there was a time when i wouldn't travel without two essential items: a copy of paulo coelho's 'the alchemist' and my well-worn cd of 'blood on the tracks'. admittedly i was then a dreadlocked student, revelling in wandering about the place, and it's fair to say some of my tastes have changed since then. but the major point really is that i can credit this album, and dylan himself, with my introduction to and love of folk music.
ranked 16 on rolling stone's five hundred greatest albums of all time, this is one of dylan's finest pieces of work and still a joy to listen to.
it seems one of the major criticisms of this album is that it's too same-y, with many of the songs in the same key. but i think part of the reason it makes such a great album to travel with, though, is that the album itself is a journey, and a story of heartache and of fate. on closer inspection the lyrics of opening track 'tangled up in blue' are deeply sad, covering a non-chronological account of a failed relationship. conventional wisdom appears to be that, despite dylan's denial of this point, the song (and indeed the entire album) reference his own break up with wife sara. interesting allusion to romeo and juliet ("i lived them on montague street") in the song as well.
despite this apparent angst, i've always found it a soothing, crooning kind of album. it's contemplative, easy to listen to, makes excellent use of the banjo, and is full of clever, well-structured songs that hold the listener's interest. one of the many things i like about this album is the little surprises i continue to find in it. i've owned it for about ten years now and i listen to it often, yet there's always something new in the songs to pop out and surprise me.
although by all accounts it's a sad album, i've always found it rather cathartic, hopeful and redemptive.
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