What account of Dylan's 1975 tour would you rather read? Poetic book by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright or opportunistic account by hanger-on Larry "Rupert Pupkin" Sloman? According to Publishers Weekly review of his shamefully over publicized book "On the Road with Bob Dylan" this slob was kicked out right away by Dylan's manager and had to trudge along in cheap hotels- it seems like everyone wanted him to go away. Joan Baez even called him Ratso but like a ... stain he couldn't be washed off. Ratso claims to this day to be close to Dylan but in a recent USA Today 'net chat he says he last saw Dylan while helping on the "Jokerman" video. NINETEEN YEARS AGO!! Ratso's book, like Shepard's was written in the late 70's. So what is going on? Please demand that Shepard's book be back in print so we don't hve to pay $... for a used copy - and let Ratso be put in the dustbinds of time.

This is a great book while it stays focused on Bob Dylan's legendary tour. And it's interesting when it diverges to cover the surrounding mania among fans, family and visiting musicians. But there's a point about halfway through, right about the time Joan Baez christens Sloman as Ratso, where the writer becomes deluded that his running feud with the tour manager and other personal tribulations are of equal interest to the efforts of Dylan and his merry band. And on this point, he is very wrong. Any doubters are invited to compare the "Dylan" and "Sloman" listings at this very website.

If you're a Dylan fan, there is some really good stuff here, and the book earns its four stars. And occasionally even the Ratso antics are amusing. But there are way too many times when reading this book is like watching a great movie, only to have the camera turn and follow one of the extras, for no good reason.

I have written a review of this book earlier.
I take issue with "Pete" who clearly knows nothing about this
book or the way it was written.
It has nothing whatsoever to do with Shepard's Rolling Thunder
Revue, which I also have, and is mainly a picture book.
"Ratso" wrote a great book about the Rolling Thunder revue
and pay no attention to this idiot.

The importance of this book is of course, the book itself, a 900+ page long overdue critical analysis of Bob Dylan's work. It is inspiring to realize that only Dylan, the Dylan, could receive this kind of treatment -- which is why I picked it up in the first place. Gray struggles with the same issues that myself and many other Dylan fans struggle with. Is Dylan a poet? As good as Keats? An entertainer? With stunning insight & careful research Gray's point is that he's all of the above, sometimes miraculous, ingenious, and witty, sometimes sloppy, maudlin, and cliche. Gray reveals in spades that Bob is at the very least, a genuine, well-read intellectual (The Browning - Homesick Blues connection blew me away)... And that if he had released selected songs throughout the years in little books of poetry he would have the respect he deserves in even the stingiest of critical circles (he would have won the Nobel Prize years ago). But then he just wouldn't be our Bob, he wouldn't have reached & changed the lives of so many, he wouldn't be what he really wants to be, a simple song and dance man.

I couldn't disagree more with the disappointed reviewer from New York; where he found this book too academic and removed I found it wonderfully illuminating. Where Paul Williams' writes well about Dylan's performances of the songs, Gray writes brilliantly about the routes to the songs, and the roots of the songs. Far from alienating the listener, Gray is likely to allow you hear more in the songs. His chapters on "Street Legal", "Shot of Love" and the biblical and blues influence in Dylan's mid- and later-period work are not only well researched, but are immensely readable. Gray really does shine a new light on areas or aspects of Dylan's work that have perhaps been overlooked, or glossed over. Dylan himself, over the years, has offered glimpses of his vast and seemingly bottomless knowledge, understanding and love of American music (witness the exchanges with David Gates in the Newsweek interview from a couple of years back). Gray offers the reader a chance to peek into this deep well of song, and in doing so enhances the power of Dylan's writing and singing. Where I found the book weak was in the early chapters, which date from the first edition. Though Gray rigorously footnotes errors or changes of opinion these early chapters feel dated and lacking in depth. Lumpen and leaden they may be, but stick with it; the book takes off when Gray gets the blues. (A quick note on the footnotes: they are copious, packed with information, and offer a map to a treasure trove of long forgotten blues, gospel and folk songs and singers. They are also very often very, very funny.) Gray doesn't attempt to "explain" the songs but he does illuminate them, allowing the reader (and listener) to explore the territory of the songs. "Angelina", "Jokerman" and the three versions of "Caribbean Wind" receive a lot of attention from him, and what he writes (and boy does he write) is fascinating and intelligent, and it made me revisit the songs again and again. This is a great big lump of a book that would be a worthwhile addition to any Dylan fan's library. While there is lots here that will provoke outrage (Gray's merciless, and wickedly funny, skewering of "Empire Burlesque" and "Unplugged" immediately spring to my mind) there is lots here that will delight too. Getting agreement among Dylan fans about which bits are outrageous and which delightful will be hard to do. Which, to me, is high praise for this wonderful book.

A great book. Erudite AND entertaining. Perhaps its finest quality is its integrity: it makes a compelling case for Dylan's genius, while simultaneously avoiding the hagiography which so bedevils much adoring work on Bob. In other words, it has real critical balance. The latter section on the ageing Bob is almost painfully honest and realistic...but the book is all the better for it. The 100-odd page chapter on Dylan's use of, and homage to, pre war blues lyrics is 'worth the price' on its own. And the terrific use of footnotes in this section makes the work a bit like the acquisition of that first bootleg album - you might think you're just dipping a toe in the water, but before you know it you've plunged right in...and you'll never get out. The section on nursery rhyme is especially intriguing. And the excellent analysis of biblical sources is good enough to make all but the most bigoted fans open their ears [and minds] to this fundamental element of Dylan's inspiration. Given its immense size, there must presumably be the odd error in it, but few show [wasn't it Liam Clancy who Bob described as the best ever ballad singer, and not Tommy Makem, by the way?]. Song & Dance Man 3 seems likely to be as useful ten years on as it is fascinating on the very first read. It will be on [and off] my bookshelves for a very long time.

This book would be quite useful to keep track of Dylan shows and setlists if..... the internet didn't exist! Within 5 minutes anyone can find the setlist to any Dylan show, ever! why do we need a book.

Instead of Buying this book try and find a Dylan boot isn't just a restatement of what we can find out anyway!

its one thing to stand on your head and say bob dylan read this book.....to say bob dylan reads bob dylan books. whats worse to is to accuse bob dylan of being a dylanologist----a dylanologist employed in the business of being bob dylan............

i cant make out the sentences too good but the book is better read aloud in my mind, from a platform or atop an elephant on a parade. otherwise we are left in trap of dates here and there moving from past to present and onward. nowhere on this book can i find the date in nagadoches, in a beer and pretezel bar, a luminous gig, of course-----someone resembling and claiming to be kris kristofferson had to be taken into custody for attemting to play a mexican trumpet onstage, all the while bob dylan was said to have escaped throught he back door jumping on a horse and riding into town, selling his guitar at a rundown pawn shop. i give the book two stars for the two stars in my eyes.

1.A Great Way To Keep Track Of DYLANs Concert Set Lists, 2.A Great Look Into The History Of DYLANs Career And The Travels Of A True Rolling Stone, 3.An Informative Look At DYLANs Travels Througout The World, A Must For Any DYLAN Fan !!!!!! My Hats Off To The Author Mr. Glen Dundus !!!!

Sincerly, David M. Johnson Des Moines Iowa.

Very interesting subject, but as I got farther into the book, I noticed that some of the reference Bible verses and quotes were starting to last over a page. I soon came to realize that the book was published by a Christian publishing company (Relevant Books). I learned more about "the sermon on the mount" than I did new information about Bob Dylan. "Restless Pilgrim" included some interesting facts, but was definitely written from a point of bias.

An interesting book, but no where near enough analysis of the biblical references in Dylan's work - pre-conversion i.e 1961-1979, and post Born-Again period i.e 1981-2003.

In particular the ingenious song "Jokerman", which seems to have many clues, is barely examined. There is a strong presence of God in Dylan's latest albums, but whether or not these are in a Christian context is debatable.

There is definitely some merit in Marshall's study of whether Dylan is a Christian or not, and his effort in preparing this book is to be admired, but I was struck by a particular thought whilst reading this book:

Why not just ask Bob?

If Bob, in keeping with his image of mystique (and disdain for journalistic probing), refuses to answer, this would indicate that he is not a Christian. Why would he want to be so secretive about it?

Also, I notice Marshall did not refer to Dylan's "moral" behaviour post 1981. If Dylan is a Christian, is he "walking the walk"? Or has he continued the "Rock Star" lifestyle? Other Dylan biographers seem to think so.

The whole question seems extremely perplexing. Dylan seemed so passionate about his faith on "Slow Train Coming" and "Saved" but then seemed to distance himself from the faith -without officially denouncing it. Was the whole thing an act? Is Dylan merely an actor on a stage who dabbles in all artforms of traditional American music - of which gospel music is a prominent one.

Can we ever truly know unless Dylan comes out and clarifies the issue once and for all? I don't think performing the odd track from "Slow Train Coming" or the occasional tradtional gospel song in concert, is answer enough. Perhaps Dylan's autobiography "Chronicles" (to be released later this year) will reveal all.

Just browsing Marcia Ford's intro to this book was enough to hook me. The writing style is sincere, witty, and subtle. The author's research is extensive and gives us an intimate glimpse into the mind of a man. Bob Dylan is a prophet for our generation, and I so appreciate the author's effort to bring his story to light. It takes courage to walk in faith when you walk alone, and "Restless Pilgrim.." takes on that journey.

As the greatest - not to mention most important, in every sense of the word - songwriter of the 20th century, Bob Dylan has, unsurprisingly, inspired a legion of devoted fans. Although every major artist has their share of obsessives and fanatics, the ones who follow Dylan have far surpassed mere "groupie" or "hard-core" status: they reside in a legendary status - even mythological. Some of these, branded "Dylanologists", have achieved a level of notoriety compared in a small way with the artist himself. Many fans know of the famous (or infamous) "Garbologist", A. J. Weberman, who even went so far as searching through the dumpsters outside Bob's house for his baby's soiled diapers - allegedly looking for clues to obscure lyrics, and even conjuring up a paranoid fantasy conspiracy that the government was out to get Dylan for raising sentiment against the Vietnam War, and that Dylan knew it, and alluded to it, through subtle messages in his songs. Bob Dylan's history is filled with many other such characters and ancedotes. Perhaps it comes as no surprise, then, that Dylan is a very mysterious character, and known for his ambivalence towards fans. Securing a personal meeting with Dylan is a difficult thing to do, and those fans who do manage it are held in a kind of revered awe by the faithful. This book is a record of such encounters. There are many books available on Dylan (certainly more serious and scholarly works than on any other rock musician), but this is just about the only one where the air of pretentious intellectual refinement is removed, and you hear it straight from the mouth of the ones who really matter: the fans. These are the fans personal reminisces of meeting Dylan, or otherwise coming close in some way. These are the normal, everyday fans - people like you and me (although there are certainly a few obsessives - such as the man who keeps a "Dylan shrine" in his house), although there are a handful of semi-famous names in here as well. The accounts range from revelatory (people being personally invited backstage by Dylan, a record store employee purporting not to know who he is, a man who retrieves Dylan's stolen cap); to hilarous (a fan who meets Dylan in a cafe and asks him a strange question, a meeting between Dylan and a fan in an alley before a concert), to just plain boring and inane. You are hearing these recollections as told straight from the fans - granted, then, the prose is often crude, and some stories are better than others. This, then, is a book you'll want if you're looking for personal, often funny, sometimes touching stories from the fans themselves - rather than pseudo-intellectual exposition from so-called "rock scholars." I would not rate this as an essential Dylan book: rather I reccommend it if you are a fan and want a slightly more personal and unique book about Dylan than you normally find.

Let's face it: Bob can be a jerk to his fans. But then again, it's got to be hell being accosted by obsessive fans everywhere you go. If you've read some of the Dylan biographies out there you have an idea of Dylan's life and work. This book gives you a glimpse into what it's like to be a Dylan fan. Some of the accounts are more engaging than others and some don't even involve meeting Dylan at all. I wish they'd left those out... Anyway, this is interesting but very brief. You can read the whole thing in a day and I think there are just as many stories out there (for free) on the internet at the many Dylan sites.

Ms. Johnson has done a wonderful job in illustrating the fanatic nature of Dylan's fans combined with the reclusive nature of their hero. As the lights have burned ever brightly on Dylan in the latter stages of his career, Bob has increasingly receded into the shadows, content to let his son Jabob bask in the spotlight for the family. This book, though, shows the connection that Dylan's fans still feel towards him, whether they have met him or just been touched by him in some small way. I especially enjoyed the story of the young man who had Dylan autograph his tattoo of Bob's likeness.

Whether you are a Dylan fanatic or just a reader who enjoys touching anecdotes, this book is for you. It is refreshing to see that not every entertainment star has forgotten that it is the fans that make or break your career. Buy the book. You'll love it.

Four young people, uncertain and unshaped burst onto the folk scene and gave birth to a revolutionary musical age. The ephemeral, Baez sisters, the Byronesque Richard Farina and the anxious, midwestern adolescent, Bob Dylan, attained a status and sound far beyond their own, and others' expectations. Their story includes tragedy, betrayal and lays the social and musical impetus that would reverberate throughout the second half of the twentieth century. For two of the four; their careers would extend into the milennium and become headings in the history of American music and social activism.
Joan Baez, we read in David Hadju's "Positively Fourth Street," was drawn to the Peace movement legitimately. Through her early experiences in Quaker meetings, she pursued the concept of passivism in her politics and her relationships, particularly with her younger, prettier sister, Mimi. Baez' life reads less liberated than her image but most lives of women of her era, and well beyond, do. Mimi, suffering dyslexia, and the status of the younger child, sought recognition beyond Joan, but that was not to be. She become the wife of the self-promoting and wayward Richard Farina, who died in a motorcycle accident, in tandem with Dylan, who survived. These four were incestuous, and, as with many who embraced free love experimentation, were more often victims of this 'liberation' than celebrants. The cost to women, was far greater.

Joan's fame came early and some may say, she lingered overlong in a style that had outlived itself. Robert Zimmerman, whom she endorsed in the music scene and in the Greenwich Village culture, entered the scene as an awkward, obsessed and undistinguished adolescent. He came from the Middle West on a pilgrimage to the bedside of Woody Guthrie, his suffering idol. Fellow artists in the Village ridiculed Dylan whom they said imitated the twitching and tics of his mentor. Later, he was accused of stealing his music as well. All in all, the early Dylan, whose name was originally taken from Matt Dillon, of the TV show Gunsmoke, and not, as he would later state, from the iconoclastic Dylan Thomas, rebel-lord of that period in the Village. Embarassed by his comfortable middle class, Jewish background, Dylan painted a more romantic past; part Native American, and devoid of the bourgeois elements of a furniture merchant's family. Even later in life, Dylan tried to obscure his past, claiming that he never knew what a suburb was, how his youth was spent without such impedimenta. Once Dylan gained entry into the folk establishment, it appeared that much of the music was handed to him. What was not freely given, he often appropriated for himself. He copied and reworked but the outcome, the voice, the anger, was purely, irrevocably his own. It came as much from his hunger as from his self-loathing and his brilliance. He was also a product and ultimately leading spokesman of his time. In his name, compounded of a prescience that spoke to a generation pulling apart like none of its predecessors, was the recklessness and spiritual conflicts of the end of the modern and beginnings of the postmodern era.
Joan Baez, funnier than her image, endorsed Dylan, and loved him. His ultimate response was to be cruel and derisive. Once he had attained some stature, he threw off the pacifist, resistance yoke and traveled into a far more country and rock and roll blend that became the roots of myriad forms and eventually a revolution.
This book was well-researched and sensitively drawn. I doubt anyone harbored any ideal of Dylan as an ideal mate, and his detractors, Dave van Ronk and the others whom he idealized, and then took advantage of, do not and could not diminish his status and contributions. Most musicians borrow and blend, but none can match the robust opus of Dylan, nor do they try. His talent, his timing and combustion of his ambition, moved the sound of a society. Joan Baez, Mimi Farina, and many other women, saw in him a manchild in need of protection. He took it, and then tired of it. Those men, always end up ingrates, and Dylan was that and more.
The music is not the subject of this story, but a secondary theme. For fans of Baez, Dylan or any combination of music enthusiasts, it is a quick and worthwhile read.

I was totally excited when the release of the book occurred for several reasons, but the main one was that the interesting lives of Richard and Mimi Baez Farina would be discussed.

Hadju, as he did in his excellent look at Billy Strayhorn ("Lush Life"),weaves a wonderful portrait of 4 young artists, all with immense talent,(the Baez sisters and Dylan as musicians, Farina as a novelist and musician) who all converge on the thriving Greenwich Village scene in the early 1960's. From there, the book, (complete with hundreds of wonderful interviews) begins to read like a modern soap opera- complete with torrid affairs, opportunism, deceipt, and lust. Whether it was Dylan's affair with Joan Baez to further his budding career, or taking on the bohemian personna that Richard Farina naturally had; Farina's courtship with Mimi Baez by letters, but all the while having a secret love for Joan; Dylan's very public breakup with Joan after his star had risen well beyond anyone's expectations- it's all in this book.

The book tactfully takes on the tangled web that these 4 people created for themselves, makes sense of it all, and while not pointing fingers in any one particular direction, does showcase both Dylan and Farina's overt opportunism, both at the expense of the Baez sisters. One can only conjecture what may have occurred had Richard Farina not died..would he have pursued Joan? and what would have become of Mimi at that point?

While the music is well documented on any number of cds- Dylan's early folk works are exquisite, Joan's politically active folk even more so, and Richard and Mimi's works, including one of my favorite folk songs in "Reno, Nevada," also on cd, the book takes off the golden dome of the era and shows the true underbelly of 4 starving artists trying to make it. They all did, to varying degrees. The book charts the early days, the struggles, the open deceipt, trials and tribulations. A riveting book.

What wonderful writing, what a bittersweet and romantic tale of BS-artists who turned out to be real artists. I laughed out loud at some of the events and descriptions (Dylan's re-invention of the harmonica as a life-support device!), I went out and bought music by those who were under-represented in my collection. The story of Richard and Mimi plumbs the depths of sadness. As a fan of Dylan's (and Joan's), it was hard to bear his sudden cruelty to those who loved him, but it was heartening to see his reinvention as a family man, free of most of his chains (Albert Grossman's drug supplies and incessant touring that was ready to kill Bob). If you love poetry, music, rock, folk, and want an engrossing story of how Dylan came to be Dylan, Joan became Joan, Mimi started to find herself, and Richard really was somebody, read this book. Along the way, learn about the kindness and musical contributions that Bob soaked up and reinvented to build our current view of the musician's responsibility: write songs from the heart, use a language as universal as you can invent, and don't be afraid to follow your muse.

Although there are some dubious sources for this work, overall it gives a fascinating insight into the development of the Bob Dylan persona. I wish that someone would write such book following up to the present day. The reader needs to bear in mind that Dylan thought a lot of this book untrue!

With all due respect to the Village Voice's Toby Thompson, Tony Scaduto got there firstest with the mostest in the Dylan bio sweepstakes. Shelton, Spitz and Heylin built on this foundation. Ms. Ponsonby's claim regarding Dylan's disagreements is belied by his having cooperated at the time. Certainly Scaduto's interpretations are problematic, as are those of his sources; but his information remains undisturbed by his successors in interest. Not to cast it as a substitute for the wilder vintage interviews, no other Dylan book conveys the authentic flavor of the period with anything like Scaduto's journalistic integrity. Still indispensable.

this book tells all about the golden era of dylan,before he ever made a bad,indifferent or,worst of all,meaningless record.out of print for years and cherished by fans,it's nice to see this title in print again

Tarantula is in the stream-of-consciousness style of Dylan's liner notes to Highway 61 Revisited and Bringing It All Back Home. The publisher did our beloved author a great disservice in labeling these writings "Poems." These short pieces - interspersed with pseudo-missives - are literally unbridled prose, brimming with wit, sarcasm and absurdities. Only Dylan can say for sure what they're all about. A poet is not necessarily one who writes rhyming verse, but formlessness is not poetry either. To call Tarantula "poetry" is to turn a blind eye to Dylan's assault on traditional prose narrative forms. That said, I think Tarantula is a great book to have on the shelf, but it's not easy or especially rewarding reading unless one is primarily interested in the author. Because it's Dylan's only book (aside from published lyrics), it's a rather important book. Likewise, Dylan admirers should see D.A. Pennebaker's classic mid-60s Dylan documentary, "Don't Look Back."

I have been listening to Dylan since I was 16 and although that's only 3 years I am already lost for words as to describe his genius. Since discovering his writing in the sleeve notes to his earlier stuff I was amazed by his writing. Then, I found Tarantula. This adds a whole new dimension to his work as an artist and a poet. I am amazed at how he managed to keep his momentum to finsh the book considering that he was writing it during and after his non-stop touring of the mid 60's which ended, fortunately or unfortunately depending how you look at it, with his accident at Newport. The result is a bizarre use of metaphor and juxtaposition to convey his feelings at that time which pleased me and many others, even if Bob himself wasn't 100% happy with the finished article. Let's get one thing straight however - liking Dylan and appreciating Dylan are two very different things. If you think that Like A Rolling Stone is a classic because of the opening guitar riff then you like Dylan; if you think it's a classic because you understand the imagery in the song then you appreciate Dylan. This book is for the latter.

I'm 17 and I've listened to Dylan for about 5 years. Over this period of time I've grown more and more impressed with Dylan's poetic genius. His songs are undoubtedely his claim to fame but I feel that "Tarantula" is the key to understanding his writing. "Tarantula" proves that Dylan was and still is a modern blend of Whitman, Rimbaud, Genet, Ginsberg, Guthrie, and Picasso. "Tarantula's" cut up style has been called "a muddled stream of self conciousness" but I beg to differ. If there has been any writer in our time that has captured the language of our times and helped us examine the world we live in I think it is Dylan. I hope he eventually receives the Nobel Prize for literature that he truly deserves. He is living proof that poetry can touch "the masses", he defies the narrow definition of a poet that ivory tower intellectuals have forced on people for years. The language of Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde, albums that changed the way people perceived songs, reaches new heights in "Tarantula".

You can buy Bob Dylan's LIVE 1966 in any self-respecting record store, and it comes with liner notes superior to this book.

For some reason this was a disappointing read. Of course any information about Bob Dylan and especially this concert is great, but the way it's processed in this book is distracting. The best parts are the stories of the people who were there. The least effective were Lee's cultural analyses and song analyses. The more he writes the more he gets further and further away from Bob Dylan, it seems. The music from this show is so great, and deserves better. That those great songs are trod through local cultural suppositions is distasteful. Scrounge around for Eat the Document, listen to the Live 1966 album, leave this book in the dustbin.

We are often told of how musicians and singers touch their audience with their work. But this book puts that sort of insight into a historical context which is quite compelling. We learn much from oral history and the author's own experience, but the author obviously did more than scholarly homework for this project. There is an authoritative command of the subject matter. I would recommend this book to any Dylan fans or those studying popular culture in general. For better and for worse, Dylan is a historical figure and shaped a generation with his move from folk to pop. His contribution to popular music should not be underestimated. Dr. CP Lee of Salford University gives this subject the serious study it deserves.

I read this biography not just because I'm a big and longstanding fan of Bob Dylan, but also because of the strength of many of the accolades the book has received, both in Amazon and elsewhere. I couldn't have been more disappointed. The biography is clearly well-researched, despite Heylin's proud but unconvincing defence of the fact that he has never met Dylan. However, the biography lacks any warmth or feel for Dylan and the huge and deep contribution his music has made to modern culture. The book comes down with detail, but much of it is incidental and irrelevant. Moreover, Heylin manages to be condescending and irritatingly opinionated, especially and unnecessarily so about other biographers. His constant use of direct quotes merely breaks the flow of the text and rarely adds much. Normally, when one reads a biography of a musician and songwriter who has played such an important part in one's own life, and especially when the author admits to being fan, one would expect to be driven back to the music with renewed vigour and interest. In the case of Heylin's biography this didn't happen. I can still recall the huge impact that some of Dylan's albums had on my life, and music more generally, but this does not come across in Heylin's often flat and at times self-important writing style. While there is plenty of gossip around Dylan's fondness for women, drugs and drink, few original insights are offered about his music. Indeed, Dylan's music is hardly assessed at all, apart from occasional references to the views of other critics. Dylan's life and music deserve a lot more.

I read this biography not just because I'm a big and longstanding fan of Bob Dylan, but also because of the strength of many of the accolades the book has received, both in Amazon and elsewhere. I couldn't have been more disappointed. The biography is clearly well-researched, despite Heylin's proud but unconvincing defence of the fact that he has never met Dylan. However, the biography lacks any warmth or feel for Dylan and the huge and deep contribution his music has made to modern culture. The book comes down with detail, but much of it is incidental and irrelevant. Moreover, Heylin manages to be condescending and irritatingly opinionated, especially and unnecessarily so about other biographers. His constant use of direct quotes merely breaks the flow of the text and rarely adds much. Normally, when one reads a biography of a musician and songwriter who has played such an important part in one's own life, and especially when the author admits to being fan, one would expect to be driven back to the music with renewed vigour and interest. In the case of Heylin's biography this didn't happen. I can still recall the huge impact that some of Dylan's albums had on my life, and music more generally, but this does not come across in Heylin's often flat and at times self-important writing style. While there is plenty of gossip around Dylan's fondness for women, drugs and drink, few original insights are offered about his music. Indeed, Dylan's music is hardly assessed at all, apart from occasional references to the views of other critics. Dylan's life and music deserve a lot more.

Clinton Heylin's revised edition of Behind the Shades is, at this point, the definitive Dylan biography, and is not likely to be surpassed anytime soon. In spite of it's comparative neglect in relation to Sounes' Down the Highway (published almost simultaneously, to coincide with Dylan's 60th birthday), Heylin's book is a more informative and rewarding book.

In tone, Heylin's writing is not as journalistic as Sounes', and more judgmental of Dylan as artist and musician. It draws heavily on interview material with associates and friends of Dylan's, and is significant in giving detailed attention to Dylan's career in the 80's and 90's, which is necessary for anyone seeking to understand Dylan's recent critical resurgence.

Based on his knowledge as the world's pre-eminent Dylan scholar, Heylin gives extensive commentary on Dylan's albums and their recording, a process he has given even greater attention to in his companion book Bob Dylan: The Recording Sessions (1994). This is one of the major differences between Heylin's book and Sounes'. Sounes does not focus so much on Dylan as a musician or even Dylan as a lyricist. Sounes' biography is more, well, biographical, providing tons of anecdotal accounts of Dylan's life and travels, while missing the point - Dylan matters because of his music and his lyrics above all else. His life, so cloaked in mystery and seclusion, is a mystery, and will remain so. A recording artist is ultimately most communicative through their recordings - through what they are, what they're not, and how they are presented to the artist's audience. Sounes attempts to fill in the mystery of Dylan's life, which is ultimately an impossible task, at the expense of communicating any real understanding of his music.

Heylin's biography is also superior in that it draws on an extensive knowledge of Dylan's unreleased recordings. When dealing with a subject whose own officially released canon is so often poorly representative of his recording career, Heylin's knowledge is wide-ranging and intensely critical. An informed and considered discussion of Dylan's unreleased recordings, which are in many cases superior to those he has chosen to issue, is especially important when examining Dylan's 1980's output, a series of albums sometimes marred primarily by the choices of which songs and takes of songs to include on the released albums. Sounes barely acknowledges the existence of important unreleased recordings, and that diminishes the importance of his biography considerably.

Sounes' one trump over Heylin's biography is the much-publicized revelation of Dylan's second marriage. How important this biographical detail is to understanding or appreciating Dylan's music, however, is very debatable. If you are looking for an easily-readable, readily-digestable account of Dylan's life with little detailed discussion of his music, go for the Sounes bio. Otherwise, Heylin's Behind the Shades, especially in its new revised edition, is the real deal and is the preeminant Dylan bio. Highly recommended.