The best Bob Dylan albums
The top 3 according to 122 votes from people: Blood on the Tracks · Highway 61 Revisited · Bringing It All Back Home. (Updated May 3, 2026.)
Dylan's studio albums that rank highest with Rolling Stone (500 Greatest Albums, its readers' poll) and Paste's complete ranking.
Top 12
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1
Blood on the Tracks
1975. His divorce album; number 9 in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums (2020).
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2
Highway 61 Revisited
1965. 'Like a Rolling Stone'; number 4 in Rolling Stone's 2003 list.
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3
Bringing It All Back Home
1965. Half electric, half acoustic, with 'Mr. Tambourine Man'.
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4
Blonde on Blonde
1966. Rock's first studio double LP by a major artist, recorded in Nashville.
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5
John Wesley Harding
1967. A sparse return after his motorcycle accident, with 'All Along the Watchtower'.
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6
Desire
1976. 'Hurricane' and 'One More Cup of Coffee'; a favourite in Rolling Stone's readers' poll.
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7
Love and Theft
2001. Blues, rockabilly and old-time songs, released on 11 September 2001.
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8
The Times They Are a-Changin'
1964. Protest songs at their most direct.
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9
The Basement Tapes
1975. Informal 1967 recordings with the Band, released years later.
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10
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
1963. 'Blowin' in the Wind' and 'A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall'.
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11
Time Out of Mind
1997. A late-career rebirth; Grammy for Album of the Year.
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12
Rough and Rowdy Ways
2020. 'Murder Most Foul', a 17-minute song about the Kennedy assassination.
How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.
Is something missing?
Comments (3)
Time Out of Mind is his best late album, 'Not Dark Yet'...
Rough and Rowdy Ways at 79 years old, still a genius
Blood on the Tracks at #1 is right, his breakup masterpiece.