At times a furious hail-storm of anger and rage directed at society (”It’s Alright Ma, I’m Only Bleeding,” “Maggie’s Farm” “Subterranean Homesick Blues”), at times wistful love-lorn laments (”Love Minus Zero/No Limit,” “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue), at times wildly surrealist folk-ballads (Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream,”) Bringing It All Back home is the most taut encapsulation of Dylan’s talents. Just 11 tracks and 46 minutes of the most damning song-writing ever unleashed.
On Bringing It All Back Home, Dylan basically invents what it means to be a great modern song-writer, scribing phrases capable of evoking myriad emotions in each listener, each cryptic turn able to be interpreted in a thousand different ways. Inspired by visionary poets like Arthur Rimbaud and Allen Ginsberg, Dylan writes lines that don’t make little literal sense yet seem divinely ordained, with a brilliant method to their madness.
