Blood on the Tracks

Blood on the Tracks is a 1975 album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. In September 1974, Dylan entered the studio with a clutch of newly written songs, many inspired by his recent estrangement from his wife of ten years, Sara Lownds Dylan.

Related Topics:
1975 - Bob Dylan - September - 1974 - Sara Lownds Dylan

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All ten songs on the album were originally recorded at New York City sessions produced by Phil Ramone. With Columbia set to release the LP, Dylan pulled back at the last minute, and at year's end re-recorded five of the ten songs in Minneapolis with a crew of area session musicians assembled by his brother, David Zimmerman. Dylan's fans theorize endlessly about his reasons for revamping the album, but the most likely reason (and the simplest) is that the musical feel of the album was monotonous, with too many songs in the same key and the same languid rhythm.

Related Topics:
New York City - Phil Ramone - Minneapolis

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Told of the album's lasting popularity, Dylan was later to say: "A lot of people tell me they enjoy that album. It's hard for me to relate to that. I mean, it, you know, people enjoying the type of pain, you know?"

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Blood on the Tracks was a #1 Pop Album on the Billboard Music Charts and reached #4 in the UK. The single "Tangled up in Blue" peaked at #31 on the Pop singles chart. The album remains one of Dylan's all-time best-selling studio releases, with a double-platinum US certification to date. It is also one of his most critically-lauded.

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In Dylan's 2004 memoir, Chronicles,_Vol._1, he claims that although one album of his songs was entirely inspired by Chekhov short stories, many of his fans and critics treat it as autobiographical. This passage is often cited as a reference to Blood On The Tracks.

Related Topics:
2004 - Chronicles,_Vol._1 - Chekhov

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