Why Bob Dylan Fans Keep Returning to One Album From 1969

Bob Dylan's "Nashville Skyline" is garnering fresh attention — and affection — from fans who say the country-flavored 1969 album has become their comfort album more than five decades after it dropped.

A user wondered in a post on the r/BobDylan subreddit if fans' affection for the album was warranted or just the product of nostalgia.

"Is 'Nashville Skyline' that good? I find myself coming back to it all the time and I adore it so much," the user wrote. "However, it's obviously not as lyrically complex or interesting as his other work, and it's probably a weird album to put as my favorite ever. Is 'Nashville Skyline' actually as good as I think it is, or is it just a nice comfort album?"

Split Opinions—but Strong Praise

"Nashville Skyline," released on April 9, 1969, was a major departure from the sound of Dylan's previous work. It was a country- and folk-inflected affair, with collaborations such as "Girl from the North Country" with Johnny Cash, along with the now-classic "Lay Lady Lay." While the lyrical sophistication does not quite approach the level of "Blonde on Blonde" or "Blood on the Tracks," many fans believe therein lies the beauty of "Skyline's" simplicity.

"The lyrics might not be as baroque as what's on Blonde on Blonde, but writing lyrics as tight and concise as 'I Threw It All Away' or 'Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You' is just as technically impressive," one user declared.

Easy Listening, Still Dylan

Several commenters noted that "Nashville Skyline" has a neat little place in Dylan's early '70s catalog as a sort of highlighted entry point for easy listening.

"For all his lyrical brilliance, Dylan's ability to make nice comfort albums is really underrated," one fan commented. "His '69-'73 albums have some of his best 'put it on' music."

That period consists of other beloved fare like "New Morning" and live recordings from The Bootleg Series Vol. 10 — which one Redditor called "excellent," featuring "Pretty Saro" and Dylan's performance with The Band at the Isle of Wight.