blastingas10

It's close. They're my 2 favorites musicians ever. But I'd say bob. Neil is a better guitar player, that's the one thing he's got on bob. Bob is a lot better at guitar than people think. Just listen to his unplugged album, he does all the lead guitar work on that album. The fingerpicking in "don't think twice it's alright" is more difficult than so many acoustic Neil songs. Neil was a pretty simple guitarist as well. His electric guitar playing is what raises him above Dylan. Bob is better on the keys and harmonica. I've seen them both live and I think bob has gotten better as a musician over the years than neil has. I couldn't believe how good Dylan was on the organ when I saw him, and his harmonica playing was great. He was playing some lead blues harmonica like I have never heard from him.

I think Dylan is a better singer too. Neil can sing in that high pitched, girl voice and that's it. Just listen to "mr soul" by buffalo springfield for example, his vocals are not good at all in that. Dylan was great at vocal phrasing. Overall I think Dylan is the better vocalist.

As for songwriting, Dylan is miles ahead of Neil. Neil was great, don't get me wrong. He's one of my favorites. But Dylans songs were obviously more influential. His writing was more artistic and poetic and just all around better than neils. There's a reason that Dylan has been nominated for a Nobel prize in literature for at least 9 straight years. And no it's not because he's an overrated pop star or because the people nominating him had a "childhood fascination" with him. I've heard that one before. One of the men who always nominates him is professor of poetry at Oxford university, Christopher ricks, who is around 10 years older than Dylan. Obviously it's no childhood fascination on his part. He's nominated because he was a great writer. He hasn't won because the Nobel committee doesn't consider song to be literature, even though some of his work is undoubtably poetry.