Bob Dylan - The Times They Are A-Changin' (1964)
I find myself spending a lot of time listening to music that could be over simplified with the word "folk." Iron & Wine, Josh Ritter, The Mountain Goats, The Avett Brothers, Conor Oberst, Bon Iver, Sufjan Stevens and so on fill my speakers with modern day strumming and crooning on a regular basis. Clearly, these guys have all listened to, imitated, and possibly worshipped the greatness of Dylan at various points in their lives.
When people ask me which era I prefer, I surprise them (and myself sometimes) by selecting the electric Dylan. Blood On the Tracks, Highway 61 Revisited, Blonde On Blonde, and Bringing It All Back Home, will always rank over The Freewheelin' and the disc I spun this morning on my way in. Discounting the early parts of Dylan's catalog, however, would be like ignoring Please Please Me or A Hard Day's Night and the monumental impact they had on popular music.
I have to tell you that the minimalistic sounds of the acoustic, the man's voice and his harmonica hit the spot on this dreary morning. Traffic was surprisingly light for a Monday, so I was actually able to take in and absorb these stories of injustice, poverty and love. I'm not always in the mood for it, but tell me you don't hear Dylan rubbing off a little bit on Sam Beam (Iron & Wine) in "Boots of Spanish Leather." Talk about a timeless bit of musical mastery. There are plenty more "wow" moments throughout this classic. Give it a chance.
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