Back In The Rain: The Making, Unmaking And Remaking of Bob Dylan's Blood On The Tracks

by Doc Pasquale

Bob Dylan’s 1975 album Blood On The Tracks is considered by many to be his masterpiece. Routinely labelled “Dylan’s Divorce Album,” it is also widely taken as a painfully autobiographical account of the deterioration of his first marriage: “the greatest break-up record of all time.” But the reality behind the making of the record is far more complex, and the result of a struggle that saw Dylan attempting to rediscover his own art on his own terms, after a long period away from the rock and roll fray, during which, for many, he seemed to turn his back on the implications of his own 1960s work.

How difficult a struggle that turned out to be is borne witness by the fact that, just days before Blood On The Tracks was due to be released, Dylan suddenly decided to halt the presses, scrap half the tracks, and return to the studio to quickly record them again.

In Back In The Rain, Doc Pasquale vividly positions Blood On The Tracks not simply in the context of Dylan’s marriage, but his long “retreat” from rock and roll and public life: the big silence that lasted from his 1966 motorcycle crash, to his return to touring in 1974.

Peeling back the layers in an extensive track-by-track analysis, he also examines the differences between the version of Blood On The Tracks that Dylan originally recorded and the version that he eventually released, and what those differences reveal about this album that won't let go.

112 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2015

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and insightful

By no means a definitive history, but a deftly written meditation on the epic song cycle. I’m pretty well read in Bob, but found the author’s insights into the constantly evolving lyrics interesting and insightful. Well done.

[Antoine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truth, Justice and the Dylan Way

I cannot recall who wrote this wonderful book but I should commit their name to memory because he/she has completed a compelling essay on Dylan’s remarkable album ‘Blood on the Tracks’. Covering both the first New York sessions, which Dylan abandoned, and the re-recorded Minnesota sessions the essay fills in the gaps that Dylan may have been experiencing in this period of his stormy private life with his family. There are a lot of interesting tidbits that, as a Dylan fan, I loved reading but I had not previously been aware of. Judging by how annotated my copy of this book has become is probably the best indicator of a great read. Highly recommend.

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read on the context of Blood on the Tracks. It does not break any new ground, but a good read for a rainy night.

[Christine Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

We All have Blood on the Tracks

For Dylan fans, and I am one, what appeals about the words and melodies are how they reverberate through our life. Blood On the Tracks kept me sane during the ending of the most important longest deepest love of my life. All these emotions are lived. All these thoughts and feelings ring true. From The Simple Twist of Fate that shocks you into love through Idiot Wind which points fingers at a person you never thought you would or could feel this anger towards and the finger turns and rings you in the pain. All this is my life right now. The book is words about....Go back to the source. It's all you need to know.

[Mike Edwards]

Dylan's best

Nice, short read. I love Dylan, and this is my favorite of his albums. The book is informative and covers all the important aspects of the album. I wish it was longer.