The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan released: May 27, 1963  BUY

A giant step forward, Dylan’s second album, released in the spring of 1963, is still one of the finest in his recorded oeuvre. It features eleven Dylan originals, including “Blowin’ In The Wind,” which became the Dylan song most recorded by other artists. Freewheelin’ saw Dylan’s songs becoming political focused (“Masters of War,” “Oxford Town,” and the quasi-apocalyptic “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall”) and increasingly crystallized presentations of a persona that could deliver love songs like “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” and “Girl From The North Country” as well as playful, wry sketches like “Bob Dylan’s Blues” and “I Shall Be Free.” Freewheelin’ was such an advance over Dylan’s debut that it overwhelmed nearly everyone, and established him both as the fastest-rising star in the folk music world and its most powerful songwriter. Blowin' in the Wind | listen | Girl of the North Country | listen | Masters of War | listen | Down the Highway | listen | Bob Dylan's Blues | listen | A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall | listen | Don't Think Twice, It's All Right | listen | Bob Dylan's Dream | listen | Oxford Town | listen | Talkin' World War III Blues | listen | Corrina, Corrina | listen | Honey, Just Allow Me One More Chance | listen | I Shall Be Free | listen |