#17 Blood on the Tracks by Bob Dylan

The 100 Greatest Albums of All Time

2025 Album Rank

17

2011 Album Rank

13

Total Points

2086

Year Released

1975

Billboard 200 Chart Peak

1

Weeks at #1

2

RIAA Sales Certification

2,000,000 (Multi-Platinum)

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Blood on the Tracks Album Details

Released on January 20, 1975, Blood on the Tracks marked a major artistic and emotional resurgence for Bob Dylan. Often seen as a brutally honest chronicle of heartbreak and personal turmoil, the album draws from Dylan's experiences during the dissolution of his marriage to Sara Dylan. Musically, it returns to a more stripped-down folk and blues style, contrasting with the polished sound of some of his earlier 1970s work.

Featuring songs like "Tangled Up in Blue", "Simple Twist of Fate", and "Shelter from the Storm", the album paints vivid emotional landscapes with shifting perspectives and storytelling techniques. Blood on the Tracks is widely regarded as one of Dylan's masterpieces, balancing raw vulnerability with timeless songwriting skill.

Other Bob Dylan albums on the chart: Highway 61 Revisited, Blonde on Blonde, Bringing it all Back Home

Interesting Facts about Blood on the Tracks

• Initially recorded in New York in September 1974, Dylan became dissatisfied with the bleak tone of some tracks and decided to re-record half the album in Minneapolis with local musicians in December 1974.
• Producer Phil Ramone engineered the original New York sessions, which had a much starker and more intimate sound compared to the Minneapolis versions.
• Many fans and collectors consider the original New York recordings (often called the "Test Pressing" version) to be even more emotionally devastating than the final released album.
• Bob Dylan took art classes at the Art Students League of New York while writing the songs, later saying that he learned to see multiple perspectives at onc, an idea that influenced the shifting viewpoints in the lyrics.
• The song "Tangled Up in Blue" is noted for its constant changes over the years; Dylan would frequently alter lyrics and structure in live performances.
• Though long interpreted as autobiographical, Dylan insisted that Blood on the Tracks was inspired by the short stories of Anton Chekhov, not directly about his own life.
• In Minneapolis, Dylan recruited musicians almost overnight through his brother David Zimmerman, resulting in an informal, off-the-cuff feel to the new recordings.
• The distinctive bass sound on "Simple Twist of Fate" and "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go" came from Minneapolis session player Billy Peterson, who had never even heard Dylan's music before the sessions.
• The original album artwork featured a blurred painting-like photo of Dylan, taken by photographer Paul Till, who was only 20 years old at the time.
• The album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2015 for its cultural and historical significance.

Blood on the Tracks Track List

1. Tangled Up in Blue - Reached #31 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart
2. Simple Twist of Fate
3. You're a Big Girl Now
4. Idiot Wind
5. You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go
6. Meet Me in the Morning
7. Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts
8. If You See Her, Say Hello
9. Shelter from the Storm
10. Buckets of Rain

Tangled Up in Blue Music Video

• Next Album: #16 The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd
• Previous Album: #18 Purple Rain by Prince