The Times They Are A-Changin' ［LP+Magazine］

メッセージ色の濃い歌が並び、プロテストシンガーとして大きな話題になった1963年度作品。『フリーホイーリン』が爆発的なセールスを記録し、フォークの神様と揶揄されるようになる中で発表されたサード・アルバム。プロテスト・フォークシンガーとしてのディラン像を確立し、「風に吹かれて」と並ぶ初期ディランの代表曲「時代は変る」をはじめ、「神が味方」「いつもの朝に」「スペイン革のブーツ」「ハッティ・キャロルの寂しい死」など今もライヴでよく歌われるクラシックを多数収録、説得力を持って老成した初期の若きディランが冷静に迫りくる名作です。

If The Times They Are a-Changin' isn't a marked step forward from The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, even if it is his first collection of all originals, it's nevertheless a fine collection all the same. It isn't as rich as Freewheelin', and Dylan has tempered his sense of humor considerably, choosing to concentrate on social protests in the style of "Blowin' in the Wind." With the title track, he wrote an anthem that nearly equaled that song, and "With God on Our Side" and "Only a Pawn in Their Game" are nearly as good, while "Ballad of Hollis Brown" and "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll" are remarkably skilled re-castings of contemporary tales of injustice. His absurdity is missed, but he makes up for it with the wonderful "One Too Many Mornings" and "Boots of Spanish Leather," two lovely classics. If there are a couple of songs that don't achieve the level of the aforementioned songs, that speaks more to the quality of those songs than the weakness of the remainder of the record. And that's also true of the album itself -- yes, it pales next to its predecessor, but it's terrific by any other standard. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine