Inevitably, when critics praise a new Dylan album, they label it the "best since Blood on the Tracks," and with good reason. Inspired by a crumbled marriage, and recorded after a tour with The Band had apparently re-ignited his creativity, Blood is among Dylan's masterpieces. The album's epic songs are well known, but its real high points are the shorter numbers--"You're a Big Girl Now", the flawless blues "Meet Me in the Morning", and the sweetly devastating "Buckets of Rain". These are songs of "images and distorted facts," each expressed through tangled points of view, and all of them blue. --David Cantwell

One of my best friends played this to me when it came out. I was a "prog rock" fan at the time, and considered his obsession with Dylan as rather quaint & vaguely hippy. At first I couldn't get my head around it - and Idiot Wind both intrigued & irritated.

A couple of years later I went to Blackbush to see the old boy perform in a field - and the stand outs all came from this album. So I revisited it - and found out that I'd grown up!

Over 30 years later I never get tired of it. The first side (of the old LP) is unsurpassed, the second side is pretty nearly as good - my favourites change all of the time. This is my No 1 album of all.

Quite awesome - less than a fiver? If you've not got it - then buy it. You can't possibly be disappointed.

Routinely cited by fans as proof that Dylan never lost his genius, 'Blood On The Tracks' stands out only because it was his first decent album for eight years. As ever, his lyrical prowess is not in doubt, but musically, not for the first time, it tends to be bland. The familiar strummed rhythms are ordinary and the vocals delivered in that often tuneless drawl, with the odd shout to punctuate them. 'If You See Her, Say Hello' is beautifully done, but the much-vaunted 'Tangled Up In Blue', like most of the songs, is not what it's cracked up to be. I give this album an occasional airing, but I have to be in the right mood and much prefer the earlier albums. 'Blood On The Tracks' is not only not Dylan's best album, but not even the best album of 1975. Led Zeppelin Physical Graffiti, David Bowie Station to Station: Remastered, Dr Feelgood Stupidity and Pink Floyd Wish You Were Here all made far better albums in that year. 'Blood On The Tracks' is undoubtedly very good, but nothing like the beast it's frequently made out to be.

Just a note for anyone who, like me, wants to buy a CD version of this, after the old vinyl copy's become battered. Has Dylan's singing ever sounded so fresh, so full of intent and invention? It's a bizarre idea, as one reviewer here suggests, to listen to this while reading the lyric sheet; for every sentence, each word, is crystal-clear, the voice full of tautness and intelligence. On this CD (remastered?) version, the voice sits slightly apart from the instruments, not muffled behind them. A stunning performance.

There are 22 reviews of this album on amazon.co.uk, and you might well ask what on earth I can write that hasn`t already been said. My initial response would be "You`ve got some attitude, Mr!", but the short answer is I can add nothing; but that doesn`t mean I don`t feel I should write something to express how breathtaking it is.

I`m too young to have a context in terms of society or where Dylan was in his life in `74, so I`ll just keep it simple. I normally listen to hard rock, and some friends don`t like the sound of Dylan`s voice on his earlier work; this definitely is more accessible. Only in terms of sound though - not content. "Idiot Wind" is mind-blowing, containing some chilling imagery, and terrific delivery, and followed by as contrasting a piece as possible, "You`re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go"...your head is still reeling and it`s like putting a Gainsborough next to a Goya - both masterpieces but the juxtaposition is the killer. I hope that makes sense! This album meets whatever need you may have as a listener. "Shelter From The Storm" is another wonderful song, preceded by "If You See Her, Say Hello", where Dylan`s voice sounds as though it`s genuinely drowning in emotion, especially when compared with the bile of "Idiot Wind"...it`s just one stunning moment after another, one great line after another, one great song after another...I`ve tried to avoid simple song for song explications, as it`s an album that needs to be listened to in it`s entirety to be appreciated as it should be. If you`ve got any doubts about this purchase, dispel them and buy it, as your jaw will hit the floor, more than once.

Bob's best album with Highway 61 and Blonde on Blonde hot on its heels.
Top tracks throughout, my favourites being Idiot Wind, Simple Twist of Fate and Tangled up in blue.