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Love And Theft - Bob Dylan
User Score
8.9 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 135 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 123 out of 135
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 135
  3. Negative: 10 out of 135

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  1. mhmusicnmovies
    Sep 7, 2010
    10
    An absolutely amazing album ! In my opinion, its Dylan's best since Blood on the Tracks (1975) and arguably one of Bobby's best three or four records. Love and Theft improves with each listen. Brilliant.
  2. erikhaatvedt
    Oct 6, 2001
    10
    as dylan himself said: "it's a greatest hits album"
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. KnutK.
    Oct 2, 2001
    10
    The more times you listen to this the more you will like it! K
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  4. JohnD.
    Oct 3, 2001
    10
    Remarkably loving & energetic, a celebration of freedom from w/in pain, a meditation on fate & its refusal, this collection soars throughout like very few other high points in this artist's long career.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  5. PeterD.
    Oct 5, 2001
    10
    Grand Pa' Bob know what is Music ... Blues, Rock, Country, Jazz, Folk and Love Italian Friend
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  6. JeremyP.
    Dec 26, 2001
    10
    incredible.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  7. JasperS.
    Oct 2, 2001
    8
    some funky, some bluesy, some jazzy, some rocky it's a nice album but also very strange. So a real Dylan album.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  8. Botticelli'sNephew
    Oct 2, 2001
    10
    Gets better and better with repeated llistenings.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  9. MarkR.
    Oct 2, 2001
    10
    Truly exceptional! In this age of cotton candy country and bubble gum pop/rock, Love and Theft is so refreshingly real. Absolutely authentic. A patchwork quilt of genius. Plus, Ol' Bob seems to be having himself a ball...which in and of itself is something to hear.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  10. RossM.
    Nov 2, 2001
    9
    The record if a happy man who no doubt gets up in the morning looks in the mirror and thinks he now likes what he sees.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  11. Heather
    Oct 2, 2001
    10
    It's simple. Bob rocks.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  12. AlbertoC.
    Oct 3, 2001
    9
    A great album near to 10 !
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  13. erikhaatvedt
    Oct 6, 2001
    10
    as dylan himself said: "it's a greatest hits album"
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  14. Thomas
    Apr 15, 2003
    10
    Des chansons fabuleuses : certaines d'entre elles sont capables de donner le sourire au plus mélancolique. Bravo Monsieur Bob !
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  15. ecole
    Sep 14, 2002
    10
    eclectic!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  16. LloydC.
    Nov 11, 2001
    10
    One of his best. Reminds me of Highway 61 Revisited.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  17. mike
    Oct 2, 2001
    10
    A great album. He captures his live sound which is only done because he is the producer, and no one is screwing with his voice, it's just recorded the way it comes out. Of course, the way it just comes out is the best. Dylan amazes me again and has once again solidified his place in history as one of the best music makers ever.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  18. SjefH.
    Oct 24, 2001
    10
    Best album since Blood On The Tracks.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  19. JimS.
    Aug 14, 2002
    9
    Bob Dylan simply amazes me. He's one of the few reasons I wanna live to be 60.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  20. nickc
    Oct 11, 2001
    8
    An album of old age. Dylan hides his world-weariness behind traditional musical forms and quotes (which, fittingly, allude to both love and theft) for some comfort.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  21. BenjaminH
    Jan 6, 2004
    10
    No doubt a great album. A friend told me once that Bob was a shit, he listen to this album and i get him impresionate. Bob is a great singuer, he has a unic voice and her guitar is simple and beautifull carrying us to the paradise. He is poetry not only for his lyrics, also for his beauty. May be a little less monotomy will be better (9,8 willl be my rate), but there are different elements that we forgot that monotomy. Thanks Bob...… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  22. wayneh
    Apr 7, 2004
    9
    still got it
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  23. tim
    Oct 5, 2004
    10
    not only one of the best by dylan -- one of the best by anyone. if i could only take one song to a desert island, it would be mississippi...
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  24. SigurjonThorF.
    Oct 1, 2002
    10
    Unbelievably good! You alway hear something new with each listen, every song is a plesant surprise. So many qoutable lines, so many clever word play and different things tied together you never thought would ever be related. Thank you Bob. sion
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  25. NicholeB.
    Oct 2, 2001
    9
    Not his best, but still any album by Bob Dylan is better than most anything else. Love the traditional bluesy sound.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  26. HailahA.
    May 29, 2002
    10
    in love with this record
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  27. MichaelS
    Jun 25, 2003
    10
    Brilliant and raw. Sits on the same shelf as my Charlie Patton, Son House and BLind Willie Johnson cds.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  28. sanv
    Oct 2, 2001
    9
    I think this is a great album, though call me crazy but Time Out Of Mind was THE album for me. I think TOOM was a 10 so I have to give this one a 9 and a half. It is a masterpiece still, and overall, this is the disc that I would assume could convert the conquered. His lyric style has sort of reverted back to that style which produced his seminal albums like Blonde On Blonde and Highway 61. He is the master, there's no doubt and I think he remembers that finally, and I must add, it's about time that he did. Now we can continue on in the direction that should have stayed had there probably been no boos in the audiences way back when. Buy this album, if not steal it from Walmart. There's bound to be something on it you'll love. He knows alot of things and no one says it better than Bob so take heed.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  29. NelsonMuntz
    Oct 2, 2001
    10
    What do you mean you can't repeat the past? Of course you can. The onstage greatness of Dylan captured in studio.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  30. HarmS.
    Jan 4, 2004
    7
    A relaxed and laidback record. Dylan and the other musicians are really enjoying themselves. One of the best records he has made in the last 20 years, but compared to his best work this record is not very special. It is good, but not great.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  31. WimE.
    May 23, 2002
    10
    No words needed
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  32. chuck
    Jul 5, 2003
    10
    One of the best albums I have heard in years. It took a while for it to sink in and make sense. Don't judge it before you listen twent times, after that it will not leave you cd player for long.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  33. TomT.
    Dec 28, 2001
    10
    I popped this gem in my player on September 11 and have been listening to it ever since. Everything else sounds trivial next to "Love And Theft." We should all feel fortunate just to be alive while this man is creating music.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  34. JohnD.
    Oct 3, 2001
    10
    Remarkably loving & energetic, a celebration of freedom from w/in pain, a meditation on fate & its refusal, this collection soars throughout like very few other high points in this artist's long career.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  35. RandyW.
    Dec 19, 2001
    10
    so much to ponder, yes. but a great driving album, too.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  36. kathc
    Jan 2, 2005
    10
    " .. got nothin' for you, had nothin' before.." But you did and you still do
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  37. JimB
    Mar 27, 2005
    9
    What an outstanding,heartfelt collection of songs. Bob's finest album since 1975's "Desire".
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  38. ScottA
    Jun 12, 2005
    9
    I don't believe that you can (or should ) take the work of an artist like Dylan and make comparisons to earlier work. He is a dynamic creator who must be absorbed in the time of the creation itself. That being said, Love and Theft is a remarkable set of lyrics that is almost prophetic in its accuracy. The fact that it was released on 9/11 sends a shiver up the spine ("things should start to get interesting right about now"). Sugar Baby transcends melancholy and sentimentalism. It is a meditation on the condition of an aging thinker.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  39. kennetho
    Jun 25, 2005
    10
    dylan's most lyrically daring disc in ages succeeds on all levels for his ripening fans and will generate a new decade of afficionadoson scale of importance with ''sKYLINE'', ''SELF-PORTRAIT'' and ''J.W.H.''
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  40. AnthonyN
    Sep 22, 2005
    10
    Leave it to the master
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  41. RebeccaR
    Nov 14, 2005
    10
    This latest dive (for me) into the work of Dylan pulled up gold once again in Love and Theft. I shared it with my father, dying in a hospice, hoping it would bring him as much joy and serious reflection as it's brought me.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  42. ThomasD
    Dec 25, 2005
    9
    Wow, he's happy again. I'm glad Bob, it's good to see you happy again.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  43. BubbaHick
    Jan 7, 2006
    0
    Bob Dylan sucks he's a fruitcake and should dye, He's like fucking Cher!!!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  44. SammyM
    Jan 8, 2006
    10
    This is my favorite album. It's not only a great album but a great document in American music history.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  45. royr
    Jan 21, 2006
    10
    Bubba Hick....Dye? Let's leave writing to those in the know how hey?
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  46. jamess
    Feb 9, 2006
    10
    Being a Dylan freak, I might be biased ;) but this CD is worth being biased about. The epitome of cool.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  47. BrianM
    Mar 5, 2006
    9
    Excellent in almost every way! Total enjoyment is to be expected when playing this recording, and not from just Dylan fans. This is for anyone that enjoys meaningful music, from the lyrics of "Missisippee" to the driving beat of track 5.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  48. paulh
    Jun 12, 2006
    8
    not a 10 out of 10 album but a worthy addition to the canon.doesnt reach the peaks of time out of mind but then again never tries to following its on beat which flows through an America of bygone days.Mississipi is the stand out track - havnt heard Dylan so playful in decades..Still the poet of our times who seems still able to express what everyone else can only feel.........
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  49. JesseF
    Jun 22, 2006
    10
    The Dylan album to own, if you only own one.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  50. frankd
    Aug 13, 2006
    9
    a wonderful homage to the music of 30s & 40s. Pure joyous Americana.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  51. PeterE
    Sep 14, 2006
    10
    An astonishing album. This is up there with Dylan,s masterpieces.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  52. RichardK
    Jan 8, 2007
    5
    If you never really liked Dylan (like myself), you'll not like this album either. I had high hopes after seeing the critical acclaim and incrediably high ratings given this album. But as I'm learning, a high rating on Metacritic usually only means that fans of the artist find this one of his best. Sample it first before you buy. If you don't like it after sampling, save your hard earned money for something you'll like.… Expand
    • 0 of 1 users said yes
  53. EVHVH
    Jan 31, 2007
    10
    Again an icredible album from bobbie. He is the best. I don't know any artist who wrote more than 750 songs, who are beautiful. EVERY important artist is influenced by dylan, and if (s)he's not, he should not be named as a great artist!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  54. joebob
    Mar 31, 2007
    0
    crappy sell out album, almost unlistenable
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  55. richtones
    Mar 31, 2007
    1
    he should retire now1
    • 0 of 1 users said yes
  56. bobd
    Mar 31, 2007
    1
    could not be any worse
    • 0 of 1 users said yes
  57. AndrzejB
    May 7, 2007
    1
    boring and unimportant
    • 0 of 1 users said yes
  58. waynet
    Jun 15, 2007
    10
    I have been a Dylan fan for over 25 years and 6 years after the release of the album, I still find myself having to play it. Every track is Dylan at is best. This is the best of his recent trilogy
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  59. JamesB
    Jun 21, 2007
    9
    Yes, if you DON'T like Bob, you won't like this. But if you are a fan (and you SHOULD be), this is a GREAT album musically and lyrically. There are some very funny lines in a few songs that you really need to pay attention to.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  60. JackS
    Jul 26, 2007
    6
    One song was enough for me. I have tried many, many times to like Bob Dylan, but I never understood the appeal of vocals that sound his testes are in vice grips. Maybe it is an acquired taste. Maybe I do not have good taste. It does not matter. Dylan to me sounds like crap.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  61. RussellF
    Sep 18, 2007
    10
    The critics are right on this one - a truly great CD.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  62. JackH.
    Dec 10, 2007
    10
    A mosaic, a masterpiece. Album of the decade thus far.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  63. AlanB.
    Feb 7, 2008
    10
    This album was released on September 11, 2001. Bod Dylan may not be a prophet but he is a poet and poetry and prophecy go hand in hand. Listen to each track several times and you will be rewarded with beauty, insight and truth.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  64. JamesD.
    Mar 16, 2009
    10
    It smells like dust and sweat. Dylan's rocky voice takes us along road 66. With a raw sound and a bluesy, rock and folk orchestration that lead the great man's poetry and humour on the winding and sunny roads of lucid hope. A great album !
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  65. DanL.
    Oct 10, 2002
    10
    A miracle. The unlooked-for return of a genius.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  66. tonydanza
    Oct 2, 2001
    10
    It's the bomb
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  67. john
    Dec 30, 2001
    10
    Musically, his most varied album ever. Improves with each listen. When Dylan's on there's nobody who touches all of your senses more. Good CD.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  68. RobertL.
    Dec 27, 2001
    10
    A work of true genius
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  69. JohnD.
    Oct 3, 2001
    10
    Remarkably loving & energetic, a celebration of freedom from w/in pain, a meditation on fate & its refusal, this collection soars throughout like very few other high points in this artist's long career.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  70. BrunoCat
    Oct 5, 2001
    10
    Mississippi is a classic 100% pure Dylan style. Sugar Baby is a masterpiece, too. The jazzy things reveal a new Dylan sensibility, that will develop in the next albums, surely greater than this incredible one.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  71. AaronM.
    Sep 20, 2001
    10
    I would first like to say, that no album is perfect, and this is no exception. It is still an absolute 10 though! Not since "Blood on the Tracks" have I been so impressed with a Dylan album as a whole.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  72. RogerB
    Dec 8, 2002
    10
    I was blown away-as good as any dylan album out there. Beautifully poetic and very solid musically.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  73. ArnaudC.
    Dec 20, 2001
    10
    Un des meilleurs albums de toute sa carrière, c´est dire...
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  74. DeanD.
    Dec 24, 2001
    10
    More than on any other album Dylan, through his genius, hot wires the listener to that other, magical surreality that only great artists can access.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  75. GillyS.
    Dec 2, 2001
    10
    Super Album,Dylan Straight up,no chaser!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  76. SveinbjornK.
    Dec 20, 2001
    10
    A true master!! We live trough the few bad albums and this is what we get, WONDERFULL!!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  77. StingyK
    Apr 21, 2003
    0
    I still can't understand him. I love that he steals so much of our money!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  78. MattB
    Jun 9, 2002
    10
    Rings true in an age where everything dissolves instantly.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  79. HiL.
    Oct 2, 2001
    10
    Remarkably executed with dazzling word play...one of his best and certainly unique for if nothing else its good humor...an excellent cohesive work,,,,,
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  80. ChristopherD.
    Oct 3, 2001
    10
    This is the most incredible, creative, haunting, melodious, folksy, bluesy, serious, humorous, bright, and dark album ever....not just by Dylan, but by anyone. I have been listening to Dylan since 1967 and feel that this is his best work ever.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  81. robertm.
    Oct 3, 2001
    10
    Just listening to this album is like a 20th century music class. The way he jumps from one style to the other is amazing as is the fact that it was recorded in two weeks!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  82. BoppadelaDivina
    Sep 30, 2001
    10
    Be serious. Every thoughtful recording by Dylan deserves a rating (on a scale of 1-10) in the high 90s. "Love and Theft" is such a recording.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  83. DavidH.
    Oct 2, 2001
    9
    A record that gets better with each and every listen. It manages to maintain general cohesion whilst making you think, dance, laugh and sing at differenct intervals.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  84. AB
    Oct 2, 2001
    10
    An amazing journey through American music that is also extremely enjoyable. This will prove to be a very important record, remembered for ages.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  85. NelsonMuntz
    Oct 2, 2001
    10
    What do you mean you can't repeat the past? Of course you can. The onstage greatness of Dylan captured in studio.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  86. robertm.
    Oct 3, 2001
    10
    Just listening to this album is like a 20th century music class. The way he jumps from one style to the other is amazing as is the fact that it was recorded in two weeks!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  87. TheDaveHimself
    Jul 15, 2011
    8
    It's Bob Dylan. Enough said. Probably the wittiest and most care-free he's been on a record. Fantastic follow-up to Time Out Of Mind. "Mississippi" ranks among his greatest songs, which is saying quite a damn bit. More proof that this Jokerman will always have some bite in him.
  88. Ricko
    Nov 9, 2011
    8
    If your a fan of Dylan in blues mode then this is vintage. The greatest lyricist of the 20th century transitions nicely into the next one here. Some of his best work in decades can be found here and he really just confirms his place among the greats by adding another masterpiece to his colossal volume of work. Amazing that the guy is still able to produce such high quality material after 40 years
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Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
93 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 20 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. PopMatters
    100
    "Love and Theft" sees Dylan roaring back from Highway 61 at full bore, reminding us -- as he did on Blonde on Blonde, The Basement Tapes, and Blood on the Tracks -- that, like him or not, there isn't anybody else who can do his job.
    Read full review
  2. Mojo
    90
    An album virtually bereft of fluff and filler. [Album Of The Month] [Oct 2001, p.104]
  3. Spin
    90
    Where [Time Out Of Mind] stared down heartbreak and mortality with somber melancholy, Love and Theft finds Dylan taking on those same themes loaded up with piss and vinegar. [Nov 2001, p.127]
See all critic reviews »