5 Underrated Bob Dylan Albums That Should Be A Bigger Part Of His Legacy

There are few artists living today whose legacy can match Bob Dylan, but even with all the acclaim he’s received, so many of his records have been completely slept on. With 40 studio albums and almost as much bootleg material available, it can be difficult for listeners unfamiliar with his body of work to discern which records they should check out next. While Timothée Chalamet’s excellent performance in the Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown only explored a brief period in his career, there’s far more to this singer-songwriter than just the mid-1960s.

Dylan’s greatest albums are littered across his vast career as he’s continually reinvented himself across the decades and packed so many styles and genres into his work. From his poetic confessional songs as a young man to his grizzled wisdom in his later years, Dylan has played by his own rulebook, and his legacy is as somebody who never followed the crowd and always listened to his creative instincts. This uncompromising attitude meant that much of Dylan’s music has been extremely underrated and should be reappraised by listeners as they look back on his extraordinary legacy.

5 Another Side Of Bob Dylan (1964)

Bob Dylan’s fourth studio album

While the mid-1960s are the most revered era in Bob Dylan’s career, one great album often gets left out among the discussion of this highly prolific period for the famed singer-songwriter. Another Side of Bob Dylan was sandwiched between two undisputed classics, The Times They Are a-Changin' and Bringing It All Back Home, and felt more like a transition album as he inched ever closer to the controversial decision to go electric. Yet, this was one of Dylan’s most confessional records, and to neglect it ignores important songs like "Chimes of Freedom" and “My Back Pages.”

4 New Morning (1970)

Bob Dylan’s eleventh studio album

Following Bob Dylan’s reported 1966 motorcycle accident, the once-dubbed voice of his generation became increasingly reclusive as he rejected media attention, embraced family life, and settled down in Woodstock, New York. This more laid-back approach to living led to an acceptance of domestic bliss on songs like “Sign on the Window” on the woefully underrated record New Morning. While this album is rarely spoken about in broad conversations around Dylan’s legacy, longtime listeners know that it truly was one of his best and a welcome return to nasally normality after the fascinating country voice he boasted on Nashville Skyline.

3 Shot Of Love (1981)

Bob Dylan’s twenty-first studio album

No era in Bob Dylan’s career is more divisive than his born again Christian phase, which resulted in the trilogy of records, Slow Train Coming, Saved, and Shot of Love. This religious awakening meant that Dylan’s writing became sternly religious, and he lamented on God, Jesus, and the end times during his gospel concert tours. While some listeners dismiss these records altogether, that would be a terrible mistake, as Shot of Love was more rooted in hard rock than gospel and featured one of Dylan’s true masterpieces with its beautiful closing song, “Every Grain of Sand.”

2 Good As I Been To You (1992)

Bob Dylan’s twenty-eighth studio album

Bob Dylan went through some creative difficulties during the 1980s and 1990s as he struggled to maintain his relevance and increasingly felt like a relic from a bygone era. However, Dylan returned to his folk roots with the astounding covers album Good as I Been to You, a record that was comprised of traditional folk songs and was his first entirely acoustic record since 1964. This underrated, back-to-basics approach creatively renewed Dylan as he reconnected with his past and geared up to reinvent himself once again with his later, far more acclaimed comeback record, Time Out of Mind, in 1997.

1 "Love And Theft" (2001)

Bob Dylan’s thirty-first studio album

While most Bob Dylan enthusiasts will point to Time Out of Mind as the dawning of a new era as he debuted a more grizzled, aged, and bluesy voice, it’s important that his follow-up, “Love and Theft,” doesn’t get left behind in this discussion. Released on September 11, 2001, it’s not surprising that Dylan’s first 21st-century record is so slept on, as the attacks on the World Trade Center overshadowed its promotional period. However, looking back, it's clear that this was some of Dylan’s most accomplished work and one of the most underrated albums he ever made.

While general listeners imagine the youthful, sunglasses-wearing Dylan of the 1960s when they think of this iconic musician, the songwriting on “Love and Theft” proved he could still deliver poetic masterpieces as he inched toward his twilight years. Tracks like "Mississippi" and “Summer Days” showcased Dylan as an accomplished bluesman willing to share his aged wisdom and have a rocking time while he did it. While everyone will have a different opinion on Bob Dylan’s most underrated record, no self-respecting fan can deny that “Love and Theft” deserves to be a much bigger part of his legacy.