Desire LP

Dylan pulled violinist Scarlet Rivera straight off a New York City street corner and built Desire around her playing, co-writing most of the record with playwright Jacques Levy instead of going it alone like usual. It sat at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for five weeks and went double platinum, carrying "Hurricane," his case for boxer Rubin Carter's wrongful conviction, right alongside "Joey," a ballad about mobster Joey Gallo that plenty of critics still say tips into romanticizing him. Rolling Stone later put it on their 500 Greatest Albums list, criticism and all.