Expecting Rain

Everyone has his personal tastes, but trying to make a choice that would be a glance at his career:

The times they are a-changin'
Like a rolling stone
Just like a woman
All along the watchtower
Forever young
You're a big girl now
Señor
Jokerman
Man in the long black coat
Love sick
Things have changed
Mississippi

OK, let's give it a whirl. In something like approximate order:

Desolation Row
'Cross the Green Mountain
It's Alright Ma
Tangled Up in Blue
Mr Tambourine Man
Idiot Wind
The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
One More Cup of Coffee
Standing in the Doorway
Blind Willie McTell
Angelina
Boots of Spanish Leather

Bonus tracks:

Don't Think Twice
Every Grain of Sand (dog version)
All Along the Watchtower

Awaiting Best Best of, Vol II:

One Too Many Mornings
Girl From the North Country
Mississippi
You're Gonna Make me Lonesome When You Go
Floater
Po' Boy
I Want You
Spirit on the Water
A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall
Sara
Chimes of Freedom
I Shall Be Released

oh, this is hopeless...

Maggie's Farm
Like A Rolling Stone
Highway '61 Revisited
Desolation Row
Positively 4th Street
Visions of Johanna
All Along the Watchtower
The Man in Me
Tangled Up in Blue
Simple Twist of Fate
Shelter from the Storm
Blind Willie McTell

I'm going to call this the compilation i would give to someone if said they hadn't heard dylan before. I'm also going to try to avoid anything they might've heard on the radio:

Side 1
Hard Rain
It's alright ma, i'm only bleeding
Visions of Johanna
Goin to Acapulco
Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest
Side 2
Black Diamond Bay
Idiot Wind (NYsessions)
Lenny Bruce
Blind Willie McTell
Standing in the doorway
High Water
Ain't talkin

Desolation Row
Just Like A Thumb Tom Blues
Its Allright Mama
Its All Over Now Baby Blue
High Water
Blind Willie Mctell
Love Minus Zero
Like A Rolling Stone
Lay Down Your Weery Tune
Things Have Changed
The Times They Are A Changing
Vision Of Johana

1. 4th Time Around
2. Positively 4th Street
3. Tangled Up In Blue
4. Dirge
5. Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again
6. She's Your Lover Now
7. Gates Of Eden
8. As I Went Out One Morning
9. Dear Landlord
10. Sign On The Window
11. Went To See The Gypsy
12. Isis

I dunno.

Lots to choose from, a slot machne of possibiliities.

Here's one spin of the reels:

1. Tomorrow Is A Long Time
2. North Country Blues
3. Boots Of Spanish Leather
4. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
5. Ballad Of A Thin Man
6. Visions Of Johanna
7. Goin to Acapulco
8. All Along The Watchtower
9. Lay Lady Lay
10. Buckets Of Rain
11. One More Cup Of Coffee
12. We Better Talk This Over

Here's 12 of my favourites from the eighties :

The Groom's Still Waiting At The Altar
Angelina
Caribbean Wind
Blind Willie McTell
Jokerman
Foot Of Pride
I and I
Someone's Got A Hold Of My Heart
Dark Eyes
Brownsville Girl
Series Of Dreams
Dignity

Eight of the twelve were originally outtakes.

Jokerman
Mobile
Dark Heat
Guards
Hurricane
Tangled
No Time
SadEyed
Johanna
Caribbean
LaRS
Desolation

Hard rain
Mr. T man
It's alright Ma
Desolation
Visions
Tangled
Simple twist
Idiot wind
Black D Bay
Foot of Pride
Angelina
High water (for CP)

with the usual proviso that it could all change tomorrow ....

Tomorrow I will have a bash at creating a current top 12 from entries received so far. Thanks to those who submiitted their picks .Its hard to type while drinking Glenlivet 12 year old single malt. Not too late for further listings.

well, i didnt do a tally, but glancing over all the posts -- there's seems to me to be a top 4 or 5 . . .

its alright ma
desolation row
blind willie
high water ?
?

it is kind of impossible, and like many others here my list would change by the hour.

but as of this second as i type, and also thinking about 'what songs 80 or 100 years from now' will be remembered.. and thinking about it in chronological order... how about

blowin in the wind
hard rain
times they are a changin
mr tambourine man
like a rolling stone
visions of johanna
I shall be released
knockin on heaven's door
tangled up in blue
simple twist of fate
blind willie mctell
not dark yet

Drop I Shall Be Released & Simple Twist, insert Watchtower and Hurricane and you have Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Volume Whatever.

It's not raining here in Dublin today. At least not yet. (The day is long.)

Anyway. Twelve is really hard. But here goes:

A Hard Rain's A Gonna Fall
It's Alright Ma
Like A Rolling stone
Ballad Of A Thin Man
Visions Of Johanna
The Ballad of Frankie Lee & Judas Priest
I Shall be Released
Tangled Up In Blue
Idiot Wind
One More Cup Of Coffee
Senor
Every Grain Of Sand

Miffed that I couldn't include something (Not Dark yet) to represent the more recent years (decades). But when all is said and done these are the twelve that really move me the most.

I have offered up my favorite, top 5, 10, 15 and 20 Dylan songs. My top 5 per album. Top 10 of the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and aughts. But never my top 12! Rather than add 3 to my well documented and easily searchable top 10--I offer up the top 12 I have been listening to this week--a couple days ago I made this playlist of 12 favorites that for some reason I haven't played to death--most are buried on an album I don't listen to all that much.

Red River Shore
When the Deal Goes Down
Lone Pilgrim
Where Are You Tonight
Born in Time
One Too Many Mornings
Dirge
Sign on the Window
Let Me Die in my Footsteps
Cross the Green Mountain
Jokerman
Restless Farewell (From the Frank Sinatra thing)

The promised review. Posters have nominated 122 different songs, the top 12 are;

Blind Willie McTell - 16
Desolation Row - 13
Visions of Johanna - 13
Its alright Ma.. - 12
Like a rolling stone - 11
Tambourine Man - 10
Hard Rain's a..... - 9
Tangled up in Blue - 9
Every grain of sand - 7
Idiot Wind - 7
Shelter from the Storm - 7
Lay down your weary tune - 6.

Songs like Blowin, Times they are.., and Forever Young registered but not heavily, yet 50 to 100 years from now they might well be the songs (anthems) that Dylan is remembered by. Interestingly 8 of the above feature in current setlists. Several songs with 5 votes also appear frequently or fairly regularly - Not Dark Yet, Things have changed, High Water. Which probably indicates that Dylan is playing what people want to hear. Obviously the selections indicate a strong preference for sixties material.

John B. posted while I was updating so his votes are not included. Fortunately they don't affect anything.

My real top 12 looks a little boring to me--but include many on that list...

Tangled Up in Blue
Visions of Johanna
Blind Willie McTell
Every Grain of Sand
Lay Down Your Weary Tune
Things Have Changed
All Along the Watchtower
Like a Rolling Stone
Mr. Tambourine Man
It's Alright Ma
Don't Think Twice
Hard Rain

No doubt they are the songs people want to hear. That doesn't necessarily mean they want to hear them the way they are performed today.

Memphis Blues
It's Alright Ma
Hard Rain
Tambourine Man
115th Dream
Like a Rolling Stone
Queen Jane
Tangled Up In Blue
Missippi
Song to Woody
I Don't Believe You
I Shall Be Free

Keep in mind that my vote for Desolation Row was in terms of the most dismal and depressing.

Which probably illustrates the fact that while many posters say there are too many great songs to nominate just 12 selections, when push comes to shove, there are a group of songs that stand out from the rest. Lots of people like Rainy Day Women live but not one person picked it. She Belongs to Me did not register a vote, The Browns, Hollis and John, from memory were totally neglected. And it looks like Dylan agrees with most of us because he plays a fair number of the songs which garnered the most votes.

In no particular order...

Like a Rolling Stone
Tangled Up In Blue
Girl From The Red River Shore
Idiot Wind
Don't Think Twice, It's Alright
A Hard Rain's A Gonna Fall
Mississippi
Cross The Green Mountain
Boots of Spanish Leather
Tomorrow Is A Long Time
I Was Young When I Left Home
Knockin' On Heaven's Door