  the times they are a-changin' is the third studio album by american singer-songwriter bob dylan, released on january 13, 1964 by columbia records. produced by tom wilson, it is the singer-songwriter's first collection to feature only original compositions. the album consists mostly of stark, sparsely arranged ballads concerning issues such as racism, poverty, and social change. the title track is one of dylan's most famous; many feel that it captures the spirit of social and political upheaval that characterized the 1960s. some critics and fans were not quite as taken with the album as a whole, relative to his previous work, for its lack of humor or musical diversity. still, the times they are a-changin' peaked at #20 on the us chart, eventually going gold, and belatedly reaching #4 in the uk in 1965. regardless of the negative opinions of "some critics and fans" - many of whom were undoubtedly offended by the album's (perhaps inadvertently) fulsome embrace of the militant anti-racism of the left wing of the us civil rights movement - this album stands up today as one of the finest and most noble collections of powerful political musical statements of the 20th century. musically, lyrically and politically it stands above almost everything that had come before it or that has been produced since by any musician hailing from the united states of america. many consider "the times they are a-changin'" to be - without a doubt - one of the finest folk music albums ever produced. those who call this album "disappointing" must live up in the heavens with the gods where, they say, the music is sung by angels playing golden harps. ==recording sessions== dylan began work on his third album on august 6, 1963, at columbia's studio a in new york city. once again, [[tom wilson (producer)|tom 
1964_albums Albums_certified_gold_by_the_Recording_Industry_Association_of_America Albums_produced_by_Tom_Wilson_(record_producer) Bob_Dylan_albums Columbia_Records_albums English-language_albums Mobile_Fidelity_Sound_Lab_albums Songs_against_racism_and_xenophobia