Scott Anderson, professor of music in the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts, has been a Bob Dylan fan since picking up a greatest hits album in 1987. Read more here.
A classically-trained trombone player and teacher, Anderson also guides undergraduate courses in the history of rock and roll and an honors class that examines the work of individual music icons. This semester, Dylan, who recently won the Nobel Prize for Literature, is the focus of the honors course.
In his pursuit of becoming a Bobsessive, Anderson has purchased copies of every Dylan album, has read nearly 50 Dylan biographies, watched all but one film about or made by Dylan, and attended three Dylan concerts. Learning about Dylan and his music is a passion of which Anderson never tires.
For anyone who wants to learn more about Dylan’s music, Anderson suggested listening to three albums that can provide a crash course into the work of the poet laureate of the rock era. In no particular order, those albums are:
“Those are the three big albums for me and are must haves,” Anderson said. “That being said, my favorite album usually changes every week. Right now, my favorite is ‘Time Out of Mind.’ Last week, it was ‘Oh Mercy.’
“There’s just so much out there and it’s all really, really good.”
Anderson said individuals looking for a faster look into Dylan’s work should listen to three seminal songs:
“Visions of Johanna” from Blonde on Blonde
“Blind Willie McTell” from Time out of Mind
“Angelina,”which was never released in an album
“Those three songs are on my phone all the time,” Anderson said. “I listen to them a lot and they’re all great examples of Dylan’s ability to write great lyrics.”
