3 of 9 
8. Planet Waves (1974): The curious Planet Waves was billed as a reunion of Dylan and the Band, who had previously -- in various formulations -- turned rock and roll on its head during Dylan's first electric tours. Whatever the reason, the album contains very little of the visceral tension of those early interactions and instead resolves into a largely pleasant, vaguely countrified folk-rock operation that neither offends nor disappoints. Small gems like "Hazel" were later repurposed on the great Band documentary The Last Waltz, and opener "On A Night Like This" manages at once to function as an engaging come-on and something that sounds like a terrible idea. Ultimately, the mean-spirited and spare piano-driven "Dirge" is the most unusual track on the album, one that anticipates the terrible domestic acrimony that would soon be visiting Dylan's life and ultimately coloring the following year's all-time-great Blood On The Tracks. In this context, Planet Waves feels like fascinating insight into a man who seemingly has everything -- a legendary reputation, a loving family, and an estimable fortune -- and is somehow contriving to lose it all.
