Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II

I'm partial to When I Paint My Masterpiece, such a wonderful little tune

someday everything is going to be different, when I paint my masterpiece

a hilarious sentiment coming from a guy who few years previously did bringing it all back home/highway 61 revisited/blonde on blond back to back in 1½ years and who also painted stuff like:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/77/Bob_Dylan_-_Self_Portrait.jpg

There's so many great songs on here! I'm leaning towards either the lovely 'If Not For You' from my fave Dylan album New Morning, or the absolute classic 'It's All Over Now, Baby Blue'. I'll have to think about it some more.

I liked this LP much more than Vol1.

OK, "Like a" is on there, "Tambo" and "blowing", maybe that's why - a bunch of those were auto-includes.

Argh. Any list with “Mobile” on it, that’s my instant pick, but then “Hard Rain” is the song that vaulted him into the ether.

The version of You Ain't Goin' Nowhere on here with Happy Traum is really lovely.

I think this is the first Dylan album I bought, back in high school.

1. "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues"
2. "She Belongs to Me"
3. "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere"
4. "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue"
5. "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right"

I should put this in the Things You Learned Embarrassingly Late in Life thread (or, in this case, more like Things That Dawned on You...): the double-negative of "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere," which for some reason I was thinking about the other day.

I love the idea of a comp as as grab bag: hits, unreleased versions, new songs, etc. Neil Young's Decade would follow suit.

ooh yeah, that's a great one

totally agree, this one's super haphazard and awkwardly titled but the selection is v strong

I love "You Ain't Going Nowhere" but I don't like the version on here as much as the Basement Tapes version. Would probably have to go with "Don't Think Twice" or "Tom Thumb's Blues". Hard to pick between them.

Never owned this particular comp, but from the list, I can't not vote for "Tom Thumb."

It's funny and typical that Bob's response to Basement Tapes hype in 1971 was to re-record a handful of the songs over the course of an afternoon, as if that would sate the audience and quell the myth.

I once listened to this and his first Greatest Hits together in chronological order, which didn't show as much drop-off as you might expect. In fact, there's more good post-66 stuff on here than songs that predated that first compilation.

I only really like about half the songs on this, but those I do are a few of the best ever. I'll vote for "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" but, if I had to choose one that was previously unreleased, "Down in the Flood".

Three songs on here where Bryan Ferry trounced the originals.

...none of which were actually on his Dylan covers album.

To keep things manageable I'm going to limit myself to the stuff that was uncollected/unreleased at the time: "Watching the River Flow" plus the last 5 tracks. Even at that it's hard! But I'm going with "Watching the River Flow" because I love it and it pointed toward a fruitful (if unpredictable) '70s for him.

throwing a chaotic neutral vote to the mighty quinn; methhead blonde on blonde bob, but for the kids this time. like all dylan it's inspired some highly entertaining covers, many of them with a funky backbeat. i like ramsey lewis' version.

although i have a technical question ― the basement tapes songs here aren't the basement tapes recordings!?

Correct, they were re-recorded in a September, 1971 session.

...and this "Mighty Quinn" recording is live at the Isle of Wight with the Band, from Self Portrait.

lol should've listened before committing to my vote. oh well, chaotic neutral and all that...

a hilarious sentiment coming from a guy who

huh? can you explain what you mean by this?

That live "Tomorrow Is A Long Time" — previously unreleased — is gorgeous, one of the best examples of how great a singer he was in the early days. And it was one of those recordings that got me searching for more live Dylan when I was a kid ... so it's got a lot to answer for.

Rod Stewart has a lovely cover.

so does elvis!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dRNZZuuR8I

Sorry, I can't get over Bob's guitar being out of tune on that recording. I might prefer Sandy Denny's version.

I love that “When I Paint My Masterpiece” is in his live set these days, its kind of great to hear an octogenarian legend sing this song about how one of these days he’ll get around to doing something really worthwhile.

going with All I Really Want To Do

I love that “When I Paint My Masterpiece” is in his live set these days

this is why I voted for "Watching The River Flow" which he also does, I was blown away when I saw him do it

whoa! mama! can this reeeeeallly be the end??

the importance of this being my first Dylan album cannot be understated

"Baby Blue" slightly over "Memphis", "Quinn", "Maggie's Farm" and "Hard Rain".

baby blue

Went with "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall," one of Dylan's very greatest songs (probably top 5) but it's weird how it landed on Volume TWO when it should've been like the second or third track of volume 1.

Ferry stole that song from Dylan too many decades ago for me to listen to it again.

a hilarious sentiment coming from a guy who

huh? can you explain what you mean by this?

― budo jeru, 13. januar 2025 17:25 (yesterday)

Yeah sure, I guess it's very common for an artist to dream of the day when you'll finally make something really grand, or just as you go along in daily life you might be thinking of some hill you'll climb and when you reach the top you'll see everything clearer

only that's not the case of course, everything just goes on, and probably we already know, nothing much will necessarily change even if we were to really accomplish something extraordinary, as Dylan would later sing, you find out when you reach the top you're on the bottom

and surely Dylan must have known, since he had already painted his masterpiece - in what must by 1971 have seemed like another life, whether it was Hard Rain or Like A Rolling Stone or Visions of Johanna or Baby Blue - he would never paint like that again (although he would go on to do things that were perhaps more personal, perhaps more free or fun, and stuff that you might personally enjoy more, stuff like you get on this compilation or stuff we'll see on Blood on the Tracks or Love and Theft)

and then at the same time - he's taken up painting, and although he'll never be a masterful painter, he certainly has a style of his own, and maybe he thought he'd eventually literally paint a masterpiece?

I doubt it - I think he's joking about the whole idea of masterpieces and painting, but with a sincere and strong undercurrent of wisdom

I love that “When I Paint My Masterpiece” is in his live set these days, its kind of great to hear an octogenarian legend sing this song about how one of these days he’ll get around to doing something really worthwhile.

otm

I like what corrs wrote just above too. Personally I think Bob did indeed only paint his masterpiece in the autumn of 1979, writing the songs that would come to inhabit Saved. Not a popular opinion (and also forestalled by corrs arguing, with reason, that the mid-'60s trilogy was a truly exceptional accomplishment even if later he might make "stuff that you might personally enjoy more")

It's also a sloppy, shaggy dog song about seeking perfection and never finding it. It has a zen quality to it.

otm

I interpreted the song as being sung by a dilettante, someone who liked the pose of "the artist" more than the creation. Like he might never even put brush to paper, much less make a masterpiece.

brush to paper

or canvas, I guess

the importance of this being my first Dylan album cannot be understated

same here

This is the first Dylan album I remember seeing and hearing around the house when I was a kid, and in many ways it's my favorite, the one I most enjoy from beginning to end.

I like how NuNuNu snuck in the assertion that Saved is Dylan’s singular masterpiece.

it's weird how it landed on Volume TWO when it should've been like the second or third track of volume 1.

Vol. 1 was a stop-gap quickie Columbia put together when it wasn't clear when post-motorcycle crash Dylan would be back in a proper studio, and was purposely skewed towards hit electric singles (hence the absence of flops "Can You Please..." & "One of Us Must Know") plus three very popular (and already oft-covered) acoustic songs.

Also, I don't know how much truth there was to it, but at the time Paul Williams was reporting over a few news columns in Crawdaddy that Dylan's contract was almost up after B.O.B. and Albert Grossman was in serious talks with MGM (IIRC), with Williams going so far to report that Dylan had indeed changed labels. So the comp could have started out as a contractual obligation.

Four acoustic songs, actually.

interesting that Dylan himself put vol II together — not sure if he's ever really done that kind of thing since. Maybe he did that Japanese "Masterpieces" collection later in the decade?

This album is sort of like one of the US Beatles albums, The Beatles Second Album maybe.

Oh yeah, what was the deal with Masterpieces?

He wanted to paint one, IIRC

Heh

I started to listen to it once, seemed like a pretty good comp.

Japan, Australia and New Zealand it says.

Some playlists that (mostly) recreate it. Although some songs have gone missing, such as "Rita May."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNnmhv3u2Pw

Or the Liverpool version of "Just LIke Tom Thumb's Blues."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CL_5amBcS-s

That's the most convincing Cate Blanchett has ever looked like Dylan.

Oh yeah, what was the deal with Masterpieces?

One of Heylin's books goes into detail, but it has to do with the Budokan shows. Apparently when Dylan switched management (to the same guy managing Neil Diamond) and was in dire need of funds thanks to an expensive divorce settlement and an expensive flop (Renaldo and Clara, which he personally financed while it racked up the bills over years of post-production), his new manager made a deal where Dylan would get a high payday doing a handful of shows at Budokan, and to help promote it, he had to agree to a live recording for the Japanese market AND a box set compilation. I think the box set would help promote the shows and then the live album would be like a continuing source of revenue after the shows. It was something completely done by the promoters and/or executives in Japan, and I think it wasn't unique to Dylan either - it was more or less the standard plan they used for bringing high profile acts to Japan at the time.

I don't own it and am not sure I've ever listened to it as a compilation, but it's still impossible. Tom Thumb, Hard Rain, Masterpiece, She Belongs to Me or Don't Think Twice.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

My favorite version is by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, and I prefer the Basement Tapes version to this one, but I voted "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere"

"Watching the River Flow" is the kind of offhand domestic gesture he did so well.

xp I’m Not There soundtrack may be my favorite Dylan covers collection.

This was a big Walkman album for me in high school… terrific comp.

greatest hits vols 1 and 2, and biograph, are my favorite non chronological compilations by anyone. (except maybe louder than bombs but that’s another concept than a best off overview).

they are more dylany than any of the albums partly because it’s a stack of classics, but more so because of the wavering back and forth between early acoustic solo bob and later rock styles. i could imagine a mix tape of 25 more songs from 61-71 being just as compelling. none of his albums are structured like these comps, where it’s a lightweight catchy rock song, then a heavy acoustic dirge, then a bizarre joke song, then a country ballad, etc.

tom thumb is the best recording here but it makes me want to hear desolation row next, so i can’t pick it. i think i shall be released tips in for me as an interesting different take of the song from the basement version.

What about that Japanese/Australian Dylan comp everyone seems to love?

Oh mentioned immediately upthread, never mind

Pure Dylan?! Pure Dylan rules!

Oh, did you mean Biograph? Pure Dylan *is* cool though, look at that tracklist:

Trouble in Mind
Girl from the North Country
Most of the Time
She Belongs to Me
Billy 1
Shooting Star
Sugar Baby
You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go
Tomorrow Night
Every Grain of Sand
Percy's Song
Born in Time
Boots of Spanish Leather
This Dream of You
Spanish is the Loving Tongue
If You See Her, Say Hello
Moonshiner (Live)

Ohhh, Masterpieces.

^ Nice photos in the liners!!

this was such an important record for me. I should vote Tom Thumb since that's a top 3 Dylan song for me but looking at that list and Mobile is really speaking to me

Down In The Flood, my favorite of the unreleased songs here.

I’m Not There soundtrack may be my favorite Dylan covers collection.

Agreed. Lots of good stuff on that. One of my personal faves is the Cat Power cover of "Stuck Inside of Mobile".

Definitely one of the highlights, and that might've been my first real exposure to Cat Power. I didn't realize she was a huge Dylan fan even though she was on the soundtrack. (Not everyone was - Stephen Malkmus wasn't even that knowledgeable about Dylan's work yet.)

Her all-Dylan album is pretty good!

She’s got everything she needs
She’s an artist
She don’t look back

Man this song takes me back to a high school crush like it was yesterday

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues - righteous!

I'm a bit surprised by the reverence for Hard Rain - it's obviously a historically important song but... I dunno, doesn't sound too fresh to my ears, many lines come off clumsy

Bryan Ferry owns it forever.

I made a little version of tomorrow is a long time (drop D capo on 7) that I have been playing constantly since this poll started.

Bob bringing out the voters. 70 votes over 21 songs and only 4 with no votes.

There's a montage in Scorsese's No Direction Home where he flashes through the moments that take us through JFK's arrival at Dallas all the way through his murder and through the capture and death of Lee Harvey Oswald, and it's only when Oswald is shot (when the country was perhaps permanently denied of closure) that we finally hear any sounds tied to the footage we're seeing. Up until then, the only thing we hear is "A Hard Rain," and it couldn't have been more fitting - at least for me, it was like watching the country hurtling towards a doomed fate, and it was very potent the way it played against the verses where the narrator lays out everything he's seen (or at least the abstract sensations he's experienced after witnessing them) as they're all things that would eventually transform him. We don't even get to the end before Oswald is shot, but FWIW, the last verse, especially those last few lines, are probably my favorite from Dylan's pre-electric years:

And I’ll tell it and think it and speak it and breathe it
And reflect it from the mountain so all souls can see it
Then I’ll stand on the ocean until I start sinkin’
But I’ll know my song well before I start singin’

I love Bryan Ferry's version (and really that entire album in general), but I would never say he owns it - it's a very unique interpretation that makes a completely different experience out of the song.

sorry, I can't go back to Dylan's -- I don't think I've heard it in 30 years. It sounded ponderous.

I get tired of the unchanging strumming pattern.

I didn't vote, but I think "Hard Rain" is an extraordinary song (I've never heard Ferry's version, but I'm never big on Dylan covers).

When I used to listen to this album as a teen (as mentioned above), I didn't know the song dated from the early '60s... it sounded more contemporary to me, and not "dated" at all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIHbrxqY2Ks

xp I never listened to it until the '00s and thought it was stunning the first time around.

Re: unchanging strumming pattern, when describing their first experience encountering Dylan's songs (like back in the '60s), I've seen some people point out how unusual it was too see one verse after another and another and ANOTHER....and I've also seen a few naysayers in the '00s complain that Dylan's latter day albums are overrated because it sounds like he found a riff he likes and just pounds it into the ground while he sings over it. Thing is, a huge majority of his records are basically him writing a shitload of verses and just needing a riff or some kind of groove to play over and over and over again while he coasts over them. I remember the first time I really noticed this and thinking how boring that could be to play, and some of his longtime bandmates have pushed against it - as described by Chris Shaw, there was a cat-and-mouse game between Dylan and Charlie Sexton & Larry Campbell where they'd be plugging in fills where they could even though Dylan made it clear he doesn't want anyone soloing while he's singing. It's never bothered me though, it's just Dylan's about the words and music is there to serve them - no surprise he rarely comes up with an original tune and usually adapts a folk song. Contrast that to, say, Paul McCartney who is mostly about composing a tune and fitting words to it.