What is Bob Dylan’s Best Album Cover?

What is Bob Dylan’s best album cover?
Is it one with a photo of Bob, capturing him in the moment? Or is it something else entirely?

A great album cover — something in the vein of “Sgt. Pepper” or “Abbey Road” or “The Band” — stands for something and makes a statement. It practically serves as an announcement or a declaration of what the performer is all about.
Here are my 10 favorite Bob Dylan album covers:
10) New Morning — Dylan looks charismatic as he slyly smiles into the camera


9)   Oh Mercy — Supposedly, Dylan was fascinated by this bit of Manhattan street art. It’s easy to see why.



8)   Bringing It All Back Home: There is so much stuff going on in this cover that you could analyze it for hours at a time.


7)   Modern Times: It reminds me of a piece of 1950s film noir. I’ve always been drawn to this one.



6)   The Basement Tapes: Funny. Weird. Strange. Goofy. Self-deprecating. All of it.



5)   Before the Flood: When you see this cover, and smile at the image of the audience providing the lighting in the darkened hall, you immediately flash back to Tour ’74. It does its work.


4)   Freewheelin’: Who among us wouldn’t want to be that lucky young guy, walking down a Greenwich Village street with his one and only?


3)   Tempest: It makes a stark, dramatic statement. This is a strong album (yes, I’ve heard it) that needs no clutter from a cover.


2)   Self-Portrait: Staunch critics of this vastly underrated album would contend that the painting is better than the music. I don’t go that far. But I do have a sentimental place for this kooky cover. Is this REALLY what Dylan thinks/thought of himself in the spring of 1970?


1)   Nashville Skyline: Hands down, here we have Dylan’s best album cover. His unusually friendly, accessible smile, as he doffs his hat, perfectly reflects the friendly, down-home nature of the album’s terrific music.