Is The Best of Bob Dylan, Vol. 2 a good place to start with Bob Dylan?

Yes, The Best of Bob Dylan, Vol. 2 is recommended as a starting point for new Bob Dylan listeners. Acoustic warnings give way to electric commotion and late-night blues across four decades of shifting voices. Released in 2000, this compilation follows the 1997 collection The Best of Bob Dylan and reaches back to his early 1960s folk recordings. It also catches up with his late-career resurgence after Time Out of Mind and includes the then-recent film song “Things Have Changed.”

Who is The Best of Bob Dylan, Vol. 2 for?

The Best of Bob Dylan, Vol. 2 works well if you're into thoughtful storytelling for reflection, for long drives and evocative lyrics for deep listening.

How many songs are on The Best of Bob Dylan, Vol. 2?

The Best of Bob Dylan, Vol. 2 has 19 tracks, running approximately 95 minutes.

Released 26 years ago this November

The Best of Bob Dylan, Vol. 2

Bob Dylan · 2000

95 min · 19 tracks · blues

Acoustic warnings give way to electric commotion and late-night blues across four decades of shifting voices.

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Top tracks — play these first

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Things Have Changed Start here — A shuffling groove and a wary, gravelly vocal introduce the collection through Dylan’s turn-of-the-century persona: watchful, funny and hard to pin down.
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A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall — Its question-and-answer structure turns an acoustic folk performance into an accumulating procession of strange and alarming images.
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Subterranean Homesick Blues — The rapid-fire vocal and clipped electric backing compress a rush of street-level warnings into just over two minutes.
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Hurricane — A driving band and urgent violin carry an extended account of boxer Rubin Carter’s conviction, showing Dylan’s narrative writing at its most overtly confrontational.
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Not Dark Yet — Slow pacing and spacious production leave room for a weathered vocal that contrasts sharply with the urgency of the earlier recordings.

Elevation

Our rating, out of 100 — and why.

AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.

69 /100

Treeline

Higher than 49% of albums we've rated

This compilation highlights Dylan's songwriting strength but lacks the cohesive flow of a studio album.

What we noticed

The sequencing alternates between upbeat anthems and reflective ballads, maintaining listener engagement throughout its length.

Composition 25% of the score: 8/10
Craft 20% of the score: 7/10
Durability 25% of the score: 6/10
Distinctiveness 18% of the score: 6/10
Sequencing 12% of the score: 5/10

Influence 6/10

Significant within its genre. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.

Is this for you?

Good fit if you like

thoughtful storytelling for reflection
for long drives
evocative lyrics for deep listening
cathartic moments of nostalgia
sweeping narratives that linger

Maybe skip if you

seeking quick, upbeat tracks
prefer standalone singles

Where this album fits

In the catalog: Deep Cut — A retrospective collection appealing to both fans and newcomers, not a primary entry point.
Themes: racial injustice· countercultural rebellion· Cold War anxieties
Career context: Released in 2000, this compilation follows the 1997 collection The Best of Bob Dylan and reaches back to his early 1960s folk recordings. It also catches up with his late-career resurgence after Time Out of Mind and includes the then-recent film song “Things Have Changed.”
Stylistic neighbors: Leonard Cohen· Neil Young· Johnny Cash