Bob Dylan returns to No. 1 in the U.K. as The Bootleg Series Vol. 18: Through the Open Window, 1956–1963 tops the Americana chart and starts inside the top 10 on several lists. Bob Dylan poses for a portrait to promote the release of his album ‘The Times They Are A-Changin” in January 1964. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
getty
Between traditional albums, stand-alone songs, live recordings, reissues, compilations, and his famed Bootleg Series, Bob Dylan remains incredibly prolific — even if some of his releases aren’t composed of entirely new material. The legendary singer-songwriter can still attract an audience and sell like some of the most competitive in the music business, more than half a century into his career, which is a feat that very few names can claim.
With his latest project in his Bootleg Series, titled The Bootleg Series Vol. 18: Through the Open Window, 1956–1963, the generation-defining superstar scores a new hit across a number of charts in the United Kingdom, and he even finds his way back to No. 1 on one tally.
Through the Open Window Gives Bob Dylan a New No. 1 Album
Dylan’s Through the Open Window launches atop the Official Americana chart, which lists the top-selling titles in that one style throughout the U.K. Dylan replaces Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska ’82, a reissue of his famed Nebraska full-length, which is back in the spotlight as it sits right in the center of the musician’s biopic Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere. In a bit of coincidence, Springsteen also comes in just behind Dylan at No. 2 as his Best Of compilation lifts one spot.
How Many No. 1 Albums Has Bob Dylan Charted?
Throughout the years that the Official Charts Company has been publishing the Official Americana ranking, Dylan has sent seven different projects to the roster. Half a dozen of those have cracked the top 10, and four have spent time at No. 1.
Dylan has led the charge on the Americana-only list with all of the following titles:
Through the Open Window Opens Inside the Top 10
In addition to the Official Americana chart, Through the Open Window also starts within the uppermost tier on another two rankings across the Atlantic. The latest set to be included in his Bootleg Series opens in ninth place on both the Official Albums Sales and Official Physical Albums rosters.
Bob Dylan Earns His Milestone Tenth Top 10 Album
Dylan collects his milestone tenth top 10 on the general ranking of the bestselling albums throughout the U.K. as Through the Open Window debuts. He has scored almost two and a half times as many top 10 winners on the Official Physical Albums chart, where Through the Open Window marks his twenty-fourth trip to the highest tier and his fifty-second placement overall.
Through the Open Window Debuts on Six Charts in the U.K.
American folk-rock singer-songwriter Bob Dylan performing at BBC TV Centre, London, 1st June 1965. Dylan recorded two 35-minute TV programs for the BBC at the session. (Photo by Val Wilmer/Redferns)
Redferns
Through the Open Window launches inside the top 10 on three charts and misses the uppermost region, but still manages to make space, on just as many rankings. The bootleg project kicks off its time on the Official Albums chart – the consumption-based roster that looks at the most popular full-lengths and EPs throughout the nation – at No. 28. On the more specific Official Album Downloads and Official Vinyl Albums lists, Through the Open Window begins its time at Nos. 23 and 38, respectively.
What Is Featured On Bob Dylan’s The Bootleg Series Vol. 18: Through the Open Window?
Through the Open Window is the eighteenth album to be released as part of Dylan’s Bootleg Series. The archival compilation is an incredibly lengthy one, as it features 139 songs. They constitute his earliest recordings, including one from when he was just 15 and went by his real name, Bob Zimmerman, all the way through when he played at Carnegie Hall after finally making it big.
Columbia Records, Dylan’s longtime home, released Through the Open Window in several forms, and fans were able to pick and choose which one worked for them. Diehards who can’t get enough of the songwriter’s work may have purchased the eight-CD edition or the four-LP set, while more casual listeners may have opted for the two-CD highlights compilation, which arrived at the same time.