Dylan (1973)
1. Lily of the West
2. Can't Help Falling in Love
3. Sarah Jane
4. Mr. Bojangles
5. The Ballad of Ira Hayes
6. Mary Ann
7. Big Yellow Taxi
8. A Fool Such as I
9. Spanish is the Loving Tongue
Few albums in music history wear their controversy so openly as Dylan, a curious release issued by Columbia Records in 1973 without the artist’s involvement or blessing. In fact, the album's mere existence serves more as a cautionary tale in label-artist relations than as a credible addition to the Dylan canon.
Following the mixed reception of Self Portrait, Columbia was left with a handful of leftover recordings—primarily covers—and, upon Dylan’s departure to Asylum Records, chose to assemble this ragtag collection into a formal release. It was, unmistakably, a parting shot cloaked in commerce. The result? A nine-track LP cobbled together with haste, more an act of corporate retaliation than artistic intent.
Unlike the sprawling stylistic mess of Self Portrait, Dylan is at least consistent in its mediocrity. Where its predecessor bounced erratically between genres and moods, this record settles into a dull groove of undercooked interpretations. The covers are delivered with a distinct lack of engagement, as though Dylan himself were performing at gunpoint—and in many ways, his absence from the decision-making process echoes throughout the grooves.
Yet, there’s a faint irony to the record’s obscurity. It is, in some ways, a backhanded compliment to Dylan's instincts; he didn’t want this music heard—and he was right. Its disappearance from circulation is no tragedy but a quiet realignment of history with intent. For all its failings, Dylan (the album) stands not as a testament to its namesake’s genius but rather as a stark reminder of what happens when art is stripped of agency.
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