Bob Dylan

Inevitably, when critics praise a new Dylan album, they label it the "best since Blood on the Tracks," and with good reason. Inspired by a crumbled marriage, and recorded after a tour with the Band had apparently re-ignited his creativity, Blood is among Dylan's masterpieces. The album's epic songs are well known, but its real high points are the shorter numbers--"You're a Big Girl Now," the flawless blues "Meet Me in the Morning," and the sweetly devastating "Buckets of Rain." These are songs of "images and distorted facts," each expressed through tangled points of view, and all of them blue. --David Cantwell

Dylan was virtually gushing great songs when this masterpiece arrived in the summer of 1965. From the epochal opening of "Like a Rolling Stone" through the absurdly apocalyptic closer, "Desolation Row," his command of surrealistic language was daring and amazing. As a vocalist, he was rewriting the rules of the game. Jimi Hendrix made note of Mr. Z's technically suspect pitch and decided that he too was a singer. And the backing, though ragged, is precisely right. Is this the essential Dylan album? It's certainly one of them. --Steven Stolder

This specially produced 2-CD soundtrack from the hit television series, NCIS, stands apart from TV soundtracks that merely compile a selection of songs that were heard in a series' previous episodes. Instead, this collection features brand new tracks from Blue October, Dashboard Confessional, Oasis, Seether, Jakob Dylan, The Airborne Toxic Event, Saving Abel, Perry Farrell, Will Dailey, Skold vs. KMFDM, Collide and electronica pioneers Nitzer Ebb, all set for prominent placement in NCIS episodes beginning in February 2009, coinciding with the release of this soundtrack.

The album also features recent tracks from Bob Dylan, John Mellencamp, Sharon Little, Keaton Simons and Android Lust - all utilized in recent NCIS episodes - as well as the show's original theme (available commercially for the first time) and a brand new theme remix from industrial music giants, Ministry. NCIS show producers listened to literally dozens of submitted tracks before choosing the ones best suited for upcoming storylines, and from which the show's writers could draw upon for inspiration. As NCIS Executive Producer Shane Brennan explains, ''We've put the same amount of attention and care into the creation of our soundtrack that we do with our show every week. We listened to countless tracks to find the tunes that would not only fit into particular episodes, but would actually help drive our storylines. We couldn't be more thrilled that so many great artists share our vision for integrating music into television and have agreed to offer up new music for our soundtrack. We think the fans will be getting something truly special as a result.''

The soundtrack also features show stars Pauley Perrette (Abby Sciuto), who performs the self-composed ''Fear'' under the moniker Stop Making Friends, and Cote de Pablo (Ziva David), whose memorable performance of Tom Waits' ''Temptation'' from a recent episode is included on the soundtrack. Perrette has an extensive background in music, owning her own independent record label and fronting several bands, and it is her character, Abby, whose music sensibilities in the show serve as the basis for the soundtrack's ''Abby's Lab'' disc.

Dylan has issued a large number of live albums in his day, but 1974's Before the Flood deserves special mention because of the presence of the Band behind him. Dylan had recently brought the Band into the studio to record the chart-topping (yet still somehow underappreciated) Planet Waves, which was the first (and, as it turned out, only) studio record he made after leaving Columbia for Asylum. He then asked them along on the subsequent tour, which at the time became the most successful rock tour in history. The fruits of that partnership are contained on this two-CD set, which actually ignores Planet Waves completely in favor of older classics. Although the album includes several strong collaborations, the highlights ironically come during Dylan's solo-acoustic portion, which yields powerful and gritty versions of "Don't Think Twice" and "It's Alright Ma," and during the Band's own exhilarating numbers with Dylan sitting out. --Marc Greilsamer

2 CDs with 27 songs in a brilliant box with a 60 page booklet.

2LPs pressed on 180 gram vinyl with a CD of the entire album.
Together Though Life, produced by Jack Frost, was prompted by the composition of a new song, "Life Is Hard," which was written for a forthcoming film by French director Oliver Dahan (La Vie En Rose). Bob Dylan's latest studio album was recorded late last year and features 10 new songs including "Beyond Here Lies Nothin'" and "It's All Good." This will be the 46th release from Dylan, following his Platinum album Modern Times which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 chart in 2006.

Standard: 1CD of 10 new tracks in a jewel box with a four-panel insert.
Together Though Life, produced by Jack Frost, was prompted by the composition of a new song, "Life Is Hard," which was written for a forthcoming film by French director Oliver Dahan (La Vie En Rose). Bob Dylan's latest studio album was recorded late last year and features 10 new songs including "Beyond Here Lies Nothin'" and "It's All Good." This will be the 46th release from Dylan, following his Platinum album Modern Times which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 chart in 2006.

Deluxe: Special 2CD/DVD limited edition package in a jewel box with slipcase includes:
- Together Through Life collectible poster
- Together Through Life sticker
- Bonus CD of Bob Dylan’s 60-minute Theme Time Radio Hour "Friends & Neighbors” episode
- DVD of “Roy Silver – The Lost Interview”

Together Though Life, produced by Jack Frost, was prompted by the composition of a new song, “Life Is Hard,” which was written for a forthcoming film by French director Oliver Dahan (La Vie En Rose). Bob Dylan’s latest studio album was recorded late last year and features 10 new songs including "Beyond Here Lies Nothin'" and "It's All Good." This will be the 46th release from Dylan, following his Platinum album Modern Times which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 chart in 2006.