Product Description
One of America’s finest historians shows us how Bob Dylan, one of the country’s greatest and most enduring artists, still surprises and moves us after all these years.

Growing up in Greenwich Village, Sean Wilentz discov­ered the music of Bob Dylan as a young teenager; almost half a century later, he revisits Dylan’s work with the skills of an eminent American historian as well as the passion of a fan. Drawn in part from Wilentz’s essays as “historian in residence” of Dylan’s official website, Bob Dylan in America is a unique blend of fact, interpretation, and affinity—a book that, much like its subject, shifts gears and changes shape as the occasion warrants.

Beginning with his explosion onto the scene in 1961, this book follows Dylan as he continues to develop a body of musical and literary work unique in our cultural history. Wilentz’s approach places Dylan’s music in the context of its time, including the early influences of Popular Front ideology and Beat aesthetics, and offers a larger critical appreciation of Dylan as both a song­writer and performer down to the present. Wilentz has had unprecedented access to studio tapes, recording notes, rare photographs, and other materials, all of which allow him to tell Dylan’s story and that of such masterpieces as Blonde on Blonde with an unprecedented authenticity and richness.

Bob Dylan in America—groundbreaking, comprehensive, totally absorbing—is the result of an author and a subject brilliantly met. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Dylan Unmasked
In the past decade, Bob Dylan appears to have discovered Aaron Copland, using pieces from his compositions to open his concert.Wilentz opens his book with an attempt to connect Dylan to Copland that isn't very convincing but does provide an interesting look into the Popular Front of the 1930s and later folk movement spearheaded by Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger.Wilentz is on more solid ground when he explores Dylan's connection to the Beats in the succeeding chapter, in particular Allen Ginsburg, who I guess can be credited with opening up Bob to a broader plain of music, which eventually led Dylan away from the "folkies."

As Wilentz notes late in the book, many of these chapters are culled from previous essays and articles he has written.His chapter on the 1964 Concert at Philharmonic Hall is taken largely from the liner notes he wrote for Bootleg Series 6: Concert at Philharmonic Hall.So, for Dylan aficionados you may have felt you have read much of this before.Not to worry though, there is fresh material, such as his wonderful explorations of many of Dylan's classic songs like Nettie Moore and Blind Willie McTell.

Wilentz jokes that he became the "Historian in Residence" for the official Bob Dylan website, and he also notes the many concerts he has been to over the years, including the 64 Concert and one of the 75 Rolling Thunder Revue stops in New Haven, Connecticut, giving him an inside view of Dylan and his musical process that few others have.He notes the extensive conversations he had with Al Kooper and other persons who played with Dylan over the years, and notes the collaborative work he did with Greil Marcus.Nevertheless, Wilentz is first and foremost a historian, not a musicologist, so his attempts to dissect Dylan's music sometimes fall flat.

One of his more interesting chapters is his review of the 1975 Rolling Thunder Revue and the movie, Renaldo and Clara, a cinematic byproduct of that tour.At nearly 5 hours, Renaldo and Clara, is more a test of patience than an epic account of the concert.Dylan had long been an aspiring actor, and after getting a bit role in Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid and writing the soundtrack for the Sam Peckinpah movie, he enlisted Sam Shepard and Howard Alk to make something of the tour.In the end, Dylan took the credit for this sprawling film that mixes acted scenes with concert footage, echoing his passion for the French classic film, Children of Paradise.

What makes this cultural biography stand out are the valuable insights into Dylan's unique compositional process that has befuddled critics over the years, even leading to calls of plagiarism.But, as Wilentz points out, Dylan has tapped into the heart of American music and added to it influences from far and wide that is fully in keeping with the folk tradition.Like Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan is a "link in the chain," and a very important one.

Bob Dylan American Traditionalist
When I got "Bob Dylan in America" by Sean Wilentz I didn't know what to expect. Was it a biography? Was it a behind the scenes look at the man? What I did get was an unexpected surprise, "Bob Dylan in America" is a look at the traditional American influences on Bob Dylan and how they relate to specific time periods in Dylan's career. While most books take a look at Dylan's early period that made him famous, "Bob Dylan in America" also looks at later periods up until Dylan's Christmas album last year.

It would be hard to give a detailed synopsis of the book as the influences on Dylan are spread out through American culture from it's very founding right down to the period before Dylan broke into the New York folk scene. Wilentz examines those traditional sources of Dylan`s work. As I was reading, it struck me that the influences would be able to be broken into the same personas as was done in the film "I'm Not There" the Woody Guthrie acolyte, the preacher, movie star (albeit avant garde), etc. Wilentz also shows how Dylan incorporated those influences and used them to create songs, in some cases used those influences as concepts to tours.

Wilentz also makes the case for Bob Dylan being a modern day minstrel, using the traditional forms to document life's trials and travails but to some times skewer them satirically. He uses as an example Dylan's 1975 touring of the Rolling Thunder Revue, a tour in which Dylan appeared onstage in white face.

I'm not a hardcore Dylan fan but I do recognize Dylan's status as a force of change in American music, and a legend as the first rock poet. So Dylan's career has always intrigued me. This book is perfect for someone, like me, who wants to look at the music, what and who influenced Dylan and how it influenced Dylan. I think Wilentz's viewpoint and theories may be new to Dylan's more faithful fans, and add to the debate on Dylan's overall work.

It takes a professor from Princeton..........
to render Dylan's life boring. This book is so overrated. If you have not read Chronicles Volume 1, read it. If you have read it, read it again. Wilentz is so impressed with himself. This read was a waste of my time.

Lone Pilgrim redux
If you 1)are a fan of Dylan 2)have more than a passing interest in American history 3)enjoy a well thought out and finely written book involving both 1 & 2, then this is the book. An astute observation of one the great poets/songwirters of the 20th/21st c. and a fascinating analysis of his inspirations and thought processes. One of the beauties of satellite radio is the opportunity to listen to Bob's 'Theme Time Radio Hour'in which Bob spins a mixture of old and new American music whle also supplying humor, insight and information in a style all his own. It is, like the man, intelligent, thoughtful, funny as hell and even poignant. Willentz' book is an excellent addition to any library, offering one plenty of inspiration to go back to Dylan stuff you thought you knew and listen to it again--with new ears. Made me appreciate Dylan more, but also caused me to gain a new measure, of my already healthy respect, for Bob's place in the history, life and growth of this great nation. Thank you, Sean.

This is great when you already know the details
Wilentz is not only a scholar, reporter, and observer of Dylan here.He is weaving an anaylsis of Dylan's work and our constant wondering of what makes Bob tick?How does he arrive at his writing?Sure, we can all analyze Dylan's lyrics, but the singer, himself, has never been very forthcoming in answering the question, "Where do your ideas come from?" Dylan's response is more often than not a shrug or something smart.

Wilents was there in the beginning when Dylan first met the Village vanguard in the early 1960's.He was there for the Carnegie Hall concerts in 1964.He was there for the transitional periods that covered Dylan's move from Folkie to rock star.Wilentz offers, what I see, as the strongest persuasive line of thought as to how that transfiguration began and carried through.

On the other side, surely not a negative connotation, is the truth that this is not for the Dylan novice.The reader needs to have a basic fundamental knowledge of Dylan's history and his contribution to music. I found that it helped to have a great many songs at my disposal. Luckily, his material is so accesible that this isn't a hard task; however, one may need to refresh one's memory of "The Basement Tapes".

There is no trash tossed nor mud slinged, but it is quite intriguing. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (5)

you have got to be kidding
one has to be thankful dylan doesnt wwrite lke this. reminds me of lit 101 where some grad student who lives in the stacks and haa
nt showered sincefreshman year telling me what the poem really means. dylan is dylan man and doesnt need anyone to explain him to me.

strange emphasis on 90's and beyond
Greil Marcus has written insightfully about Dylan for a long time.Marcus's liner notes for the Basement Tapes offer, in a page or three, everything a fan could want from rock criticism -- obvious love, great sympathy, obscure references, unforced connections to broad themes in American culture.

On the other hand, Marcus has some irritating tendencies: obliviousness of the reader's tolerance, fetishism of a nearly invisible detail (e.g. two guitar notes in a song) which he claims, at length, will "transcend" something.See, for an absurd example, *Invisible Republic,* an expanded version of the liner notes--200 (300?) pages of "Annotated Joyce"-level exegesis of Basement Tapes out-outtake silliness like "I'm a Teenage Prayer."(Where was his editor?)

Marcus's idiosyncratic qualities are on full display in this anthology.Consider, most of all, the time period he emphasizes.The whole period of 1968 (when Marcus started writing for Rolling Stone) to 1985 is dispensed with in 100 pages.The next 350 pages are reserved for 1985 on, with Marcus's musings on the past scattered in.Is there really another fan out there who is 3:1 more interested in post-80's Dylan? This is a collection of magazine articles, so it reflects what he wrote about (and was interested in) at the time, but it doesn't add up to much of a book on Dylan.

For a 450 page book on Dylan, there are some very weird gaps.He didn't start writing until Self Portrait, which already leaves out most of Dylan's interesting work.Tour '74 is covered (and he contradicts himself within short order, going from "best ever, better than '65" to "crap" in 100 pages or so), but Desire / Rolling Thunder in 75-6 is not covered, except for a little bit about the TV special.He skips over Infidels, an album which made a big splash at the time in 1983, completely.There is only half a page about the Dylan / Petty and Dylan / Dead tours, which were big draws, big events -- I thought he might take the opportunity to slag them at least.

And then, on and on about the 90's albums, which I'm sorry, don't interest me much.More than that, there's a lot of free-associative pieces which include a bit of Dylan, not really so much.I received the book as a gift, but I can't really see reading 350 pages of this.I can understand that Marcus was much more interested in punk during a lot of the 70's and 80's, and Marcus can free associate as he likes.However, it is not really very honest to pack all of this up in a hardback book in time for the holidays and call it "Bob Dylan by Greil Marcus."

Hesitate before buying this for the Dylan fan in your life.Dylan fans, pick up the book and leaf through the first 100 pages--plenty of interesting things there.

Brilliant and Demanding
This is a brilliant and demanding read. At times I thought it was too demanding. When faced with all of these bits and pieces one can't help but long for a single overarching narrative that ties everything together. Also, I began to wonder who the audience for this book might be. As with a difficult film you start to wonder how many people are going to be willing to sit through this. In the end though I couldn't stop reading and devoured the book in two days. He once asked a question about the late Lester Bangs- Is it true that the best writer in America wrote nothing but record reviews? Now the same question can be asked about him. Of course he writes about other things besides records. But that's where all his work is rooted. In writing about listening to music.

Dylan Treasures
Reading this book is like opening a time capsule and discovering the shiniest treasures of American culture displayed in riveting language. Greil Marcus has assembled his writings about Dylan and through them shows us ourselves. Marcus has a perceptive eye and a witty mind. He is unafraid to say when he thinks Dylan has wandered off and when he has gone right. I especially liked Marcus' description of his visit to Hibbing High School and his original take on what the open road means in American culture. Dylan's fans are going to want to read this book as will anyone interested in our culture.

DYLAN FANS NEED TO READ THIS BOOK
8 page Introduction, 3 page Prologue, 431 pages of text, 6 pages of acknowledgments, 3 pages of credits, and 30 page index.There are a few b&w photos throughout the book-but very few, and they're very small.

Lately this has been a good time for fans of Bob Dylan wanting some keen insight into his music, his influences, and a bit on the man himself.Sean Wilentz has written a good book ("Bob Dylan In America"), about Dylan's music and it's place in society,Now, with long time Dylan observer/critic Greil Marcus, we have another book well worth reading.Marcus is the well known author of books like "Mystery Train", and "The Old, Weird America" among others.

There's probably no one else who has written about Dylan and his music with more insight,over a long period of time, than Marcus.As the title suggests he's followed Dylan, beginning in his early days up through to the present.Anyone looking for articles from 1965-67 will be disappointed.There's one article from 1968, with the real story beginning in 1970 with his critique on Dylan's "Self Portrait" album. From that point on it's allhere, with more than half the pieces being written in the last thirteen years.This is because Dylan's later work, according to Marcus, is just as interesting, and the later work will bring into focus Dylan's earlier work.An obvious Dylan fan, Marcus nevertheless pulls no punches when Dylan falters.I've read Marcus' articles and reviews from the beginning, and vividly remember his scathing critique of "Self Portrait", with that now famous (infamous) opening question.At the time those four words said it all.But even when Dylan does falter, Marcus never really gave up on Dylan's work-he always looked for something positive, no matter how small or insignificant.But in this book Marcus admits he has sometimes convinced himself that something was good, when in reality it doesn't hold up-but to his credit he didn't change anything for this book.

The book is divided into eight periods, beginning with a short article from the "S.F. Express Times", and ends the timeline with a piece from the "Los Angeles Times", whichis a small portion of an interview with Joni Mitchell.The last articles, in the Epilogue, are from 2008/9/10 on the Presidential election, which is a fitting way to end this collection.In between there areboth short and longer reviews of Dylan's work ("The Basement Tapes", "Blood On The Tracks", etc.), insights into many of his songs from later period albums (take your pick), and a look at music itself ("Folk Music Today-The Horror", "Tombstone Blues", etc.), that were published in a number of periodicals.Marcus' easy going, sometimes pithy style of writing makes for good reading.His style is never dry or academic.His insights and criticisms are sometimes thought provoking and, agree with him or not, Marcus might make you re-evaluate pieces of Dylan's work.After reading this anthology you may form a different opinion toward, and have a deeper insight into, and appreciation for Dylan and his music.

No matter if you've listened to Dylan from the beginning, or have found him along the way, this book is full of valuable critiques of albums, the state of music, and anything else-for example, ("City Pages"-the Victoria's Secret commercial, "New West"-unconfirmed reports that the cover art for "Saved" was altered to show someone's hand giving Jesus the finger) Marcus sees fit to comment on.It's a virtual time capsule of writings from someone in a perfect position to do so.This is one of the best collections of writing on Dylan, and should be read by anyone wantingan insight into Dylan over 40+ years, by someone who had (has) the ability to get inside Dylan's music and then write about it, knowingly and intelligently. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (126)

A reviled masterpiece that stands the test of time
As a secular humanist, I find my personal beliefs diametrically opposed to the rigid evangelical theology "Slow Train Coming" espouses. And over the course of the past thirty years, I've taken more than my share of flack because of my enduring admiration for this album. But one need not share a particular world view to recognize great art. Together with Street Legal (Reis), released only months earlier, "Slow Train Coming" ranks among the Dylan albums to which I return most often. It is musically one of the artist's very finest, and boasts some extraordinary poetry in the lyrics as well, regardless of whether you chose to believe literally what is being put forth. The raw power of Dylan's fire and brimstone epiphany transcends the narrow confines of any specific belief. This is a great record--period--and deserves, on its artistic merits alone, a respect it has sadly never been accorded. It vividly creates a world, and invites the listener in. More simply put, it really rocks!

Dylan Serving Somebody
One of the reasons I spent so much time walking by this album has to do with the fact that I was a little put off by the hype surrounding this album being an assersion of Bob Dylan's then newfound Christian faith. I personally don't have any specific grudge towards Christianity but anything with too much preachiness involved on just about any topic does make my caution lights go on a little. One of the things that never crossed my mind was this albums musical virtues. Dylan's previous album to this Street Legal had it's gospel influences but basically isn't all that removed from his mid 70's music although some changes were obvious. Bob Dylan had always made something of a career out of being a musical primitive in the sense that he didn't embrace a lot of clean singing or sleek production values. On this album,his final release of his second active decade Dylan actually looked to change all of that. Jerry Wexler,a master producer (if sometimes a questionable business man) produced this album and not only was Dire Straits' Mark Knopfler,himself hugely inspired by Dylan musically and vocally also came along for the ride on this album along with the Muscle Shoals horn section. When you break it all down this is for all intents and purposes a soul album with some very R&B/gospel type lyrics. It's obvious after listening to the lyrics to these songs Bob Dylan isn't playing missionary as much as he is weaving poetic musings,very much in his traditional style about how his coming to the concepts of Christianity effected him. And he really doesn't mention Jesus or god quite enough on this album for it to qualify as the "fire and brimstome spirituality" that this reissues sticker seems to promise. He comes at themes of religion from the point of view of a soul artist here,looking to reconcile or social/political ills with our personal idendity through the standpoint of religion. "Gotta Serve Somebody" is the one song I obviously knew from this album. It's a classic soul tune and it's surprising how much the rest of the album musically follows suit. "Slow Train","Gonna Change My Way Of Thinking" and the brilliant "When You Gonna Wake Up" are all slippery,slinky funky soul filled with strolling basslines and electric piano harmonics. It's certainly a lot more sophisticated productionwise that most of Dylan's other work and his writing/vocal style works more than well with it. On the witty "Man Gave Names To All The Animals" we're given this vital funk/reggae combination with this delicious rhythmic sense to it whereas some of Dylan's folkier textures do some through on the still slickly recorded soul/folk sounds of "Precious Angel" and in the more acoustic sounding context "I Believe In You" and "When He Returns". Both in lyrical and production terms the idea of Bob Dylan making a full out funk/soul/gospel album like this may leave an uncertain taste in their mouths. But those really paying attention to his career would see he'd been working towards this since the late 60's and this was actually just another vital step along the way in his continuing and always evolving career.

Fantastic underrated album from the music poet
This album is actually one of Dylan's very best, most personal, important, brave, bold album he ever made. It must be over thirty years old, but is still very contemorary sounding, relevant and hugely enjoyable.
This was the first of his so called 'Christian trilogy' of albums, and of those it is the strongest, most successful.
All of the songs are just amazingly well written, deeply honest and thoughful and thought provoking lyrically.
A stunning folk/rock album to be hear by all who wanted to be inspired, uplifted and moved. Great.

Bob Dylan CD
I am very pleased with the service and cost of the CD purchased. The CD was well packaged. It was received in a timely manner. The cost for shipping was resonable. I would use them again. The CD is honest and protrays depth of morales and meaning. Highly recommended for those who want more than canned productions with strong Christian message.

No Train Coming
I have, in terms of the sheer number of musical reviews, probably done more on the work of the "king" of the 1960s folk revival, Bob Dylan, than any other performer. And rightly so, considering his place in the musical history of my generation, and of his place in the American musical pantheon. That said, not all of his work, as he himself has acknowledged, is worthy of a place in the American songbook. That is the fate in store for most of the work in this album, "Slow Train Coming", done in a period when he was coming to grips with some personal religious crisis, specifically, his bout with Christianity.

Now, many of us, have had our trials and tribulations over that doctrine- without trying to enhance a musical genre over it. This is one of those things that should have been left in the vaults for future folk/rock historians to "discover". But since Mr. Dylan decided that it was worthy of production and distribution in the here and now I will venture that the following songs might intrigue those future anthropologists-"Slow Train Coming", "I Believe In You", and, the best of the lot, "Got To Serve Somebody". But my reaction after listening to this one was to then get my old scratched up copy of "Desolation Row" out and listen to "real" Dylan.
... Read more

Product Description
This collection contains Bob Dylan's lyrics, from his first album, Bob Dylan, to 2001's "Love and Theft." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (32)

Inaccurate Description
This book claimed it had lyrics that it actually didn't have. Now I own a $30 book that I can never use. I'm very disappointed in the seller of this product.

New index please
Fabulous book, but it badly needs an INDEX OF FIRST LINES.I'm always looking for songs I know but I don't know their names. Nick Servian.

Question
Does anyone reading this have any "inside information" as to whether a new edition, bringing things up to Together Through Life (or even the Christmas album) is coming out any time?I would like all the words of all the known songs, and the book is now a few albums behind.

He opened up a book of poems and handed it to me
Lyrics runs counter to the usually printed collections of lyrics which contain lots of glossy pictures of the "artist" in action (at least this was a recognizable genre in my youth; I wonder is it still?), perhaps with printed chord changes, musician/producer/video credits, or even printed music.Lyrics consists of nothing but album covers in chronological order, and lyrics from songs (and outtakes later released) on the albums, printed in black text on white pages.So if you are interested enough in this book to be reading reviews and considering spending $45 list price (discounted at Amazon and other sites) for something that is available freely on the internet song by song, the question this review really should answer is: why should you buy this book?

Christopher Ricks, in his seminal Dylan's Visions of Sin, makes the point that music consists of three components (words, set to music, performed) and must be considered in this context, as Dylan has been a master of all three components and the synergisms they offer.But the graphic layout and typography of Lyrics challenges us to view these lyrics as poems.There is no attempt to associate the lyrics with the music to which they are set, and to the many performances of the music and lyrics.

The challenge is faced and answered.This is poetry of a quantity, quality, humor, passion, and depth that is an embarrassment of riches. Consider, for example "Long Ago, Far Away", written in 1962 when Dylan was a just-noticed 20-year-old newcomer to New York.

One man had much money
One man had not enough to eat
One man he lived just like a king
The other man begged on the street
Long ago, far away
Things like that don't happen
No more, nowadays

Notice the wisdom of the restraint displayed in "much money", not the normative "too much money" that could be easily pointed down an accusatory finger at the reader, and the ending lines "Things like that don't happen no more, nowadays" which would find an echo later in the amazing "Red River Shore" of the mature poet--which isn't in this edition because it was released on an official bootleg after this volume was published.Note also that, as befits a poetry anthology, this book consists only of songs for which Dylan has the writing credits not other songs he later made his own in performance like "The Water is Wide" duet with Joan Baez from the Rolling Thunder tour.

For another example, lets look briefly at his most famous word poem "Like a Rolling Stone"In performance, particularly in the searing live performance in the 1965 England tour documented in C. P. Lee's Bob Dylan: Like the Night, it is easy to miss the difference between the first chorus:

To be without a home

and the subsequent choruses:

To be on your own
with no direction home.

In the difference lies the poetry in the words printed in black and white on paper separate from the music and the performance.

Another evidence of the poetry on the page is the way that reading these words echos inside the mind's ear apart from the music.Sometimes the tune comes naturally to mind, but more often, even for the poems set to the best known tunes, the mind searches for how to map the words to the music without the performance.The poetry stands alone.

The poet also grows through cycles, an effect that is noticeable by reading through the collection chronologically front to back.The first nine albums show an outpouring of passion and emotion as words express emotion as if tumbling freeform from the mind of the poet.Then in the early 70's during the first downturn in Dylan's never ending career, there is a dropoff in the quality and quantity of the poetry that included even the critically acclaimed Basement Tapes.Yes, you heard right.These are rightly considered classics of American music, but reading the poetry of the lyrics reveals a profound truth--the classic quality of the Tapes are in the music and performance, not the poetry.

With 1975's Planet Waves Dylan began another nine-album cycle of high-quality poetic outburst that shows the mature poet in full control of his artistry and passion.After a second decline in the early 90s (Empire Burleque, Knocked Out Loaded, and Down in the Groove), Dylan the poet re-emerged yet again this time with poetry of wisdom that matched and transcended his early poetry of passion and his middle poetry of maturity.This period continues today in several albums beyond the publication date of Lyrics.

So yes, I think you should, if you are a fan of Dylan, purchase Lyrics, even though you, like me, may already have pulled the lyrics down from [...] and other sites and added them to your iTunes library and your iPod.Separating the poetry from the performance will enhance your appreciation of this classic book of poems.

A Beautiful Book
This is the second copy I've given to young artist who are just discovering Dylan. ... Read more

Product Description
The complete songbook from the greatest singer/songwriter of all time! Now with every song together in one giant volume, the ultimate Dylan songbook features over 329 tunes including all of his greatest hits as well as his lesser-known work. With melody line, chord symbols and full lyrics. Songs include Blowinin the Wind, Forever Young, Just Like a Woman, Mr. Tambourine Man, She Belongs to Me, Tangled Up in Blue, The Times They Are Changin , Visions of Johanna and hundreds more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (24)

Wrong chords
A couple other reviewers noted that the chords here are wrong. I figured I would give the book a shot anyway, thinkin I could just transpose it or use a capo. No. I've had to pick out the correct chords and just write them in. I guess it is good ear training, but it is not why I bought the damn book. As was said before, you buy it for convenience. If you want lyrics and rhythm go ahead and buy this book, if you want to be able to play the songs approximately, but in the wrong key, buy this book. However, if you want the songs as ol' Bobby wrote 'em, this is not what you are looking for. Nor is Bob Dylan Anthology for that matter, also by Amsco. Dylan needs to cancel Amsco's rights and let Hal Leonard put out a songbook for him like they did for the Beatles. Alfred would be even better.

The Definitive Bob Dylan Songbook
The entire "Bob" collection.A must for fellow guitarists and those keen to learn.Item was shipped promptly and arrived in excellent condition (USA to Australia).Also item was the best priced over many other websites.

Essential for Bob Dylan fans
This is a great book and a must- have for any Dylan enthusiast- especially those who play the guitar.I agree the cover is a little flimsy, but other than that great product.

Not Accurate!
We had to return this book because it was filled with wrong chords and wrong keys.How on earth did it get published??Don't waste your money!

Inaccurate
Well I bought this book at a guitar shop about 30 minutes from my house... and have come to find out andam 100 % sure that the majority of the chords they give you are not anything close to any version that Bob Dylan played and by majority i mean you will only find about 3 songs in the entire book that will have somewhat accurate chords.. Off the top of my head an example would be blowin' in the wind.. In the book it starts with an Eb then so on, when in blowin in the wind the only chords played are C, F, G.... or G, C, D.. aside from rare versions.. the only reason why I gave it two stars was because it has all the lyrics lined up and if you get the right chords its still useful ... Read more

Product Description

Bob Dylan wrote Tarantula in 1966. It existed for years only in dog-eared bootleg copies, but was eventually published in 1971. The book captures the tone and spirit of the turbulent times in which it was written. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (24)

"THERE IS NO SENSE IN TRYING"
I bought this book because I wanted the picture on the front cover.However, I forgot to read the reviews beforehand so I was sort of surprised to read the content.Short clips of sort of short stories or takes or thoughts--each has a title all right.Nothing to write home about.Maybe you can read bits and pieces on your breaks at work.Maybe some of this stuff had to do with Bob taking drugs back then.I really laughed until I cried reading portions of two of them--really really funny.Silly funny sometimes, very deep thinking emptyness, peaks of intelligence with overcast mud slides.I don't know really what to call the contents of this book.Is it worth buying?You be the judge.Hey, the picture on the front cover must have been professionally done!!!That's worth something!!You might have lots of fun reading, you might get annoyed, but at least we reviewers gave you prospective buyers disclosure statements so if you do buy, you can't really complain later on.Just when you think this is nonsense, you see glimses of genius and deep thought, just when you think this is a message of deep thought you find yourself saying, "oh this is nonsense."He keeps you guessing all along all right.

Know the price you pay, and if you can afford it and are curious, go ahead and purchase it.If you worship Bob Dylan, anything he says or does will be perfect and great.It will be another part of Bob's work that you will have on hand.

I think he took us for a ride on this one.I think he just wanted to have fun with the reader, never letting his true thoughts or feelings be known, and not really trying too hard to achieve much of anything by writing it--that's what I call real talent and genius!!! You go and try that!! Ha Ha.He just gives you a glimse into his overachieving mind back then.He is obviously brilliant, and his writings give you this glimse into his creative mind--whichever direction it wanted to go . . .

Some content will be less than enlightening and less than sensitive but still within boundaries of acceptable, I guess.

If you want LITERARY GENIUS, may I suggest The Tale of Genji, written in the year 1000 by a Japanese noble lady, Murasaki Shikibu, and considered to be the VERY FIRST NOVEL--but what a novel it is!!!Now that's a BOOK!!!!!!!!!!

The Dangers of Heroin
Dylan is by far the greatest songwriter of all-time and perfectly deserving of a noble prize in literature if ever one is bestowed upon him. However this stream of consciousness book is pure crap. It will be a highly collectible book if you have the first edition, first printing in good conditon in about 50 years. Till then read Lyrics 1961-2001 or Chronicles vol.1 instead.

Strange meal
You`ve more than probably heard the man`s music, and for sure you thought that was great. Most people would go as far as calling Dylan`s texts litterature. He`s even been mentioned several times as a fair Nobel Prize candidate. If they had one for music, he surely would have had it long time ago.

Well, Tarantula, initially expected to come out around 1967 (You can see him working on the typewriter in Pennebaker`s Don`t Look Back (London 1965).) was published in 1969. The book`s reception was, to put it gently, mixed. The publisher didn`t want it when they read the result, but the contract was signed, and the end of that was Tarantula in the book stores.

This book is a chaotic caleiodoscope of odd characters, taken out of an American pre-Vietnam social context. They are all blended into the ink of Dylan`s pen, which flows like the salty water near Cape Horn on a windy day.

You need patience to read this book; but if you have that and in addition you fancy the temperature of Bobby`s head; then this strange meal is yours.

Odd, but highly enjoyable
if you only skim the lines in Bob Dylan's prose, it appears to be random words and phrases...however, there's a lot of meaning to be found between the lines...that being said, i've never actually listened to his music or sat and read his lyrics, but i love poetry that's full of metaphor and requires thought because why write poetry if you mean exactly what you say?the prose in this work offers something different each time it's read and it's my favorite book of poetry.

Tarantula - by Bob Dylan
Possibly the worst book ever written.Self indulgent free associative codswallop from the days when you could get away with it because your readers were stoned ... Read more

Product Description
Since it first appeared on the 1974 album Planet Waves, "Forever Young" has been one of Bob Dylan's most beloved songs. Now award-winningartist Paul Rogers gives us a new interpretation of thelyrics. With images inspiredby classic Dylan songs and pieces of his life, this is a bold and touching tribute to an anthem whose message will always stay forever young. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (25)

Lovely Book
I originally bought this book to give to my granddaughter for her First Communion, along with a book of Bible stories. I loved the book so much, that I kept it! (I do plan to buy another one, along with "Man Gave Names to All the Animals" for her birthday later this year.) The paintings are wonderful for children, but at the same time will have Dylan fans examining them for references to his songs and career. The artist's explanations at the end of the book are helpful. While it is mainly a children's book, any Bob Dylan devotee will enjoy it. I found the book very entertaining.

misguided
wonderful song.However Somehow Paul Rogers used his illustrations to show his own political views. This song is not about that.

A Wonderful Book to Share With Your Child...
"Forever Young" has always been one of my favorite Bob Dylan songs.It has a sweet yet wistful emotional sentiment about our hopes and dreams for the people we love. Over seventeen years ago, this was the first song my new wife and I danced to on our wedding day. On a day like that, there are lots of hopes and dreams. Eight years ago, I was blessed with a healthy, happy new son. More hopes and dreams.

Recently, my son and I were browsing in the local bookstore, when we came apon in the children's section, the book "Forever Young". I seem to know instantly that this book was perfect for us. This is a beautifully illustrated book, which brings to life Bob Dylan's classic, poetic lyrics. The book's illustrations portray a young boy receiving his first guitar and how he grows up playing it, against the backdrop of 1960's Greenwich Village. The illustrations are littered with lots of references to Dylan's biographical history, songs, influences and other icons of the 1960's decade. Illustrator, Paul Rogers has done a wonderful job with this book. His illustrations and pictorial storytelling seem to mesh perfectly with Dylan's lyrics, creating just the right emotional feeling of the hopes and dreams we have for our children.

I am lucky to have a young son, who shares my deep interest in both music and history. We love going through the book together and I get to explain to him the historical/cultural references found throughout the illustrations.I love talking to my son about Greenwich Village, Woody Guthrie, Cafe Wha?, Jack Kerouc, The Beatles and the peace movement. It gratifies me to know that he takes an interest in this. Furthermore, my son has questioned me about some of the meaning behind Bob Dylan's lyrics. We had a whole conversation about the meaning of what it ment to be "righteous".

Usually, my son and I look at the book before bedtime. Sometimes I read it to him. Other times we read along as we play the Dylan or Joan Baez (Her live album, "From Every Stage") versions of the song. One time after playing the Baez version, my son looked up at me and said, "Daddy, sometimes I feel funny, when I hear this song. I feel funny inside". His eyes were welling up, holding back tears. Though he couldn't exactly put into words what he was feeling, I knew exactly what he saying.

Beautiful words. Beautiful Illustrations. A wonderful book. If your a Dylan fan, you and your child will enjoy this book together.

Forever Torn.....
Love the book, but not happy with the service.
The professional, paper book cover was delivered wrinkled and torn.
I needed for a gift, so I emailed right away, but received no response.
The system that is supposed to handle problems, definitely needs to be updated and be made more "people who have given you years of service" user friendly. This one should have definitely been replaced, especially since it was given in memory of a great, "guitar-playing virtuoso, who went to heaven far too young."

Forever Young by Bob Dylan
I love the bookThe illustrations are delightful.The only thing that would make it better would be the inclusion of a CD with the master himself singing his way through the journey with us again.

... Read more

Product Description
Focusing on the key decade of Dylan's prodigious output, this sensational volume includes the classics: Just Like a Woman * I'll Be Your Baby Tonight * Lay, Lady, Lay * I Shall Be Released * and more. 121 songs in all! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

No Guitar Tab - Arranged for Piano
There is no guitar tab. There is only chord diagrams. It's entirely generic. Maybe you will like it if you are a piano player that can read music notation. But I play intermediate/advanced guitar and read tab so I am very dissappointed. Why would Cherry Lane publish a Bob Dylan book with all the music arranged for piano? Stupid. Well, at least it has the lyrics.

Best collection of Dylan's songs yet
As far as I have found, this is the most comprehensive collection of sheet music for Dylan songs that is around. From 'Blonde on Blonde' to 'Blood on the Tracks', this book includes every song the casual fan will know, and probably some more as well as it also contains many outtakes that were later published on the Bootleg Series, such as 'Abandoned Love' and 'She's your lover now'. They are all solid transcriptions as well, often a combination of a left hand bass line and a right hand melody with some chordal accompiniment underneath. Intros and recurring riffs are also included for most of the songs. There is only one complaint I have, and it is hardly worth mentioning, but a couple of songs, especially those from BooT, are transcribed in a wrong key, more specifically in D instead of in E.It's not too difficult to transpose it though, if you want to play along with the record.

Other than that it's the best choice for Dylan sheet music that's around, and if you also get a book like "More Classic Dylan" (containing the two albums directly before this book and two later albums) you're all set.

Excellent seller...Smooth transaction
Item arrived promptly and as described.Friendly and timely communication throughout the delivery process.Would highly recommend and would buy from this vendor again.Thanks!!

fantastic for the novice
if you're a recreational guitarist and dylan fan this is the absolute best! i have every dylan songbook in print and most of those out of print and this is by far my favorite. it even has chord changes noted on thesupplemental lyrics (something i have never seen elsewhere).

written in his soul from he to you
I picked this book up when I was first teaching myself guitar about 8 years ago, and the main reason I was teaching myself guitar is because I wanted to learn how to play my favorite Dylan tunes and get to the heart ofthe magic of his songwriting. This book covers much of his most gloriousmaterial, basically from Blonde on Blonde through Desire. That means youcan learn how to play Visions of Johanna, Simple Twist of Fate, Hurricaneor any of the Basement Tapes ditties. In addition to having superbmaterial, the book has the most sensible layout of any folio I've everpurchased: a key to all the chords used in the song appears on the top ofEVERY page, so when you flip to the end of the verse you don't have to flipback again to remember what an F#m7 looks like; this is obviouslybeneficial to a new player. By and large the chords seem to be accurate;some songs sound closer to the album than others, and I've read that manyDylan songs were recorded in unorthodox tunings, but if you want to get thegist of "Tangled up in Blue" or "Lay Lady Lay" (whichsounds dead-on) you'll be more than happy with the way it's spelled outhere. I think this book is around, so if you're willing to hunt through afew well stocked music or book stores you could probably find it. It wouldbe well worth your while ... Read more

Product Description
This surprisingly compact pocket-sized book boasts a massive selection of songs by the greatest protest singer of all time, arranged with full lyrics and guitar chords. From Like A Rolling Stone to All Along The Watchtower, this collectable edition features all the Dylan tunes you could ever want to play, and each song is complete with a handy chord reference sheet. An ideal addition to your guitar case, ensuring that you will never again be stuck for a crowd-pleasing favorite that everyone will know and love. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

there have got be be better dylan chord books out there-
There are some chord books that raise the bar so high that they make all other chords books look like third place efforts. Such a book is the 1999 Hal Leonard publication "The Beatles Complete Chord Songbook". The author of the "The Beatles Complete Chord Songbook" meticulously researched the chords used in each song, making sure that the fingerings for each chord were correctly listed for that particular song. Unfortunately Dylans Little Black Book has no such ambitions.

There are NO chord charts listed above each song. You need to turn to the back of the book every time you don't know a chord and then find the one you are looking for amid a large array of badly organised chord fingerings.

Only one fingering is listed for each chord. This fingering is not necessarily the fingering bob used. In fact I would say for a lot of the songs, the fingerings are completely different to how bob played them on different songs.

It is clear that this generic chord chart is the same one they put in the back of all of the "little black books". Things go from bad to worse on the second song in the book, where D9 is incorrectly listed, and D9 isn't even in the chord fingering chart at the back of the book.

The chords have been dumbed down for a beginner audience. Complicated chords that bob used and been simplified to something easier to play.

I would suggest that if you were sitting around a campfire with some mates, drunk, with a pawn shop acoustic guitar, then this book would suit you nicely. If you actually wanted to play the songs the way bob played them then this is not the book for you.

I was really disappointed that someone else reviewed this book as "accurate" when it is clearly not so.

The best Dylan songbook I've found.An excellent value, and it might even make you a better guitar player too...
For the money, this is an excellent book.First, it has 63 songs, which is more than most songbooks.It has all the classics you'd expect, plus more obscure songs that are great to have as well.It also includes some recent songs from "Time Out of Mind" and "Love and Theft."

Second, all the songs are written in the correct key (at least all the songs I've played).Most other books will transpose songs into different keys, with the idea that it's easier to utilize open chords as opposed to more complicated barre chords.However, this book tells you exactly where to put the capo, so by doing that, you can play songs in their original keys, plus still not have to use many barre chords.That means you can actually play along with many of the original recordings, something I've done plenty of, and it ends up sounding really good.It's also a terrific way to practice the songs.

Third, this is not an "easy" songbook with watered-down chords (I realize that some may not see this as a positive).While I wouldn't call it difficult, the book uses many slash chords (ie C/G), plus a few diminished, ninth, and suspended chords here and there, along with the usual assortment of open chords.Please don't be intimidated by this...I actually found it a useful and fun way to learn new chords.I found my chord "vocabulary" quickly widened as a result of this book.Though not necessarily for beginners, it's definitely an easy book for beginner/intermediate players to use.They also include chords for whole songs, whereas many books will only diagram portions of songs, leaving it to you to figure out the rest, which I always find frustrating.Though chord patterns will obviously repeat in any given song, this book helps you know exactly where the chord changes should be for the entirety of a song.

My one complaint, and the reason this is "only" a four star review instead of a five star one, is how they present the chord diagrams.For a given song, all the chord names are right there above the lyrics.However, if you don't know how to play a particular chord, you have to refer to the pull-out page in the back that has all the chords used in the book.Because of the large number of chords, this makes finding a particular chord a more involved task than I think it should be.Frankly, I don't see why they couldn't have just printed the chord diagrams at the beginning of each song like most other songbooks do.Though seemingly a minor inconvenience, it's a bit annoying to have to constantly refer to the back of the book to find a chord.

Overall, because of its price, large number of songs, and general accuracy, I'd say this is the best Dylan songbook I've found, and I've played many...

compact dylan
pretty accurate info to play with recordings
need to blow up size if you have poor vision tho

Quick access to classic lyrics and great songs
This book and particular this series is very useful for those who want to whip open and start up a classic Bob Dylan song on a dime.It's small but text size is adequate, the binding can be manipulated to lay flat, there is a chord index for more obscure chord voicings and great notes for capo & key. No, it is not exhaustive, but its a fun tool that gives me, and any potentially memory challenged, a way to sing.

Perfect!
I'm a huge Dylan fan and probably have a dozen Bob Dylan songbooks. This one is special because of the size, design and price. Obviously, Bob has written over 600 songs and they're not all here. If they were, this wouldn't be a 'little' book. I got this book for Christmas and use it often and I would say that it's been a popular item. Everyone who walks into my house either thumbs through it or asks to borrow it. A bargain. ... Read more

Product Description
Based on three years of research, new documentary evidence, and interviews with 250 of Dylan's intimates -- many exclusive -- Down the Highway has gone beyond the scope of other accounts to become the most complete, authoritative biography of Bob Dylan now in print. It was praised by The Orlando Sentinel "for the insights it offers to Dylan at work ... from young upstart to grand old man of rock 'n' roll." Sounes's prodigious research has resulted in new insights on every aspect of Dylan's life. His is the only biography to seriously address the past twenty years of Dylan's life, leading up to the extraordinary recent releases Time Out of Mind and Love and Theft. He has obtained exclusive information to provide the clearest picture yet of Dylan's 1966 motorcycle accident and subsequent "lost years" in Woodstock, New York, and he uncovered the star's unknown second marriage. He gives inside accounts of the tours, the creation of every album and the most celebrated songs, Dylan's labyrinthine love life, his life-threatening heart illness in 1997, and more -- directly from interviews with girlfriends, family, friends, producers, concert promoters, and fellow musicians. Candid, refreshing, and written with a sincere appreciation of Dylan's music and influence, Down the Highway is an essential book for the millions of people who have enjoyed Dylan's music over the years. "Dylan comes alive.... Sounes has added a wealth of new information to Dylan studies." -- Perry Meisel, The New York Times Book Review "Fascinating and finely written." -- Ronald Radosh, The New Republic "Convincing ... [generates] sympathy for an isolated artist." -- Daniel Cooper, The Washington Post Book World "Sounes ... opens new angles on the enigmatic polyhedron that is Dylan.... Monumental." -- Gene Santoro, The Nation " "A portrait of Mr. Dylan that is often unflattering, sometimes puzzling, but, to the author's credit, never sensational." -- Al Brumley, The Dallas Morning News "Engrossing ... fast-moving yet rich in detail ... [Down the Highway] chronicles a remarkable and contradictory artist." -- Carlo Wolff, The Kansas City Star "[This] fast-paced book has a fine interest in details [and is] rich with the observations of new witnesses." -- Sheri Linden, Variety "Irresistible ... What Dylanphile wouldn't want to sift through what Sounes has dug up." -- Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press ... Read more

Customer Reviews (56)

An Absorbing Life

The author has been able to interview an enormous number of people who were previously reluctant to speak with anyone about Dylan's life. The result is that, at least for the beginning and middle period of Dylan's life, there is an enormous amount of absorbing material. The book was famous for revealing a publicly unknown Dylan marriage and child.

The writing is generally sound, though I miss the kind of playful and insightful language a subject like Dylan deserves.

The book does not contain Dylan lyrics. Presumably, Mr. Sounes decided to bypass those in order to spring his revelations without seeking permission from Dylan's management. This prevents the kind of depth analysis that a biography ought to include, especially someone as artistically gifted as Dylan.

The result of all this is an intriguing book, well worth reading for its biographical insights but in need of a supplementary work to examine Dylan's artistry as it weaved through the facts of his life.

--Lawrence J. Epstein, author of Political Folk Music in America from Its Origins to Bob Dylan

Not Deep, But Illuminating.
Down The Highway bears a great similarity to biographies I have skimmed about other pop-culture celebrities such as movie stars and singers. Usually I don't get very far into those kinds of books before my curiosity is completely sated and I abandon them. I finished this biography of Bob Dylan, however, because the subject of this book has triggered in me a greater degree of interest, spurred by both admiration and irritation. It's not that I have a burning interest in finding out about his love-life or any other of the typical manifestations which go hand-in-hand with wealth and fame. But his songs which I am familiar with(mostly 1966 and earlier)broke new ground and introduced into popular culture potent imagery delivered in a seemingly unique and original style. It is so potent that on first encountering his music, many of us feel "Wow! This guy is telling the truth in a song, like I've never heard it before." But really! What is the reality of this music? Is it just entertainment, as Dylan himself has insisted to interviewers? The illuminating thing about Sounes' book for me is that due to the superficial treatment of the artistic side of Dylan, we get a very exterior view of his life. Looked at in this way, there is nothing that exceptional about Dylan as a person that would identify him as being particularly enlightened. This very detailed record shows that, according to those who have had associations with him, he has his good points and bad points like everyone else. He was certainly gifted with cleverness at adapting all kinds of material as the raw material of his music. He apparently used his success to manipulate and dominate other people, and could be remarkably insensitive to them. This does not make Dylan worse than many other celebrities. It merely illustrates that he is no Deity. As a stand-alone document, I don't see that much of interest in the book. It is only because of what Dylan did artistically that these circumstantial details acquire significance. I do think it is valuable because it restores some balance to the cult image that has settled around him, and for that reason is a worthwhile supplement to other sources, such as his own,very interior, Chronicles, Vol. 1.

A Very Good Intro to Dylan - his music and his life
As a fan of Dylan's music and as someone who is interested in his impact on the industry and peers, this was an excellent book. The author tells a good story and covers a lot of ground. I think the first half of the book covering Dylan's childhood through his twenties, in particular, was terrific. Great stories and quotes from friends, family and business associates make Dylan come alive.

The book spends less time on Dylan's last 20-25 years, perhaps because his personal life and music has been more controversial and uneven. No person or artist is perfect, but Dylan's music and his passion for his craft are pretty close at the end of the day.

The book does leave one wondering, what is the plight of great music going forward? To me, the music we have today,is not personal, earthy or passionate like Dylan, The Band, The Dead. It's largely slick and overproduced. Some of the same negatives, Dylan sought out to change 50 odd years ago....

Dylan for the PC age (cringe)
Full disclosure. I could not finish this book. The writing is ghastly, giving one the feel of a Sunday arts supplement piece that was thrown together too quickly, and with loud music ("Like A Rolling Stone?") blasting away behind whoever was writing it. Sounes has been given credit for getting people who had been close to Dylan to open up as never before, but to me that doesn't justify this book's relentless juvenile tone, sloppy writing and its just-as-relentless political correctness (in the first hundred pages he uses the mincing journalistic euphemism for "black," e.g. "African-American," at least six times, as if he were trying to ingratiate himself to Jesse Jackson.) But worse than that, his simpering comments about American pop culture put me in mind of a friend I had many years ago who came originally from India, and who had very strong opinions about America and Americans, even though at that point she had never been to the United States and admitted that her chief source of knowledge about American culture had been "Mad" magazine. Sounes gives me the same feeling, that he read through a stack of back issues of "Mad," and now he knows all about American pop culture. I've read a great many books by a great many writers on the subject of Bob Dylan, from the best (Paul Williams) to the wackiest (Griel Marcus.) This one rates silliest.

Satisfaction with purchase
The product was purchased as a gift.I haven't heard from the recepient but I assume it was satisfactory. ... Read more

Product Description
Rendered in striking, explosive graphic form, many of Bob Dylan’s most famous songs—illustrated as they’ve never been before.For the last forty years Bob Dylan has never ceased to be one of the most creative and inspired musicians in the world. Mesmerized by the power of his lyrics and intrigued by the possibilities of translating his powerful, enigmatic personality into art, thirteen leading graphic artists banded together to create this unusual testament to the universality and transcendent vision of an American musical genius. With their vibrant, unexpected colors and dynamic, cinematic imagery, this group has assembled in Bob Dylan Revisited one of the most provocative interpretations of Dylan’s music in decades. These artists capture the tender emotions, the ineffable sadness, and the romantic overtones of Dylan’s classic songs, at the same time reflecting the moral and political urgency of his music. Each artist’s style surprisingly complements Dylan’s lyrics and offers an irresistible window through which to reconsider one of America’s most enigmatic artists. A deeply respectful and brilliant homage to the extraordinary influence of Bob Dylan.

Featured inside:

• "Blowin’ In the Wind" by Thierry Murat
• "A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall" by Lorenzo Mattotti
• "I Want You" by Nicolas Nemiri
• "Girl of the North Country" by François Avril
• "Lay, Lady, Lay" by Jean-Claude Götting
• "Positively 4th Street" by Christopher
• "Tombstone Blues" by Bézian
• "Desolation Row" by Dave McKean
• "Like A Rolling Stone" by Alfred, Raphaëlle Le Rio, Maël Le Mae, and Henri Meunier
• "Hurricane" by Gradimir Smudja
• "Blind Willie McTell" by Benjamin Flao
• "Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door" by Jean-Philippe Bramanti
• "Not Dark Yet" by Zep

Nominated for two 2010 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards: Best Anthology; Best Short Story ("Hurricane" by Gradimir Smudja).

Customer Reviews (2)

Great visual interpretations of Dylan's words
Firstly, I never write or read reviews. However, I am surprised by how often I return to this book, so I thought I'd share my thoughts.

This is a beautifully done book and a great medium with which to experience Dylan's artistic contribution. Especially noteworthy is the graphic interpretation of the last song presented in the volume, "Not Dark Yet."Already a haunting song, the visuals are very insightful and lend a lot to the themes of aging and hopelessness already present in the lyrics.

If your a Dylan fan, a fan of the graphic novel medium, or just appreciative of art and popular culture, you should dig this.

One of the more unusual and wonderful things honoring Bob Dylan.
For anyone who loves and respects Bob Dylan and his incredible, incalcuable contribution to the arts and society, this is a must.There are 13 songs and 13 graphic interpretatons, one each of each song. Each one of the superbly qualified graphic artists bring their own particular interpretation to one of his most deeply written lyrics and songs to the page, and innure each song with other layers of insight and meaning through the visual art for the viewers consideration. Bob, himself, is a remarkable visual artist, and (I would guess) must be honored by the skillfully fine interpretation of his works.This is a deeply touching book honoring one of the world's finest and most important artists, as well as some of the most poignantly written words ever brought forth from pen to paper.I suggest you not miss this one.I'm glad I didn't. ... Read more

Product Description
"The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia" is one of the most wide-ranging, informed, entertaining, provocative, and compulsively readable books ever written about popular music. It's the culmination of over thirty years of dedicated research and scholarship by Michael Gray.Bob Dylan's outreach is too wide, too deep and too long for any book about him to cover it all. He'll be 65 years old when this book is published and his career spans 45 years of American history. The many different kinds of entry that are in the book include: biographies of singers, musicians, songwriters and composers who have influenced Dylan and/or worked with him; critical assessments and factual details (including place and date of recording, date of release and original catalogue numbers) for all Dylan's albums and for a large number of individual songs from decades of work; and, Dylan's key career and biographical moments.The many different kinds of entry that are in the book also include: biographies of writers, poets and other key cultural figures who have impacted on Dylan's work and/or who are mentioned within it, from William Blake to William Carlos Williams and from Lenny Bruce to Franz Kafka, in each case delineating the often surprising ways in which they connect to Dylan's work; short biographies of music critics and authors of books and major websites on Dylan; critical assessments & facts on Dylan's own books and films; and, discursive subjects, from Dylan Interpreters to Cowboy Heroes, and from The Use of Hollywood Dialogue in Dylan's lyrics, to 'frying an egg on stage'. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

4 and 1/2 Stars -- Invaluable, Could Have Been Great
There is a virtual library of books covering nearly every Bob Dylan aspect, but this is the first that anyone should buy. Unlike most, it is very general, touching on criticism, biography, and nearly every other area. Unlike many, it is written for a general audience; the casual and curious will get at least as much out of it as hard-cores. This is a veritable treasure trove of Dylan facts, criticism, figures, trivia, and more. All fan levels will find much to enjoy and appreciate; readers are both entertained and enlightened. Simply put, no serious Dylan fan can be without this, and anyone even remotely interested should seriously consider it.

The best thing about the book is its comprehensiveness - over seven hundred pages plus a generous amount of pictures, an interesting preface, and a well-compiled index. Michael Gray is keenly aware of his audience and clearly learned from one of the main complaints about Song and Dance Man III, his prior Dylan work. This aimed at hard-cores, and while they appreciated the painstaking documentation, many found it at times overwhelming, and some were especially annoyed by the many long footnotes. Documentation is just as extensive here, but Gray wisely relegates it to brackets at entries' end, letting those who do not care for it easily skip. The simple alphabetical index also makes for easy browsing, as does Gray's convenient capitalizing of entries mentioned in other entries.

Yet the book is not perfect. There are a few clear flaws, but they are relatively minor and take away little. The most important thing in such a book is accuracy, and this reaches a very high mark. I noticed about half a dozen errors and have seen a few others pointed out, but they are thankfully minor and mostly not about Dylan directly. Besides, such accuracy is extraordinary in a work of this magnitude, especially one written by a single person.

However, many of Gray's subjective choices are controversial, and individual tastes will go a long way toward determining how much one likes the book, though thankfully nothing overrules the indisputably positive features. First and most importantly, it is important to realize that the title is somewhat misleading. Though encyclopedic in scope - at least if we restrict ourselves to one volume encyclopedias -, this has very little resemblance to standard encyclopedias. For starters, it is not a purely reference work. The preface admits that the book is primarily the work of a critic, and there is also much biographical material, trivia of the sort that would not make an encyclopedia, and many comments of various natures. This last is the most important; in stark contrast to actual encyclopedias, Gray does not even pretend to be objective or neutral. His opinions are everywhere; many are negative, and quite a few are controversial. A good number even seem inflammatory; hard-core Dylan fans are a warring camp, and Dylan books are known for this, but one can easily question the usefulness and relevance of igniting old battles in such a work. Much of this is of course Dylan-related - e.g., Gray's constant bickering about latter-day concerts -, but the most controversial probably relates to others. Fans of Joan Baez and Roger McGuinn will be particularly offended, and I probably need say no more about The Beatles' entry other than that it says only "A pop group." Many will likely be bothered not so much by the presence of opinions as by the way Gray delivers them as if they are facts. On top of this, a significant amount of what he says is discursive, and a surprising amount is personal. Perhaps this should not surprise; it is after all his book, and its nature is clear in the very first entry. Some may even be glad; it after all gives the book a personal, informal feel that makes reading more entertaining - there is even occasional humor, though the jokes sometimes fall flat - than a standard reference work would be. Those normally bored by such books could even be delighted. However, those wanting standard encyclopedic tone will be disappointed - perhaps even to the point of disliking the book and/or finding it near useless.

The book is also not what it seems in other ways. Indeed, it may be best to describe the work as not about Dylan directly so much as about things related to him, often quite tangentially. The strange description on the back implies this, but I assumed it was misleading; perhaps it should be considered a warning. For example, a very large percentage of the book consists of entries about musicians who have played with Dylan. All have the basic information one would expect:biographical summary, information about the Dylan connection, and a bit about other work. Many, perhaps most, will want nothing more; this is after all supposed to be about Dylan. However, many entries go much further, some even lasting pages. Such extended entries go into considerable detail about biographical and other non-Dylan matter. Even stranger, some barely mention Dylan; he is sometimes thrown in as a sentence or two at the end seemingly as an afterthought. Such entries are always revealing and frequently interesting; much is even fascinating on its own terms. However, their relevance is very debatable; many will likely skip most or all of them. The book would be considerably shorter without them and arguably better.

In strange contrast, despite the remarkable comprehensiveness, a surprising number of things related directly to Dylan that almost anyone would have included are absent. For example, I never doubted that every officially released song would have an entry, but almost none do. In fact, the ones that are chosen seem wildly arbitrary; most of the best-known and best are missing, but quite a few obscure ones are present. Even more bizarrely, the entries are often very short, and the information is in no way standardized; we might get pages of intense critical analysis about one and a few token notes on another. Similarly, all official albums are here, but the entries are extremely short - a few sentences with the most basic information. Many other no-brainers are also missing. For instance, there is no entry with all basic biographical information in one place, and the book lacks obvious, eminently useful lists of things like Dylan's award and sales.

It is also easy to take issue with what Gray includes. Long entries about obscure and unpopular topics like Dylan's gospel era, his much-maligned Under the Red Sky album, and some of his recent traditional folk song choices will bore many. It is hard to blame Gray for riding pet favorites, but they often seem out of place. More importantly, they make the book distinctly uneven in regard to the length and quality of entries. How much information we get, as well as what type and how well it is presented, depends on how much Gray likes - or hates - it. Those with similar views will be glad; those with widely variant ones may be profoundly disappointed. All of this would of course be taken for granted in a normal Dylan book, but anything with "Encyclopedia" in the title distinctly implies something else.

The inclusion of critical material is another case in point. Gray's critical Dylan book has been through three expanded editions, and there are many others by various authors. Anyone looking for such a work can easily find one, but "Encyclopedia" does not imply a critical book, and most will probably be surprised by criticism's presence. It may be a pleasant surprise to some, but probably at least as many will find it annoying and cumbersome. Its randomness is particularly puzzling even to those who like it. There is no method to its distribution; famous songs are passed over without criticism, and we may go dozens of pages without any only to have an in-depth analysis of an obscure song. Many will think criticism is inappropriate in such a work and only weighs it down, but even those who like will really only have their appetites whetted. Gray may have put it to lure readers into Song and Dance Man III, but he may well scare away more readers than he wins over. Leaving aside the question of whether criticism should even be present, it should at least be more even-handed.

Gray's writing may also irritate some, particularly his overuse of certain words. One would think this could not be a problem in such a long work, but he rides some - particularly "risible" - so hard that it is impossible not to notice. His use of British spellings in Dylan lyrics is also annoying and inaccurate. British spellings might annoy Americans, but no one should take authors to task for using native spellings in their own prose. However, Dylan is American and uses American spellings; non-Americans must not force their nationality onto him. Gray is not alone in this sad trend, but his participation is unfortunate.

Finally, though the book has something for all, those who have read many Dylan books, especially Gray's, will get significantly less out of it. As it sticks mainly to basic information, especially when about Dylan directly, hard-cores will already know much of it. Perhaps more disappointingly, Gray reuses much of his prior writing verbatim to the extent of several pages at a time; for example, album entries are direct from Song and Dance Man III. This is understandable given the work's general nature, and hard-cores must remember they are not the target audience. Even so, as with much else, there is a strange randomness; for instance, Gray reuses long passages about obscure works but refrains from copying many other sections of at least equal relevance. This can only disappoint hard-cores, but the book still has plenty to make it worthwhile for them.

All this may make it seem that cons outweigh pros, but this is far from so. It is just that cons are easier to describe, and listing them will be more useful to potential buyers than simply belaboring the many excellencies. The truth is that this is a wonderful, invaluable book for all fans and, if not perfect, is still excellent. Opinions may vary somewhat widely in subjective areas, but none can deny the book's high overall quality, and it belongs on every fan's bookshelf. If you buy only one Dylan book, make it this one.

Excellent Research--And Fun to Read
This Encyclopedia is extraordinarily interesting and useful for Dylan fans. Some reviewers have noted mistakes in writing about people associated with Dylan. Gray's research about Dylan, though, is thorough and important. I don't recall a clearer rendition of Dylan's family background, for example. When the material is about Dylan himself, that is, the Encyclopedia is wonderful.

Gray is, as others have noted, unafraid to express strong opinions. Whether one agrees or disagrees with him, I prefer the thoughtful opinions to simple facts alone or to an uncritical appreciation of every note that Dylan sung. The entries are characteristically enjoyable and readable.

I find myself going to this Encyclopedia for a quick overview of a subject and then using the entry as a jumping off point to find more material.

--Lawrence J. Epstein, author of Political Folk Music in America from Its Origins to Bob Dylan

Perfectly MAD book!!
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3AAZ28KZV5MIT

Dylan Encyclopedia
Paperback binding is very poor.When the book is opened, the binding splits.Recommend don't buy since it won't last very long.

how we think
In a way, I am too much like this book to offer anyone else an opinion about what can be found in hundreds of pages. If anyone imagines intellectuals walking around like a book that never ends, try thinking of me as being like this book. I believe in intoxication in words the way other people have been seduced by sex, drugs, and rock and roll. I already know many of the songs by Bob Dylan, and Michael Gray has information that goes way beyond what I learn by trying to sing them when I want to know how I really feel.

Just a bit on the movie "Annie Hall" can surpass my ability to say anything. I think like Woody Allen when I confront a monstrosity like the culture that I belong to in more ways than one. I believe in flawless recitation, and the Bob Dylan Encyclopedia description of the setting of a comment about the song "Just Like a Woman" whereby "a vacuous hippie character played by the wonderful Shelley Duvall recites the lines quoted as if they're far-out and profound, . . ." makes me want, even more, to be that far-out and profound, in addition to gaining more information about sex, drugs, and rock and roll.

Thinking is not at all what it used to be for people who spend a lifetime waiting for television to tell them something. What is in this book is a form of culture that rarely appears on the screen that people are checking for news every day. It rocks even as it remains words on a page. ... Read more

Product Description
71 of Dylan's early best, arranged for piano/vocal with chord diagrams and full lyrics in a re-release of the classic collection. Includes Blowin' In The Wind, John Brown, Long Ago, Far Away, Knockin' On Heaven's Doors, Only A Hobo, Mr. Tambourine, Farewell, Man, Gypsy Lou, It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding), To Ramona, and Like A Rolling Stone. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

True beginner's guitar book
I'm truly a beginner guitar player that loves Bob Dylan's early music. I f you are too, this is your 5 star book. If I can play this, you will be even better!

music of Bob Dylan made easy for guitar
this just what i was looking for and i recieved it in a timely manner

Very Satisfied
This book came in excellent condition and shipping was quick. Thank you for a great product and great service

A mixed blessing...
This book is an adequate representation of Dylan material, with many songs missing that one might want (forcing the purchase of a second book).

I didn't like this book for several reasons:
1.When I was first learning guitar, I purchased it and was dissapointed by Dylan's complex chord phrasings.I couldn't play them, and at the level of a beginner, there were only a few songs that I could play.

2.As I got better, I yearned to learn how to play the songs like Dylan played them.As this book was written primarily for piano and vocal, it only has the guitar chords, and many of his songs contain wonderfully complex fingerpicking patterns and arpegios.Once I got to the level of playing where I could play the chords appropriately, I wanted more than this book could give.I pulled it off the shelf recently to play a few of the oldies that I remembered from many years ago, but put it back quickly for the same reason.

3.The book has a standard binding, so if you want to lay it reasonably flat on your music stand or piano, you will have to split the spine.

Great companion songbook
This is a wonderful songbook as a companion to the album "Under theRed Sky".The songs pic up where the travelling wilburys left off. Dylan is clearly having fun here.And the songs are as much fun to play asthey are to listen to. ... Read more

Product Description

In 1991 Clinton Heylin published what was considered the most definitive biography of Bob Dylan available. In 2001 he completely revised and reworked this hugely acclaimed book, adding new sections, substantially reworking text, and bringing the story up-to-date with Dylan's explosive career in 2000.

Bob Dylan: Behind the Shades Revisited follows the story of Dylan from his humble beginnings in Minnesota to his arrival in New York in 1961, his subsequent rise in the folk pantheon of Greenwich Village in the early '60s, and his cataclysmic folk-rock metamorphosis at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965. In the succeeding eighteen months, Dylan released Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde, and embarked on the legendary 1966 World Tour that culminated with an unforgettable concert at the Royal Albert Hall. Heylin details it all, along with the true story of Dylan's motorcycle accident, his remarkable reemergence in the mid-'70s, the only exacting account of his controversial conversion to born-again Christianity, the Neverending Tour, and yet another incredible Dylan resurgence with his 1997 Grammy Album of the Year Award-winning Time Out of Mind.

Deemed by The New Yorker as "the most readable and reliable" of all Dylan biographies, this book will give fans what they have always wanted -- a chance to get to know the man behind the shades.

Customer Reviews (33)

Very Well Written, but.....

This book is probably rightfully touted as the definitive Dylan biography.It's exceptionally well researched, and the author is clearly very intelligent.The book is very well written, and a pleasure to read for anyone interested in learning more about the enigma within the enigma that is Dylan.

All that said, Heylin dismisses "Time out of Mind" early on in the book as "built on sand" and says it doesn't stand up to some of Dylan's all time classics.He also says nothing Dylan has released since "Oh Mercy" is any good, and predicts he'll never release any more masterpieces (although, to his credit, he hopes he's wrong).

I think he is wrong."Time out of mind" and its successor, "Love and theft" both stand with any of Dylan's classics from previous decades (arguably more so as far as "Time out of mind" is concerned), and I suspect Mr. Dylan has more than one more classic in him before his final biography can be written.

The definitive bio
A must have for any Bob Dylan aficionado.Very detailed and fair record of Dylan.

Bob Dylan
My eldest grandson is really into music and songwriting. He also has recently discovered Bob Dylan. He loves to read as well so I figured it would go over well. His expression showed that he approved when he opened his package.

Detailed but boring account of the great one's life and music
Bob Dylan would be one of the most difficult subjects for a biography you could think of. His enigmatic statements and constant reinvention make him hard to pin down - not to mention the way he protects his privacy, giving few revealing interviews. Heylin attempts to make up for this by describing lots of often irrelevant details but never succeeds in giving you a sense of the man or his music. Heylin declines to make his own analysis of Dylan's music, perhaps feeling too scared he would make a fool of himself if he did. After a while it just becomes boring. Oh and what a terrible title.

A MUST HAVE
I got this book a while ago.This book is a terrific outline of Bob's life and there is LOTS of reading.The author is an "expert" and this book is just great.No one fully knows Bob as no one fully knows anyone, but this is a must buy book if you want to learn more.

Some great pictures of Bob--ESPECIALLY one in which he appears to be in his early 40's which reveals the intelligence and intensity in his eyes.Then there is a really nice picture of Bob as "Alias" from Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid.

That's it folks!! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Hokum, hophead talk
early in the book, Dylan relates a story about being interviewed by publicist and how most of the answers he gives are totally 'hokum hophead-talk'. I can't help but wonder if the rest of the book is also mostly that.

Creating only more Intrigue!
Bob Dylan has to be one of the most intriguing characters around in the last 50 years. His music, personality, poignant sayings and lyrics, yet his shyness from getting too far involved in many things people expected him to pursue. This book only continues to add to the already huge halo of mystery surrounding the real person.
If you are looking for a chronological history of his professional career, this book will not help. You will get an insight (only a little one) to the personal life and thoughts as random as they may be.
From what I have written so far you may doubt my star rating of 5, but I assure you this book is great. Raw moments of Dylan's life presented in a way that only Bob must fully understand considering his erratic sense of logic. A very different read.

More and less of what everyone seems to want from Dylan, again!
Simply put, I loved Chronicles, incomplete, yes, though it may seem to some, perhaps for that very reason.This writer struck me as Bob Dylan, the normal guy, raised in Hibbing, Minnesota, who happened to find what he loved to do at early age and had to leave because there was no real community for him there, not because he hated his family, or really, even, rejected their values. His love of wife(ves) and children and family come back time and time again in this work.This is just a guy who does what he does because he can't do anything else and the world morphed him into an unending number of prism images of what it wants to see.He may be some of those tings, but as this work makes clear, he has never been nor ever will be ALL of those things.And so someone, some critic, some generational community will always be pleased with and critical of him at the same time, because ultimately he is just who he is and not whoever whoever would like him to be. It sounds like Dylan will continue to tour until he is physically unable...he's called it "the neverending tour" and considers it his debt to God. I saw him two or so years ago and I truly thought he sounded like he'd had a stroke.I also had heard that he suffers from bad back pain so can't really stand anymore with his guitar.Who knows? Maybe at his next show, he sounded different or stood for hours with his guitar and harp.Never mind, the next time he's in the area, I will be among the first buying tickets.There is, after all, only one Bobby, and there will never be another one like him.As T-Bone Burnette said, and I agree, Dylan is the Homer of his time.Get his records and by all means....read the book. It may not be perfect to you but it feels to be the truest statement we have had about him so far.He may or may not throw out any more.

Gotta Love It Despite Its Omissions
After reading the last page, you'll know more about Dylan than you knew before, but don't expect to find all the answers to the enigmatic Mr. Zimmerman, who chooses to remain as reclusive in his prose as he does in his life.

The book is a delight to read since Dylan's prose flows, and the book is most decidedly a page turner.He provides many insights into his thinking as he haltingly takes us from the time he arrived in New York City to the days of his mega-fame.In the pages of CHRONICLES, we see a man who is a keen observer, but also one who is far more pedestrian in his views than anyone would have guessed.He speaks at great length about how goofy the 60s and the counterculture looked to him, and his discussion of raising his children and walking his dog like any other parent is endearing.

Dylan's chronology is difficult to follow since he continually fast forwards in his description of events, and one is often not quite sure what period of his life Dylan is referring to.He names no years whatsoever by which we can match action and time.What is especially annoying is that entire periods of his life are simply missing.He goes from being a new arrival in New York, living from hand to mouth, to becoming a pop icon (a term he detests) within a matter of pages, no explanation given.Blink an eye, and he's suddenly recording the album OH MERCY in New Orleans in 1987.With major portions of his life omitted, it is impossible to discover the reason for changes in his philosophy or musical styles beyond a certain point.

Ultimately, this is not autobiography, but rather observations about life.But that's okay.His narrative is nevertheless powerful and engrossing.His prose, bordering on the poetic at times, is accessible and puts us in touch with a man who has sought to write songs and live his life.While he may have chosen to skip over major events in his life, what he gives us is pure gold.He has allowed to eavesdrop, as it were, on select moments of his life.That's worth the price of the book.

Is This all there is?
I am a big Bob Dylan Fan. This book did not reveal very many secrets about the inner workings of the "voice of our generation". It abruptly skips from 1960-1989 and back without warning. For example, he was describing a career saving voice technique that he employed in the late 1980's, but he failed to describe what the technique was. He also, did not fully explain why he wrote protest music but did not consider himself anything but a concerned onlooker.I just kept on waiting for the book to kick-in, but instead it twists and turns down a winding road leading to a dead end.

To the books credit, Dylan did paint an interesting portrait of characters he met in Greenwich village in the early 1960's. He also included trivial and disjointed arbitrary series of occurances with great attention to detail. He also focused on some of his lesser known songs like "Dignity" and "Political World" instead of the more popular ones. There was alot of detail but not alot of depth and analysis. He listed his musical influences like Neil Sedaka and Woody Guthrie, but he doesn't explain exactly what about their music inspired him.

I thought that this book would give me revelation and all I got was a "watercooler" level discouse. I guess we will have to continue to learn about "the real" Bob Dylan from others. ... Read more

Product Description
Bob Dylan and his artistic accomplishments have been explored, examined, and dissected year in and year out for decades, and through almost every lens. Yet rarely has anyone delved extensively into Dylan's Jewish heritage and the influence of Judaism in his work. In Bob Dylan: Prophet, Mystic, Poet, Seth Rogovoy, an award-winning critic and expert on Jewish music, rectifies that oversight, presenting a fascinating new look at one of the most celebrated musicians of all time.

Rogovoy unearths the various strands of Judaism that appear throughout Bob Dylan's songs, revealing the ways in which Dylan walks in the footsteps of the Jewish Prophets. Rogovoy explains the profound depth of Jewish content -- drawn from the Bible, the Talmud, and the Kabbalah -- at the heart of Dylan's music, and demonstrates how his songs can only be fully appreciated in light of Dylan's relationship to Judaism and the Jewish themes that inform them.

From his childhood growing up the son of Abe and Beatty Zimmerman, who were at the center of the small Jewish community in his hometown of Hibbing, Minnesota, to his frequent visits to Israel and involvement with the Orthodox Jewish outreach movement Chabad, Judaism has permeated Dylan's everyday life and work. Early songs like "Blowin' in the Wind" derive central imagery from passages in the books of Ezekiel and Isaiah; mid-career numbers like "Forever Young" are infused with themes from the Bible, Jewish liturgy, and Kabbalah; while late-period efforts have revealed a mind shaped by Jewish concepts of Creation and redemption. In this context, even Dylan's so-called born-again period is seen as a logical, almost inevitable development in his growth as a man and artist wrestling with the burden and inheritance of the Jewish prophetic tradition.

Bob Dylan: Prophet, Mystic, Poet is a fresh and illuminating look at one of America's most renowned -- and one of its most enigmatic -- talents. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

An Audacious, Rewarding Read
As a Bob Dylan fan for going on three decades, since the beginning of my teenage years, I've read several books about the Man, including Sean Wilentz's newly acclaimed, ultimately overrated "Bob Dylan in America." I'm therefore prepared to make a surprisingly strong claim, that Seth Rogovoy's "Bob Dylan: Prophet, Mystic, Poet" is likely the best book on the subject to date.

Rogovoy begins his study with a remarkable assertion, that Jewishness--defined theologically, culturally, ethnically--is the animating feature holding together Dylan's enormous and varied body of work. Given both the relative paucity of Dylan's references to Jewish culture (outside of the Hebrew Bible also shared with Christianity) and his brief but intense involvement with evangelical (and evangelizing) Christianity, as well as his customarily cryptic approach to personal questions, this is a tough argument to defend. Astonishingly, Rogovoy succeeds gracefully in the task he has set for himself, both because of the creative persuasiveness of the arguments he marshals to make his case, as well as the flexibility with which he responds to and interprets Dylan's work. Unlike the work of more celebrated commentators such as Wilentz, Christopher Ricks, or Greil Marcus, Rogovoy's approach provides an animating thesis for understanding Dylan as a coherent creative figure, and allows for the complexity of his subject and the co-existence of other interpretive viewpoints.

To understand Dylan essentially as a Jewish artist certainly requires a great deal of complexity, sophistication, and shrewdness, given Dylan's own contradictory attitude toward his ostensible ethnic heritage (an attitude that Rogovoy documents exhaustively in this study). To say that Dylan has been contradictory on the subject nonetheless puts him in excellent company among modern Jewish artists and intellectuals: his work is no less Jewish and no more conflicted than Heinrich Heine's, Gustav Mahler's, Sigmund Freud's, Franz Kafka's, Woody Allen's, or any of the Roths' (Henry, Joseph, or Philip). The partly Jewish, wholly conflicted Theodor Adorno once said of Mahler's "Jewish element" that "One can no more put one's finger on this element than in any other work of art: it shrinks from identification yet to the whole remains indispensable." So too can one make the same claim of Dylan.

Yet Rogovoy demonstrates with singular perceptiveness that even when seeming to run from Jewishness--whether into the arms of African-American music or the Born-Again Church (neither of which have historically been very far from one another)--Dylan's work enacts a perennial strategy of masquerade and transformation (Kafka would perhaps call it "metamorphosis," had he written in English) for modern Jewish culture while at the same time echoing and recontextualizing Jewish religious, rhetorical, and moral values.

There is of course more to Dylan's work than his ethnic origins, just as there is more to it than the sum of the songs he learned in the (thoroughly Jewish) folk milieu of Greenwich Village. Rogovoy's writing not only never denies this fact, it remains open to the ambiguity and nuance essential to the creation of any great art. Though he offers a compelling interpretation of Dylan based on a comprehensive knowledge of his subject's achievements, as well as an impressive range of references from the kabbalah and kitsch that constitutes modern Jewish culture (his opening comparison of Dylan with the Yiddish poet Eliakum Zunzer is especially delightful, inspired, and provocative), he is best at suggesting a depth and texture to Dylan's songwriting that can encompass more than one interpretation. His criticism therefore achieves for Dylan what no previous commentator has managed to do, yet which all great art demands: he provides a structure of understanding through which Dylan's work can speak, in distilled form, for itself.

exceptional
i have read many dylan books. this one ranks way up there. the author demonstrates that dylan has relied heavily on the bible for a great deal of his inspiration and he explores the true prophetic nature of dylan's work. it is an exceptional analysis with many brilliant and inspired parts. i absolutely love this book and will probably read it again. it is highly recommended for anyone deeply interested in bob's work. at one point he goes a little too far in suggesting that dylan regreted his deep involvement with christ's teachings but the rest of the book is spectacular. i can't recommend this book enough.

A Sloppy Piece of Scholarship
In order to build his case for Bob Dylan as a current practiconer of the Jewish faith, Mr.Regovoy fails to include any evidence having the nerve to run contrary to his to his theories. This is exclusive scholarship at its lowest, as lyrics, quoatations from Dylan, and other evidence clearly show Mr. Dylan is still--thirty years after his famous "born again" conversion-- a believer in our Lord Jesus Christ.Unlike Mr. Regovoy, I don't claim to know anthing about Dylan's faith beyond what he has said in interviews, andof course in his lyrics. Perhaps Mr. Regovoy is simply ignorant of the New Testament and the Christian faith?

Nevertheless he skips over any material supporting the view of "Dylan the believer"--perhaps a "Messianic Jew,"--but a believer nonetheless.

Here are a few of many, many examples. I'd be glad to produce more upon request and prvide "chapter and verse."

Dylan told Mikal Gillmore in a 1984 ROLLING STONE interview that he believed
literally in both the Old and New Testaments.

Many of Bob's lyrics begining and including INFIDELS, his supposed return to Judiaism, include explcit phrases from the New Testament. Here are a few lyrical examples; I apologize for not having my Bible handy, but would be glad to cite chapter and verse upon request:

On MODERN TIMES (2006) Dylan sings "A few more years of hard work, than there'll be a thousand years of happiness" (The Levee's Gonna Break")-- a line right out of the Book of Revelation. On the same album Bob declares "Some sweet day I'll stand beside my king" ("Thunder on the Mountain").

Many songs on the 1989 album OH MERCY reference Christian scripture, including a nod to the Sermon on the Mount, while 1990's UNDER the RED SKY contains "Cat's in the Well," and its line " And the servant's at the door"(Revelation, again) plus other Christian-themed songs.

Bobplays Friday night shows and often performs old-timey bluegrass gospel songs in concert. Finally for now: When Bob sings the great song "Bline Willie McTell" in concert, he always changes the recorded line from "Jerusalem" to "New Jerusalem"(that darn Revelation again!).

I'm at work so I have to cut this short. Please respond with any questions, etc.
I apologize for the rushed nature of this missive, but believe it is important to provide a Christian point-of-view--a perspective ignored by Seth in his book.

Unlike Seth I don't claim to know what's in Bob's head. I do know that his "body language" from at least 1967's "Sing on the Cross" to his new Christmas album consistentlypoints toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

God bless you for taking the time and effort to produce your book, Seth. And no hard feelings. I'd be glad to provide you with more detailed information for no extra charge.

Best to all, Bob Brodsky

A beautiful book
This is a beautiful and fascinating book. Of course it's well known that before Bob Dylan became Bob Dylan he was Robert Zimmerman, a skinny Jewish kid from Minnesota who was fascinated by folk music lore. But for all the books written about Dylan's life and art, few authors have delved into the role his religous background played in forming the man he became. This is particularly odd because Dylan has gone through so many highly public phases of religious enlightenment. Rogovoy explores the Judaic thread that's run through Dylan's life and reveals a much more complicated artist than most people realize. All Dylan fans should have this on their shelves.

Ain't no neutral ground--and shouldn't be
Seth Rogovoy'sbook is a valuable new voice in the already crowded field of writing on Dylan and spirituality. He traces an arc through Dylan's career based on the tradition of Jewish prophecy, and he works hard to do justice to several scruples: one scrupleacknowledges that Dylan's own beliefs are not accessible, and that this *prophetic* interpretation is not, in fact, a decoding of Dylan's own faith. Another scruple acknowledges that the facts of Dylan's life and career are too many branches from too many roots to be reduced to a single, unifying source. Another scruple is Rogovoy's personal commitment to his argument, which makes the book an affecting narrative of one man's decades-long relation to art that speaks powerfully and constantly to him.
The practical benefit to serious Dylan listeners is Rogovoy's inventory of passages from Jewish scripture throughout Dylan's lyrics. We're familiar with many Biblical phrases in the songs, and Rogovoy opens up that familiarity into discoveries that were new and interesting to me. Most are utterly defensible, some allusions in the bookrequire a generous imagination to hear, but on the whole this inventory is compelling and reflects hard and rational work.
As an overview of Dylan's career, serious and informed fans may find some familiar summary here, but there is enough that's provocative to merit reading the entire thing. And I'm grateful that Rogovoy found the time to rush in a brief and lively coda chapter on Together Through Life.
If you're new to Dylan, and have a strong interest in the spirituality and religious traditions in his work, this book provides a smart and accessible overview to Dylan's career in that context.
I had the great pleasure of hosting Seth Rogovoy in a Dylan course I'm leading in NY, and he is a generous and passionate, quick-witted and knowledgeable speaker.(And in the interests of transparency, I did buy my own copy of his book before meeting him.)
The book and the person, I can recommend both.
Nina Goss
Editor, Montague Street
[...] ... Read more

Product Description
A towering figure in American culture and a global twentieth-century icon, Bob Dylan has been at the centre of American life for over forty years. The Cambridge Companion to Bob Dylan brings fresh insights into the imposing range of Dylan's creative output. The first Part approaches Dylan's output thematically, tracing the evolution of Dylan's writing and his engagement with American popular music, religion, politics, fame, and his work as a songwriter and performer. Essays in Part II analyse his landmark albums to examine the consummate artistry of Dylan's most accomplished studio releases. As a writer Dylan has courageously chronicled and interpreted many of the cultural upheavals in America since World War II. This book will be invaluable both as a guide for students of Dylan and twentieth-century culture, and for his fans, providing a set of new perspectives on a much-loved writer and composer. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (24)

Dylan in the classroom
In the book The Cambridge Companion to Bob Dylan (Cambridge Companions to American Studies) there isn't anything new here for the Dylanologist. There is some historical information on Dylan in this companion but nothing new for the Dylan follower.

What the Cambridge Companion to Bob Dylan offers is a kind of explanation of Dylan and why his music stands the test of time.This book is written like a text book with a kind high brow flair. It compares Dylan to several poets and other figures throughout history. The authors make several comparisons and then try to justify these comparisons by pointing out similarities and they actually do a good job of justifying their comparisons.I that I think Dylan would scoff at these comparisons though. The authors use a kind of high society thespian kind of approach to explain Dylan that misses the mark somewhat in this section.

The Cambridge Companion to Bob Dylan is also mostly made up of essays chronicling his nearly 50 years in the music business. The essays are pretty good. They detailed snapshots in time of career that has taken so many interesting turns.

For this reviewer Dylan isn't a poet nor a folk singer or a Country artist, he's just Dylan one of the most lyrically gifted artists of our time. I don't think you can read about him and truly grasp the essence of Dylan.

The Cambridge Companion to Bob Dylan (Cambridge Companions to American Studies) is really written for the twenty-something college student trying to get an idea of who Bob Dylan is and what he's about. The essays are good; still to this reviewer the best way to learn Dylan is to sit and listen to his words and music and let it sink in.

Great Dylan book
Very partial to both Dylan's records , and books written about him. Truly one of the lyrical masters of any decade. Some of the pieces try a little too hard to be profound and unique , but all in all a great read. Couldn't read it all in one sitting , but spread out over a few days it left a sense of reward when finished.

It works on several levels
As a Bob Dylan book-a-holic, the reviews for this book left me wondering whether this would be a worthwhile addition. I have a problem with the idea of texbook, harvard, and also edited with different writers. While not in the highest echelon of Dylan books, it is a worthwhile addition to my collection with interesting insights, good readability, and a book you can read more than once.Its hardly definitive but definitely interesting.I love the Isis compilations, which are more varied in quality and topic, and more interesting to me.Likewide, anything by Paul Williams, but specifically in this genre Watching the river flow.

get a grip, everyone!
OK guys. I am not a Dylanologist. I grew up with his music, I have always listened, sometimes distractedly and sometimes intently, to his music. I read a few books, including Mr Hadju's hatchet job and I've seen the movies. And here is what I am going to say: Mr Dylan is like a cat. He needs you, because someone has to buy his tickets and albums for him to pay his bills. But he doesn't necessarily want you, and he couldn't care less about what you think. These essays are almost an exercise in the ridiculous. The essayist seem to thing that there is logic in the details and if you squint hard enough you can see the face of god. Or something like that. A significant number of them delve into painful details about things such as set lists from concerts played during the Rolling Thunder Review back in 1976 and What It All Means. Many more wring their collective hands about plagiarism...and do their best to absolve the Master of his crime. Dude, if Bob sings "Shake, Shake Mama" it's probably plagiarizing something someone said or wrote somewhere once. How can you avoid it? If you sing about love, you're going to say "Baby, I love you" and man alive! Someone said that before!!

Finally, why is it that when folks write about Bob Dylan, they feel compelled to incessantly quote his lyrics? I am reminded of the PowerPuff Girls cartoon where the entire dialog was composed of Beatles lyrics. Get your own thoughts, and stop plagiarizing!

In summary, save your money. One star because the essay on religion by Spargo and Ream made me think for a moment. Buy a couple of the albums from various decades, listen and enjoy. Weave your own BobStory if you need to, and keep it to yourself.

Fair collection of essays -- some very good, others so-so...
Though it's nice to see Bob receiving the Cambridge Companion treatment, I was wondering what might be said that hasn't already been covered in my five-foot plus shelf of Dylan biographies, analyses, and compendiums. As it turns out, not a whole lot. This collection of essays should, however, make a decent text for a college course in Dylan, since it covers all the major aspects of his work and career in a brisk albeit surface-like manner. Unsurprisingly, the liveliest writing comes from music critics, while the stodgier prose is the result of academics, with a few exceptions. There were, however, enough new insights into Dylan and his work to make me go back to some of the recordings and listen with fresh ears. A stronger editorial hand might have spared us numerous repetitive passages in the different essays (many factual aspects of Dylan's career are reported in a similar manner in several of the essays), and I was surprised to find so many typos and other errors in a work from Cambridge University Press. Standards slipping, chaps? I hope these will be corrected in any future printings. For newcomers to Dylan's work, this is a good enough introduction, but for those of us who've read many volumes on the Bobster, there's nothing flashingly brilliant here. Recommended for beginners and completists. ... Read more

Product Description
From the folk troubadour to electric iconoclast, born-again preacher to elder statesman, Bob Dylan has sound-tracked the last 50 years in an unparalleled catalog of song. This collection contains 70 Dylan classics from every part of his career. Arrangements are in the same keys as the original recordings and include chord symbols, guitar chord frames, and complete lyrics. Songs include: All Along the Watchtower * Blowin' in the Wind * Forever Young * Hurricane * It Ain't Me Babe * Just like a Woman * Knockin' on Heaven's Door * Lay Lady Lay * Like a Rolling Stone * Mr. Tambourine Man * Rainy Day Women #12 and 35 * Tangled Up in Blue * The Times They Are A'Changin' * and more. ... Read more

Product Description
In August 1964, twenty-one-year-old photographer Douglas R. Gilbert, on assignment for Look magazine, photographed an up-and-coming folk singer named Bob Dylan. Just twenty-three years old, Dylan had already composed a striking body of work, including "Blowin' in the Wind," yet he himself was still relatively unknown.

All that was about to change. For more than a week, Gilbert photographed a surprisingly open Bob Dylan, smiling and relaxed among friends like musician John Sebastian and poet Allen Ginsberg. To Gilbert's dismay, Look deemed Dylan's appearance "too scruffy" for a family magazine, and the images remained unpublished and unseen, until now.

Featuring veteran music journalist Dave Marsh's insightful text, Forever Young unforgettably captures a pivotal time in Bob Dylan's extraordinary career--the time when he began transforming not just folk but all of popular music. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Dylan Smiles
It's amazing and keeps you wonder how those pics stayed in the vaults for over 41 years or so. When you think you've seen it all from Bob, there comes Doug Gilbert with those great pics. I think this book is a perfect companion to The Bob Dylan Scrapbook and I have no doubt whatsoever, that it's going to become a classic Dylan photo book with time. No Dylan photo book has ever shown the man so candid and happy. Dylan seems to be in a great period of his life and you can almost feel it through Gilmore's pictures. He's so loose and relaxed all the time, it's almost umbeliavable. It makes hard for you to think that only a year later things would start to change, either for Dylan and for the history of rock and roll itself. Within 2 years the changes would be even more radical with all that craziness around and then the accident that, in my opinion, saved Bob's life, as weird as it may seem. Some of my fellow reviewers complained about the Da Capo edition, but I totally disagree. I think they did a great job and the combination of green pages and the black and white pictures creates a great effect. No complains, whatsoever. All in all, it's worth the price and more. Good job Doug.

A young Dylan captured from 1954
Rock fans will relish Douglas R. Gilbert and Dave Marsh's FOREVER YOUNG: PHOTOGRAPHS OF BOB DYLAN (0306814811, $29.95): over seventy candid photos of a very young-looking Bob Dylan are the focus, taken by an also-young photographer Dan Gilbert back in 1964 on assignment for Look magazine. Gilbert photographed a surprisingly open young Dylan relaxed among fellow musicians at his home, following him from Greenwich Village to the Newport Folk Festival and catching him before he underwent a striking set of changes and made himself inaccessible to media. A unique portrait makes this a real, rare winner and a treat for Dylan fans used to very studied photos.

AMAZING
I LOVE BOB DYLAN====TO ME HE IS THE ICON HE WANTS TO BE TO HIS AUDIENCES===NOT THE ONE I WANT HIM TO BE----DID I SAY HE IS THE BEST.

Great photos, edition doesn't do justice to them
These photos of Douglas R. Gilbert, which depict Bob Dylan in a very different mood from the ones found for example in 'Early Dylan' have unfortunately not received the quality edition they deserve by Da Capo. It is a shame, since they are certainly worth the price of the book, but one wishes more care had been taken when preparing the book for publication. When compared with the four accompanying prints which really show the value of Gilbert's images, one gets rather disappointed with the reproductions printed in the book.

Pass on this one...
I've seen much better photos/articles on Dylan and would not suggest this particular work. I will be selling my copy in the used section. ... Read more

Product Description
The complete collection includes all of Dylan's writings and drawings plus 120 new writings. Index of song titles. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

Lyrics, 1962-1985
This book is a treasure. I have used it many times to check the lyrics of a song. Dylan is a favorite poet of mine.

Dylan - a songwriter, musician, poet, innovator and creative genius - all reflected here!
A friend and I were out shopping a few weeks ago and we both picked up Bob Dylan's "No Direction Home: The Soundtrack" CD,which is the 7th volume in Dylan's archival Bootleg Series, and also the soundtrack for Martin Scorsese's excellent PBS documentary of the same title. The album is outstanding and now that my shopping pal's birthday is coming up, Halloween actually, I decided that Dylan's "Lyrics, 1962-1985" would be a near perfect gift. She is a major Dylan fan, as am I, and we have been for almost forty years. Time flies!

One of the deciding factors for making this purchase is that the hardcover volume edition makes an excellent, elegant presentation. The cover is laminated and each poem is printed singly on large, cream-stock pages with colored headers. Arranged by album, the book is a compilation of all of Dylan's writings and drawings, ('62 - '85), some wonderful pen sketches ranging in topic from roadside scenes to the romantic, plus 120 new compositions and an Index of song titles. "Lyrics, 1962-1985" is an extraordinary celebration of the artist's/composer's work.

"Highway 61 Revisited," "Blonde on Blonde," Tangled Up In Blue," "Masters of War," "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright," "With God On Our Side," "It Ain't Me Babe," "My Back Pages," "Subterranean Homesick Blues," "Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again," "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go," "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You," "This Wheel's On Fire," "Shelter From The Storm," etc., and hundreds of others - they're all here! Dylan's liner notes and stream-of-consciousness short prose pieces really enhance the text.

Bob Dylan is a songwriter, musician and poet - an artistic genius and innovator whose tremendous body of work has had a major impact on over 40 years of American music, from the oldest anonymous folk ballads through blues and country into rock-and-roll. He expanded popular music by including politics, social commentary and philosophy into its vocabulary. He told more folks what was happening than the politicians and news reporters combined...and the counterculture loved him! We still do! While exploring and creating musical styles, Dylan did remain true to his roots in traditional American song.

I am so sorry that the book is out of print. Fortunately, I was able to purchase it, "New," from an Amazon marketplace seller at a very reasonable price. Highly recommended!
JANA

A great resource
This book is a must for anyone who loves Bob Dylans lyrics. If a course were taught on Bob, this would be the textbook, and any fans will gets endless hours of enjoyment out of it.

Universal Appeal
I love this book.Dylan's output covering a 23-year span is right there in front of you.Whether you read the lyrics as they are or read while listening, any Dylan fan will soak up this wonderful book.

Interestingly enough, I have loaned this book to people who can't stand Dylan, but appreciate him as a writer.Their appreciation for the man and his talent always increases as a result.Sometimes this leads them to buy the discs, and they're forever hooked.

As much as I love the book, it is badly in need of an new edition covering Dylan's work since 1985, which includes at least 12 discs worth of work.But taken as it is, this book is priceless.Buy it.

Anecessity for any Dylan fan
The book is beautifully produced, but badly out of date (getting more so with each new album) and suffers from a certain lack of attention to the lyrics as the man sings them.Even so, ya gotta have it. ... Read more