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Title: Down the Highway: The Life of Bob Dylan by Howard Sounes ISBN: 0802116868 Publisher: Grove Press Pub. Date: 09 April, 2001 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $27.50 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.45
Rating: 4
Summary: Ballad of an unpleasant thin man.
Comment: Dylan comes across as an utterly unpleasant person in this rather good biography. As I am not the greatest fan of his music (for reasons I will come to later) this did not bother me too much, but I am sure some of other reviewers would have punished Mr Sounes for this when rating the book.
Dylan is portrayed as thoroughly self-centred, somebody with enormous sensitivity in terms of his own feelings (which he conveys with great intensity via his music), but absolutely no sensitivity in terms of others' feelings. This includes wives, girlfriends and musical associates, all of whom are discarded with disdain when no longer required. This leaves Dylan a deservedly lonely and disillusioned person towards the end of the book. In fact, when he falls seriously ill, only one of his many former band members write him, a fate which is not unexpected to the reader given how he had treated them. It is hard for the reader of this book to have any sympathy with Dylan, and I think the author does a good job of paiting a picture if Dylan without being judgemental- praising the music, but not the man.
In terms of music I find Dylan very variable in quality- all of his earlier recordings contain some great songs, but the weaker songs are always too weak for my liking, and not as good as, say, the weaker songs on a Simon and Garfunkel recording. And some of his songs are incredibly naive in terms of lyrical content, like Sunshine on the Union on Infidels. The author describes Dylan's musical decline well, including his return to live performance form in the middle 90's. I just shudder to think how bad exactly his live performances must have been in the early 90's, because I saw him live in 1996 in London and he was still bad enough.
The book has some weaknesses admittedly. The writing is not always of the highest standard and I sometimes got the impression that the author was quoting people simply because he had spoken to them, and not because they had said anything worth quoting. But all in all he has produced a fine biography of Dylan, clearly the fruit of much labour.
Rating: 5
Summary: The human life of a man who is a modern myth
Comment: Bob Dylan is as much a cultural icon as one person can be in our times, but he is a secretive and lonely person. It is difficult for a biographer to weave together an honest look at such a person without their cooperation. Yet Howard Sounes does a great job of looking past the image and providing his readers with a glimpse of the person behind the legend. Without being able to interview the man himself, he uses Dylan's words from past interviews, legal records, and interviews with friends and associates to piece together a picture of the life behind the legend.
Telling the story of Dylan from birth to the year 2000, this book focuses on the details of a life devoted to a musical career. I found particularly interesting the section on Dylan's musical roots in Hibbing, Duluth, and Minneapolis. Also, interviews with some of the few people Dylan befriended over the years give us a wonderful peak at his human side. Finally, producers and musicians tell fascinating stories about recording sessions that add to our understanding of the music on his CDs. The author has interviewed many people who had contact with Dylan through the years so we get much detail, but ultimately are still only on the outside looking in. Usually Sounes takes the high road and refrains from telling salacious details.
The book will appeal to devoted fans who love Dylan's music and want to know about the person behind it. If you are new to Bob Dylan and want to understand his cultural impact, this is not the book for you. It is also a very revealing study of the isolating effect that fame can have on people.
Rating: 4
Summary: First Read
Comment: After having been a fan of Dylan for a long time, I finally sat down to read about him when a friend gave me this book. I found the book easy to read, and left me hungry for more biographical stuff.
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Title: Bob Dylan: Behind the Shades Revisited by Clinton Heylin ISBN: 006052569X Publisher: HarperEntertainment Pub. Date: 29 April, 2003 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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Title: Restless Pilgrim: The Spiritual Journey of Bob Dylan by Scott Marshall, Marcia Ford ISBN: 097145762X Publisher: Relevant Books Pub. Date: 03 September, 2002 List Price(USD): $13.99 |
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Title: Positively 4th Street: The Lives and Times of Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Mimi Baez Farina and Richard Farina by David Hajdu ISBN: 086547642X Publisher: North Point Press Pub. Date: 10 April, 2002 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: No Direction Home: The Life and Music of Bob Dylan by Robert Shelton ISBN: 0306807823 Publisher: DaCapo Press Pub. Date: October, 1997 List Price(USD): $18.50 |
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Title: Song & Dance Man 3: The Art of Bob Dylan by Michael Gray ISBN: 0826463827 Publisher: Continuum Pub Group Pub. Date: August, 2003 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
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