By the mid-'70s, even Dylan's most ardent supporters began taking his artistic decline for granted. Albums like New Morning and Planet Waves were fine works but lacked the visionary spark of his seminal '60s recordings. At 34 he was already being written off as a has-been. That presumption is what made Blood On The Tracks such a glorious sucker-punch of a record.

One of Dylan's most mournful efforts, this album, which easily ranks among his best, is full of stories about lost love and the struggle for peace of mind.