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Song & Dance Man #3
Song & Dance Man 3: The Art of Bob Dylan
This classic work is the definitive study of Bob Dylan's 40-year body of songs and recordings. This latest edition offers copious fresh material, including major studies of Dylan's remarkable use of the blues, nursery rhyme, films and the Bible. Unique in its scope and its integration of literature and music, criticism and biography, this highly entertaining and authoritative book has earned exceptional reviews.
944 pages, Paperback
First published January 28, 1972
7 people are currently reading
136 people want to read
About the author
Michael Gray
133 books28 followersMichael 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....
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....
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 19, 2013
Clinton Heylin is your go-to guy for biographical data on Bob Dylan, but this is the book to read (and re- re- re-read) for thoughtful, thoroughly researched analysis of the roots of his multifaceted artistry. Without indulging in the free-associative hocus-pocus of Greil Marcus, or the fanboy gushing of Paul Williams, Gray delves into Dylan's use of blues forms, Biblical allusions, and even nursery rhymes. Whole chapters here could be published as books in their own right. Gray also avoids the common mistake of focusing on Dylan's formidable literary skills at the expense of his musical side. A superb companion and guide for anyone who wants to study Dylan's immense body of valuable work.
May 14, 2025
This book offers a careful analysis of Bob Dylan's work and influences, both literary and musical. It's Bob Dylan for lit majors, basically, so naturally I found much to appreciate.
On the downside, I would have appreciated it if the author didn't use the footnotes for his political rants, and I think his anti-Evangelical prejudice makes it difficult for him to fairly or deeply analyze the songs from "Slow Train," "Saved, "and "Shot of Love." He dismisses "Are You Ready?" because it is more shallow than "A Hard Rain's A' Gonna Fall." Well, yes, but is it more shallow than "Rainy Day Women"? And is not "Every Grain of Sand" one of Dylan's richest, most complex songs? To dismiss the "born again" songs, as a group, as "inferior" says more about the author's feelings than it does about Dylan's genius. The "creativity and genius" of "Nasvhille Skyline" far outstrips that of "Slow Train?" Really?
I don't disagree that there's often a certain narrow-mindedness in the born-again attitude, especially immediately after a conversion, but that doesn't negate the fact that Dylan has taken a particular genre to a rich height. It's rather like refusing to acknowledge that "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" is a masterpiece because it isn't the "I Have a Dream" sermon.
On the downside, I would have appreciated it if the author didn't use the footnotes for his political rants, and I think his anti-Evangelical prejudice makes it difficult for him to fairly or deeply analyze the songs from "Slow Train," "Saved, "and "Shot of Love." He dismisses "Are You Ready?" because it is more shallow than "A Hard Rain's A' Gonna Fall." Well, yes, but is it more shallow than "Rainy Day Women"? And is not "Every Grain of Sand" one of Dylan's richest, most complex songs? To dismiss the "born again" songs, as a group, as "inferior" says more about the author's feelings than it does about Dylan's genius. The "creativity and genius" of "Nasvhille Skyline" far outstrips that of "Slow Train?" Really?
I don't disagree that there's often a certain narrow-mindedness in the born-again attitude, especially immediately after a conversion, but that doesn't negate the fact that Dylan has taken a particular genre to a rich height. It's rather like refusing to acknowledge that "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" is a masterpiece because it isn't the "I Have a Dream" sermon.
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January 22, 2015The first seven chapters of this edition are the original edition (first published 1972). I read the 1981 edition with photos, which I enjoyed back in 1981. There are thirteen additional chapters in Song and Dance Man III, four times the size of the original.
I'm putting aside this expanded edition to resume sometime later. I have a few books I want to concentrate on at the moment. It's not the right time or headspace at present for me.
Michael Gray is obviously knowledgeable. I think this book must have been written aimed at a younger generation just discovering Bob Dylan. Song and Dance Man III starts out with the early career, as much focused on 'The Great Society' that demeaned and dismissed Bob Dylan, as well as the fans who felt betrayed when he went electric with a band, as it is on Bob Dylan and his work. The writing is a tad too reverential. I wasn't that impressed with M. Gray's brief synopsis album-by-album guide list or his choice of best songs from each album.
Song and Dance Man III (hate that title), is a humongous work, which deserves one's undivided attention, although it is a great reference work to pick up and look at a certain period of Dylan's long career.
I'm putting aside this expanded edition to resume sometime later. I have a few books I want to concentrate on at the moment. It's not the right time or headspace at present for me.
Michael Gray is obviously knowledgeable. I think this book must have been written aimed at a younger generation just discovering Bob Dylan. Song and Dance Man III starts out with the early career, as much focused on 'The Great Society' that demeaned and dismissed Bob Dylan, as well as the fans who felt betrayed when he went electric with a band, as it is on Bob Dylan and his work. The writing is a tad too reverential. I wasn't that impressed with M. Gray's brief synopsis album-by-album guide list or his choice of best songs from each album.
Song and Dance Man III (hate that title), is a humongous work, which deserves one's undivided attention, although it is a great reference work to pick up and look at a certain period of Dylan's long career.
August 25, 2014
This is the first book I came across that treated Dylan's songs the way a literary scholar would. For someone like me whose life has been changed in many ways by Bob's work, Michael Gray's book was a ceaseless source of interest. I came away from it with a new realization that Robert Zimmerman of Hibbing had a scholar's brain, that during his teen years he rapidly stored up so much arcane knowledge about American folk and blues music that he was able to harness that knowledge to his own creativity and when he unleashed his own songwriting, he wrote with more depth and breadth than those who have not mastered the tradition in which they create. He also knew his Bible, and that informed his writing all along. Gray does an amazing job of matching Bob, snippet for snippet, on source material -- so that we can see the astoundingly complex root system out of which Bob's plants sprang. This is a treasure trove of insight, a delight for the Dylan aficionado. It's about time I read it again!
March 18, 2008
Extended, passionate and persuasive analysis of how Dylan's music and lyrics owe more than one might think not just to folk music but to southern American blues. Many incisive and thoughtful discussions of particular songs.
June 24, 2017
If you even think about reading this book, you've gone off the deep end. More power to you! The deepest, richest trove of Dylanology to grace this earth, singlehandedly justifying the nobel prize years before he won it, veined with intertextual references and respect for the tradition. A knockout.
June 8, 2008
Looking for an obsessive analysis of Dylan's work? Look no further. Curl up with your collection of box sets and bootlegs and get to work.
March 18, 2019
Song and Dance Man III is an uneven collection of criticism of Bob Dylan’s art. The major issue is the way that it was constructed.
First published in the early 70’s the first version of this book seemed to be a modest but serious scholarly work. Then Michael Gray did some major revisions and added a bit of material to take into account Dylan’s work of the 70’s for the second version of this work. This seems to have been all well and good.
Where it goes afoul is in the third iteration. Instead of writing a new book or revising the old stuff he tacked on just more pages than were in the original book to cover Dylan’s work in the 80’s and 90’s, work that by Gray’s own account is generally inferior to Dylan’s output in the 60’s and 70’s.
The amount of space given to the album Under the Red Sky and Dylan’s use of nursery rhyme in his songs is just one of many egregious decisions, particularly when taken with the relative lack of attention to the influences of country music, folk ballads, Woody Guthrie, or Walt Whitman.
Dylan still makes vital music every now and then. Just listen 2001’s “Love and Theft.” He deserves a more focused critical eye exploring the power of that work. Unfortunately, this is too ponderous a collection to get there.
First published in the early 70’s the first version of this book seemed to be a modest but serious scholarly work. Then Michael Gray did some major revisions and added a bit of material to take into account Dylan’s work of the 70’s for the second version of this work. This seems to have been all well and good.
Where it goes afoul is in the third iteration. Instead of writing a new book or revising the old stuff he tacked on just more pages than were in the original book to cover Dylan’s work in the 80’s and 90’s, work that by Gray’s own account is generally inferior to Dylan’s output in the 60’s and 70’s.
The amount of space given to the album Under the Red Sky and Dylan’s use of nursery rhyme in his songs is just one of many egregious decisions, particularly when taken with the relative lack of attention to the influences of country music, folk ballads, Woody Guthrie, or Walt Whitman.
Dylan still makes vital music every now and then. Just listen 2001’s “Love and Theft.” He deserves a more focused critical eye exploring the power of that work. Unfortunately, this is too ponderous a collection to get there.
March 3, 2021
A lot about the lyrics, not much about the music that accompanies them.
April 27, 2008
great as bob himself?
December 5, 2008
m. & i read this one together
April 8, 2009
sort of dense, very pretentious, but endlessly fascinating.
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August 25, 2014900 pages = TMI
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews