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This album is the first of Bob Dylan's "Jesus" albums.

The album was released in 1979 and no one really knew what to do with it. Mainstream music looked the other way because of the albums in-your-face Christian/Jesus content. Christian music turned its head because it was Bob Dylan singing about Jesus after all. Both responses were unfortunate, expected and all-together sad.

This album is far better than 90% of the albums I own (and I consider myself a fair judge of music).

The musicianship is outstanding, the song contruction is teriffic, the vibe of the album is spot on and certainly cannot be compared to any other Dylan album - except perhaps the other two albums he made during this period of his career. Mark Knopfler lends his grand talents to the disc and his playing is warm, understated and phenomenal. The lyrics are much more direct than any other Dylan album since his stellar work in the early 1960's.

The lyrics I can suppose, my be the rub with this album.

If this album contained the same music but the lyrics were not about Jesus/Christianity, the work would certainly and obviously be considered differently. The music is spot on and better than most tunes put out today that pass as music.

The lyrics should motivate Christians to listen to this album and mainstream Christian music to have taken notice. Certainly as direct and upfront as Larry Norman and moving toward the tenderness of Keith Green, the songs leave absolutely no doubt about what is at issue. (Certainly, the music alone on this album is as good as any Christian music ever made - I would say far better than most Christian music ever played).

Mainstream music looked the other way because of the name of Jesus.

Mainstream Christian music looked the other way because of the person who spoke that name.

The album is good enough for anyone to listen to - the lyrics are very direct and very Christian - if you're not a Christian, it may be a tricky go, but the music is worth the price of admission. If you are a Christian, there is no excuse not to listen to this album - if you like upfront Jesus lyrics, this is for you - if you like good music, this is full of it, in spades.

There is so much lore and legend that is so much truth to why and how and where these songs were recorded, it seems inconcievable the album could live up to anything close to those expectations.

...but the album does live up to all of that.

The music is different than anything else I've ever heard. I stll cannot adequately define it. I just don't know what to call it.

The best I can do is to echo what Bob Dylan's career has been all about - he does what he wants to when he wants to do it, how he wants to do it with what he has. He and The Band recorded this over a few years and played these songs originally with no intent of them being recorded and never being released for anyone else to hear. This music is what this group of people produced because they wanted to.

This isn't all of the music Dylan and The Band recorded during these sessions - there is a massive 4CD collection of The Real Basement Tapes floating around in the bootleg ether that is said to contain at least most of the music recorded at the Big Pink. Thank the music gods and those who had sense that allowed us to hear at least this much of the music directly.

This album is a treat.

I got stuck on listening the first nine or so songs all the time, in order. Once I forced myself to begin listening to the album from Track 12 or so, I was blown away yet again.

Some music is needed. Like this.

This makes me feel I stumbled upon these guys jamming in the garage of their house just as the sun went down, and I snuck around the side of the house to get a peek inside and then couldn't bring myself to leave.

Classical music. Boring, right? Um, nope. I know probably nothing about classical music if you asked me about it, but I kept listening to Bach's tracks on a classical music sampler I have and I decided to find out what this guy was all about. The Brandenburg Concertos seemed liked a well-discussed and obvious place to start (I liked the track of one of the concertos on the sampler I have as well..), so I grabbed this set of those very concertos. My, my, what great stuff...and it is in no way boring.

(Seems as well as holding all 6 of these concertos, there are extra tracks of some great other stuff included in this 2CD set)

Now my favorite Alarm album. Great rock songs with some great songs (not so rock) in their midst.

Bob Dylan performs this record with The Band. I've listened to it and listened to it and dig it and love it but cannot find a word to describe it. Each time I play it, I play it straight through. This is better music than anything I've heard on the radio in a long, long time. That's it - it's music, and it's good.

Pulling together so many musical elements this turns out to be distinctly Bob Dylan and leaves you wondering how he can do it all and do it all so well. Don't think he can sing - listen to this. Plainly, a beautiful album.

Almost undefinable in how good this album is. Country, yes. Folk, yes. Beautiful, yes. "All Along the Watchtower", yes. Always listen to it through to the end then want more after that.

Word is the record execs didn't want "Nashville" in the album title, and didn't want this to be a country album. Blast them all, this is an exquisite album that is just right as Nashville and just about country and just enough Bob.

Not their best by a longshot, but has two or three songs that are keepers.

Maybe my favorite album of theirs - at least today it is. Certainly one of the most packed, song-to-song albums they ever put together. And it rocks, too.

Best overlooked band of the 80's and the best live album I've ever heard.

A mammoth album with some all-time great songs. Not a clunker tune on the entire disc.

A powehouse album. Makes you want to stand up, walk out and do something about it. Always listen to this all the way through in one sitting.

The soundtrack from the series right here. A must-see series and must-hear music. Fantastic jazz, muliple genres of music, extras, sound clips from the series, live cuts of classic songs by the band and enough extras that would make Spike smile.

A different album from these guys that tosses their conventions out the window. A bit heavier and a lot more edgy than where they've been before, this one sneaks up on you with how good it is and how mainstream pop it is not. 

Pop excellence from a band I thought had run its course and had its time. Oh, no Duranites - this is good music. Different, matured and maturing, excellently produced and still all Duran Duran. 

Every bit as good as "Highway 61 Revisited" - did I say that? Yes, I did.

Moving from groundbreaking rock n' roll and heading toward the stratosphere of epic music, this album delivers on the folk front, the rock front, the ballad front and proves these four were always way (way) ahead of everyone else and everyone else owes them rent for standing on their shoulders.

Third offering gives more of the same - a little stronger rock in the roll this time.

Sometimes there are those albums you can't live without - this is one of those albums. Sometimes I just catch myself staring at the cover, then I actually listen to it and stare at the cover again. Phenomenal.

Some of the best music I've heard in two or three years.
A nice throwback-forward that puts today's pop to shame. 

Contemporary-retro band that could have stepped into or out of any John Hughes movie but is right at home today.

Another level with their good rock n' roll.

Probably my favorite Dylan album for so many reasons. Great songs here, period. Beautiful songs here, period. Joyfully fun songs here, too - and it's all together in one place.

Good, solid, almost infectious rock n' roll.