Folks, it's been 58 beautiful years since rock legend Bob Dylan shook the music world as we know by releasing his debut, self-titled album.
Put out by Columbia Records and produced by John H. Hammond, the 13-song LP was mostly made up of folk standards with the exception of two original compositions "Talkn' New York" and "Song to Woody." Flash forward to today, and many of HIS original numbers are now highly regarded and covered by thousands of artists.
Like any great artist, Dylan's debut didn't receive acclaim until years later. When it was released, it didn't garner much attention. But in 1962, Billboard Magazine highlighted his efforts in a positive light by commenting:
"(Dylan) is one of the most interesting, and most disciplined youngster to appear on the pop-folk scene in a long time" and "moving originals such as "Song to Woody" and "Talkin' New York". Dylan when he finds his own style, could win a big following."
Now that Dylan has since become an established singer-songwriter, we're diving into the setlist stats of the album and sharing which songs have gotten love (or not) in a live setting over the decades. Most of the songs off this album were live debuted in 1961.
1- You're No Good
Number of times performed: ONE
First (and last) time performed: November 23, 1961
2- Talkin' New York
Number of times performed: 4
First time performed: November 4, 1961
Last time performed: April 12, 1963
3- In My Time of Dyin'
Number of times performed: 0
4- Man of Constant Sorrow
Number of times performed: 23
First time performed: June 1, 1960
Last time performed: May 4, 2002
5- Fixin' to Die
Number of times performed: 4
First time performed: October 31, 1961
Last time performed: January 13, 1961
6- Pretty Peggy-O
Number of times performed: 0
7- Highway 51 Blues
Number of times performed: 3
First time performed: December 4, 1961
Last time performed: April 12, 1963
8- Gospel Plow
Number of times performed: 1
First (and last) time performed: 0
9- Baby, Let Me Follow You Down
Number of times performed: 43
First time performed: November 23, 1961
Last time performed: September 8, 1989
10- House of the Risin' Sun
Number of times performed: 10
First time performed: June 1, 1960
Last time performed: April 12, 2007
11- Freight Train Blues
Number of times performed: 1
First (and last time) performed: November 4, 1961
12- Song to Woody
Number of times performed: 53
First time performed: September 6, 1961
Last time performed: May 8, 2002
13- See That My Grave is Kept Clean
Number of times performed: 7
First time performed: September 29, 1961
Last time performed: October 31, 1962