Bob Dylan: The Stories Behind the Songs, 1962-69: The Stories Behind the Songs 1962-68

by Andy Gill

In this book, Andy Gill assesses the circumstances behind Dylan's most famous songs, tracing the artist's progress from young tyro folkie to acclaimed protest singer, and through the subsequent changes which saw him invent folk-rock and transform rock 'n' roll with symbolist poetry, before retreating into country-tinged conservatism just as his followers were engaged in the great psychedelic freak-show of the late 1960s. Even then, he couldn't help but innovate, introducing the world to another strain of popular music-country-rock-which would come to dominate the American charts through the next decade.Always one step ahead of the crowd, always pushing himself to extend the boundaries of his art, the Dylan of the 1960s remains a beacon of integrity to which fans and fellow musicians keep returning.

192 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 15, 2021

Reviews

[Matthew Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much better than expected, with some interesting insights into and interpretations of the songs. I already have an embarassingly extensive bookshelf full of Dylan books, so I always worry about books trodding the same ground, especially for the over-explored "origin story" of 1961 to 1962. I received this book as a gift shortly after buying myself Mixing Up The Medicine, a massive tome consisting mostly of relics and from the Bob Dylan Archives in Tulsa. Gill's book made a great companion book for the early sections of MUTM, as both books are arranged chronologically. In fact, the two books also have perfectly complementary covers, with the cover photos being from the same B+W photo session taken minutes or seconds apart, and similarly sized. So, I would carry them together, reading the historical sections in MUTM up to and including the next album release, and then switch to this book to read about each song on that album. It made for a mutually amplifying experience for each book. This book has a couple of errors, such as oddly crediting "Come Back Baby" on Carolyn Hester's album as "one of Dylan's own tunes"... though maybe Mr. Gill only meant that as, "a tune Dylan performed", rather than as, "a tune Dylan authored". But overall, it is a well-researched scholarly and entertaining book, that compiles each song's history from multiple sources, and offers many interesting ideas and opinions of its own. Unfortunately this book only goes up to 1969's Nashville Skyline, so I will not have the benefit of a companion book to the remainder of MUTM, which continues through 2020's Rough & Rowdy Ways. Amazing to think of all the ground-breaking music Dylan released in that first 7 years being followed by another 7 x 7 years, and counting, of incredible, innovative songs.