Bob Dylan Called This Album a Disaster and Wishes It Was Never Released

Bob Dylan Called This Album a Disaster and Wishes It Was Never Released Bob DylanImage via Nancy Leane/Dalle/startraksphoto.com By  Karly B. Published 46 minutes ago Karly B. is a music news journalist at Collider, specializing in the Western and Asian music industries. With a Bachelor of Science degree in Digital Media and Web Technology, she has dedicated part of her career to covering the latest music trends, breaking news, and album releases.  Her work also appears in various other publications, such as the South Korean-focused music publication Kpop Wise, where she serves as a contributor and interviewer. Beyond her work in IT and journalism, Karly is an avid Tudor history buff. She operates her own historical blog, 'Before the Queen's Crown, ' which explores the life and legacy of Queen Elizabeth I. Sign in to your Collider account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

American-born singer-songwriter Bob Dylan is widely regarded as one of the most popular and influential music artists of the 20th century. And the accolades have not been given without merit, as Dylan's poetic lyrics, distinctive baritone voice, and plethora of hit songs such as "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright", "Like A Rolling Stone", and "Knockin' on Heaven's Door," helped mold modern music and culture. Singing and penning some of rock n' roll's and folk's most famous melodies and lyrics is no easy task, yet Dylan has made it sound effortless with his innate talent and diligent work. But there is one classic album by Dylan that he not only considers one of his biggest fails but also regrets ever releasing, and the reason behind these sentiments may surprise you.

Bob Dylan Came To Regret Releasing His 'Self Portrait' Album

Bob Dylan has, of course, long been revered for his artistry, so much so, in fact, that Rolling Stone Magazine ranked him as the best songwriter of all time, followed by another great legend, Paul McCartney. And at the age of 84, after nearly 60 years in the music industry, still going strong, with his last studio album, Shadow Kingdom, released in 2023 to critical and commercial success, it would seem unlikely that the ten-time Grammy Award winner would have any regrets in his prolific career. However, according to the rock 'n' roll and folk icon, there are several works in his prolific discovery that he loathes—case in point, his tenth studio album, Self Portrait.

First released on June 8, 1970, the album was unique to Dylan, as it was not only the second double album following Blonde on Blonde but also comprised several tracks of cover songs, live recordings, and original songs such as "Wigwam". Also, unlike many of Dylan's other works, Self Portrait was panned by fans and critics alike at the time of its release, with the consensus that its production quality was poor. However, despite the negative feedback, the album was later certified gold, peaked at number 4 on the Billboard 200, and reached number 1 in the UK. However, despite its commercial success, according to the music publication Live for Live Music, Dylan was deeply bothered by the critics' harsh reviews of his album, so much so that he regretted ever releasing it. In fact, during a rare interview with Rolling Stone Magazine in 1984, Dylan revealed that the album was terrible. Regarding his decision to include a rather odd collection of songs on the album, Dylan explained, "if you’re gonna put a lot of cr*p on it, you might as well load it up." In recent years, however, many fans and music critics have found a new appreciation for the album. For example, according to a 2016 Rolling Stone article, the publication called the album weird but acknowledged its greatness.

Related 60 Years Ago, Bob Dylan Released His All-Time Greatest Album

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Posts 14 By  Gabrielle Ulubay Aug 30, 2025

Bob Dylan Regretted Writing His Most Scathing Song

Bob Dylan performing while a camera flashes in Don't Look BackImage via Leacock-Pennebaker, Inc.

Self Portrait isn't the only piece of work Bob Dylan has come to regret releasing. Dylan also came to regret one of his most stinging and emotional songs ever,"Ballad in Plain D". Written by Dylan, the song is an ode to his ex-girlfriend, American artist Suze Rotolo, with whom he had a fraught relationship in part due to her interfering, domineering mother and sister. The folk song was released in August 1964 on Dylan's fourth studio album titled Another Side of Bob Dylan. Although the nearly 9-minute-long track was the longest on the album, it was not released as an official single.

Despite the fact that Another Side of Bob Dylan received mixed reviews from critics upon its release and also did not perform well on the music charts, "Ballad in Plain D" is often regarded by fans and modern music critics as one of Dylan's most personal tracks, if not his best. In fact, in July 2013, Rolling Stone Magazine named it one of Dylan's worst songs, and in another article by Rolling Stone Australia, it was deemed a terrible song but featured on a great album. Dylan appears to be in agreement, as the legendary singer once revealed in 1985 during a rare interview, "Oh yeah, that one! I look back and say, 'I must have been a real schmuck to write that. Of all the songs I've written, maybe I could have left that alone." After recording it, Dylan was never known to have performed it again.

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