Bob Dylan remains something enigmatic, many different things at different times to different people.

Everybody knows Bobby, some better than others, some for longer than others and some feel they’ve known him all their lives. I have had a bit of a love hate kind of relationship built on his ability to chop and change at will, specifically his evangelical Christian moment.

That aside the man has carved a niche wide enough to drive planet earth through, so it was with a mix of curiosity, spiced with disbelief and mixed with horror that I spied a new greatest hits package.

The first positive was that the puerile words greatest and hits were not present on the package, simply the word, “DYLAN” on a reddish background.

Bill Flanagan, no idea who he is, is the man behind this offering and he sums it up admirably.

“Trying to fit the best of Bob Dylan on a single disc is a little like trying to fit the history of the world into a single textbook.”

In other words, where does one begin, and what does one leave out. Entire eras might have to be represented by a single track or left blank which will inevitably incite some good Samaritans to declare war.

Flanagan goes on to build his case for a best ever presentation of a best ever, greatest hits compilation. If that sounds convoluted and a little bit repetitive just think back on how many greatest hits albums are tossed out and how many artists have almost as many greatest hits releases as they have actual studio or live albums.

“Let’s call a spade a spade – you can’t assemble a best that’s better than Highway 61 Revisited or Freewheelin’ or Blood on the Tracks. These albums are invulnerable. What you can do is offer a sampler for new listeners. That’s what this is – a starting point.

“You can follow which ever song here strikes your fancy back to the album it came from and find ten more just as good. Consider this as a compass and a map.”

That’s great advice and one wonders why this package isn’t prescribed yet for wannabe Dylan aficionados.

As for the tracks, well, “Blowing in the Wind” sets the pace and whatever one might say about it, it’s been played more often than “Satisfaction”. ‘nuff said.

Track 4 is “Mr Tambourine Man” and Flanagan reminds us that no less than Hunter S. Thompson “dedicated a book to this song”. Well as if it needed any more justification but there you go. Unable by print time to discover which book but with Hunter doing the dedicating it doesn’t really matter, does it?

“Positively 4th street” is here and what an opening line. “You gotta lot of nerve to say you are my friend …" . Joni Mitchell said on hearing this line that the American pop song has grown up and now we can write about anything.

“All Along the Watchtower” is dutifully and strategically placed alongside the reminder that Hendrix carried a book of Bob’s lyrics around with him and Dylan often performed ‘Watchtower” in the Hendrix style after Jimi died. ‘nuff said about that inclusion.

“Tangled up in blue”, “Hurricane” and “Things have changed” were further highlights for me and this package does come complete with a compass and a map, with different routes to follow Dylan backwards or forwards through history.

A type of quantum journey through the mechanics of his mind.

In fact, it could trigger a different journey back through Dylan for long time devotees never mind the newbies that will have to, “start swimmin’ or sink like a stone, for the times they are a’changin’”.

There’s a curious feeling of deja vous, almost a fish breath moment, when listening to this collection, almost as if the whole epoch shattering moments are going to happen all over again.

Reliving history for the price of a CD is well discounted and if this is the only CD you buy ever again, you’d never land up on, “the highway of regret”.