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The Bob Dylan Albums: Second Edition
Bob Dylan has created a body of work unparalleled in popular music. As a songwriter and as a singer, Dylan expanded the boundaries for song. In this substantially revised and updated second edition of The Bob Dylan Albums, Anthony Varesi analyzes the massive Dylan canon through a detailed discussion of each of the artist’s officially released albums. The book follows Dylan’s career chronologically from 1962’s Bob Dylan through to 2021’s Bootleg Series release Springtime in New York. All of Dylan’s studio albums, live albums, collections and archival releases are examined in the text and in the detailed, annotated, cross-referenced discography, as are Dylan’s notable soundtrack contributions, side projects and benefit concert appearances.
The Bob Dylan Albums, 2nd Edition also discusses Dylan’s other writings, such as Chronicles and his Nobel Prize lecture, and reviews the films Dylan has appeared in or been the subject of. The book contains frank analyses of the more controversial aspects of Dylan’s career, including songs Dylan wrote about George Jackson, Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, Joey Gallo and Lenny Bruce, the use of Dylan’s music in advertisements, and Dylan’s 2011 trip to China.
The book looks at recurring themes in Dylan’s songs, the influence of other artists on Dylan’s music, and the ongoing relevance of Dylan’s work. In the process, The Bob Dylan Albums, 2nd Edition unearths new meaning in both Dylan’s most famous works and in his songs and albums that have received less attention..
The Bob Dylan Albums, 2nd Edition also discusses Dylan’s other writings, such as Chronicles and his Nobel Prize lecture, and reviews the films Dylan has appeared in or been the subject of. The book contains frank analyses of the more controversial aspects of Dylan’s career, including songs Dylan wrote about George Jackson, Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, Joey Gallo and Lenny Bruce, the use of Dylan’s music in advertisements, and Dylan’s 2011 trip to China.
The book looks at recurring themes in Dylan’s songs, the influence of other artists on Dylan’s music, and the ongoing relevance of Dylan’s work. In the process, The Bob Dylan Albums, 2nd Edition unearths new meaning in both Dylan’s most famous works and in his songs and albums that have received less attention..
540 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 1, 2022
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
February 10, 2023
THE BOB DYLAN ALBUMS: SECOND EDITION by author Anthony Varesi is a historical account of the recordings of Bob Dylan that includes a complete discography at the end of the book after having covered the legendary artist’s career in sections where each lists the period of time covered, and albums (studio, live, & previously unreleased or bootleg) that resulted from that particular time period.
Well put together in a way that combines biographical information with references to recording data, and done in a way that works well with listening to the recordings as they are being read, which with the majority of the recordings being available on Spotify, made it possible to create a playlist for each section, as this really made the information covered easier to absorb, and made me appreciate this book as an important reference source that I’ll want to keep on hand for future reading.
Bob Dylan, being an elusive figure, presents a challenge for anyone who endeavors to gain information on his life and career, and this is often complicated by misinformation given by the artist himself, who has been very successful in keeping much of his personal life protected, which after the experience he had in the mid-‘60s with the crazy threats and reactions from zealous fans objecting to his decision to “go electric” (something I’ll never completely understand) must have made him cautious and protective in the lives he & his family.
I really like this book, and something to be expected in such a book is that the opinion of the author is reflected in the dissemination of the material covered, which is true of this book, although I found myself in agreement with much in the description of the time periods and recordings within.
One thing that made me decide to put together the playlists to accompany this book was that the plethora of albums and compilations both live and studio make Dylan’s extensive career a challenge to piece together and comprehend – something that is no fault of the author as he’s done a solid job of putting together a valuable reference for fans of the artist himself, and an account of the impact Dylan’s presence has made on the history of music from the early years up to to the present time.
5 stars.
Well put together in a way that combines biographical information with references to recording data, and done in a way that works well with listening to the recordings as they are being read, which with the majority of the recordings being available on Spotify, made it possible to create a playlist for each section, as this really made the information covered easier to absorb, and made me appreciate this book as an important reference source that I’ll want to keep on hand for future reading.
Bob Dylan, being an elusive figure, presents a challenge for anyone who endeavors to gain information on his life and career, and this is often complicated by misinformation given by the artist himself, who has been very successful in keeping much of his personal life protected, which after the experience he had in the mid-‘60s with the crazy threats and reactions from zealous fans objecting to his decision to “go electric” (something I’ll never completely understand) must have made him cautious and protective in the lives he & his family.
I really like this book, and something to be expected in such a book is that the opinion of the author is reflected in the dissemination of the material covered, which is true of this book, although I found myself in agreement with much in the description of the time periods and recordings within.
One thing that made me decide to put together the playlists to accompany this book was that the plethora of albums and compilations both live and studio make Dylan’s extensive career a challenge to piece together and comprehend – something that is no fault of the author as he’s done a solid job of putting together a valuable reference for fans of the artist himself, and an account of the impact Dylan’s presence has made on the history of music from the early years up to to the present time.
5 stars.
Displaying 1 of 1 review