The art of Bob Dylan: Song & dance man

Song & Dance Man #1

by Michael Gray

Song and Dance The Art of Bob DylanBob Dylan is the greatest and most controversial star of rock music. Others may have imitated, but Dylan has always led, refusing to be dependent upon the fashions that followed him. There is no single definitive album because Dylan has never stopped; he has remained, alone of the rock stars, a poet whose vision has developed with his life.Michael Gray argues that Dylan should not be judged on the strength of a few albums or a few songs; rather that Dylan has given us a coherent, growing body of work that can be discussed alongside that of the finest poets and writers in the English language. He shows - with extensive quotation from the songs - how Dylan has exploited the idioms of contemporary American life, traditional folk and blues, literature and rock music to create a radically new musical that Dylan 'unchained public taste' and made art possible in pop.Besides developing this theme of Dylan's originality and stature the text provides an introduction to and appreciation of his work from 1962 to 190. It looks at the way Dylan uses language and music through the different songs and albums, at how his vision has changed from Protest Singer to Born Again Christian and illuminates what are the common interests and motifs throughout. Above all it is a book about listening to Dylan; about Bob Dylan's art and an appreciation of that artistry.A previous edition, published in 1972, won critical acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic.Michael Gray has written extensively on music in Britain and American magazines and papers including the Guardian, Rolling Stone, Crawdaddy and New Musical Express. He has also worked inside the music business both for a record company and in artist management. He lives in England.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography

236 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1972

About the author

Michael Gray is a critic, writer, public speaker & broadcaster recognised as a world authority on the work of Bob Dylan, and as an expert on rock’n’roll history. He also has a special interest in pre-war blues, and in travel.

His latest book, in 3 volumes, is the 50th Anniversary re-publication of his classic pioneering study of Bob Dylan's work, Song & Dance Man: The Art of Bob Dylan. Instead of the 900+ page 1-volume whopper that has been out of print for over ten years, the new series is published by The FM Press (NYC). Volume 1: Language & Tradition, is out now either from http://amzn.to/43q3MHn or can be ordered from your favourite bookstore, ISBN 979-8-9-9882887-0-1.

Michael grew up near Liverpool, England, went to the Cavern, and graduated from the University of York with a BA in History & English in 1967, having interviewed (as a student journalist) the distinguished British historian A.J.P. Taylor and the distinguished American guitarist Jimi Hendrix.

His pioneering study Song & Dance Man: The Art of Bob Dylan, published in the UK in 1972, was the first full-length critical study of Dylan’s work. US and Japanese hardback editions, and a UK paperback, were published in 1973. A second, updated edition was published in 1981 in the UK and 1982 in North America.

The massive third edition Song & Dance Man III - including a 112-page study of Dylan’s use of the blues - was published in December 1999 in the UK and early in 2000 in the US. A seventh reprint was issued in 2008, and the book remained in print until late 2010.

More: see http://www.michaelgray.net/biography....

Reviews

[Greg]

I read this in the early 1980s, too long ago to write a review, I do remember enjoying it. This book is now the first seven chapters of Song and Dance Man III: The Art of Bob Dylan which has expanded, adding another thirteen chapters.

[Pete daPixie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent review of Dylan's first decade as a recording artist. Great pictures, mostly black and white but some top colour ones too.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite Dylan book

[Bob Frassinetti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excelent!