Numbered, limited edition double LP cut at 45 RPM on 180-gram vinyl
Stark, austere, acoustic record; Dylan's first with all-original material
Winner of a Gruvy Award, chosen by AnalogPlanet's editor, Michael Fremer, for vinyl records that are musically and sonically outstanding and are also well mastered and pressed. http://www.analogplanet.com/content/gruvy-awards
Immediately distinguished by the you're-either-with-us-or-against-us messages of the landmark title track, Bob Dylan's The Times They Are A Changin' sounds an unmistakable clarion call on behalf of progress and its unstoppable advancement. One of the Bard's trademark songs, it remains a timeless anthem with a clear sense of common purpose, a musical line in the sand that helped unite various social movements and multiple generations. The reverential 1964 record feeds off the opening tune and its unmistakable sentiments, marching forward to confront racism, poverty, injustice, and upheaval in a stark, immediate manner unlike few albums before or since.
Marking a shift from the looseness and comedy that pepper the preceding The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, The Times They Are A-Changin' skirts any attempt at humor, sarcasm, or goofiness in favor of utmost seriousness and severity. Akin to dispatches from the typewriter of literary icons John Steinbeck and William Faulkner, his songs give voices to the voiceless, challenge cultural precepts, upend traditional beliefs with rapier wit and truths, and underline tragedies swept under the rug.
In doing so, Dylan creates stinging protest music that rallies against unchecked authority, discrimination, brutality, and division. A testament to the power of great art, The Times They Are A Changin' is a righteous assault on ignorance and an agent for sweeping action, a necessary impetus for transformation and enlightenment. Via bold originals such as the nonfiction "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll," assertive "Restless Farewell," and semi-autobiographical "North Country Blues," Dylan casts hardships, greed, and victimization in such relatable terms it's impossible to turn away and ignore their implications.
Track Listing
Side 1
The Times They Are A-Changin'
Ballad of Hollis Brown
Side 2
With God on Our Side
One Too Many Mornings
North Country Blues
Side 3
Only a Pawn in Their Game
Boots of Spanish Leather
When the Ship Comes In
Side 4
The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
Restless Farewell