Editing Highway 61 Revisited (section)

==Reception and legacy==
{{Album reviews
|title = Retrospective professional reviews
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
|rev1Score = {{rating|5|5}}<ref name=erlewinehighway61>{{harvnb|Erlewine (1)}}</ref>
|rev2 = ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''
|rev2Score = {{Rating|4|4}}<ref>{{cite web|last=Kot|first=Greg|author-link=Greg Kot|date=October 25, 1992|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1992/10/25/dylan-through-the-years-hits-and-misses/|title=Dylan Through The Years: Hits And Misses|work=[[Chicago Tribune]]|access-date=January 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160918084804/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1992-10-25/entertainment/9204060639_1_star-freewheelin-bob-dylan-rolling-thunder-revue-tour|archive-date=September 18, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>
|rev3 = ''[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]''
|rev3Score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite book|last=Larkin|first=Colin|author-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|year=2011|title=Encyclopedia of Popular Music|publisher=[[Omnibus Press]]|isbn=978-0857125958|edition=5th|chapter=Bob Dylan|title-link=Encyclopedia of Popular Music}}</ref>
| rev4 = ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''
|rev4Score = A+<ref>{{harvnb|Flanagan|1991}}</ref>
| rev5 = ''[[The Great Rock Discography]]''
| rev5Score = 10/10<ref>{{cite book |last1=Strong |first1=Martin C. |author-link=Martin C. Strong |title=The Great Rock Discography |date=2004 |publisher=[[Canongate Books|Canongate]] |location=New York |page=461 |ol=18807297M |isbn=978-1841955513}}</ref>
| rev6 = [[Music Story]]
| rev6Score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite web|date=n.d.|url=http://www.music-story.com/bob-dylan/highway-61-revisited|title=Album Bob Dylan Highway 61 Revisited|website=[[Music Story]]|language=fr|access-date=November 26, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121126193405/http://www.music-story.com/bob-dylan/highway-61-revisited|archive-date=November 26, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| rev7      = ''[[MusicHound Rock]]''
| rev7Score = 5/5<ref>{{cite book|editor-last1=Graff|editor-first1=Gary|editor-last2=Durchholz|editor-first2=Daniel|title=MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide|edition=2nd|publisher=Visible Ink Press|location=Farmington Hills, MI|year=1999|isbn=1-57859-061-2|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781578590612/page/369 369]|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781578590612/page/369}}</ref>
| rev8= ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
|rev8Score = {{rating|5|5}}<ref>{{harvnb|Brackett|2004|pp=262–263}}</ref>
| rev9 = ''[[Sputnikmusic]]''
| rev9Score = 5/5<ref>{{cite web|last=Fisher|first=Tyler|date=August 20, 2006|url=https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/8816/Bob-Dylan-Highway-61-Revisited/|title=Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited (album review 3)|website=Sputnikmusic|access-date=January 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116201152/http://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/8816/Bob-Dylan-Highway-61-Revisited/|archive-date=January 16, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
| rev10 = [[Tom Hull (critic)|Tom Hull]]
| rev10Score = A<ref>{{cite web|last=Hull|first=Tom|author-link=Tom Hull (critic)|date=June 21, 2014|url=http://www.tomhull.com/ocston/arch/rhap/rh1406-1.php|title=Rhapsody Streamnotes: June 21, 2014|website=tomhull.com|access-date=March 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200301205733/http://www.tomhull.com/ocston/arch/rhap/rh1406-1.php|archive-date=March 1, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>
}}

In the British music press, initial reviews of ''Highway 61'' expressed both bafflement and admiration for the record. ''[[New Musical Express]]'' critic Allen Evans wrote: "Another set of message songs and story songs sung in that monotonous and tuneless way by Dylan which becomes quite arresting as you listen."<ref>{{harvnb|Evans|1965|p=8}}</ref> The ''[[Melody Maker]]'' LP review section, by an anonymous critic, commented: "Bob Dylan's sixth LP, like all others, is fairly incomprehensible but nevertheless an absolute knock-out."<ref>{{harvnb|LP Reviews (Melody Maker)|p=12}}</ref> The English poet [[Philip Larkin]], reviewing the album for ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'', wrote that he found himself "well rewarded" by the record: "Dylan's cawing, derisive voice is probably well suited to his material&nbsp;... and his guitar adapts itself to rock ('Highway 61') and ballad ('Queen Jane'). There is a marathon 'Desolation Row' which has an enchanting tune and mysterious, possibly half-baked words."<ref>{{harvnb|Larkin|1985|p=151}}</ref>

In September 1965, the US trade journal ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' also praised the album, and predicted big sales for it: "Based upon his singles hit 'Like a Rolling Stone', Dylan has a top-of-the-chart-winner in this package of his off-beat, commercial material."<ref>{{harvnb|Album Reviews|p=76}}</ref> The album peaked at number&nbsp;three on the US [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' Top LPs]] chart of top albums,<ref name=chart/> and number&nbsp;four on the UK albums charts.<ref>{{harvnb|Bob Dylan: Top 75 Releases—Albums}}</ref> In the US, ''Highway 61'' was certificated as a [[gold record]] in August 1967,<ref>{{harvnb|Marqusee|2005|p=222}}</ref> and platinum in August 1997.<ref>{{harvnb|RIIA August Certifications|p=44}}</ref> For ''[[Stereo Review]]'' in March 1969, [[Robert Christgau]] included ''Highway 61 Revisited'' in his piece "A Short and Happy History of Rock", comprising his recommended rock "library" of 25 albums.<ref name="xgau">{{cite magazine|last=Christgau|first=Robert|date=March 1969|url=https://robertchristgau.com/xg/music/rock-69.php|title=A Short and Happy History of Rock|magazine=[[Stereo Review]]|via=robertchristgau.com|access-date=January 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191216113638/https://robertchristgau.com/xg/music/rock-69.php|archive-date=December 16, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> On its merits, he said Dylan showed good taste in accompanying musicians, but his style of rock "had a loose feel, almost tacked on, in contrast to the tight arrangements which had become typical." Despite observing flaws in the music and lyrics, he concluded that both are "great" and "healthy". Of the music's impact up to that point, Christgau added:

{{blockquote|When Dylan started writing "poetic" songs in the early Sixties, he inspired a lot of awful verbalizing, but he also inspired a songwriting revival that still flourishes. When he sang rock, he legitimized it in the folk community. The skilled guitarists and demanding fans of that community inevitably raised the quality—if also the pretensions—of the music.<ref name="xgau"/>}}

''Highway 61 Revisited'' has remained among the most highly acclaimed of Dylan's works. Biographer [[Anthony Scaduto]] praises its rich imagery, and describes it as "one of the most brilliant pop records ever made. As rock, it cuts through to the core of the music—a hard driving beat without frills, without self-consciousness."<ref>{{harvnb|Scaduto|2001|pp=221–222}}</ref> Michael Gray calls ''Highway 61'' "revolutionary and stunning, not just for its energy and panache but in its vision: fusing radical, electrical music&nbsp;... with lyrics that were light years ahead of anyone else's; Dylan here unites the force of blues-based rock'n'roll with the power of poetry. The whole rock culture, the whole post-[[Beatle]] pop-rock world, and so in an important sense the 1960s started here."<ref name = "Gray321">{{harvnb|Gray|2006|p=321}}</ref> In the opinion of ''[[PopMatters]]'' critic Hank Kalet, the album was the most "electrifying" rock and roll record ever and "one of a handful of albums (including the Beatles' ''[[Rubber Soul]]'' and ''[[Revolver (Beatles album)|Revolver]]'') that gave literate rockers the green light to create a kind of intelligent, probing rock music that had not existed before".{{sfn|Kalet|2004}} "This seminal folk-rock classic" showcased "Dylan's seething, not-quite-out-of-control vocal delivery and a rough-and-tumble instrumental attack", as well as his "transformation from a folk singer to a rock and roller", Sam Sutherland wrote in ''[[High Fidelity (magazine)|High Fidelity]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[High Fidelity (magazine)|High Fidelity]]|title=Popular Compact Disc: 'Highway 61 Revisited'; Marvin Gaye anthology|last=Sutherland|first=Sam|page=56|date=October 1984}}</ref> Music journalist [[Gary Graff]] points to ''Highway 61 Revisited'', along with Dylan's next album ''[[Blonde on Blonde]]'' (1966) and [[the Beach Boys]]' ''[[Pet Sounds]]'' (1966), as possible starting points to the [[album era]], as they each constituted "a cohesive and conceptual body of work rather than just some hit singles ... with filler tracks."<ref>{{cite news|last=Graff|first=Gary|author-link=Gary Graff|title=Brian Wilson Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Landmark 'Pet Sounds'|date=September 22, 2016|newspaper=[[List of newspapers published by Digital First Media|Daily Tribune]]}}</ref>

[[File:Bob Dylan - Azkena Rock Festival 2010 2.jpg|alt=Dylan playing guitar onstage|right|thumb|upright|Having toured continuously since the inception of his [[Never Ending Tour]] in June 1988,<ref>{{harvnb|Heylin|1996|p=297}}</ref> Dylan has performed "Like a Rolling Stone" more than 2,000 times in concert.<ref name=songs>{{harvnb|Songs (Bobdylan.com)}}</ref>]] Among Dylan's contemporaries, [[Phil Ochs]] was impressed by ''Highway 61'', explaining: "It's the kind of music that plants a seed in your mind and then you have to hear it several times. And as you go over it you start to hear more and more things. He's done something that's left the whole field ridiculously in the back of him."<ref>{{harvnb|Gill|1998|pp=81}}</ref> In 2003, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine described ''Highway 61'' as "one of those albums that changed everything", and placed it at number&nbsp;four in its list of "[[The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time]]."<ref>{{harvnb|Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums}}</ref> It maintained the rating in a 2012 revised list,<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-156826/bob-dylan-highway-61-revisited-53801/| year=2012| title=500 Greatest Albums of All Time Rolling Stone's definitive list of the 500 greatest albums of all time| publisher=[[Rolling Stone]]| access-date=September 23, 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808151548/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-156826/bob-dylan-highway-61-revisited-53801/| archive-date=August 8, 2019| url-status=live}}</ref> and was re-ranked at number eighteen in 2020.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/bob-dylan-highway-61-revisited-4-1063215/|title=Highway 61 Revisited ranked 18th greatest album by Rolling Stone magazine|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=15 February 2021}}</ref> In 2010, the ''Rolling Stone'' list of "[[The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time]]" ranked "Highway 61 Revisited", "Desolation Row" and "Like a Rolling Stone" at number&nbsp;373,<ref>{{harvnb|Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs: "Highway 61 Revisited"}}</ref> number&nbsp;187,<ref>{{harvnb|Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs: "Desolation Row"}}</ref> and number&nbsp;one, respectively.<ref name=RSgreatestsongs/> In 2021, "Like a Rolling Stone" was re-ranked at number 4,<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-songs-of-all-time-1224767/bob-dylan-like-a-rolling-stone-3-1225334/|title=Like a Rolling Stone ranked No. 4 on Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs List|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=20 November 2021}}</ref> and "Desolation Row" was re-ranked at number 83.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Desolation Row #83|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-songs-of-all-time-1224767/bob-dylan-desolation-row-2-1225255/|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=20 November 2021}}</ref> In 2012, ''The Best 100 Albums of All Time'' book ranked ''Highway 61 Revisited'' as the greatest album of all time.<ref>{{harvnb|Creswell|2012|p=12}}</ref> The album was included in a "Basic Record Library" of 1950s and 1960s recordings—published in ''[[Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies]]'' (1981)<ref>{{cite book|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|year=1981|title=Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies|publisher=[[Ticknor & Fields]]|isbn=0899190251|chapter=A Basic Record Library: The Fifties and Sixties|chapter-url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/bk-cg70/basics.php|access-date=March 16, 2019|via=robertchristgau.com|title-link=Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies}}</ref>—and in Robert Dimery's ''[[1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die]]''.<ref>{{harvnb|Dimery|2010|p=81}}</ref> It was voted No. 26 in the third edition of [[Colin Larkin]]'s ''[[All Time Top 1000 Albums]]'' (2000).<ref name="Larkin">{{cite book|title=All Time Top 1000 Albums|editor=[[Colin Larkin]]|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=2006|edition=3rd|isbn=0-7535-0493-6|page=46|title-link=All Time Top 1000 Albums}}</ref> It was inducted into the [[Grammy Hall of Fame]] in 2002.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/awards/hall-of-fame#h|title=Grammy Hall of Fame Letter H|work=Grammy|access-date=20 August 2021}}</ref>

Most of the songs on ''Highway 61 Revisited'' have remained important, in varying degrees, to Dylan's live performances since 1965. According to his website, he has played "Like a Rolling Stone" over 2,000 times, "Highway 61 Revisited" more than 1,700 times, "Ballad of a Thin Man" over 1,000 times, and most of the other songs between 150 and 500 times.<ref name=songs/>

The influence of the songs on ''Highway 61 Revisited'' can be heard in many cover versions. "Like a Rolling Stone" has been recorded by artists including [[the Rolling Stones]], on their live album ''[[Stripped (The Rolling Stones album)|Stripped]]'',<ref>{{harvnb|Parisien}}</ref> [[David Bowie]] and [[Mick Ronson]] on ''[[Heaven and Hull]]'',<ref>{{harvnb|Heibutski}}</ref> [[Johnny Winter]] on ''[[Raisin' Cain]]'',<ref>{{harvnb|Ruhlmann}}</ref> and [[Jimi Hendrix]] at the [[Monterey Pop Festival]].<ref>{{harvnb|Unterberger}}</ref> [[My Chemical Romance]]'s version of "Desolation Row" was featured in the film ''[[Watchmen (2009 film)|Watchmen]]'' in 2009.<ref>{{harvnb|Erlewine (2)}}</ref> The song has also been covered by the [[Grateful Dead]] on their album ''[[Postcards of the Hanging]]''.<ref>{{harvnb|Lankford}}</ref> "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" has been recorded by [[Judy Collins]], [[Linda Ronstadt]], [[Nina Simone]] and [[Neil Young]].<ref name=allmusicthumb/> The title track was covered by Johnny Winter,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rivadavia |first=Eduardo RivadaviaEduardo |date=2015-10-27 |title=How Johnny Winter Crafted a Masterpiece in 'Second Winter' |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/johnny-winter-second-winter/ |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=Ultimate Classic Rock |language=en}}</ref> [[PJ Harvey]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2009/04/50-best-bob-dylan-covers-of-all-time.html?p=4 |title=50 Best Bob Dylan Covers of All Time :: Music :: Lists :: Paste |publisher=Pastemagazine.com |access-date=July 22, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924140653/http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2009/04/50-best-bob-dylan-covers-of-all-time.html?p=4 |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{fv|date=January 2025}} [[Karen O]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stereogum.com/archives/new-karen-o-highway-61-revisited-stereogum-premier.html |title=New Karen O – "Highway 61 Revisited" (Stereogum Premiere) |publisher=Stereogum |date=October 25, 2007 |access-date=July 22, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705174102/http://www.stereogum.com/archives/new-karen-o-highway-61-revisited-stereogum-premier.html |archive-date=July 5, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and [[Billy Joel]].<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.allmusic.com/album/my-lives-mw0000704019
| title = ''My Lives'' - Bill Joel
| author = Erlewine, Thomas
| date = April 10, 2015
| access-date = July 22, 2016
| publisher = allmusic.com
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160707185738/http://www.allmusic.com/album/my-lives-mw0000704019
| archive-date = July 7, 2016
| url-status = live
}}</ref>