John Wesley Harding

This album is great

Bob Dylan's music is so simple and peaceful...

Much of the imagery in JWH is obtuse, obscure, and annoying in the folksy charming way of Dylan. Same with the Dylan vocal tics - they've been parodied so often that hearing the original versions are almost coming-home comfortable. But still a bit irritating if you listen too long. (Always after 30 minutes or so, one wonders, Is that really his voice or is he just putting us all on?) My favorite tracks: Dear Landlord, JWH, St. Augustine. Hendrix's version of Watchtower is indeed better, as I'm sure other reviewers have surmised. Immigrant is treacle, Baby Tonight is good, but again improved with coverage. Judas Priest gets old after a couple listens.

Long forgotten and ever the underdog in "best of" lists, this album shines as his best and most consistent songwriting offering. Simple and sparse backing allow the lyrics to shine through. Song after song, each one a masterpiece. Irony, doom, comedy-its all here in this, his finest work.

who are those guys with Dylan ?

This is a difficult album to get into, which is an interesting thing to say about a man who's recorded ouput is so varied and full of failure. However, if you're coming to this album in the logical progression of most Dylan fans, starting with Freewheelin' young folkie/brilliant lysergic era, this is stange backwoods folk, simultaneously very of the '60s and old as dirt. Dylan employs a more mannered singing style and simpler but still sometimes mysterious lyrics, 'topical' songs they are, but the topics being very Biblical. The high strumming acoustic guitar backed by sharp but separate drumming and a bass strongly building a bridge to nowhere, the instruments are isolated from each other, but this only lends to the overwhelming strangeness of the album. I've listened to this album many times over the years, and it grew on me and became one of my very favorites from start to finish. Dig that finish btw, 'Down Along the Cove/I'll Be Your Baby Tonight', pure '70s rock style in 1967. Anway, if you're a fan of Dylan, get this and keep it around, even if you hate it now - it might take years, but you'll put it one day and love it. Also try it on vinyl. Way better.

I'm amazed. This album is unbelievably good. I'm not sure what else I can say, other than buy it without thinking. This album can be loved without great analyzation, even though thought of course makes it better. Bobby is such a great man, artist, musician, etc.

Obviously Dylan is popular, but in truth, he is underrated. I perfer his music over the beatles and all those other bands out, which is hard, because some of the contemparary music was so good. Bob Dylan, insted of doing what most others would have done, he could have wrote a psychedelic album. Bob Dylan shows us he could reject contemparary music, do what he likes, and ignore what fans like. It will still sound good.

This album has been a godsend through some of the most challenging times of my life. I never get sick of it.

Regardless of your views on Dylan, one cannot overlook the giant influence he has had on Rock 'N Roll. This is one of his lesser know albums to the casual fan, but Dylan influenced two very big acts with this record. Jimi Hendrix covered "All Along the Watchtower" from this album, giving the world one of the greatest guitar solos in recorded history. Dylan even preferred Jimi's version to his. The song "The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest" gave the ledgendary Metal band Judas Priest its namesake. This just goes to show how incredibly influential Bob Dylan is. Not many people would assume that a pioneering Metal band would listen to artists like Bob Dylan, but they do. Dylan's footprints are all over the roadmap that we know and love as Rock 'N Roll.