Blood on the Tracks is the fifteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on January 20, 1975[1][2] by Columbia Records. The album marked Dylan's return to Columbia Records after a two-album stint with Asylum Records. Dylan commenced recording the album in New York City in September 1974. In December, shortly before Columbia was due to release the album, Dylan abruptly re-recorded much of the material in a studio in Minneapolis. The final album contains five tracks from New York and five from Minneapolis.
Blood on the Tracks was initially received with mixed reviews, but has subsequently been acclaimed as one of Dylan's greatest albums by critics and fans. The songs have been linked to tensions in Dylan's personal life, including estrangement from his then-wife Sara. One of their children, Jakob Dylan, has described the songs as "my parents talking".[3] The album has been viewed as an outstanding example of the confessional singer-songwriter's craft, and it has been called "the truest, most honest account of a love affair from tip to stern ever put down on magnetic tape".[4] In interviews, Dylan has denied that the songs on the album are autobiographical. It was voted number 7 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums 3rd Edition (2000).[5] In 2003, the album was ranked No. 16 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, and in 2004, it was placed at No. 5 on Pitchfork's list of the top 100 albums of the 1970s.[6]
The album reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 charts and No. 4 on the UK Albums Chart. The single "Tangled Up in Blue" peaked at No. 31 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. The album remains one of Dylan's best-selling studio releases, with a double-platinum U.S. certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[7] In 2015, it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[8]
