Positively Bob Dylan - The Annotated Recordings References
The REFERENCES in order of importance (trust the song - not the singer)
:
i. a recording of the albums (record, tape -reel to reel/cartridge/cassette,
CD). Go to Sony Records. ii. the album sleeves, noting that some cover details can be
misleading. Cover art (the artist as image) is an integral factor in phonography
- you can "hold the music in your hands". The tape/CD format has seen the
demise of the original 12"x12" album cover, greatly diminishing its impact.
iii.live performance
iv. film and televisionconcert performances.
v. written works by Bob Dylan, specifically various editions
of lyrics (Writings and Drawings 1973, Lyrics 1985, Highway
61 Interactive 1995). The printed words are often not the words as
they are sung, and there are alternative lyrics for multi-version titles.
This can present considerable difficulties, and in any case the printed
word cannot match the subtleties of the records. Other writings include
Tarantula
1972,
written in 1966, and various magazine articles and album liner notes.
vi. drawings/paintings - basically see ii. and v.above.
vii. films made by Bob Dylan, Eat the Document 1966 and
Renaldo
and Clara, 1978?
viii. the critics/commentators :
a. Evan Eisenberg : The Recording Angel - Music, Records
and Culture From Aristotle to Zappa McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York
1987, a expansive book on the nature of recorded music (the only
one?). Although there are only three references to Bob Dylan, Eisenberg's
analysis of Phonograghy : the art of making music in a recorded form, is
the essential basis for my work.
b. the intensively researched work by Clinton Heylin, Dylan
: Behind Closed Doors - The Recording Sessions 1960-1994 Penguin Books
1996 is an invaluable resource. I have some difficulty with
his analysis in that, like many critics, exposure to mountains of unofficial
recordings leads to the conclusion that the albums would be far superior
if the artist had alternatively released the particular tracks that critic
prefers. Clinton Heylin's (doesn't
work) articles are online.
c. although a difficult book for the musically ignorant, I have
been impressed by the work of British musicologist Wilfred
Mellers. His book is A Darker Shade of Pale - A Backdrop to Bob Dylan,
Faber and Faber London 1984, and covers releases up to 1981 (26.Shot
of Love). Other publications by Wilfred Mellors include works on Bach,
Beethoven and the Beatles.
d. a more literature based work is Michael Gray's Song and
Dance Man - The Art of Bob Dylan Hart-Davis, McGibbon, Great
Britain 1972 (up to The Concert for Bangla Desh).
e.Michael Gray is the co-editor with John Bauldie of All
Across the Telegraph : A Bob Dylan Handbook Futura Publications A Division
of McDonald and Co (Publishers) London 1988 (First published 1987), an
excellent compilation with much of the the best work by the editors
themselves.
e. Another author who's work has been influential is Australian
writer Craig McGregor who's down to earth approach is refreshing when most
critics see the artist a saint or a sell-out. Craig McGregor edited
Bob Dylan - A Retrospective, William morrow and Company Inc., New York
1972 (up to New Morning). I should note here that my other area
of interest is surfboard design in Australia (you may have passed it on
your way here) and Craig McGregor is the co-author of two surfing books,
the first with 1964 World Champion Bernard 'Midget' Farrelly in 1965 and
the second with 1966 World Champion Robert 'Nat' Young in 1985.
f. for a schematic analysis of an artist's work (discography),
Neville Stannard's The Long and Winding Road - A History Of The Beatles
On Record, Virgin Books 1982, has served as a model of coherence, simplicity
and common sense. Unfortunately for the commentator/critic Bob Dylan's
work does not lend itself to to such a neat analysis as the Beatles career.