The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia

Its great for getting you to sleep at night. The content is pretentious. I could go on but just do not waste your money.Very disappointing.

More 'miscellany' than 'encyclopedia' (2/2 people found this helpful)

I just don't think that this can be called 'A [let alone, The] Bob Dylan Encyclopedia'. Also, the more serious Dylan fan will probably find they know most of what's in it. For a far more substantial volume about Dylan's work read the same author's 'Song and Dance Man III: The Art of Bob Dylan'... surely the best book on Dylan. Gray is a great commentator on Dylan's lyrics.

The road goes on forever (0/0 people found this helpful)

Dylan was once quoted as saying "...can't understand why so many spend their lives thinking of me-I mean why don't these people get a life?"
Which is easy enough to say but not really to apply-after all Dylan IS the life many have chosen either to write books or just spend time reading them.There is a mighty lot out there-including the magnificent Scrapbook as well as the booklets inside every other Dylan reissue!
So what is it like I wonder for anyone today who gets into Dylan after buying one of the many Essential or Greatest Hits CDs? There is after all over 40 years of music available-everything's on CD except the 1973 album of Self Portrait leftovers-but I suppose that will soon come.
You certainly need books to understand what the man is about-more so than any other artist.
It was rather different in the 60s when you were thrown in at the deep end-not helped by the vast amount of nonsense from Dylan himself during an interview.Or LPs like John Wesley Harding which had a sleeve note nothing to do with the contents but nearer to his own book called Tarantula-which defies anyone even today to get past the first few pages! And then the rumoours-the motorbike accident and very little new stuff for a couple of years.The Self Portrait album which was mainly full of cover versions-a misunderstood album at the time but really no more than the first album which was the same thing.Dylan has never been big headed enough to just do his own songs-he's always done covers and I'm looking forward to his first one of Beatles songs
Me? I like cover versions of Dylan songs and Dylan covers himself with increasing regularity.He's always remained in the same turf where folk,country,Gospel and blues rule.Mainly Dylan is a master plagiarist-he'll rewrite any song and pass it off as his own -its easier than saying Trad arr Dylan. Or sometimes it isn't-Subterranean Homesick Blues is as most people know by now modelled on a Chuck Berry one-after all Dylan once wanted to be Little Richard and was a frustrated rock'n'roller for his first 3 albums-but that was his way in.By 1965 Dunhill's Lou Adler handed a 20 year old "street poet" called Philip Sloan a few Dylan albums and told him to get some of the songs copied. He did and Eve Of Destruction was the result.
The study of Dylan never ends because he makes sure of that.Like the 26 part Radio Bob series where Dylan becomes an expert on American music and important enough as to warrant at least 2 CDs.
I also like Dylan tributes and there's CDs of those too-not just covers but songs inspired by him. Such as David Peel's The Ballad of Bob Dylan.
Today there are just 3 key names-the Beatles and Bob Dylan and Elvis.
And thats via the amount of literature and music they inspire.
Think about it-who else was ever like Bob Dylan?

Great Eclectic Information Spoilt by Smart Alecky Tone (7/9 people found this helpful)

This is a real good source book of information for the Dylan fan and possibly others. It is far reaching and deatailed in parts. The major problem is the autor's smart alec way - we know he thinks Dylan is the greatest talent of the twentieth century and most of his readers will agree with him but does he have to include so many put downs of other artists because they are, in his eyes, inferior. Even Paul Simon and Paul McCartney get this treatment - seen as lesser talents - I just wish that I had a bit of that lesser talent! Mr Gray you spoil your thorough research and clear writing by including these value laden and often misplaced judgements - the book doesn't need them.

A magnificent and illuminating guide to Bob Dylan's universe. (29/30 people found this helpful)

This hefty 736 page tome is an utterly engrossing encyclopedia which represents the fruits of over 30 years' assiduous research by that doyen of Dylan writers, Michael Gray.
As well as detailed analyses of many of Dylan's songs and albums there's an astonishingly wide range of entries from Blind Willie McTell & Sleepy John Estes to Arthur Rimbaud & William Blake.
'The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia' is an entertaining and illuminating guide to Dylan's universe which, in the words of the author, will "open up a wider world, to be sent down a thousand boulevards".
Anyone with the slightest interest in Dylan should get hold of a copy of this magnificent, literate and endlessly fascinating book which also includes a searchable CD-rom of the entire text.

The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia

Michael Gray

Reader Reviews:

Tedious (0/0 people found this helpful)

More 'miscellany' than 'encyclopedia' (2/2 people found this helpful)

The road goes on forever (0/0 people found this helpful)

Great Eclectic Information Spoilt by Smart Alecky Tone (7/9 people found this helpful)

A magnificent and illuminating guide to Bob Dylan's universe. (29/30 people found this helpful)

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