In the early days of Sound Mind, I was quite forthcoming with my disdain for Bob Dylan. Since then, I have tried to have an open mind about Zimmerman. When one of the You Tubers from Tastes Like Music began a video series documenting his attempt to "get" Dylan, I tried to play along. I couldn't do it. On all of these Deep Dives I've been doing, I've listened to whatever Dylan albums came out those years. None of them have made the cut. But surely, 1975's Blood on the Tracks would make my Top 25. It's the critics consensus Number 1 album that year. Many consider it his best. What am I missing?
Dylan released two albums in 1975, Blood on the Tracks, and The Basement Tapes with The Band. I gave both of them 3.5 Stars. Truthfully, even though I'm not a huge fan of The Band, I felt the Basements Tapes was slightly more interesting and varied. I'd never listen to either of them again, however. I'm only 22 albums into my 1975 listening and I've already got Joni Mitchell, two Neil Young's, Patti Smith, Springsteen, Elton John, and McCartney all light years ahead of Dylan. How is Dylan so revered when Joni Mitchell exists in the World. She is 10 times the storyteller and her vocal delivery is fascinating. Her voice is mesmerizing and her compositions are exquisite. After I get through this 1975 dive, I'm going to dive into Joni's catalog.
Of course, I jinxed myself again regarding my 1975 Mt. Rushmore. There are already at least two albums that are going to move up to my top four, and one of my Mt. Rushmore's probably won't even make my Top 25 after a reassessment. I still have about 80 more albums to get through, so it may be a while before that is revealed. I'm going to attempt to squeeze some other posts in here, but I want to get through these 1975 albums as soon as possible. After the big hitters, it promises to be an eclectic Top 25. Peace.