Hello, my name is Ben Burrell and welcome back to Bob Dylan album by album, a podcast that takes an in-death look at each Bob Dylan's studio recording record by record.

Thank you for leaving reviews and ratings over the last couple of weeks.

Thank you to people like Phil McAndy and also Val Scott and the excellent Nick H-O-7 as well.

If you can leave a review or you can leave a rating, then please do that. It really helps

us out. So let's take a look at our first 60s album. And we start with a cold, bleak record

that will become an iconic album. This is 1964s, the times they are changing. Oh, the time will come

up when the winds will stop and the breeze will cease to be breathing like the stillness

in the wind before the hurricane begins the hour that the ship comes in. Occasionally,

art can transcend its usual form and function and become something completely new,

and that is definitely the case on this

record. While this album does entertain and is enjoyable as a collection of songs, it also

catches a feeling and a set of ideals. Bob's demonstrated throughout his career he is great

at capturing emotions onto tape. In fact, maybe that's where some artists rise above others,

perhaps their ability to create art that is truly relatable and truly resonates is the key to the very highest tier of success.

Just like when we saw him capture All Things Love on Blood on the tracks,

or the feeling of mortality on more recent albums,

or even when he gave us a glimpse into his mad, famous world on Blonde on Blonde,

here he does the same again, except these songs distill a particular

time and a particular set of beliefs about that time. There's a Cold War paranoia, a hostile

civil rights tension, and a bleak future laced all over these recordings. They provide a snapshot

of the era, which makes them more important than just a collection of 10 tracks. Every

song is a mini masterpiece, and they all have a point to make. No time is wasted either. They're

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