The Essential Bob Dylan
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This page is part of a list of original releases by release date of international commercially-released regular stereo Dylan albums. They do not contain rarities or obscurities and are not eligible for the Searching For A Gem list. Nevertheless, their interest value or scarcity means they're worth listing here - as far as I know some are not included on any other Internet site. Promo releases of regular albums are now listed here and no longer in the former yearly Promo sections. This page is incomplete - more entries required. For releases of this album in Columbia multi-packs, see International Album Releases (Regular) - Multi-Packs. |
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If you have any entries to add to the list or additions/corrections to
existing entries, please let me know!
Please note I cannot value your Dylan rarities -
see the Mission page for reasons why. Contact the
dealers on my Trading page for assistance!
Revised 23 March, 2010.
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US release: Columbia C2K 85168, 2CD set, 31 Oct 2000 This was originally sold as a limited edition album available until the end of Jan 2001 only. Copies were still on sale in Apr 2004, but these may be unsold stock. This album has now been added to the albums page of bobdylan.com. For the 36-track European/Australian versions of this album, released in the UK, France and Australia as The Essential Bob Dylan and in Germany as The Ultimate Bob Dylan, see 2001. The 36 track European version of The Essential Bob Dylan was released in Nov 2003 as a 3CD set with a "Limited Tour Edition Bonus Disc" with a further rarity in Holland, see 2003. |
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Vinyl Releases
None to my knowledge.
CD Releases
"The Essential Bob Dylan" - 2CD set, Columbia C2K 85168 (USA/Canada), 31
Oct 2000:
For the 36-track European/Australian versions of this album, released in the
UK, France and Australia as The Essential Bob Dylan and in Germany as The Ultimate
Bob Dylan, see 2001. The 36 track European version of
The Essential Bob Dylan was released in Nov 2003 as a 3CD set with a
"Limited Tour Edition Bonus Disc" with a further rarity in Holland, see
2003. The 30 track US release is now classed as a regular
album, see International Album Releases (Regular), even though it was originally
released as a "limited edition".
R-0299 Things Have
Changed
from the Wonder Boys soundtrack
album as well as European/Japanese compilations and singles (all listed above), lyrics on bobdylan.com
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Now no longer a rarity since The Essential Bob Dylan is now on the bobdylan.com albums page.
The Positively 4th Street on this collection is the 3:54 "regular" version from Biograph, as opposed to the 4:10 "alternate mix" which is now to be found on the remastered Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits (US release). Neither stereo version is now classified on this site as a rarity.
Track list (all tracks are standard stereo album versions except where indicated):
Disc 1: Blowin' In The Wind; Don't Think Twice, It's All Right; The Times They Are A-Changin'; It Ain't Me, Babe; Maggie's Farm; It's All Over Now, Baby Blue; Mr. Tambourine Man; Subterranean Homesick Blues; Like A Rolling Stone; Positively 4th Street (3:54 stereo version from Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits and Biograph); Just Like A Woman; Rainy Day Women #12 & 35; All Along The Watchtower; Quinn The Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn) ("Basement Tapes" version with The Band from Biograph); I'll Be Your Baby Tonight. [Thanks to David Goldsmith for correcting the origin of the Mighty Quinn version!]
Disc 2: Lay, Lady, Lay; If Not For You; I Shall be Released (1971 version with Happy Traum from Greatest Hits Vol. 2/More Greatest Hits); You Ain't Goin' Nowhere (1971 version with Happy Traum from Greatest Hits Vol. 2/More Greatest Hits); Knockin' On Heaven's Door; Forever Young (slow version from Planet Waves), Tangled Up In Blue; Shelter From The Storm; Hurricane; Gotta Serve Somebody; Jokerman; Silvio; Everything Is Broken; Not Dark Yet; Things Have Changed (R-0299 as above).
Thanks to Jack from Canada for the picture of the CD-R promo set, which comes in white card sleeves without artwork. Thanks to Peter Pearson for information about the long box release of this set plus scans. This release has the same catalogue number C2K 85168 on the CDs, but the number of 3OC 85168 on the long box itself.
"The Ultimate Collection" - 2CD set, Columbia 5031339 (Germany), 21 May 2001:
![]() Columbia 5031339 (Germany) - front picture from amazon.de |
This is an expanded edition of the 2000 USA release The Essential Bob Dylan with the same cover and six extra tracks, one of which is a rarity. Full full details, see 2001. This expanded edition was also released as The Essential Bob Dylan in the UK, France and Australia, also see 2001. This 36 track European version of The Essential Bob Dylan was released in Nov 2003 as a 3CD set with a "Limited Tour Edition Bonus Disc" with a further rarity in Holland, see 2003. |
"The Essential Bob Dylan" - 2CD set, Sony Music TV STVCD 116 (UK); Columbia 5031332 (France), 21 May 2001; Columbia 50313320000 (Australia), Mar 2002; Columbia 5031332 (UK), Sep 2005; Sony Music 88697 63674 2 (UK), 28 Sep 2009:
![]() Sony Music TV STVCD 116 (UK, 2001) - front picture from amazon.co.uk |
This is yet another variant of the Essential/Ultimate compilation, tracklist exactly the same as the German version immediately above (36 tracks). For full details, see 2001. This album was re-released in the UK in Sep 2005 as Columbia 503133 2, the previous French catalogue number, and on 28 Sep 2009 in the UK as Sony Music 88697 63674 2 in a metal box. |
![]() Columbia 5031332000 (Australia, 2002) - front with sticker, scan by Stuart Moore |
![]() Sony Music 88697 63674 2 (UK, 2009) - picture from amazon.co.uk |
"The Essential Bob Dylan" - 2CD set, Sony Music House MHCP 30-31
(Japan), 21 May 2003:
The Japanese release is in a 2CD slimline CD jewel case only.
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Sony Music House MHCP 30-31 (Japan) - front with obi |
Sony Music House MHCP 30-31 (Japan) - wrap-around obi with drawing by Jun Miura |
Sony Music House MHCP 30-31 (Japan) - rear insert |
Sony Music House MHCP 30-31 (Japan) - CD1 (blue-grey, with large "Bob Dylan") |
Sony Music MHCP 166 (Japan, 2004) - front of Dylan soundtrack album (my copy) |
Sony Music House MHCP 30-31 (Japan) - centre of booklet |
![]() Dylan Ga Rock - 1993 exclusive Japanese release also illustrated by Jun Miura, see 1993 and 2010 |
![]() "Iden & Tity" issues 24-27, comic book by Jun Miura, picture found by Moise Potie (Bob on right) |
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R-0299 Things Have
Changed
from the Wonder Boys soundtrack
album as well as European/Japanese compilations and singles (all listed above), lyrics on bobdylan.com
![]()
Now no longer a rarity since The Essential Bob Dylan is now on the bobdylan.com albums page.
This album was belatedly released in Japan on 21 May 2003 in an enhanced package, although not with the six extra tracks of the 2001 releases. It has a 40-page booklet with Japanese liner notes and lyrics in English and Japanese. There is also a unique wrap-around obi with artwork by popular Japanese cartoonist and Dylan fan Jun Miura. Jun Miura has also provided a centre picture for the booklet and drew the artwork for the very rare promo 2CD Japanese set Dylan Ga Rock, see 1993 and 2010. The Jun Miura picture used for the Japanese edition of The Essential Bob Dylan also appears in Jun Miura's series of comic books "Iden & Tity" and on the 2004 Japanese Dylan film soundtrack compilation Iden & Tity, (Sony Music MHCP 1166), see International Album Releases (Dylan-Only Compilations) 2000s.
"The Essential Bob Dylan" - 3CD set, Columbia 503133 0 (NL), 13 Nov 2003:
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Columbia 503133 0 (NL) - front of jewel case with sticker (my copy) |
This Dutch set is a "Limited Tour Edition". It contains the 2001
36-track expanded version and also has a 6-track Bonus Disc featuring
a further rarity. It has a 12-page booklet in English and a 20-page booklet
in Dutch. For full details, see 2003. |
Columbia 503133 0 (NL) - Dutch language sticker |
"The Essential Bob Dylan'" - Blu-spec 2CD release, Sony Music SICP 20193-4 (Japan), 22 Jul 2009:
"The Essential Bob Dylan 3.0" - 3CD set, Columbia 88697 54084 2 (USA), 18 Aug 2009:
Columbia 88697 54084 2 (USA) - outside of four-panel card sleeve
unfolded
Columbia 88697 54084 2 (USA) - inside of four-panel card sleeve
unfolded showing pockets for discs and booklet
"The Essential Bob Dylan 3.0" - 3CD set, Sony Music S 30578C (South Korea), 2009:
![]() Sony Music S 30578C (South Korea) - front with stickers, picture from eBay |
Thanks to Éamonn Ó Catháin for finding this on eBay. More information will be added when available. |
![]() The Essential Bob Dylan (2000) |
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