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Blonde on Blonde: A double album that transcends time, suspends reality, and looks through the human soul and tells the listener characteristics about themselves they didn’t know. Renowned for what Bob Dylan deemed “that thin, that wild mercury sound.”

Deemed by cultural critic Greil Marcus “the most glamorous record imaginable,” Blonde on Blonde remains to music, production, prose, and performance what hydrogen is to water. The secret to the 1966 masterwork’s inimitable aural character partially stems from Dylan’s request to remove the baffles from the studio room, allowing the musicians to interact as well as the music to possess a more organic quality. 

The story of Blonde on Blonde is almost as compelling as the music. Dylan, relocating to Tennessee and pairing with Nashville’s top session players as well as members of what would become the Band, feverishly chasing perfectionism while arriving at an inimitable on-the-fly feel. A majority of tunes were recorded long after midnight, the early A.M. vibe reflected in the nocturnal aura, woozy optimism, and spiritual soulfulness of the playing. “Essential” doesn’t even begin to cover the genius of this record that, ranked ninth-best of all-time by Rolling Stone, finally features sonics that match the caliber of the conscious-altering power and mythical weight of the songs within.