like I Don't Believe You and Ballad In Plain D. Showing a growing musical (and certainly lyrical) sophistication that would eventually come to full fruition on his next three albums, Another Side of Bob Dylan is a pivotal record in his career, and a great one.
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This record has a special place in my heart, as this is the very first Dylan album I listened too all the way through. And let me tell you, it has all the prerequisites of a great record to boot!
This release, recorded in an single night session (what a session that must have been!), is the true followup to his phenomenal FREEWHEELIN' release of 1963. Going through 11 compositions, with 5 being covered by other artists to later become big hits, this release shows Dylan far and away from the protest of the lp before this. Indeed, "My Back Pages" points toward his turning away from the protest movement. The opening track, as I read it, is telling the rest of the world Dylan doesn't want to be any spokesman, but just your friend. And "It Ain't Me Babe", besides the literal reading of a person saying he won't be a woman's lover, is much the same message as the opening track, but this time much more direct and confrontational. He ain't the spokesman for the protest movement, so get over it.
The rest of the collection stands out, from the poetic imagery reminiscent of "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall" dispensed in "Chimes of Freedom", pleasant throwaways ("I Shall Be Free #10", "Motopyscho Nitemare"), and while I found the line about the monkey doing the cat troublesome, but the reference to Hitchcock in "Nitemare" is worth the price of admission.
The rest really stand out, but a particular highlight is "Ballad in Plain D", the story of his breakup with Suze Rotolo (for those of you who are curious, she is the girl pictured with Bob on THE FREEWHEELIN' BOB DYLAN. According to family members, she still gets recognized for this contribution to Dylan's album. Now she's a freelance artist and still lives in the Village). As a previous reviewer noted, Dylan said this is the one track he wish he had left in the vaults, because it is so personal. Never again in the 1960s would we get such an intimate look at Dylan's personal life as we get on this track. As a man notorious for his love of privacy (although that is only reasonable), this is indeed a very rare opprotunity, Dylan won't grant that liberty till the 1975 release BLOOD ON THE TRACKS, a full 11 years later. For that reason alone we should pay attention to it. "I Don't Believe You" is another favorite of mine, and you really should check out the electric interpretation found on THE BOOTLEG SERIES VOLUME 4: THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL CONCERT. "Black Crow Blues" is notable for its piano, the only track to have an additional instrument besides guitar and harmonica.
Just as a side note: Dylan didn't want to name it ANOTHER SIDE. He thought that was stating the obvious. And to some degree it is. You can tell by this record he's getting bored with folk music and instead wants to go onto bigger and better things. Rock and roll is the natural progression for Dylan at this stage in the game. Again, it's easy to point at now, but for those folk listeners in the 1960s it must have been a major surprise when Dylan's next lp came out. Ah, but that is another story.
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Any Dylan fan, or anyone who wishes to hear some of his best, must have this album. If the rest of the album were poor, which it is not, it would still rank as a great listen because of My Back Pages and Chimes of Freedom. The former, especially, may have been Dylan's greatest composition. This is a song that second guesses the youthful exuberance that defined the 60s generation and made it blind to any other perspective. How did Dylan write this song when he was, what, only 25 or so himself.
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This is one of Bob's finest CD's. As a huge Dylan fan this is one of my favorite cd's to listen to at any time. Ballad in plain D is one of the best songs on it. Everyone should deffinatly own it.
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