The Times They Are A-Changin' (2010 Mono Version)

Dylan was not yet 23 when he released Times, his third album, but he'd already established himself as the folk world's most inspiring songwriter. For the most part, Times continues in the same vein as its head-turning predecessor (Freewheelin'), mixing keen social awareness with deeply personal reflection. If anything, it's even weightier and more sober than Freewheelin', and, as such, it's an exemplary artifact from the folk scene at its most serious. It's hard to imagine the impact of the title track at the time of its initial release - an articulate and persuasive warning shot to the "establishment" (parents, government, etc.) delivered without a trace of anger. "The battle outside raging will soon shake your windows and rattle your walls," he sings (prophetically, as it turned out), but the song is delivered with such optimism and conviction that it comes off as an invitation more than a condemnation. "Ballad of Hollis Brown" and "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll" are vivid and powerful tales of injustice, while "One Too Many Mornings" and 'Boots of Spanish Leather" rank among his most beautiful and moving ballads.