Fans of the legendary songwriter Bob Dylan believe one of his best albums is an “overlooked” release from late in his career.
The Blowin’ in the Wind songwriter has plenty of great releases under his belt, but those working through his expansive discography believe they have stumbled on a classic.
A fan who took to the r/BobDylan Reddit page believes one of the later stage releases to be “one of the best,” matching the standard set by firm fan favourites like Highway 61 Revisited and Blood on the Tracks.
Fellow listeners are in agreement at the album being “one of his masterpieces” as they say it holds up when compared to the highlights of his discography.
One user has even argued it is the defining album of Dylan’s career so far, and could be considered “his greatest masterpiece.”
The original post reads: “I just listened to Time Out of Mind for the first time and it’s one of the best. Im a long time Dylan fan since I was a kid I even managed to get all of his records 1962-1978 Street Legal was the last good one I heard.
“Slow Train Coming wasn’t awful just not my type of thing. Oh Mercy was pretty good and Saved was, wellm I’ll just leave it at that. But why does no one talk about Time Out of Mind as much?
“It sounds like the same vibe of Rough and Rowdy Ways but if Dylan had energy. Has anyone else just recently listened to it for the first time?”
Favourable comparisons to Dylan’s most recent studio album, Rough and Rowdy Ways, caught the attention of a few commenters. One fan suggested Time Out of Mind kicked off a “renaissance” period for Dylan, which also includes his 2020 album release.
They wrote: “It and Highway 61 Revisited are my favorite Dylan albums and two of my top ten favorites by anyone. Time Out of Mind won the Grammy award for album of the year.
“It’s a masterpiece – every song on it is amazing, and they work together to create an atmospheric mood. Heartbreak, mortality, and blues.
“And it was even more of a comeback than Oh Mercy was – it kicked off his late period renaissance that continued with Love and Theft and through Rough and Rowdy Ways to today.”
Another has suggested Time Out of Mind is a gold standard for Dylan. They shared: “Time Out of Mind is definitely one of his masterpieces, it is debatable his greatest masterpiece.”
One user though has found little to love about the 1997 album release, calling Time Out of Mind a predictable piece that they simply could not get into.
They wrote: “Tried it once and couldn’t get into it. Despite the hype it just didn’t sound like Dylan to me. My one memory of it is that there were lots of rhymes you could see coming a mile away. That ain’t Dylan.”