Classic Of The Week: Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan – Highway 61 revisited

This album expresses death, love, confusion, nihilism, brutal realisation and his expression of society’s behaviour of the day, brought everybody who took the time to listen to Highway 61 revisited, to a new awareness of themself and the people that surround them.

The reason that this album is better than the rest of his great albums, is his expansion of sound and his embrace of the sound of rock that gives a stronger emotive feel to his lyrics.

This album wasn’t seen by all people as a great piece of work when it was released folk enthusiasts labelled Bob Dylan as a traitor. In a recorded live show somebody in the crowd shouted Judas when he walked onto the stage. People didn’t understand the impact that Highway 61 revisited had on music. If you take into account that this album was released in 1965 you will find that it changed the way people thought of what rock and roll music can do. He showed the world that you can write intelligent lyrics on rock structured music and how the words can be emphasised on different chord progressions in rock and roll.

Apart from the impact that this album had, all the songs are really remarkable on Highway 61 revisited. From the epic hook in “Ballad of a Thin Man” – “something is going on here, but you don’t know what it is, do you, Mr Jones.” to the beautiful, soothing song “Queen Jane’s Approximately” and the fast paced rock and roll song “Tombstone blues,” the album ends off with one of my favourite songs “Desolation Row”.

This is truly a great album, give it a listen. ▲
- Jacques Fourie