Greatest Hits Volume 2 (1971)


 

Disc One
  1. Watching the River Flow
  2. Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
  3. Lay Lady Lay
  4. Stuck Inside of Mobile with
     The Memphis Blues Again
  5. I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
  6. All I Really Want To Do
  7. My Back Pages
  8. Maggie's Farm
  9. Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You
  
Disc Two
  1. She Belongs to Me
  2. All Along the Watchtower
  3. Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)
  4. Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
  5. A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall
  6. If Not For You
  7. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
  8. Tomorrow is A Long Time
  9. When I Paint My Masterpiece
  10.I Shall Be Released
  11.You Ain't Goin' Nowhere
  12.Crash on the Levee (Down in the Flood)

 

Unlike many sequels, Greatest Hits Vol. II doesn't aim to continue directly from its predecessor, but rather reconstructs a retrospective narrative on its own terms. Released four years after the original Greatest Hits, this compilation arrives not as a simple continuation, but more like a recalibration—filling in gaps, correcting oversights, and even reshaping expectations. Where Volume I was limited by physical constraints and the sheer volume of Dylan's prolific output, Volume II feels like an opportunity for reparation and expansion.

The bulk of the material sidesteps the post-1967 period—arguably a dip in both focus and consistency—and instead Dylan digs back into his earlier catalog, carefully selecting tracks that were criminally overlooked the first time around. These aren’t just filler cuts or forgotten singles, but well-loved staples from Dylan’s formative era that still resonate with startling immediacy.

A particularly rewarding inclusion is the handful of unreleased tracks and alternate versions. These aren’t tossed in as padding but rather woven into the set with purpose, offering both historical intrigue and fresh listening. These additions feel essential—if not canonical—providing nuance and depth to the compilation’s arc.

It’s a double album, yet never overstays its welcome. The risk of oversaturation is neatly sidestepped by its eclecticism and pacing. Rather than a bloated catch-all, Greatest Hits Vol. II comes across as a refined “odds and ends” collection—one that not only complements its predecessor, but in many ways surpasses it as a curated portrait of Dylan's early artistic range. A volume two that justifies its existence, not merely by what it contains, but by how it reframes the legend.


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