Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks has been dubbed his best album in a poll which described the songwriter as “more influential than Elvis Presley”.
Research from Cambridge Audio showed Dylan ranked higher than The King of Rock and Roll, as well as Johnny Cash, Black Sabbath, and Taylor Swift, when it comes to musical influence. Polling five thousand music lovers, the poll also found the most popular Dylan song of all, as well as the highest-rated album among those questioned.
The survey had Dylan appear in 50.3% of polled members’ all-time top five most influential artists. Topping the list, though, were The Beatles, who appeared in in 82.9% of people’s top five.
Dylan placed above Presley, who was mentioned by 45.9% of those polled, as well as Black Sabbath (24%), Cash (21.4%), and Swift (14.4%). But the Mr. Tambourine Man songwriter ranked fifth overall, with David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, and Jimi Hendrix all beating Dylan to the top spots.
The Smiths also featured on 16.8% of lists, with the Morrissey-fronted band beating out Swift for a spot on more lists than The Tortured Poet’s Department singer-songwriter.
As for Dylan’s best songs and albums, those polled suggested Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door was his best effort, with 26.3% of fans mentioning it as one of their favourites. It beat out Like a Rolling Stone (which featured on 20.9% of lists) as well as Blowin’ in the Wind (16.2%), Mr. Tambourine Man (13.4%), and I Want You (3.8%).
When it comes to Dylan’s best album, those polled all agreed the classic period, pre-Street-Legal, is where his best work appears. Blood on the Tracks took the top spot with 21.6% of those polled ranking it as their favourite album from the legendary musician.
Highway 61 Revisited was a close second, with 20.6% of those polled naming it their favourite, while Blonde on Blonde came in third with 16.4% of the vote share. The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan was named in fourth with 13.7% of the vote, and in fifth came Nashville Skyline, with 7.7% of those polled suggesting it was their favourite of Dylan’s discography.
Those polled, while aware of Dylan’s hits, were not aware of other artist’s covers of his work. Just 5% polled realised Adele’s hit, Make You Feel My Love, is a cover of Dylan. The song featured on his Time Out of Mind album from 1997.
