10 '60s Albums Every Rock Fan Should Own
3. Highway 61 Revisited - Bob Dylan
Whether he liked it or not, Bob Dylan really was the face of the ‘60s counterculture generation.
With his songs like “Blowin in the Wind” and “The Times They Are A-Changin” being picked up as modern anthems, Dylan was quickly growing from a humble folk singer to one of the leading voices in the war against violence. Right when he was at his peak, Highway 61 Revisited saw Dylan make a drastic left turn into rock.
Though some folkies may have felt betrayed by the more mainstream direction Dylan was taking, this move is probably one of the most punk things any artist has ever done.
At a time when Dylan was expected to lead music into the next generation, this decisive turn into rock showed him rebelling against the very thing that made him so popular to begin with. It may have seemed like career suicide, but things got a lot more interesting when you took a look at the lyrics.
From the opening crack of “Like a Rolling Stone,” Dylan has an axe to grind on every one of these songs, as he tackles everything from celebrity culture to poverty stricken families to even calling back to the legendary crossroads meeting made by Robert Johnson all those years ago.
After years of playing it safe with danceable pop tunes, Highway 61 is where rock grew up... and it wasn' going back.