POLLING THUNDER REVUE: The Bob Dylan Poll Results Thread (He Acts Like We Never Have Met)

much prefer harvey's version of 'highway 61' to the original (which i've always found annoying and grating despite the awesome lyrics).

― (The Other) J.D. (J.D.),

otm. Very high on my ballot.

I completely forgot about PJ Harvey's cover -- should have been on my ballot.

Bob Dylan: Albums

34 voters. 68 albums of various kinds received votes. Here's the top 20.

20. Before The Flood (1974)
(8 votes, 154 points)

http://0.tqn.com/d/create/1/0/a/q/6/-/Dylan-Flood.jpg

This has some of my all-time favorite Dylan live cuts, including "Most Likely You Go Your Way," which just rages.

19. World Gone Wrong (1993)
(13 votes, 230 points)

http://classicrockmag.nl/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/bdwgw.jpg

cool ass poll folks wish i woulda had the gumption to vote

you bum!

18. Oh Mercy (1989)
(11 votes, 1 1st-place vote, 231 points)

http://untappedcities.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Bob-Dylan-Oh-Mercy-Album-Cover.jpg

don't worry EZ i have plenty of energy to second-guess you guys :P

(no mercy is my least fav of his "great" albums)

At least you have your priorities straight.

is it a Great Album or Part #131 in The Comeback Series

17. The Times They Are A-Changin' (1964)
(12 votes, 255 points)

http://www.vinylweb.nl/3425-2317-thickbox_default/bob-dylan-the-times-they-are-a-changin-mono-first-release.jpg

http://www.vinylweb.nl/3425-2317-thickbox_default/bob-dylan-the-times-they-are-a-changin-mono-first-release.jpg

Didactic sumbitch on this one, but he sings it like he means it.

i used to kind of hate on the early ones but the mono version kinda won me over, he was a great folksinger

This one is entirely too low, imo.

16. Modern Times (2006)
(13 votes, 293 points)

http://www.jpc.de/image/w600/front/0/0828768760611.jpg

My favorite of the late era, and one of my favorite vocal albums by anyone.

I have zero love for Modern Times. A few good songs, but I hate how it sounds.

world gone wrong too low but i didn't vote

world gone wrong eats oh mercy alive

Yup. Would have voted for it but I voted for a ton of boots instead.

OK, here's where I had to make Controversial Poll-runner Decision #1: Most people (including me) voted for Vols. 1-3 as a single unit, because that's how it was released and generally presented. I know that the discs are also available separately, or at least have been. But clearly most people think of this as one album, not three. So that's how I counted it. For the few people who voted for multiple volumes of it in different slots, I awarded the points based on your highest placing of any of the volumes, and then moved up any of your lower votes to compensate for the gaps in your ballot. Feel free to second-guess me, but this is how it shook out.

15. The Bootleg Series Vols. 1-3 (Rare and Unreleased) 1961-1991 (1991)
(15 votes, 339 points)

https://a2-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/149/397aa12367384ab2a723c3f40314b018/600x600.jpg

14. Time Out Of Mind (1997)
(18 votes, 347 points)

http://img.maniadb.com/images/album/111/111086_1_f.jpg

13. Desire (1976)
(15 votes, 1 1st-place vote, 376 points)

http://tangledupinmusic.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/bdylan-desire_08.jpg

12. New Morning (1970)
(16 votes, 1 1st-place vote, 394 points)

https://highfidelityla.com/covers/big/R-1485331-1312855985.jpeg

11. Another Side of Bob Dylan (1964)
(18 votes, 412 points)

http://www.vinileshop.it/vinili/images/bob-dylan-Another-Side-of-Bob-Dylan-vinile-lp2.jpg

oh hey just catching up here, fast is fine!

LOL at:

every person who voted for this song awarded it the maximum number of possible points, so it wins, or loses.

Shakey u need to listen to that Fairport version ASAP

I'm gonna be digging into those cover versions for a while, it's like a having tribute album that's actually good

Depending upon Royal Albert, probably most could guess the top 10 at this point. Just hope Love and Theft isn't #1 (doubtful, I would think).

xposts I love the gulf between that photo on Another Side, where he still seems precocious and trying a little hard, and the cover of Bringing It All Back Home, where it all clicks and he becomes something else.

lol who voted for Desire #1?

Sort of vindicating to see the maligned Desire place just above the overrated Time Out of Mind. Does the first place voter wish to reveal themselves? I'd like to shake yr hand.

I had it at #3

Into the top 10, and speaking of becoming something else.

10. Nashville Skyline (1969)
(20 votes, 2 1st-place votes, 459 points)

http://static.usenetmusic.com/covers/sources/b/ba/ba0/ba0d672b-58dc-779c-3b07-326894ea3e87.jpg

My #1

I love the gulf between that photo on Another Side, where he still seems precocious and trying a little hard, and the cover of Bringing It All Back Home, where it all clicks and he becomes something else.

absolutely. Cover of BIABH is like Lou Reed's line: "my week beats your year"

U.S. Maple was robbed in the covers poll, btw.

And here we go with Controversial Poll-runner Decision #2: The votes reflected here were for The Basement Tapes specifically, which imo is a discrete collection of recordings made commercially available in 1975. There were, however, also some votes for the full A Tree With Roots set, and also a few for Mixin' Up the Medicine/The Safety Tape. So. Depending on your own prejudices, you can add the votes for A Tree With Roots (137 points) and/or The Safety Tape (81 points) to this one. Which, by my calculation, would bump it up to 5th place.

9. The Basement Tapes (1975)
(19 votes, 4 1st-place votes, 544 points)

http://robbie-robertson.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/The-Basement-Tapes-Dylan-Band1.jpg

This one is entirely too low, imo.

*16. /Modern Times/ (2006)*
/(13 votes, 293 points)/

otm. This was in my top 5 (might've been my #2). Easily up there with Blonde for me.

I voted for From the Reels as my Basement collection. All the various "unsweetened" collections are better than the released one.

8. The Bootleg Series Vol. 4: Live 1966, the "Royal Albert Hall" Concert (1998)
(20 votes, 2 1st-place votes, 547 points)

http://www.jpc.de/image/w600/front/0/0886977328923.jpg

yeah I'm good with imagining Basement Tapes or whatever you wanna call it at #5, thanks for the clarification.

7. Love and Theft (2001)
(22 votes, 562 points)

http://eboutique.ric-vintage-records-shop.com/WebRoot/Orange/Shops/d3d8e5da-2056-11de-a9cd-000d609a287c/4B1A/936D/573C/5AF6/CCD0/0A0A/33E7/ABC9/CD-BobDylan-LoveAndTheft-1.jpg

relieved it outscored TOOM.

6. John Wesley Harding (1967)
(23 votes, 2 1st-place votes, 574 points)

http://static.musictoday.com/store/bands/93/product_large/DYDD18.JPG

Of all his albums, this one to me sort of stands outside the rest of his stuff. It's connected, obviously, but it has such an odd particular vibe to it. Like a branch he found and explored and couldn't really take anywhere else, but I go back to it over and over.

otm

It's such an outlier that I didn't even put it on my albums ballot despite some really great songs on it.

Top 5! Pour one out for Suze.

5. The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1963)
(26 votes, 2 1st-place votes, 650 points)

http://lossless-galaxy.ru/uploads/posts/2010-12/1293363149_the-freewheelin-bob-dylan.jpg

dang, didn't expect to see Freewheelin' so high, but yeah it's a favorite of mine as well. of course, i didn't vote (due to not knowing what i'm talking about) so i should go back to the peanut gallery

The hidden weapon is "Corrina, Corrina."