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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
For obsessive fans only, July 18, 2003
This book's contents are so exhaustive, containing such a wealth of information, much of it rather insignificant in itself, that only the most obsessive of Dylan fans would ever buy it, much less slog through its voluminous contents. Needless to say, I bought it and did so. If you are truly interested in Bob Dylan, in a scholarly and historical sense, not just as a fan of his music, then you will serve yourself well by getting this book. If you are not, however... well, let's put this book into perspective:What this book purports to be is a chronicle of Bob Dylan's life -- not an autobiography, but, rather, a listing of each day of his life, from the day of his birth up until the year this book was published (1997); as short pre-history is included, as well. Now, as you probably assumed, the book is not exactly this: Dylan is, and always has been, a mysterious, aloof, and reclusive character, despite his great fame. Consequently, long stretches, often encompassing months at a time, are missing from this chronicle. Still, what is here is amazing. Documented herein is a record of every recording session, rehearsal, and tour that Dylan had done up to this point. Heylin tells you what songs were played, how many times, what the arrangements were, if there were any changes from their original incarnation, what musicians played on them, etc. Also documented are most of Dylan's interviews -- where, with whom, and about what. These kinds of details form the vast majority of the book; needless to say, the more personal aspects of Dylan's life are as unknown to Heylin as they are to the rest of us, and probably always will be. Examples of the other kinds of information that he manages to include are such things as Dylan's travels, public appearances and events, and the like. As one can see, this is not a book for the casual Bob Dylan fan. If you are looking for a biography, stay far, far away from this; Heylin's own Behind The Shades is a good place to start for that type of tome. On the other hand, if you are a Bob Dylan fan who is truly interested not only in the man's music and life, but in the historical and scholarly aspects of his work, then this is a book that you will want to eventually pick up. Due to its lack of brevity in information and the level of obsessiveness in its detail, however, this is still a book that you will want to pick up later, after your collection already includes numerous other Dylan books -- biographies, lyrical analyses, etc. -- before you take on this daunting volume.
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Interact With Your Music: Discover, listen to, and buy new music, all from the pages of SPIN's digital edition, free to Amazon customers.
by Clinton Heylin
~ Bob Dylan
by Christopher Ricks
by Lee Marshall
