Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. 3 - Dylan, Bob (CD 1994)

I like Bob Dylan to a point. I make that statement as a means of explaining where my opinion lies on the man and his music. I like his music and I admire his talent. But I'm not a fanatic. In other words, I don't need to own every single thing he ever released. I do own a few of his classic albums (Highway 61 Revisited, Blood On The Tracks) and there are several songs of his that I would put on any "Best songs of all time" list. A few of these are on this 14 song compilation, which spans Dylan's 70s, 80s and early 90s output (90s output up until his 1997 "Time Out of Mind").

Some hardcore Dylan fans may quibble with the selections on this disc. But I say you can't fault an album that opens with "Tangled Up In Blue" and closes with "Knockin' On Heaven's Door".

The first of those two is from the aforementioned classic album "Blood On The Tracks". In fact, it's the only selection from that album on here. The song is an acoustic guitar driven love song. The folksy backing music adds edge to the poignant lyrics, which detail Mr. Dylan looking back on a relationship. The song is both sad and hopeful. An example of how to write a good love song (take that Barry Manilow!).

The latter is one that has received a great amount of airplay over the years and was covered by Guns N Roses on their Use Your Illusion II album. Their version is okay. But Dylan's original is still the best. The "Oooh Oooh" backing vocals and careful acoustic strumming give this song the appropriate rootsy flavor.

In between those two are plenty of great songs. You get classics such as "The Hurricane": Which Dylan wrote as a protest against the unjust imprisonment of boxer Rubin Carter for a crime he didn't commit. The song itself is quite long (at 8:34). But it never feels too long. Then there is the original version of "Forever Young" which beats Rod Stewart's remake hands down. The original is simple and acoustic and sounds almost like something you could sing to a child.

There are also plenty of lesser-known Dylan songs. I like the bluesy gospel "The Groom's Still Waiting At The Altar". The song musically has a sort of down home bluesy boogie to it musically. The backing vocals that join Dylan on the chorus ("West of the Jordan/East of the rock of Gibraltar") give it that gospel flavor. But Dylan's humor is apparent here ("Put your hand on my head baby/Do I have a temperature/People are supposed to know better/Than standing around like furniture").

"Changing Of The Guards" is an upbeat pop-based song that deals with the passing of time.

"Jokerman" has an almost reggae feel to it. The lyrics are again rather metaphorical ("Nobody there would ever want to marry your sister").

"Silvio" is an upbeat folk rocker that recalls the Grateful Dead (And to the best of my knowledge has never been used on HBO's "The Sopranos"). Jerry Garcia provides backing vocals. ("You know I love you and furthermore/When it's time to go/You got an open door ).

"Ring Them Bells" is a slow acoustic anti-war ballad (if I remember correctly it was written in response to the Persian Gulf war).

Other good songs on here include the previously unreleased "Dignity" as well as "Under The Red Sky" and "Brownsville Girl". The only real quibble is "Gotta Serve Somebody" which actually sounds good on the Sopranos soundtrack. But here it comes off as somewhat annoying for some reason.

Overall, this is a good selection for any Dylan fan. Purists will doubtlessly point out holes in the song choices. But I will say that this album (Combined with Blood On The Tracks) will give casual fans a good overview of this era of Dylan's career.