Bob Dylan and the Band - Planet Waves

Generally considered a second tier album by an artist with a higher than average volume of top tier albums, Planet Waves was released after the experimental Self Portrait was released in an effort to sabotage his own career and destroy the myth of ‘Bob Dylan’. After he was back in full swing with New Morning his career was again threatened by Columbia Records after they issued the dismal Dylan album comprised of rough outtakes from the Self Portrait and New Morning sessions after Dylan changed his recording contract to Asylum Records.

Given the uneven temperament of not only his recording career but also his marriage (signs of difficulty are foreshadowed in Wedding Song and Dirge). The music is also really well played. Talking performance alone this is probably the best Dylan album in existence. Music is also really good. Most Dylan albums take me a while to warm to but this one I like pretty much straight away. Top tracks are Going, Going Gone, Hazel, Dirge and Wedding Song.