after no direction home you should listen to the bootleg series vol 4. it's a very good live recording of 1966. some parts of it are shown in the movie... first half acoustic second half with band.
the film stops 66, so there are 2 interesting parts... the one before bringing it all back home and the one after. i don't know which one you liked more in the movie... i like them both.
early dylan has some beautiful acousitc songs...
"freewheelin' bob dylan" has for example the big hit blowing in the wind, the amazing don't think twice it's alright.... girl from the north country...masters of war...
the times they are a changing includes more political songs... i know a lot of people who don't like that... well, i think it's a very good album too but freewheelin is better. still... the title-song is amazing and so is ballad of hollis brown in my opinion. with god on our side, one too many mornings (is live 1966 even better)
another side of bob dylan is charming too... it's a bit more personal than the times... sometimes you hear a bit of giggling. lovely. i like giggling bob. and it ain't me babe is one of the most beautiful songs ever.
bringing it all back home is my favourite album... i like every single song, it's often funny, not too serious but still very beautiful. he tells stories how he discovered america and start laughing... subterranean homesick blues is an amazing song (with an amazing video, you'll know it after no direction home) mr tambourine man of course... a fantastic album
highway 61 as well... even though bringing it all back home is my favourite i guess this one is the one i listen to the most. the band rocks, like a rolling stone, queen jane, ballad of a thin man... the record is... cool. cool as hell.
blonde on blonde... another amazing album. i bought those three albums (biabh, h61 and this one) in one package... visions of johanna must be my most favourite song of him (even though it's difficult to decide) just like a woman, 4th time around. beautiful.
and i think those records are the best way to start after no direction home. for me there's no bad song on there... some friends bought it too because they liked the songs when i played them... people usually ask me to turn off when i play the earlier stuff. too traditional. those three rock.
besides of live 66 there is a live recording of 1964 (bootleg series vol 6) it's completely acoustic and i think it's nice... he seems stoned and forget the lyrics a few times... laughs a lot... talks a lot to the audience. in the second half joan baez comes on stage too. in live 66 he doesn't talk too much to the people anymore... you can hear that some of them aren't very happy about his preformance... the situation is more difficult. in the end there is the judas-part you've seen in the movie too... it's a very impressive show, bob is great... and he plays with the songs live, he changes them a lot... the electric ones are played acoustic and vice-versa. it's very interesting.
so that's --> 66.... i think those are the years more interesting when you've started with the movie. later there are for example blood on the tracks and desire... also nice but again quite different.
you'll find a lot of the songs i mentioned on youtube... so have a listen before you decide.
bootleg 1-3 is nice too.... songs from different years, but i think it's a bit difficult to start with rare songs, demo versions and alternative recordings... still... some beautiful gems on there.
so... well... have fun with bob
