Why Bob Dylan is Anything But Overrated

Well today I had a Led Zeppelin fan tell me that Bob Dylan was the most overrated artist of all time. This wouldn't have angered me into making this journal if I hadn't heard so many other people say the same thing before. It really irritates me, out of all musicians, to go after Bob Dylan. In this journal I will briefly visit moments in Dylan's illustrious career, and along the way I will make note of things that are important to understanding why Bob Dylan is not overrated.

To begin, there has never been a better songwriter than Bob Dylan. Never. Bob Dylan seemingly effortlessly pens masterpiece after masterpiece. Want proof? Listen to Lily, Rosemary, and the Jack of Hearts, Hurricane, Tangled Up in Blue, Up to Me, Like a Rolling Stone, Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again, Isis, etc. Those are some of his longer storytelling songs. For a full list of some of his classic songs visit my journal entry about 20 of his best songs:Dylan: 20 Essentials .

The age at which Bob Dylan penned some of his songs just goes to show how truly remarkable a musician he was/is. He wrote Masters of War at the age of 21, and it happens to be one of the most powerful songs ever written (lyrics here: http://www.bobdylan.com/songs/masters.html). Want some other powerful songs? Try With God on Our Side, or Only a Pawn in Their Game (lyrics here: http://www.bobdylan.com/songs/withgod.html and http://www.bobdylan.com/songs/withgod.html). These are just a few of the incredible songs a very young Bob Dylan wrote.

Now, many claim Dylan's brilliant work ended after Blonde on Blonde. I find this claim to be nearly laughable, as Blood on the Tracks is an absolute masterpiece that holds up quite well when compared to Dylan's other master works. Blood on the Tracks was recorded when Dylan was middle-aged, and this wasn't the last master work he would record by any means.

Sure, he did some fairly average work during his career (At least according to Bob Dylan standards), although who hasn't? As prolific as he is, a few average albums are bound to be released.

Anyway, to carry on with the career of the greatest songwriter of all time, Bob Dylan has recently released two masterpieces, Love and Theft, and Modern Times. I believe he was 60 when he recorded Love and Theft, and Modern Times was recorded when he was 65 (I'm pretty sure, its all off the top of my head, so it might not be exact but it is close). That's right, a 65 year old Dylan released a 5 Star album with material that is just as good as his other stuff. I'm telling you, he is absolutely timeless. When The Deal Goes Down, Workingman Blues #2, Thunder On The Mountain are all great songs that are wonderfully written. On top of this, Dylan keeps the never ending tour going. I just saw him live a few days ago, and he put on a fantastic show. He is even planning on recording a new album pretty soon!

The point is, there is no way you cannot overrate Bob Dylan. It's not possible. How can you overrate the greatest songwriter and lyricist of all-time? How can you overrate someone who has released at least 10 of the best songs of all time, and some of the most timeless, best albums of all time? Dylan's words still ring true to this day. Songs like Blowin' in the Wind are still as relevant as ever.

I haven't even gone into the influence Dylan has had. He has literally influenced almost every artist, regardless of genre. He will have an eternal impact on songwriters everywhere, and his songwriting will be the pinnacle that other songwriters try to achieve. Overrated? I think not.