Bob Dylan Releases ‘Tempest’ Today [VIDEO]

Out today (September 11th) is Bob Dylan's 35th studio album, Tempest -- released 11 years to the day of his critically acclaimed Love And Theft collection. The self-produced set -- once again under his alias "Jack Frost" -- marks the 50th anniversary of his 1962 Columbia Records debut album, Bob Dylan. Tempest closes with a song titled, "Roll On John" which pays tribute to John Lennon with quotes from several of Lennon's Beatles songs, including "Come together right now" from "Come Together" and "I heard (sic) the news today, oh boy" from "A Day In The Life." The album also includes a 14-minute song called "Titanic" about the sinking of the legendary ship.

Although Lennon and Dylan shared a brief, but cordial friendship in the late-'60s, it was Dylan's relationship with George Harrison which bloomed throughout the '70s, '80s, and beyond -- especially with their collaboration on the two Traveling Wilburys albums.

Although Harrison and Dylan dabbled with writing together in the late-'60s, it wasn't until 1988's Traveling Wilburys Volume One project that the two began collaborating in earnest. Harrison recalled that the track "Dirty Work" was a direct result of Dylan's off-the-wall humor: "Bob's very funny, I mean, a lot of people take him seriously, but if you know Dylan and his songs -- he's such a joker, really. And he just sat down and we said, 'Okay, 'what are we gonna do?' And Bob says (imitates Dylan) 'Let's do one like Prince!' (Laughs) And he just started banging away, (imitates Dylan) 'Love your sexy body, woo-oo-oo, baby!' And it just turned, y'know, like, into that tune."