The Freewheelin’: Vinyl LP

With this album Dylan emerged from the cloak of Woody Guthrie and proclaimed his own unique talent. No longer detached – the set was originally entitled Bob Dylan’s Blues – he personalised his songs, famously rejecting four from the final draft in favour of others reflecting his newer muse. Protest songs were given a wider resoce – the text of Masters of War remains sadly relevant decades later – while his love songs are haunting but universal statements. Dylan injected black humor into the talking blues and railed against injustice in all forms, with a perception encompassing the anger of a generation. Freewheelin’ is a landmark in the development of folk and pop music.