Bob Dylan

not classic at all...

His cover of "All Along The Watchtower" pales in comparison to Hendrix's original.

My favorite Dylan song.

MUCH better songwriter than singer...

He's way too conceited for me, his ego seems to ruin the possibility of respect. I'd much rather listen to Tom Waits or Leonard Cohen. Maybe I'll warm up to Bob Dylan in the future. To me, he seems overrated.

An icon as a songwriter and deservedly so, but I have always thought his singing left alot to be desired. 'Like A Rolling Stone' was a fine song and I took a strong liking to his version of 'Knockin On Heavens Door' too.  Dylan is a very strange character, but a legend nonetheless.Dylan was asked one time what made you decide to go the rock-n-roll route?Dylan said, "Carelessness. I lost my one true love. I started drinking. The first thing I know, I'm in a card game. Then I'm in a crap game. I wake up in a pool hall. Then this big Mexican lady drags me off the table, takes me to Philadelphia. She leaves me alone in her house, and it burns down. I wind up in Phoenix. I get a job as a Chinaman. I start working in a dime store, and move in with a 13-year-old girl. Then this big Mexican lady from Philadelphia comes in and burns the house down. I go down to Dallas. I get a job as a "before" in a Charles Atlas "before and after" ad. I move in with a delivery boy who can cook fantastic chili ... Read more

As the old saying goes, "Amateurs borrow. Professionals steal."Zimmy was one of the greatest thieves in show biz history. He stole from beat poets and every folk singer on MacDougal Street, usually making their work his own.Perhaps the one exception was his version of House of The Rising Sun. He stole the arrangement - note for note  - from Dave Van Ronk who never failed to mention this fact in interviews for the next half century.

How the greatest American songwriter since WWII, a guy who had more influence than anyone else on the transformation of rock and roll from juvenile fuzzy warbles to a genre with significantly more heft, is rated so low on this list is truly astounding.  This tells you that Rateitall is generally populated by children, dopes, clods and cultural squares.  Dylan has written more great songs than anyone currently living, and a sizeable percentage of his canon has become standards.  Anyone who is anyone has performed and recorded his songs for over 45 years, and certain performers made careers out of his material.  He's just an OK guitar player and pianist (although his work on keyboards has been greatly overlooked), but, also a very adequate harmonica player.  He always took a lot a crap about his singing, but if you listen to his early records you'll find that he certainly knows how to put a song across.  His phrasing, pacing and diction are quite accomplished, and he always found the pro... Read more

This list is a joke!  Dylan is five stars, no question.  If you don't like his voice, then you probably don't like Randy Newman's voice or Tom Waits's voice either.  Thether he can sing like Roy Orbison is beside the point.  Interestingly, Orbison had no problem teaming up with Dylan in the Traveling Wilburys.  Anyone who rated him lower than a three, get real!  Redeem yourselves and go back and change your vote (star number).  Too many great songs to list.

George Harrison of the Beatles: "Dylan is so brilliant. To me, he makes William Shakespeare look like Billy Joel."Alex Ross: "If you look through what has been written about Bob Dylan in the past thirty-odd years, you notice a desire for him to die off, so that his younger self can assume its mythic place."Andrew Motion, British Poet Laureate: "He's one of the great artists of the century. He comes on the scene at a very high level, then (with a few glitches here and there) extends himself steadily --- usually staying one step ahead of his audience. [Enumerating what it is about Dylan that he especially likes:] The concentration and surprise of his lyrics; the beauty of his melodies (and the rasp of his anger); the dramatic sympathy between the words and the music; the range of his devotions; the power of self-renewal; his wit; his surrealism; the truth to experience... [Speaking of how Dylan's lyrics, unlike most rock lyrics, can stand alone without their music:] He doesn't (as Robert... Read more

To fake for me,he is just a bussinesman.His music is nothink special.

Yes, the electric stuff irritates me. . .but the complete body of work is terrific. . .if he never sang a note of music he'd be an above-average poet. . .

If it wasn't for Bob Dylan there wouldn't be a lot of protest songs out there. He is the King of protest, and brilliant.

Dylan is a genius in my opinion. Heavily influenced by Woody Guthrie (whom he actually met) in his formative years as a musician, he went on to carve a niche of his own, becoming arguably the greatest American songwriter/lyricist. The Beatles (John Lennon in particular) were big fans of his. Dylan's body of work is stunning. Forget his oft criticsed nasal whine; his unique phrasing and delivery more than make up for his lack of singing technique. Do not dismiss this legend lightly.

No one wrote significant lyrics until Bob Dylan emerged as the voice of a generation. It's probably hard for today's youth to comprehend what Dylan did. Sure his voice was ragged, but that was part of his charm. He was an earthy folk singer, a poet, not Perry Como. Bob Dylan pissed off grownups and questioned authority. Plus, he had some of the most talented musicians in the world behind him. Blonde On Blonde is the greatest American double lp ever.

Ugh! His songs are boring and has a crappy voice!

don't care for his music at all

Very overrated.

SUCKS!

Rotten singer. Gives me a headache.

Bob Dylan is by far the most talented musician of all time.

The greastes lyricist in rock history. I believe he's as influential as the Beatles. Definitely not the greatest singer who ever lived, but he has his moments. Have never seen him live but will in the future.

voice? but a great writer and incredible influence

I saw an interview with graham nash and he said it correctly there is Dylan and Hendrix, and then there is everyone else! personally, i would put Skynyrd in there with them!!

I'm so tired of seeing the Beatles as the best ever. Bob Dylan deserves to be at the top. His music is timelss and will last much longer than any other.

One of the best! He is a terrific song writer.

The knock on Dylan is always against his voice. Well, the man conveys more emotion, character, depth, and humor with his voice and turns of phrase thatn nearly anyone else in the history of recorded popular music. The truth about Dylan's lyrics is that while they are good, it his singing that makes them seem so great. His lyrics on the page seldom stand up the way they do in a song. And when Dylan is covered, other artists nearly always fall short of the Dylan's version. If you want pretty vocals go get some Mariah Carrey, if you want your soul stirred by one of the greatest voices of our time, go for Bob Dylan. His singing is transcendant.

he seems egotistical, kind of like he thinks you owe him something. he's a pioneer and a great poet but a little played out.

Bob Dylan, one of the few musicians that can actually be called an artist. Great songs, and a great voice. P.S. He didn't write Wild Horses, that was Mick and Keith.

He is incredible and wrote many incredible lyrics and wrote lyrics for various artists and people are still remaking his songs to this day. I just love when he plays that harmonica, it is great. Wild Horses I think is one of his most beautiful songs.

There was an amazing glow around Dylan when I saw him perform on Long Island in the summer of 1965. He did an acoustic first set and an electric second set that was . . . electric. It was an extremely moving experience, as was listening to each of his albums during the 1960s for the first time!

Bob has more talent in his left hand than most people could muster in their lifetime. I'll take Bob any day over the polished, empty swagging of the American Idols, Britney Spears, or any other artist that passes for popular entertainment these days. He is the man. Period. Wanna get turned on to Bob, but can't get past his voice? Give"The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan" a shot for his early days, and then try "Blood on the Tracks" and "Time out of Mind" for some deeper stuff--nobody else could sing these songs.

TO MANY THE GOD OF ALL SONGWRITERS--AND WHO AM I TO ARGUE? HE'S HAD UNEVEN WORK THOUGH AND I DON'T THINK HE RESPECTS HIS OWN MUSIC. HE PLAYS SONGS A THOUSAND DIFFERENT WAYS--LIKE HE'S BORED OR SOMETHING. STILL--HE CAN WRITE SUPERBLY--HIS 'BLOOD ON THE TRACKS' WAS BRILLIANT. AND EVEN HIS LAST ALBUM WAS A SUPERIOR EFFORT. HE'S HAD MANY ALBUMS AND BROUGHT A LOT OF JOY TO A LOT OF PEOPLE--ME INCLUDED.

He is a god. There's nothing more to say.

Unreal.

Somehow he is being forgotten how influencial he was.For the life of me I don't know why.A great poet and a real voice of the times.A master.

I won't say any of you are wrong for not liking his voice, but I think you are. And for those of you who don't understand his lyrics, try reading them in silence (bobdylan.com). You don't need to be high to understand. Everyone can understand, in varying degrees. Bringing It All Back Home, Blonde on Blonde, Highway 61 Revisited, and especially Blood on the Tracks are my favorite albums of all time, from any artist.

excellentr writer terrible singer

forget elvis, bob was the king of rock. freewheelin blows my mind every time i play that album

Brilliant poet troubador for our and all generations. Always doing something new and exciting!

By far one of the greatest songeriters of all time. His songs will outlast The Beatles. I think that he's rated so low because of his voice, which I think is very underrated.