The two discs of The Essential Bob Dylan don't exactly provide a thorough overview of four decades of recording by one of the most important and prolific performers of his time. So the collection definitely skates over his leagues-deep oeuvre, summarizing his monumental first half-dozen years in disc one and skirting over the following 34 years in disc two. Delving into Columbia's three Dylan greatest-hits packages, Essential offers only a few surprises, opting for The Basement Tapes version of "Quinn The Eskimo" over the Self Portrait remake that made it onto Greatest Hits Volume II and tossing in "Things Have Changed" from the Wonder Boys soundtrack for completists. But this overview is designed with newcomers, not Dylan-ologists, in mind. --Steven Stolder
Track Listing
Blowin' In The Wind Don't Think Twice, It's All Right The Times They Are A-Changin' It Ain't Me Babe Maggie's Farm It's All Over Now, Baby Blue Mr Tambourine Man Subterranean Homesick Blues Like A Rolling Stone Positively 4th Street Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window? I Want You Just Like A Woman Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 All Along The Watchtower Quinn The Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn) I'll Be Your Baby Tonight Lay, Lady, Lay If Not For You I Shall Be Released You Ain't Goin' Nowhere Knockin On Heaven's Door Forever Young Tangled Up In Blue Shelter From The Storm Hurricane Changin' Of The Guards Gotta Serve Somebody Blind Willie McTell Jokerman Tight Connection To My Heart (Has Anybody Seen My Love?) Silvio Everything Is Broken Dignity (Original Version) Not Dark Yet Things Have Changed
