Tomorrow, August 30th, marks the 60th anniversary of the release of Bob Dylan's sixth and second consecutive electric album, 1965's Highway 61 Revisited.
Powered by guitarist Michael Bloomfield from the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, the album contains such classics as "Like a Rolling Stone," "Tombstone Blues," "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry," "Ballad of a Thin Man," "Queen Jane Approximately" and the title track.
"Like a Rolling Stone," which features Al Kooper's iconic swirling organ fills, was recorded on June 16th, 1965 and released on July 20th while Dylan was home in Woodstock, New York writing the rest of the songs that would make up the album. Those eight songs were recorded over five days between July 29th and August 4th.
Highway 61 Revisited peaked at number-three on the Billboard 200.
Columbia Records, which released the album in 1965, is celebrating the 60th anniversary with a new website dedicated to it -- Highway61.BobDylan.com.
The animated interactive site places you inside a moving car as the album plays. It allows you to:
- Create a play list from songs from throughout his career
- Change the scenery outside the car's windows
- Download a magazine, Highway 61 Revisited -- The Road That Changed Music
- And access an essay on the album and photos