MODERN Times has been lavished with extraordinary praise. One critic claimed it was right up there with Blonde On Blonde.

The truth? This is a superb album but not quite the flawless masterpiece that some are suggesting.

It opens with an unashamed fan-pleaser, the shuffling rock 'n' roll boogie of Thunder On The Mountain.

This is something of a red herring, there's more substance elsewhere on the album.

The band is slickly efficient and Dylan's ancient battle-scarred growl of a voice is in magnificent shape.

The blues and rock is interspersed with country-tinged ballads, saloon bar two-steps and even a waltz, but it is, as always, the lyrics that really count.

The final meditative Ain't Talkin' is a pure slow-burning wallow in Dylan's genius.