From Publishers Weekly
Dylanologists, and just plain Dylan fans, will croon over this painstaking account of noteworthy events, particularly of the musical kind, in the rock star's life. At first glance, Heylin (Bob Dylan: Behind the Shades) seems less concerned with the kind of character analysis that occupies most biographers than with amassing as many details as possible. He provides a record, including set lists, of every concert Dylan has staged or participated in, as well as information about interviews, recording sessions and band lineups. Yet Heylin presents this exhaustive compilation with flair ("May 9, State University, San Jose, CA: Perhaps the best of the West Coast shows.... Dylan's face beaded with sweat, visibly living every phrase") and winds up offering an offbeat yet compelling portrait of Dylan as a restless, shape-shifting artist. Of course, the book also serves as an invaluable resource for current and future students of America's foremost minstrel. Photos.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Bob Dylan inspires obsession in his fans, and Heylin has built something of a cottage industry to serve it. Here he uses his research for earlier works that include a biography and a recording session guide to fabricate what he calls the "Ultimate Bob Dylan Reference Guide." He purports that the book details every documented concert, recording date, personal appearance, notable private activity, and other significant event in the 55-year-old performer's life. To some, this may seem excessive or, to borrow a phrase from Dylan himself, "Too Much of Nothing," but devoted fans will definitely get a kick out of knowing, say, the date Dylan met the Beatles--September 20, 1964. Although Dylan's recording career and songwriting muse have flagged, he remains a popular live performer, so entries for the most recent past decade are dominated by his night-by-night concert itinerary, which includes lengthy tours, surprise club appearances, and Woodstock II. Libraries in which similar rock reference titles enjoy heavy use should consider adding this obsessively researched one, too.
Gordon Flagg
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