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The Mammoth Book of Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan's impact on popular music has been incalculable. Having transformed staid folk music into a vehicle for coruscating social commentary, he then swept away the romantic platitudes of rock 'n' roll with his searing intellect. From the zeitgeist-encapsulating protest of Blowin' in the Wind to the streetwise venom of Like a Rolling Stone , and from the stunning mid-sixties trilogy of albums - Bringing It All Back Home , Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde - to Time Out of Mind , his stunning if world-weary comeback at the age of 56, Dylan's genius has endured, underpinned by the dazzling turn of phrase that has made him the pre-eminent poet of popular music. Because Dylan's achievements have no equal, his career is the most chronicled in rock history. Here, Sean Egan presents a selection of the best writing on Dylan, both praise and criticism. Interviews, essays, features and reviews from Dylan intimates and scholars such as John Bauldie, Michael Gray, Nat Hentoff and Jules Siegel are interspersed with new narrative and reviews of every single album to create a comprehensive picture of the artist whose chimes of freedom still resound.
- GenresMusicNonfictionBiography
512 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2011
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119 people want to read
About the author
Sean Egan
68 books23 followersA freelance journalist, author and editor who writes about arts and entertainment (music, film, TV, comics and literature), social history (20th and 21st centuries) and sport (soccer and tennis history).
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
March 13, 2014
This is one of the strangest books on rock music I have ever read. The subtitle, the greatest anthology of writing about rock's greatest poet is misleading as most of the articles are written by the book's editor Sean Egan. Egan comes off as more of a sports fan than a music fan, treating every album that does not live up to Dylan's classics as one would a losing season, using adjectives like "pathetic" and "embarrassing" to emphasize his disappointments. On the other hand, he is not a bad writer, and he knows his Dylan mythology inside and out, so I ended up finishing the book. The album-by-album reviews were honest and free of hero-worship, but even Dylan's critical comeback in the 1990s and 2000s is derided by Egan. Dylan, in his later years, is summed up by Egan as "a self-loathing man with a voice like rocks and gravel." One has to wonder if Egan, a freelance journalist, wasn't snubbed at one time by Dylan. Why else would he resort to such vitriol?
The book is useful for its play-by-play of every song Dylan's ever released. Also, a few, but definitely not all, of the non-Egan articles are insightful.
The book is useful for its play-by-play of every song Dylan's ever released. Also, a few, but definitely not all, of the non-Egan articles are insightful.
September 12, 2011
Critics who don't a. like; or b. understand a musician should probably choose a different topic. The worst of the Dylan books I've been reading over the past nine months. Shallow, snarky, and absolutely derivative. The only reason to look at it is for the non-Egan articles scattered throughout, all of which can be found elsewhere.
June 20, 2025
I really liked this. Is some of it unnecessary? Sure. But there’s a treasure chest of mind blowing information in here. Really cool read if you’re a big Dylan fan.
One of the greatest artists of all time!
One of the greatest artists of all time!
February 23, 2015
Not the best book about Dylan. The album reviews by Egan are quite bad. He might not like Blond on Blonde but his review adds nothing to one's understanding of the album, and if you don't listen to it because of this review, then you're missing out on a great album. His analysis of the later Dylan albums also seems unfair. They might not be as good as his Highway 61 Revisited era, but they're still quite good.
Also, Egan constantly constantly derides the blues, calling it a hackneyed form, and thus judges any song in that form to be dull. I can't think of any music critic who would so consistently deride the blues.
The best bits of this book were the non-Egan bits. The old interviews and pieces were quite interesting, and a few were quite fascinating.
Also, Egan constantly constantly derides the blues, calling it a hackneyed form, and thus judges any song in that form to be dull. I can't think of any music critic who would so consistently deride the blues.
The best bits of this book were the non-Egan bits. The old interviews and pieces were quite interesting, and a few were quite fascinating.
October 3, 2012
Es una recopilación cronológica de artículos publicados en libros, revistas y diarios sobre Bob Dylan, esas notas están muy bien, y también tienen valor como para darnos cuenta de cómo era el mercado editorial en décadas pasadas. Pero no mamen con los textos escritos por Sean Egan, el autor de esta recopilación, son insufribles y pretenciosos.
July 14, 2022
Good book to find out dylan's music
December 9, 2022
I don't usually write these reviews but felt as a huge Dylan fan I absolutely had to in this regard.
I, as I'm sure did many others, received this book as a 'free gift' in the ongoing Dylan Vinyl re-issue series. Having read most of the editors reviews it becomes abundantly clear why this was a free gift.
Sean Egan, the editor (definitely not author) in question portrays himself as a Dylan fan, before proceeding to criticise every single work he poorly reviews in the book. The final straw to me was when referring to Blonde On Blonde as "overrated." Personal preference is very prominent in musical tastes, I'm sure some disagree but Blonde on Blonde is to me, Dylan's greatest work. But whether or not you feel that to be true, overrated, it is not. I understand the term critic and get the need for it in some circumstances, even the most die hard Dylan fan must struggle with some of his work, but I also try and find a positive in everything. The cynicism coming from this fraud's mouth however suggests a Dylan fan he most definitely is not. My favourite line comes when reviewing Time Out of Mind, one of Dylan's best modern releases when Egan says when talking of his voice "it will never compare to his singing in his mid twenties" I mean no sh*t! If that's what we're comparing Dylan to now then there is no hope.
If you received this book for free then it makes a great companion for the recycling bin. If you were considering purchasing this "fullest ever anthology..." quite simply, DON'T, spend your money instead on a worthwhile and intensive book on Dylan of which there are many.
Incidentally, the one star rating I gave this book is for some of the articles in this anthology of which most are actually very well written and informative but not for the work by the cretinous editor.
I, as I'm sure did many others, received this book as a 'free gift' in the ongoing Dylan Vinyl re-issue series. Having read most of the editors reviews it becomes abundantly clear why this was a free gift.
Sean Egan, the editor (definitely not author) in question portrays himself as a Dylan fan, before proceeding to criticise every single work he poorly reviews in the book. The final straw to me was when referring to Blonde On Blonde as "overrated." Personal preference is very prominent in musical tastes, I'm sure some disagree but Blonde on Blonde is to me, Dylan's greatest work. But whether or not you feel that to be true, overrated, it is not. I understand the term critic and get the need for it in some circumstances, even the most die hard Dylan fan must struggle with some of his work, but I also try and find a positive in everything. The cynicism coming from this fraud's mouth however suggests a Dylan fan he most definitely is not. My favourite line comes when reviewing Time Out of Mind, one of Dylan's best modern releases when Egan says when talking of his voice "it will never compare to his singing in his mid twenties" I mean no sh*t! If that's what we're comparing Dylan to now then there is no hope.
If you received this book for free then it makes a great companion for the recycling bin. If you were considering purchasing this "fullest ever anthology..." quite simply, DON'T, spend your money instead on a worthwhile and intensive book on Dylan of which there are many.
Incidentally, the one star rating I gave this book is for some of the articles in this anthology of which most are actually very well written and informative but not for the work by the cretinous editor.
January 12, 2025
Gut über 500 Seiten voller Artikel zu sämtlichen Alben Bob Dylans in chronologischer Folge, Auflistung aller dort veröffentlichten Titel, aller Erscheinungsdaten und Hitparadenpositionen, mit kritischen Einstufungen nicht hinter dem Berg haltende Rezensionen zu den Texten des kleinen weißen Wunders, auch noch über Filme wie „Renaldo and Clara“, „Masked and Anonymous“ oder Buchförmiges wie „Chronicles, Vol. 1“, sämtliche bis Oktober 2010 erschienenen „Bootleg Series“. Zwar keinerlei Fotos, jedoch diverse Lyrics-Strophen mit Würdigungen der literarischen Kniffe. Das ist doch kein schlechter Deal.
Schaut man sich im Internet um, wird man merken, dass das Buch auf Verwunderung, Zurückhaltung, Ablehnung gestoßen ist. Es handele sich nicht ums Beste über Dylan. Die Namen der Autoren der besseren Monografien lauten vermutlich Robert Shelton, Michael Gray, Greil Marcus, Clinton Heylin, Howard Sounes. Jedes Genie zieht seinen Appendix von verzückten Meisterverstehern hinter sich her. Was Egan verübelt wird, dass sein Werk nicht die Erwartungen erfüllt, die ein Untertitel weckte, den bestimmt nicht er, sondern der Verlag so wollte: „The fullest ever anthology of writing about rock’s greatest poet“.
Der Versuch, es als Rekord-Buch zu vermarkten, liegt ganz daneben, denn das Buch setzt sich aus einer Reihe kompetenter Rezensionen einzelner Werke zusammen. Sie aber kommen durchweg von Sean Egan und eben nicht aus dem jahrzehntelangen Schaffen der namhaftesten Schreiber zum Thema. Selbst einige der eingeschobenen Aufsätze über die verschiedenen Werkepochen des stilistischen Chamäleons sind bisweilen von Egan und manchmal schmerzhaft kurz. Anderes, längere Texte von berühmteren Kollegen hat man im Lauf der Jahre auch schon andernorts gelesen oder zitiert gehört. Vor allem aber, Egan ist für den Bereich Folk, Americana, Singer-Songwriter, Studentenkultur, Country ein Außenseiter, auf den die Fans glauben, nicht hören zu müssen, sobald er sich traut, an ihrem Jugendidol zu kratzen.
Egan ist Engländer und hat als solcher über die Beatles, die Stones, James Bond, Fleetwood Mac und David Bowie gearbeitet. Er geht Dylan an wie einen unter vielen Popstars, über den gerade die Jüngeren vielleicht vieles noch nie gehört haben und sich eine ordentliche Vorstellung, eine Einführung wünschen. Sean Egan hat Bowie Fehler und Schwächen angekreidet, warum soll er es bei Dylan nicht dürfen? Doch der Alt-Fan heult: „Weil du ihn nicht liebst! Nur wer ihn liebt, darf ihn kritisieren!“
Genau dieser Aspekt hat mir Sean Egans Buch reizvoll gemacht. Über einen zu Tode besprochenen Säulenheiligen von Amerikas Rockmusik endlich mal ein Buch von einem zu lesen, der ihn offenkundig nicht seit seiner Jugend angehimmelt hat, ja ihn, das mag so sein, in gewissen Aspekten immer noch nicht versteht. Allenthalben tauchen bei Egan Wörter auf wie „pathetic“, „embarrassing“, „boring“, „shameful“, „distasteful“, „self pity“, „banality“, „out of tune“, „hateful invectives“, „befuddling“ - und immer noch heißt das mitnichten, er würde Dylan hassen und ihm seinen Rang als einer der Größten der Populärmusik der USA in den letzten 80 Jahren aberkennen. Er gestattet sich aber, Dylan hin und wieder grottenschlecht zu finden. Das muss so sein bei Leuten wie Dylan, Springsteen, Elvis oder Stevie Wonder.
Die bei jedem Wiedersehen doch erneut bezaubernden LP-Covergemälde von „Music from Big Pink“ (The Band), „Self Portrait“, „Planet Waves“ sind für Egan „ghastly“. „Self Portrait“ sei respektvolles, handwerklich nicht überragendes Hinterhermusizieren zweitklassigen Songmaterials anderer Leute. Dabei habe Dylan vorher gezeigt, dass er selbst Besseres schreibt, wenn er in Form ist. Derselbe Autor findet aber auch ein paar gute Seiten am Dylan des 21. Jahrhunderts und sein Album „Time Out Off Mind“ grandios.
Sean Egan arbeitet als Kritiker und als solcher findet er harte, klare Worte zu den Überlängen gewisser Songs, zum Fehlen melodisch reizvoller Bridgepartien, zu Dylans Gewissenlosigkeit, mit der er Liebe, Diebstahl und sein enzyklopädischen Wissen über angelsächsische Volksmusik zu verbinden wusste, zu jenen peinlichen drei Born-Again-Alben und Dylans mit dem Ausruf „Babe!“ geschmückten Lederjacken-Rockstar-Allüren der achtziger Jahre. Dass „Bringing It All Back Home“, „Highway 61 Revisited“, „Blonde On Blonde“ Bestand haben als Dylans glorreichste Werke, versteht sich immer noch von selbst. Vom fast so guten „Blood On The Tracks“ mag Egan die ursprünglichen New Yorker Studiotracks mehr als die Minnesota-Versionen der Platte.
Die Qualitäten des Popkultur-Analysten Sean Egan zeigen sich für mich, wenn er über „The Freewheelin‘ Dylan“, jene frühe LP mit dem Mädchen und dem VW-Bus, nachdenkt. Was war dran am unauthentischen Bürschlein, am berufslosen Sohn eines jüdischen Ladenbesitzers für Haushaltsgeräte im mittleren Westen, oben von den Großen Seen? Wie konnte so einer nach New York gehen und mit nur einer akustischen Gitarre und einem schrägen Folkidol wie Woody Guthrie zum Sprecher seiner Generation aufsteigen? Das Album ist gut 60 Jahre danach nicht mehr so wichtig. Aber wie es der Journalist Egan in den damals herrschenden Geist einbindet, das macht einen guten Autor aus ihm. Man kommt auf Ideen.
Schaut man sich im Internet um, wird man merken, dass das Buch auf Verwunderung, Zurückhaltung, Ablehnung gestoßen ist. Es handele sich nicht ums Beste über Dylan. Die Namen der Autoren der besseren Monografien lauten vermutlich Robert Shelton, Michael Gray, Greil Marcus, Clinton Heylin, Howard Sounes. Jedes Genie zieht seinen Appendix von verzückten Meisterverstehern hinter sich her. Was Egan verübelt wird, dass sein Werk nicht die Erwartungen erfüllt, die ein Untertitel weckte, den bestimmt nicht er, sondern der Verlag so wollte: „The fullest ever anthology of writing about rock’s greatest poet“.
Der Versuch, es als Rekord-Buch zu vermarkten, liegt ganz daneben, denn das Buch setzt sich aus einer Reihe kompetenter Rezensionen einzelner Werke zusammen. Sie aber kommen durchweg von Sean Egan und eben nicht aus dem jahrzehntelangen Schaffen der namhaftesten Schreiber zum Thema. Selbst einige der eingeschobenen Aufsätze über die verschiedenen Werkepochen des stilistischen Chamäleons sind bisweilen von Egan und manchmal schmerzhaft kurz. Anderes, längere Texte von berühmteren Kollegen hat man im Lauf der Jahre auch schon andernorts gelesen oder zitiert gehört. Vor allem aber, Egan ist für den Bereich Folk, Americana, Singer-Songwriter, Studentenkultur, Country ein Außenseiter, auf den die Fans glauben, nicht hören zu müssen, sobald er sich traut, an ihrem Jugendidol zu kratzen.
Egan ist Engländer und hat als solcher über die Beatles, die Stones, James Bond, Fleetwood Mac und David Bowie gearbeitet. Er geht Dylan an wie einen unter vielen Popstars, über den gerade die Jüngeren vielleicht vieles noch nie gehört haben und sich eine ordentliche Vorstellung, eine Einführung wünschen. Sean Egan hat Bowie Fehler und Schwächen angekreidet, warum soll er es bei Dylan nicht dürfen? Doch der Alt-Fan heult: „Weil du ihn nicht liebst! Nur wer ihn liebt, darf ihn kritisieren!“
Genau dieser Aspekt hat mir Sean Egans Buch reizvoll gemacht. Über einen zu Tode besprochenen Säulenheiligen von Amerikas Rockmusik endlich mal ein Buch von einem zu lesen, der ihn offenkundig nicht seit seiner Jugend angehimmelt hat, ja ihn, das mag so sein, in gewissen Aspekten immer noch nicht versteht. Allenthalben tauchen bei Egan Wörter auf wie „pathetic“, „embarrassing“, „boring“, „shameful“, „distasteful“, „self pity“, „banality“, „out of tune“, „hateful invectives“, „befuddling“ - und immer noch heißt das mitnichten, er würde Dylan hassen und ihm seinen Rang als einer der Größten der Populärmusik der USA in den letzten 80 Jahren aberkennen. Er gestattet sich aber, Dylan hin und wieder grottenschlecht zu finden. Das muss so sein bei Leuten wie Dylan, Springsteen, Elvis oder Stevie Wonder.
Die bei jedem Wiedersehen doch erneut bezaubernden LP-Covergemälde von „Music from Big Pink“ (The Band), „Self Portrait“, „Planet Waves“ sind für Egan „ghastly“. „Self Portrait“ sei respektvolles, handwerklich nicht überragendes Hinterhermusizieren zweitklassigen Songmaterials anderer Leute. Dabei habe Dylan vorher gezeigt, dass er selbst Besseres schreibt, wenn er in Form ist. Derselbe Autor findet aber auch ein paar gute Seiten am Dylan des 21. Jahrhunderts und sein Album „Time Out Off Mind“ grandios.
Sean Egan arbeitet als Kritiker und als solcher findet er harte, klare Worte zu den Überlängen gewisser Songs, zum Fehlen melodisch reizvoller Bridgepartien, zu Dylans Gewissenlosigkeit, mit der er Liebe, Diebstahl und sein enzyklopädischen Wissen über angelsächsische Volksmusik zu verbinden wusste, zu jenen peinlichen drei Born-Again-Alben und Dylans mit dem Ausruf „Babe!“ geschmückten Lederjacken-Rockstar-Allüren der achtziger Jahre. Dass „Bringing It All Back Home“, „Highway 61 Revisited“, „Blonde On Blonde“ Bestand haben als Dylans glorreichste Werke, versteht sich immer noch von selbst. Vom fast so guten „Blood On The Tracks“ mag Egan die ursprünglichen New Yorker Studiotracks mehr als die Minnesota-Versionen der Platte.
Die Qualitäten des Popkultur-Analysten Sean Egan zeigen sich für mich, wenn er über „The Freewheelin‘ Dylan“, jene frühe LP mit dem Mädchen und dem VW-Bus, nachdenkt. Was war dran am unauthentischen Bürschlein, am berufslosen Sohn eines jüdischen Ladenbesitzers für Haushaltsgeräte im mittleren Westen, oben von den Großen Seen? Wie konnte so einer nach New York gehen und mit nur einer akustischen Gitarre und einem schrägen Folkidol wie Woody Guthrie zum Sprecher seiner Generation aufsteigen? Das Album ist gut 60 Jahre danach nicht mehr so wichtig. Aber wie es der Journalist Egan in den damals herrschenden Geist einbindet, das macht einen guten Autor aus ihm. Man kommt auf Ideen.
In 1963, it was a huge blast of fresh air: young and vibrant when society and culture was usually middle-aged and staid, irreverent when that was uncommon, informal (right down to the artfully dropped title “g”) when that was synonymous with radical/degenerate, risqué when open sexuality was frowned on and unremitting in its condemnation of the faults of society when that society was still presented to itself in chocolate-box terms. If it was occasionally sexist, it was also in places highly tender. The combination of Freewheelin’ unveiling a major talent and it encapsulating the concerns and vernacular of a new age caused Bob Dylan to enjoy that special moment that happens to a select few songwriters in history when the world perceives them to have their finger on the pulse both aesthetically and sociologically.
May 19, 2023
Terrible!!! Who writes a book about a singer only to mock them? For example when Sean egan says that Bob “made a fool of himself” in we are the world, that’s a load of shite. Bobs line in we are the world is one of the parts I love most. Also the ageism pisses me off. Saying a 40 year old man is too old for ear piercings and spandex trousers is so dumb. Overall this whole book (if you’d even call it a book) is one of the worst things I’ve read
April 9, 2019
There's an old adage that good writing about music makes you want to listen to the subject again. At times that's how I felt here. It's a broad and fairly comprehensive overview of Dylan's career (though my edition is a few years out of date). I was pleased at the revisionist examinations of Dylan's albums, especially the overpraised later works. However, the tone becomes so critical and negative that I recall a friend's words from many years ago: "Beware of critics, they'll make you question your taste and hate the music you used to love."
June 22, 2025
I really enjoyed the start but Bob Dylan just has too many albums so I got a bit bored by the end
April 8, 2024
First question that comes to mind is why did a man who clearly does not like Bob Dylan write a biographhy of Bob Dylan's recordings? I would love to know how many times the word 'boring' was used in this tome as it seemed to be on nearly every page. Some of the archival stuff was ok, and I did like that he wasn't hero worshipping the man, but the rath on display here was just too much to bare. very difficult to get through
July 16, 2025
Very informative book but it was dull after you realize how predictable Bob Dylan is/was. I liked starring all of my favorite songs as Egan went through the albums and their history.
December 11, 2015
Over the last few months I have acquainted myself with pretty much all of Bob Dylan's albums in a chronological format and this book was my tour guide through this journey.
I always had a bit of a love/hate relationship with Dylan. As much as I loved some of his work, some of his songs have also scored quite highly on my list of all-time pet hate songs. (BLOWIN' IN THE WIND, looking at you.)
Either way, his influence on modern music is immense and up till now I can't say that I actually was all that familiar with his oeuvre as a whole. I'll never be one of those guys who will obsessively analyse every single line of every obscure song he may have written but the last few months have been quite fruitful and I can now say that I found a new appreciation for this unique talent.
I am sure there are a better books out there on Dylan but for my project it served its purpose. It was, however, weird how viciously critical the author often was. True, Dylan didn't just produce master pieces and I certainly didn't want a fanboy's rantings but there were times when I wondered whether there was really anything the author truly liked.
Either way, seeing this book at a bargain books discounter was worth the purchase and assisted me with one of my more interesting journeys through pop culture in recent years.
I always had a bit of a love/hate relationship with Dylan. As much as I loved some of his work, some of his songs have also scored quite highly on my list of all-time pet hate songs. (BLOWIN' IN THE WIND, looking at you.)
Either way, his influence on modern music is immense and up till now I can't say that I actually was all that familiar with his oeuvre as a whole. I'll never be one of those guys who will obsessively analyse every single line of every obscure song he may have written but the last few months have been quite fruitful and I can now say that I found a new appreciation for this unique talent.
I am sure there are a better books out there on Dylan but for my project it served its purpose. It was, however, weird how viciously critical the author often was. True, Dylan didn't just produce master pieces and I certainly didn't want a fanboy's rantings but there were times when I wondered whether there was really anything the author truly liked.
Either way, seeing this book at a bargain books discounter was worth the purchase and assisted me with one of my more interesting journeys through pop culture in recent years.
March 15, 2013
This was a confusing book. It was almost as if the contributing writers and editor wanted to portray Dylan as a miraculous success considering their perception of how almost every Dylan album was a waste and a disappointing failure in one way or another.
The editing should also be revisited, as typos and simple omissions of words throughout the text drove me a bit nuts. I don't mean the difference between British English and American English spellings for certain words, but simple typos that made it into print.
Most chapters are stinging analyzations of his albums. Other chapters include old interviews with Dylan and experiences of other musicians, fans and writers.
I just didn't dig it, sorry to say. I'm glad to have read some of the old quotes that were included, but it was difficult book to get through in order to find the parts that I enjoyed.
The editing should also be revisited, as typos and simple omissions of words throughout the text drove me a bit nuts. I don't mean the difference between British English and American English spellings for certain words, but simple typos that made it into print.
Most chapters are stinging analyzations of his albums. Other chapters include old interviews with Dylan and experiences of other musicians, fans and writers.
I just didn't dig it, sorry to say. I'm glad to have read some of the old quotes that were included, but it was difficult book to get through in order to find the parts that I enjoyed.
September 15, 2013
this is a book of two halves on the one hand I really enjoyed it and found some information out I didn't know before especially all the interview bits and witness accounts of the concerts around the time bob went electric BUT the actual reviews of the album's were ridiculous and some of the authors comments were totally ludicrous, such as saying certain songs were "scary and shouldn't be listened to in the dark" what utter nonsense. Sean Egan is obviously one of those critics that thinks it's clever to be rude! if his opinion was the truth no body would ever have listened to bob dylan and continue to do so.
June 17, 2014
There are better Dylan books out there. Essentially, an album by album account of his work with essays and other writings mixed in throughout the different time periods. Astonishing how Egan completely dismisses the quality of his work during his late career comeback, especially Love and Theft and Modern Times.
December 19, 2013
Was a struggle to get through, didn't hold my attention
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August 3, 2016An interesting, slightly contrarian view of dylan's work, collection record reviews and articles about Mr. D. I don't always agree with Egan, but his views are interesting and made me think!
September 5, 2024
Don’t talk to pookie like that
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews