Customer Reviews

Song and Dance Man III: The Art of Bob Dylan (Bayou)

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As an avid fan of rock scholarship (oxymoronical as some still consider the term), I've read many a bio and interpretive book through the years, and I have to say that this one, hands down, is the absolute most amazing one I've ever come across. Only Dylan - with his 40+ albums, 4-decade career, half a thousand songs, countless gigs, and sheer depth of material - could be subject to such a gargantuan examination as this, and Gray milks it for all it's worth. At over 900 pages, this book examines every aspect of Dylan's recorded work. The level of scholarship is almost insane. The footnotes alone are massive (some taking up the majority of a page); one chapter alone contains over 220 of them. This is not a book that attempts to "explain" the songs (Gray knows better than that.) What it does, instead, is give detailed background information on them: shedding light, at long last, on their genesis - showing us what songs, poems, books, movies or what have you may have influenced them. One gets a sense in reading this of Dylan's own vast knowledge of music. We learn here how deeply and thorougly he has mined such treasure troves of art as pre-war blues, folk songs, the Bible (though Gray borders on overkill on this particular subject), poetry of all sorts, and, surprisingly, nursery rhyme, fairy tales, and Hollywood movie dialogue. Some might claim that knowing such things takes the fun or novelty out of simply listening to a song, or of self-interpretation, but surely, it gives an extra layer or two of depth to Dylan's work, allowing you to appreciate them that much more. Some passages are surely revelatory. While some of the chapters are admittedly not as interesting as others, many are enlightening and downright ground-breaking. The chapter on his use of pre-war blues lyrics poetry is a cornucopia of exhaustive reasearch (the footnotes alone in this chapter could almost comprise a book.) Undoubtedly revelatory to many are the chapters on Dylan's use of nursery rhyme and movie dialogue in his lyrics (the use of the latter shines an entirely new light on the Empire Burlesque album.) Another element of the book worth noting is that it doesn't skimp over his too-often-unnecessarily-derided 80's and 90's work (a period where it actually became cool to despise Dylan.) Gray offers excellent analyses of such 80's masterpieces as Blind Willie McTell, Caribbean Wind (three versions!), Foot of Pride, Jokerman, Brownsville Girl, and the entire Oh Mercy album. All of these songs (and more) are thoroughly examined, and lend needed credence to truly excellent Dylan compositions that often do not get the credit they deserve. His 90's albums - Under The Red Sky, Good As I Been To You, World Gone Wrong, and Time Out of Mind - all have thorough chapters dedicated to them as well. The latter chapter I particularly enjoyed. I should also take time out to ackwnoledge not only Gray's parlaying of information, but his sheer excellence of writing. His prose is very, very good and he can be devastatingly funny at times, as well as scholastically serious. He also manages to avoid the two main traps of writing a book like this: hero worship, and promoting your own work through the medium you are trying to interpret. He's not overly idoltary towards Dylan: certainly he gives him much praise (all deserved, of course), but he also issues forth monumental drubbings at times - perhaps even too much at times. For example, Gray is extremely, extremely critical of such things as the Empire Burlesque and Unplugged albums, which is bound to upset some fans. But surely such critical honesty of opinion is preferable to the "Dylan is God and never makes a mistake; bow down and worship his incomparable art" vibe that is prevalent in so many other books of this type. Also, as I said, he manages to avoid the horrible pitfall of pushing his own works through the guise of interpreting Dylan; he wisely barely mentions himself here. Now, all this is not to say that the book is perfect. There are certain drawbacks; personally, I think Gray rides the Bible-influence hobby horse a bit too much, and I disagree with some of his opinions (only natural, and he doesn't overburden us with them), and certain parts of the book do seem a bit long-winded. Also, if you are looking for an in-depth study of what Dylan's lyrics "mean", or for a study of his live performances, then this is not specifically the book for you. However, any, and I mean ANY Dylanophile will want it regardless, as it casts such a deep, illuminating light on so many aspects of his career. There are a lot of books on Bob Dylan available, but this is one of the few truly indispensable ones. Comes absolutely reccommended.

A great book. Erudite AND entertaining. Perhaps its finest quality is its integrity: it makes a compelling case for Dylan's genius, while simultaneously avoiding the hagiography which so bedevils much adoring work on Bob. In other words, it has real critical balance. The latter section on the ageing Bob is almost painfully honest and realistic...but the book is all the better for it. The 100-odd page chapter on Dylan's use of, and homage to, pre war blues lyrics is 'worth the price' on its own. And the terrific use of footnotes in this section makes the work a bit like the acquisition of that first bootleg album - you might think you're just dipping a toe in the water, but before you know it you've plunged right in...and you'll never get out. The section on nursery rhyme is especially intriguing. And the excellent analysis of biblical sources is good enough to make all but the most bigoted fans open their ears [and minds] to this fundamental element of Dylan's inspiration. Given its immense size, there must presumably be the odd error in it, but few show [wasn't it Liam Clancy who Bob described as the best ever ballad singer, and not Tommy Makem, by the way?]. Song & Dance Man 3 seems likely to be as useful ten years on as it is fascinating on the very first read. It will be on [and off] my bookshelves for a very long time.

An important and groundbreaking work, treating Dylan's oeuvre for what it is - a performance-based series of songs created by a sometimes-visionary intent on exploring the human condition through his own idiosyncratic blend of musical and literary influences. Other reviewers that have already noted the difference between earlier and later chapters in this massive book - that the earlier chapters are holdovers from previous editions, while the later chapters are newly written. There is a considerable difference in tone between these earlier (now-revised) chapters and the newly written ones. The later chapters on Dylan's blues inclinations, especially as manifest on his two underrated early 90's albums of folk and blues covers, and his 1983 masterpiece "Blind Willie McTell," are a revelation to anyone who would seek to understand the complicated relationship between Dylan's performances and past musics. Taking this argument up to the recent past, Gray's peerless appraisal of Dylan's most recent album, Time Out of Mind, is exciting and in many cases revelatory. His analysis of the song "Highlands" alone is worth the price of the book. Gray's extensive footnotes (which at times occupy the majority of the page they are appended to) function as good footnotes should. They work with the text, as a support for his arguments, and they expand on his statements by referencing the relevant recordings and texts. The nether-trails of recorded music are included here: one could spend an entire lifetime seeking out and listening to the albums listed in the footnotes.

Also, Gray's focus on Dylan in the 80's and 90's is refreshing. With this time-period in clear focus, Gray's work is a nice companion to Clinton Heylin's newly-revised Behind The Shades. These two books represent what is hopefully a new trend in Dylan writing. Instead of miring the man and his influence in the 1960's, Gray takes on Dylan's later periods with great enthusiasm and insight. Gray's most interesting work relates to Dylan's songs from the 80's - his analyses of such songs as "Jokerman," "Angelina," and "Carribean Wind" are essential reading for any Dylan fan who thinks that there are no Dylan songs after either 1966 or 1974 that can match the detailed intensity embodied in mid-60's masterpieces such as "Visions of Johanna," "It's Alright Ma," or "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues."

Gray's writing is refreshing in that he keeps a critical eye on Dylan, citing examples of Dylan's songwriting and performing laziness when such criticisms are called for. Also, unlike so many `Dylanologists,' Gray does not use Dylan as a cipher onto which he projects his own agenda (religious, political, other). Instead, he makes an admirable effort to locate the essence of the works themselves, their meanings and roots, and to outline their development as much as his research will allow. His prose is eminently readable, and he can be funny as well as very serious, depending on what the material calls for.

Sure, at 900+ pages, the book can be intimidating. But it is not a novel, not something meant to be taken in all in one sitting. Perhaps it's not best to even read it from the beginning. Rather, dip into the comprehensive index, and find a term that interests you. I guarantee that you'll be led on several tangents and learn many things about Dylan and his music before you even realize that you're now reading about something entirely different from what you first looked up. Which is to say that the scope of this book is massive, and that anyone with a real interest in music would do well to read it. From Keats to Son House, from Woody Guthrie to Bumps Blackwell, and back to William Blake, this is an incredible feat of scholarship, the product of many years' devotion to understanding the rich and important body of work that Dylan has given us thus far.

This is a great book. It looks more daunting than it should, because of the size and the lenghty footnotes. M. Gray made an interesting choice when he decided to keep the first chapters as they had been published earlier rather than rewrite them, and they are less rewarding than the more recent work. But it is another sense illuminating, since they give us a way of understanding the evolution of Gray's reading of Dylan. It is in many ways a multi-layered book, so it is only fair that we get the first layers as they were written. By the way, the new chapters illuminate not only Dylan's more recent work, but also the 60's and 70's, specially the long and fascinating chapter on the blues.

Despite Gray's more severe views on Dylan's recent work, nobody to my knowledge has made a stronger case for Dylan being the greatest songwriter of the age, even if one takes into account ONLY his work of the 80's and 90's (yes, even if you forget "Desolation Row" and "Tangled up in Blue", and all the others). One of the delights of the book is the in-depth analysis of the use of nursery rhymes and fairy tales in the much-maligned and wonderful "Under the Red Sky". This book promises to be a lasting and rewarding reading.

There are pages that, in my view, could have been omitted -- some cheap shots against other leading Dylanologists, some too lenghty attacks against the show-biz world. There are, of course, cases where I don't agree with Gray's judgement. More importantly, there is a general messiness about the book. I find it somewhat annoying, but I like it too: it is maybe a kind of mirror image of Dylan's own messiness and lack of perfectionnism, that is inseparable from his genius. This book is erudite and academic on the one hand, and on the other it is lively, fun, and highly personal. It is the first analysis of Dylan's work to do justice to its awesome richness and complexity. This book is a labyrinth, where it is delightful to get lost, and then to find oneself. I can't wait for the next edition, which in all likelihood will be 2500 pages long.

I couldn't disagree more with the disappointed reviewer from New York; where he found this book too academic and removed I found it wonderfully illuminating. Where Paul Williams' writes well about Dylan's performances of the songs, Gray writes brilliantly about the routes to the songs, and the roots of the songs. Far from alienating the listener, Gray is likely to allow you hear more in the songs. His chapters on "Street Legal", "Shot of Love" and the biblical and blues influence in Dylan's mid- and later-period work are not only well researched, but are immensely readable. Gray really does shine a new light on areas or aspects of Dylan's work that have perhaps been overlooked, or glossed over. Dylan himself, over the years, has offered glimpses of his vast and seemingly bottomless knowledge, understanding and love of American music (witness the exchanges with David Gates in the Newsweek interview from a couple of years back). Gray offers the reader a chance to peek into this deep well of song, and in doing so enhances the power of Dylan's writing and singing. Where I found the book weak was in the early chapters, which date from the first edition. Though Gray rigorously footnotes errors or changes of opinion these early chapters feel dated and lacking in depth. Lumpen and leaden they may be, but stick with it; the book takes off when Gray gets the blues. (A quick note on the footnotes: they are copious, packed with information, and offer a map to a treasure trove of long forgotten blues, gospel and folk songs and singers. They are also very often very, very funny.) Gray doesn't attempt to "explain" the songs but he does illuminate them, allowing the reader (and listener) to explore the territory of the songs. "Angelina", "Jokerman" and the three versions of "Caribbean Wind" receive a lot of attention from him, and what he writes (and boy does he write) is fascinating and intelligent, and it made me revisit the songs again and again. This is a great big lump of a book that would be a worthwhile addition to any Dylan fan's library. While there is lots here that will provoke outrage (Gray's merciless, and wickedly funny, skewering of "Empire Burlesque" and "Unplugged" immediately spring to my mind) there is lots here that will delight too. Getting agreement among Dylan fans about which bits are outrageous and which delightful will be hard to do. Which, to me, is high praise for this wonderful book.

Song and Dance Man III by Michael Gray is a tremendous book about Bob Dylan and it is bound to become THE essential book on the American singer. It deserves it. Even the front cover is great : no 1965 photo of Dylan there, but a weirdly beautiful one taken in a street of London in July 1993. Look at the face for a few seconds and then you can open the book and delight in the discoveries you'll find in its nearly 1,000 pages. Every chapter is amazingly rich, provocative and a tremendous reading and learning experience. The notes at the bottom of the pages are in themselves another book and the scope and wealth of the information are exceptional. There is, for example, a fantastic chapter about the influence of pre-war blues on Dylan that captivated me. So did the chapters about Dylan's use of the Bible and his interest in nursery rhymes and fairy tales. Michael Gray has two qualities that most of the other writers on Dylan lack : he knows how to write and he knows what he writes about. His style is clear, rich, sharp and funny. Every literary and musical influences of Dylan is revealed. The extraordinary talent and significance of Bob Dylan burst through the pages and make you want to go and listen to all his albums and to all the great music that Dylan has loved and absorbed.

The importance of this book is of course, the book itself, a 900+ page long overdue critical analysis of Bob Dylan's work. It is inspiring to realize that only Dylan, the Dylan, could receive this kind of treatment -- which is why I picked it up in the first place. Gray struggles with the same issues that myself and many other Dylan fans struggle with. Is Dylan a poet? As good as Keats? An entertainer? With stunning insight & careful research Gray's point is that he's all of the above, sometimes miraculous, ingenious, and witty, sometimes sloppy, maudlin, and cliche. Gray reveals in spades that Bob is at the very least, a genuine, well-read intellectual (The Browning - Homesick Blues connection blew me away)... And that if he had released selected songs throughout the years in little books of poetry he would have the respect he deserves in even the stingiest of critical circles (he would have won the Nobel Prize years ago). But then he just wouldn't be our Bob, he wouldn't have reached & changed the lives of so many, he wouldn't be what he really wants to be, a simple song and dance man.

Get ready for a heady and intimate adventure into the world of modern literature, Biblical reference & explication, the Blues, and the universals of collective unconscious, fairy tale, & story-telling: oh, and, by the way; the most revealing interpretation of Dylan's lyrics, songs, and moods. Also get ready to feel the ups & especially the downs of what Dylan-the-Artist conveys through writings and performance. You can almost feel Dylan struggling personally as well as being driven by the Heavens to create, withdraw, distill, and then re-create.

Yes, there are ponderous pontifications of praise, but I find it a very small price to pay for the exquisitely researched text. The footnotes are unbelievably rich. This is a veritable treasure for those who wonder how Dylan "did it"; took some of this, added some of that, and had the genius and guts to end up here, different from all others.

A special bonus was being motivated to take a fresh look at Street Legal and Infidels, which I had dismissed as not-up-to-standard. I now enjoy them as if they were just released wonders.

Beyond Dylan in particular, this book helps make sense of how music's sound and soul are both original and derivative, giving credit in loving detail to the roots of what has passed before & what marvels are before us now.

Gray on Dylan is just wonderful. I bought this book early in December as a Christmas present for my partner, a veteran Dylan fan, and had to force myself to wrap it up before it ended up looking well and truly well read. Yes, I'm afraid it was the hefty 900 plus page paperback and not the limited hardback edition. Start dipping and you will be hooked - astonishing info on favourite songs, songs you can't quite remember, and certainly in my case, songs I have never heard of. Out have come the albums, a few getting the first airing for years if not decades, to be listened to again and again. But as well as Dylan, Gray has opened up to me another world of music and musicians of this century, making me want to find out more about them, and most of all, listen to their music.

The only valid test of any book of musical criticism is whether it sends you back to the music with new ears to hear what you missed before. This book passes the test admirably. No matter how much you think you know about Dylan's work, you will learn something new here. You will not only gain added enjoyment from Dylan's acknowledged masterpieces, but may find something of value in songs - indeed, whole albums - that were regarded as inferior by many Dylan fans when they were released.