greatest surprise dylan album

ok, the topers: Blonde on Blonde, of course, and Nashville Skyline. I don't want to get too deep into the list, would rather read others ideas on the subject, so ... which dylan album's arrival took you completely by surprise, even if, after looking back, his progression made perfect sense?

The downbeat of the drums on the first song of the first side of "Higway 61 Revisited" and all the notes that followed were a complete shock. Although the previous two albums showed he was leaning in this direction, there was nothing pointing to the magic that lay ahead. By the time I bought a postcard to the hanging, I felt I had been given a glimpse of Rock and Roll Heaven.

It would have to be Slow Train Coming. "Man Gave Names to All the Animals" made my jaw drop, and not in a good way.

I had recently gotten into Dylan through albums such as Desire and Street Legal. The Christianity thing just seemed such a total reversal from the Rolling Thunder Pagan/Tarot mysticism of Desire...

Not to say that some good songs didn't come from this period, but just not really my cup of tea.

Despite being a Christian myself - and in 1979 a neophyte one - I'd have to say Slow Train Coming. I've never really liked the three faith-on-the-sleeve albums.

And then there was Good As I Been To You. I hated it. For a while. Then slowly it grew on me - and with retrospect I can see something of what His Bobnesss was doing.

Good As I Been to You was under my radar until World Gone Wrong, which I personally consider a much better album.

I think both albums gave him room to clean up his act and retouch his roots, which really made a impact on the three albums that followed ("Time Out of Mind", etc.).