On Sale Today: “Bringing It All Back Home” by Bob Dylan

Mar. 22, 1965 - On sale today is “Bringing It All Back Home,” the fifth studio album by singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. In a major transition from his earlier sound, it is Dylan’s first album to incorporate electric instrumentation. 

The album is split into two distinct halves; the first side features electric instrumentation, in which Dylan is backed by an electric rock ’n’ roll band. The second half features mainly acoustic songs. The album abandons the protest music of Dylan’s previous records in favor of more surreal, complex lyrics.

The first song, “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” was released as a single two weeks ago. “Bringing It All Back Home” was recorded at Columbia Studios in New York on Jan. 13-15. 

The album’s cover photo (pictured), taken by Daniel Kramer with an edge-softened lens, features Sally Grossman (wife of Dylan’s manager Albert Grossman) lounging in the background. There are also artifacts scattered around the room, including LP’s by the Impressions (“Keep On Pushing”), Robert Johnson (“King of the Delta Blues Singers”), Ravi Shankar (“India’s Master Musician”), Lotte Lenya (“Sings Berlin Theatre Songs by Kurt Weill”) and Eric Von Schmidt (“The Folk Blues of Eric Von Schmidt”). 

Dylan sits forward holding his cat (named Rolling Stone) and has an opened magazine featuring an advertisement on Jean Harlow’s Life Story by the columnist Louella Parsons resting on his leg. Visible next to Mrs. Grossman is Time magazine with President Lyndon B. Johnson as “Man of the Year” on the cover of the January 1, 1965 issue.

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