Dylan Turns 50

Can it be almost 30 years since a young man came out of Hibbing, Minn., determined to follow in Woody Guthrie’s steps?

Robert Hilburn’s article (“Bob Dylan, a Legend Turns 50,” May 19) is a welcome reminder of how much Dylan was responsible for bringing intelligence and personal integrity to the sometimes vacuous pop music form.

Of course, anyone brave enough to compile a list of the 50 songs that best define an artist’s talent must be prepared for a certain amount of dissension. Can any attempt to catalogue the depth and variety of Dylan’s work be complete without “Only a Hobo,” “Most of the Time,” “Queen Jane, Approximately,” “Stuck Inside of Mobile (With the Memphis Blues Again),” “Absolutely Sweet Marie,” “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues,” “I Don’t Believe You,” “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue,” “Sign on the Window,” “One More Cup of Coffee,” “The Wicked Messenger” and “Dirge”?

If only Dylan were turning 62, we could have fit them all in.

DOUG STONE

Burbank