1. Bringing It All Back Home
Bringing It All Back Home features Dylan at the height of his lyrical powers. Often seen as a bit of a crossroads between his earlier career as a folk/protest singer, a reputation he had actively been trying to distance himself from, and his later career as a Rock & Roll star, Bringing It All Back Home somehow manages to become its own thing entirely. The album opened with Subterranean Homesick Blues, a fast paced, electric piece of music filled with references to the burgeoning counter culture. The influence of Subterranean Homesick Blues can be seen in Rap music and because of a scene in D.A Pennebakers Don't Look Back, it is often seen as the forerunner of modern music videos. All the songs on the album are memorable as it contains classics such as Maggie's Farm, which marked his separation from the folk music community, Love Minus Zero/No Limit, a tribute to his future wife filled with fascinating literary allusions, Gates of Eden, a portrait of a decaying society, and It's All Right, Ma(I'm Only Bleeding), one of the best examples of Dylan's literary talent. The highlight of the album, and arguably of Dylan's whole career, is Mr. Tambourine Man. Interpreted both as an allusion to LSD and as an invocation of Dylan's muse, Mr. Tambourine Man features some of the most impressive lyrics ever put into a piece of popular music. The songs on Bringing It All Back Home have inspired much analysis, particularly It's All Right, Ma(I'm Only Bleeding) and Mr. Tambourine Man. It's All Right, Ma(I'm Only Bleeding) takes the listener on a bewildering seven minute journey through apocalyptic imagery and social critique that features some of Dylan's most memorable lines. Bringing It All Back Home is the best example of Bob Dylan's gift for songwriting, espoused in the several masterpieces that appear on the album. Freed from his earlier career as a protest singer and before all the distractions that came from his Rock & Roll days, Dylan created his most enduring collection of songs that show his fullest range as a poet, musician, and artist.