Bob Dylan fans decide on the best song from The Basement Tapes

Fans of the legendary songwriter Bob Dylan are deciding on the best song from The Basement Tapes. 

The 1976 release, recorded from 1967 to 1975, features The Band and marks the first official release of most of the songs featured, which had been included on bootleg prints in the years before. Dylan fans are now assessing which of the songs featured on The Basement Tapes is best. A question posted to the r/BobDylan subreddit reads: “What’s your favourite song off The Basement Tapes?“. Where almost every song was suggested in the comments, a few songs were mentioned frequently, including one which was, for one fan, in Dylan’s “top five” of all time.

One user suggested: “Goin’ to Acapulco.” Another replied: “The first time I heard this song (15 years ago) was a life changing moment. Opened me up to Dylan beyond the well-known stuff. Definitely my favourite track.” A third added: “For me this is in Dylan’s top five, maybe not songs but single performances of a single song. It’s literally perfect.”

Others said Goin’ to Acapulco was the best part of The Basement Tapes after being let down by the project as a whole. They wrote: “I’d heard so much about the Basement Tapes before I got a chance to listen to it that I was kind of let down by much of it. Acapulco is an exception, love that song.”

Another user suggested Yazoo Street Scandal and called it “way ahead of its time.” One agreed, adding: “The lyrical structure of that song blows me away every time I listen to it.” Others have suggested their favourite song from the album changes on every listen.

One wrote: “There are so many. Right now it’s Ain’t No More Cane. It will most likely change on my next spin.” Others were left praising Clothes Line Saga, with one calling the song “fucking hilarious” while another said there was “no doubt” over it being the best from The Basement Tapes.

Whats your favorite song off The Basement Tapes?
byu/Puzzleheaded_Way8099 inbobdylan

Another added Orange Juice Blues was one of the best from the album and was a seemingly underrated choice in the thread. One user wrote: “Wow, only mention of Orange Juice Blues. It’s so catchy.” Another added: “It’s just a fun tune, man, glad someone else is a fan of it.”

A third wrote: “Finally scrolled to where Orange Juice Blues are mentioned – such an early classic on the track. So catchy, so good.” Tears of Rage was also mentioned by listeners, though The Band’s version was praised over The Basement Tapes’ offering.

They wrote: “Tears of Rage. They may be my favorite Dylan words ever. (I’m not sure whether Manuel contributed to that part of the song, but the words sound like peak Dylan.) But I prefer The Band’s Music From Big Pink layout with the final verse being ‘we pointed you the way to go…” That just sounds more like the verse that ties it all up.”