10 Classic Rock Albums That Changed Music Forever
7. Highway 61 Revisited - Bob Dylan
By the time the mid-60's rolled around, folk rock just started to come to fruition as one of rock's leading voices. After the glow of the British Invasion began to dwindle, people were looking to acts like the Byrds and Buffalo Springfield for a new kind of sound away from the typical blues rock. Bob Dylan was rightfully celebrated as the king of this scene, but it was not a title he ever felt comfortable with.
Dylan's first forays into more rock instrumentation left his folk fans feeling jilted while Dylan himself became more and more frustrated with how the press were handling his lyrics. Out of all Dylan's inner frustrations came Highway 61 Revisited, which was one of the most accurate snapshots he could have mustered. "Like A Rolling Stone" was quickly picked up as a symbol for the new sounds of the 60's, but the tone is much more uncertain that you would think. This is the sound of a man caught in the middle of cultural lines, not particularly wanting to choose either side.
The rest of the album is an absolute triumph, with Dylan lambasting his skeptics on "Ballad of a Thin Man" and bringing everything to a somber end on "Desolation Row." Though he always downplayed his unofficial title as Spokesman for a Generation, Highway 61 Revisited is a glimpse into Dylan the man as opposed to Dylan the pop idol.