Another Side of Bob Dylan (2010 Mono Version)

Dylan was evolving so quickly in the early '60s that listeners barely had time to digest one "phase" before the next one was upon them. Another Side, released in August of 1964 — a mere seven months after The Times They AreA-Changin' — was a significant departure from what had come before it, more far-ranging and fanciful. Dylan was clearly growing tired of the folk movement's self-seriousness and austerity, not to mention their growing hero worship. Both the compositions and the performances here reflect this: Many of the songs are capricious and playful while his singing sounds looser, more rambling, and more relaxed than ever before. That's not to say he abandoned his earlier aesthetic completely — "My Back Pages" and "Chimes of Freedom," for example, are as fluent, well-expressed, and perceptive as anything he's ever recorded. There are also heartfelt and poetic explorations of personal relationships that nicely balance the lighthearted silliness of some of the tracks. With Another Side, Dylan proved (perhaps even to himself) that humor and imagination only added to the overall impact of his work.