Customer Reviews

Forever Young: Photographs of Bob Dylan

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4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
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1 star:		(2)

 

 

Forever Young is a collection of pictures of Dylan taken by Douglas Gilbert in the summer of 1964. These were to have been published in a Look magazine feature article which was killed when the editors determined that the appearance of Dylan was "too scruffy for a family magazine". Released forty one years later, the images provide an intimate portrait of the artist as a young man.

Dylan is seen pecking away at a portable typewriter, hanging out with Allen Ginsburg and John Sebastian, and riding around Woodstock on his Triumph motorcycle. There's a great shot of him sitting in a driveway with a little kid in a Davey Crockett jacket, and another in which he tilts back in a rocking chair, watching Dean Martin on a TV incongruously placed in a window. In another one he peers interestedly over a cup of coffee at his future wife Sara Lowdnes, who is working on a needlepoint at the Café Espresso.

Unfortunately, the accompanying text by Dave Marsh is rambling, pretentious, and often irrelevant. Here is an example:

"The idea that art deserves respect only if it reaches the most sublime status results mainly in hype, as we try to explain why we love things that aren't quite that fine".

There's no need to explain why we don't love this kind of writing which mars the natural and easygoing flow of what is otherwise an enjoyable book.

I attended the Los Angeles exhibit at The Perfect Exposure Gallery in March 2005 and seeing these Photographs in person was breathtaking. The pictures in the book don't have the clarity that I witnessed at the exhibit but still capture Dylan when he was emerging as the icon he would become. The book comes sealed in cellophane and inside is the real jewel: Four original prints of Dylan from Gilbert's collection.

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.

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.

As a Bob Dylan aficiondo, I decided to add this one to the home library...Big Mistake. The quality of the photos are substandard and appear to be taken by an amature photographer. Also, I agree with the previous review regarding the irrelevant text that drifts aimlessly throughtout the entire book, complete waste of time. Marsh & Gilbert's attempt to unload mediocre material is very clear to any true enthusiast. Save yourself the money and disappointment.

This book is amazing! A must have for any Dylan fan. The photgraphs are very personal and insightful. If you get a chance and the exhibit comes to your town - go see it - they are even more impressive in person!

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.

This is not the be-all and end-all book insofar as early Dylan photographic documentation is concerned - the recently released "The Bob Dylan Scrapbook - 1956-1966" probably deserves that award. But it has some nice, intimate photos of young Bob in his early years in the Greenwich Village folk music scene. Accompanying text provides appropriate context. Plus, my copy came with a rather nice surprise - an individual print of one of the famous Dylan-at-the-typewriter-in-his-apartment photos. Nice touch!

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.

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.