A double-disc set released for the holiday season of 2000, The Essential Bob Dylan is a fine choice for the casual listener that just wants all the songs they know on one collection — it's Dylan's equivalent of Beatles One. Outside of the remastering and the previously non-LP (and very good) "Things Have Changed," there's nothing here for collectors, but, then again, that's not who this was designed for. This collection is for the listener that wants "Blowin' in the Wind," "Like a Rolling Stone," "All Along the Watchtower," "Quinn the Eskimo," "Lay Lady Lay," and "Tangled Up in Blue" in one tidy place. Yes, it's easy to find great songs missing, but for those casual fans, and for those looking for a fairly comprehensive yet concise entry point, The Essential Bob Dylan comes close to living up to its title.

Disc: 1

1. Blowin' in the Wind
2. Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
3. Times They Are A-Changing
4. It Ain't Me Babe
5. Maggie's Farm
6. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
7. Mr. Tambourine Man
8. Subterranean Homesick Blues
9. Like a Rolling Stone
10. Positively 4th Street
11. Just Like a Woman
12. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
13. All Along the Watchtower
14. Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo)
15. I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
Disc: 2

1. Lay Lady Lay
2. If Not for You
3. I Shall Be Released
4. You Ain't Going Nowhere
5. Knockin' on Heaven's Door
6. Forever Young
7. Tangled Up in Blue
8. Shelter From the Storm
9. Hurricane
10. Gotta Serve Somebody
11. Jokerman
12. Silvio
13. Everything Is Broken
14. Not Dark Yet
15. Things Have Changed