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This
two-disc 2000 release looks back on Bob Dylan's 38 years
of recording and pulls out most of the signature tunes
from the songwriting giant's prolific career. For an
artist of such stature, it's no easy task to assemble an
"essential" compilation in just 30 cuts, but
it's hard to argue with the choices made here. Most of the
high points in the Minnesotan troubadour's catalog are
touched on, and the chronological sequencing provides a
kind of tour through Dylan's various phases.
We're taken through the pioneering protest-folk period
("Blowin' in the Wind," "The Times They are
A-Changin'"), the Rimbaud-inspired song-poet mode
("It's All Over Now, Baby Blue," "Mr.
Tambourine Man"), the amphetamine-fueled rocker phase
("Like A Rolling Stone"), and all the rest of
Dylan's many twists and turns. From the poignant
introspection of "Shelter From the Storm" to the
born-again R&B of "You Gotta Serve Somebody"
and the searing narrative of "Hurricane," we get
the broad view of an awe-inspiring body of work. Diehards
will doubtlessly complain about various disincluded
tracks, but on the evidence presented, it's easy to see
why the genius tag is so often applied to this artist.
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