Personnel: Bob Dylan (vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano, keyboards); Bob Dylan; Rick Danko (vocals, violin); Richard Manuel (vocals, keyboards, drums); Garth Hudson (saxophone, keyboards); Wayne Butler (trombone); Paul Griffin (piano); Bill Atkins (keyboards); Sanford Konikoff (drums); Robbie Robertson, Wayne Moss (vocals, guitar); Charlie McCoy (guitar, harmonica, trumpet); Al Kooper (guitar, horns, organ, keyboards); Jerry Kennedy, Joe South (guitar); Hargus "Pig" Robbins (piano, keyboards); Kenny Buttrey (drums); Bill Aikins, Henry Strzelecki.
Audio Remasterer: Mark Wilder.
Audio Remixers: Mark Wilder; Vic Anesini.
Recording information: Columbia Recording Studios, Nashville, TN.
Author: Stephen Saper.
Unknown Contributor Role: Robbie Robertson.
Only a year after HIGHWAY 61 REVISITED, Dylan miraculously topped himself with further epigrams of surrealistic poetry and emotional intrigue. The pressure of a punishing touring schedule and high public profile helped drive him to an unbelievable fit of creativity as he spontaneously scribbled these gems in his hotel rooms. We were spoiled with a double album, more Dylan music than we had previously heard, yet still destined to endure. BLONDE ON BLONDE surrounds the folk-rock bard with the likes of Al Kooper, Robbie Robertson, Charlie McCoy and Kenny Buttrey, all seasoned musicians giving this album a relaxed confidence quite unlike the youthful energy of HIGHWAY 61 REVISITED. Decades later this album still rewards and surprises. A gigantic record in every sense.
Professional Reviews
Rolling Stone (12/11/03, p.90) - Ranked #9 in Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums Of All Time" - "...Dylan delivered some of his finest, clearest songs of comfort and desire..."
Q (1/00, p.136) - 5 stars out of 5 - "...easily Dylan's most melodically honed albums....an insane rush of ideas carried by what he'd later call 'that thin, wild mercury sound'....Tunes, tunes, tunes....Dylan the tunesmith never had better days than these."
Q (Magazine) (p.110) - "[BLONDE ON BLONDE] captured him at his most feverishly prolific....[With] an unstoppable flood of greet songs."
Mojo (Publisher) (10/03, pp.124-6) - 5 stars out of 5 - "...The music takes on a genuine grandeur..."
NME (Magazine) (10/2/93, p.29) - Ranked #17 in NME's list of the "Greatest Albums Of All Time."
This album is too hard to write about, such is its immensity and power amongst Dylan's already powerful catalogue. Maybe Dylan didn't even know what he was doing, channeling these sounds and words from who knows where. His music would never be like this again. Listen to this and "Bringing It All Back Home" and "Highway 61 Revisited" back-to-back and you'll realise that those three albums are the only music you'll ever need. You must have this.
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By diver on December 12, 2006
Well although i think people might need more than three records i do agree with the other reviews calling this a masterpiece or words to that effect. This is fast becoming my favorite record of all time. This for me is basically as good as bob dylan gets none of his other albums come close to matching this yes highway 61 is amazing and bringing all back home is very good this album blonde on blonde is on another level really. So get this and get highway 61 then maybe get blood on the tracks and bringing it all back home and then you have all the bob you need.
Blood On The Tracks took away the taste of theunedifying Planet Waves. Yet there's more to the "maritalstrife" album than the hair-raisingly contemptuous Idiot Wind(the way it starts, as if already halfway through, stillstartles), since the love songs are sexier and the melodiesbreezier than any he had written since, well, Blonde OnBlonde. Dylan the iconoclast, poet and junkyard dog can befound in all his records (even Desire). But Dylan thetunesmith never had better days than these
Blonde on Blonde was the worlds first double album. Stacked up with classics such as Leopard Skin Pill Box Hat, Visions of Johanna and Rainy Day Woman it really is a classic. Awesome blues band backing him too. Ends with the amazing ‘Sad eyed lady of the lowlands’ which clocks in at over 10 minutes, and apparently was recorded at about 4am!