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Highway 61 Revisited

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Work

Highway 61 Revisited · In May 1965 Bob Dylan came back exhausted from a tour of England and even considered giving up singing. He wrote Like a Rolling Stone. The song was recorded on 15 and 16 June in Columbia's Studio A, under producer Tom Wilson. Guitarist Michael Bloomfield played on it, and Al Kooper came up with an organ riff, even though he had never played electric organ before. The rest of the record followed from 29 July to 4 August under Bob Johnston.

The title refers to the highway that connects Duluth, his birthplace, with cities such as Memphis and New Orleans and with the region of the Delta blues. A rock band plays on every track, except the closing piece Desolation Row, an eleven-minute ballad. Critics praise the way the record combines driving, blues-based music with poetic lyrics. Michael Gray argued that the sixties in a sense began with this record.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Like a Rolling Stone and notice the organ sound that Al Kooper came up with at the last moment, and how it pushes the song forward.

Track list

  1. 1Like a Rolling Stone6:12Apple Music ↗
  2. 2Tombstone Blues6:01Apple Music ↗
  3. 3It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry4:09Apple Music ↗
  4. 4From a Buick 63:19Apple Music ↗
  5. 5Ballad of a Thin Man5:58Apple Music ↗
  6. 6Queen Jane Approximately5:31Apple Music ↗
  7. 7Highway 61 Revisited3:30Apple Music ↗
  8. 8Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues5:32Apple Music ↗
  9. 9Desolation Row11:20Apple Music ↗

30-second previews via Apple Music. Listen to the whole album on Apple Music ↗

Categories: Albums and songs