* Thanks to Johanna Moore:
“In reply to you reader Pauline's question I'd like to say that "A Man Called Alias" is a very nice coffee table book, though neither the written nor the photo content will be new to the avid Dylan reader.
“It is nice though to have some of the familiar photos well reproduced in large format though, like the picture of Bob's young family in Woodstock in 1968.
“I picked up a (translated) copy of the book a couple of weeks ago on ebay at a decent price, read through it in two days, learned nothing new... but enjoyed it nonetheless. (Well, I aim to read as many Bob books as possible.)
”A journey to the bookstore might not even be necessary, as new and used bookselling website abebooks.co.uk /.com - both have copies available at decent prices, so you don't even depend on ebay. Hope that helps.
”Now, if anyone could help me decide whether to get the Bob Dylan Copyright Files book that amazon (.de) is just selling out, I'd appreciate any advice.”
* And thanks to Martin Cowan:
“In response to Pauline Brett's recent posting, I've just been flicking through the Richard Williams book.
“While not a great addition to the Dylan library (its brief sketchy text is forgettable), it does work, thanks to its lavish illustrations.
“At nearly 200 pages, with large black and white and colour photos on every page, the pictures alone probably make it worth picking up. Some of the pictures are ones we have seen elsewhere but it does also include more unfamiliar photos.
“So I'd say to Pauline - for the pictures, take a punt!”
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Dylan: A Man Called Alias, by Richard Williams: is it worth buying?
Thanks to Pauline Brett:
“I’d welcome advice from fellow readers.
“Is Dylan: A Man Called Alias, by Richard Williams and published as a large format book in the early 1990s, worth buying?
“I ask because a friend told me that a local used bookshop has a copy. Problem is, it’ll mean a dedicated journey, which could eat up half a day and I’m not sure it’s going to be worth it.
“If any Dylan Daily readers think the book is “vital” or “indispensable”, or similar, I’ll gladly make time…”
Monday, 2 March 2009
Friday, 27 February 2009
Dylan: A Man Called Alias, by Richard Williams: is it worth buying?
Thanks to Pauline Brett:
“I’d welcome advice from fellow readers.
“Is Dylan: A Man Called Alias, by Richard Williams and published as a large format book in the early 1990s, worth buying?
“I ask because a friend told me that a local used bookshop has a copy. Problem is, it’ll mean a dedicated journey, which could eat up half a day and I’m not sure it’s going to be worth it.
“If any Dylan Daily readers think the book is “vital” or “indispensable”, or similar, I’ll gladly make time…”
“I’d welcome advice from fellow readers.
“Is Dylan: A Man Called Alias, by Richard Williams and published as a large format book in the early 1990s, worth buying?
“I ask because a friend told me that a local used bookshop has a copy. Problem is, it’ll mean a dedicated journey, which could eat up half a day and I’m not sure it’s going to be worth it.
“If any Dylan Daily readers think the book is “vital” or “indispensable”, or similar, I’ll gladly make time…”
Friday, 6 February 2009
Bob Dylan’s albums: another beautiful little artefact… Dylan Bookshelf #143
At the same time as I bought the beautiful little Lyrics book (below) at Dussmann on Berlin’s Friedrichstrasse, I also picked up the earlier companion volume, Bob Dylan, a monograph covering Dylan’s album output, and also by Heinrich Detering.
It’s also a beautiful little artefact, clearly designed as a companion volume.
Bravo author Heinrich Detering and Reclam publishers!
Bob Dylan by Heinrich Detering, 2007, Philipp Reclam jun Stuttgart, 184pp, euro4.80, ISBN 978-3-15-018432-5
www.reclam.de
Bob Dylan by Heinrich Detering is the 143rd book added to my groaning Dylan bookshelf.
Gerry Smith
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EARLIER RELATED ARTICLE:
Bob Dylan Lyrics – for German speakers: a beautiful little artefact
Dylan Bookshelf #142
On a recent trip to Berlin – surely Europe’s most exciting city – I picked up Bob Dylan Lyrics, a tiny book which reproduces the (English) lyrics of about 50 songs, with a short essay on each.
I bought the book simply because it looks so good – of all the volumes on my Bob shelves, it’s one of the most striking.
(Like most readers of The Dylan Daily, I already have all the lyrics in the official books and would struggle to understand the German text anyway, so I bought it purely as an attractive artefact.)
It’s always been a puzzle just how listeners can fully appreciate great writing in a language other than their mother tongue – for example, my French is fairly good, but there’s no way I appreciate the subtlety of great French writers like Camus, Baudelaire or Balzac.
This book shows the way, by translating key words and phrases, especially those which might prove difficult for German readers.
Bravo Heinrich Detering and Reclam publishers!
Bob Dylan Lyrics, translated by Heinrich Detering, 2008, Philipp Reclam jun Stuttgart, 155pp, euro4.60, ISBN 978-3-15-019741-7
www.reclam.de
Bob Dylan Lyrics, translated by Heinrich Detering is the 142nd book added to my groaning Dylan bookshelf.
Gerry Smith
It’s also a beautiful little artefact, clearly designed as a companion volume.
Bravo author Heinrich Detering and Reclam publishers!
Bob Dylan by Heinrich Detering, 2007, Philipp Reclam jun Stuttgart, 184pp, euro4.80, ISBN 978-3-15-018432-5
www.reclam.de
Bob Dylan by Heinrich Detering is the 143rd book added to my groaning Dylan bookshelf.
Gerry Smith
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
EARLIER RELATED ARTICLE:
Bob Dylan Lyrics – for German speakers: a beautiful little artefact
Dylan Bookshelf #142
On a recent trip to Berlin – surely Europe’s most exciting city – I picked up Bob Dylan Lyrics, a tiny book which reproduces the (English) lyrics of about 50 songs, with a short essay on each.
I bought the book simply because it looks so good – of all the volumes on my Bob shelves, it’s one of the most striking.
(Like most readers of The Dylan Daily, I already have all the lyrics in the official books and would struggle to understand the German text anyway, so I bought it purely as an attractive artefact.)
It’s always been a puzzle just how listeners can fully appreciate great writing in a language other than their mother tongue – for example, my French is fairly good, but there’s no way I appreciate the subtlety of great French writers like Camus, Baudelaire or Balzac.
This book shows the way, by translating key words and phrases, especially those which might prove difficult for German readers.
Bravo Heinrich Detering and Reclam publishers!
Bob Dylan Lyrics, translated by Heinrich Detering, 2008, Philipp Reclam jun Stuttgart, 155pp, euro4.60, ISBN 978-3-15-019741-7
www.reclam.de
Bob Dylan Lyrics, translated by Heinrich Detering is the 142nd book added to my groaning Dylan bookshelf.
Gerry Smith
Wednesday, 4 February 2009
Bob Dylan Lyrics – for German speakers: a beautiful little artefact
On a recent trip to Berlin – surely Europe’s most exciting city – I picked up Bob Dylan Lyrics, a tiny book which reproduces the (English) lyrics of about 50 songs, with a short essay on each.
I bought the book simply because it looks so good – of all the volumes on my Bob shelves, it’s one of the most striking.
(Like most readers of The Dylan Daily, I already have all the lyrics in the official books and would struggle to understand the German text anyway, so I bought it purely as an attractive artefact.)
It’s always been a puzzle just how listeners can fully appreciate great writing in a language other than their mother tongue – for example, my French is fairly good, but there’s no way I appreciate the subtlety of great French writers like Camus, Baudelaire or Balzac.
This book shows the way, by translating key words and phrases, especially those which might prove difficult for German readers.
Bravo Heinrich Detering and Reclam publishers!
Bob Dylan Lyrics, translated by Heinrich Detering, 2008, Philipp Reclam jun Stuttgart, 155pp, euro4.60, ISBN 978-3-15-019741-7
www.reclam.de
Bob Dylan Lyrics, translated by Heinrich Detering is the 142nd book added to my groaning Dylan bookshelf.
Gerry Smith
I bought the book simply because it looks so good – of all the volumes on my Bob shelves, it’s one of the most striking.
(Like most readers of The Dylan Daily, I already have all the lyrics in the official books and would struggle to understand the German text anyway, so I bought it purely as an attractive artefact.)
It’s always been a puzzle just how listeners can fully appreciate great writing in a language other than their mother tongue – for example, my French is fairly good, but there’s no way I appreciate the subtlety of great French writers like Camus, Baudelaire or Balzac.
This book shows the way, by translating key words and phrases, especially those which might prove difficult for German readers.
Bravo Heinrich Detering and Reclam publishers!
Bob Dylan Lyrics, translated by Heinrich Detering, 2008, Philipp Reclam jun Stuttgart, 155pp, euro4.60, ISBN 978-3-15-019741-7
www.reclam.de
Bob Dylan Lyrics, translated by Heinrich Detering is the 142nd book added to my groaning Dylan bookshelf.
Gerry Smith
Wednesday, 7 January 2009
Series Of Dreams: a stimulating new study of Dylan the songwriter
By Anne Ritchie
Listeners who enjoy dissecting Dylan’s lyrics will be stimulated by Series Of Dreams, the new critical study by John Burns.
Compared with the heavyweight classics of Dylan Lit (notably Gray and Ricks), Burns’ book might be slight, but it’s an accessible way into a study of Dylan’s art - which can be as daunting as starting to study Shakespeare.
Burns applies his well-honed critical insight by focusing on what he calls “vision songs” – a couple of dozen classics from across the catalogue.
His antennae are mostly well-tuned – I particularly like his appreciation of the imagery in Chimes Of Freedom. And his comments on TOOM, especially Not Dark Yet, are revelatory. His discussion of Highlands made me reassess it – I’d always switched off half way through what I heard as a tedious shaggy dog story. And Burns’ appreciation of Dylan’s voice and his performance art, throughout the book, is right on the money.
I have a few misgivings. The author struggles to justify his “visionary songs” theme – “songs which open our eyes and help us to see” - for example when discussing Isis.
Burns can also be dogmatic, at times committing the cardinal sin of deciding what Dylan means or is trying to say. On a few occasions, he misses the obvious – for example, the nuances of the looks on Dylan’s face during the musical jousting with Donovan in the hotel room jamming scene in Don’t Look Back. And familiar rock hack prejudices crop up in the author’s ignoring of the achievements of great pre-Dylan pop writers such as Cole Porter.
But I combed Burns’ text closely enough to unearth such reservations, which suggests that he successfully engaged me in a serious discussion about Dylan’s art.
Series Of Dreams is a stimulating new study: recommended.
A round of applause for Glen Murray Publishing, too – this handsome, well-designed volume is a pleasure to handle.
DETAILS: Series Of Dreams: The Vision Songs Of Bob Dylan, by John Burns, published by Glen Murray Publishing, November 2008, 136pp, £12.99, pbk, ISBN 9780955318351.
Available from:
www.glenmurraypublishing.co.uk
Listeners who enjoy dissecting Dylan’s lyrics will be stimulated by Series Of Dreams, the new critical study by John Burns.
Compared with the heavyweight classics of Dylan Lit (notably Gray and Ricks), Burns’ book might be slight, but it’s an accessible way into a study of Dylan’s art - which can be as daunting as starting to study Shakespeare.
Burns applies his well-honed critical insight by focusing on what he calls “vision songs” – a couple of dozen classics from across the catalogue.
His antennae are mostly well-tuned – I particularly like his appreciation of the imagery in Chimes Of Freedom. And his comments on TOOM, especially Not Dark Yet, are revelatory. His discussion of Highlands made me reassess it – I’d always switched off half way through what I heard as a tedious shaggy dog story. And Burns’ appreciation of Dylan’s voice and his performance art, throughout the book, is right on the money.
I have a few misgivings. The author struggles to justify his “visionary songs” theme – “songs which open our eyes and help us to see” - for example when discussing Isis.
Burns can also be dogmatic, at times committing the cardinal sin of deciding what Dylan means or is trying to say. On a few occasions, he misses the obvious – for example, the nuances of the looks on Dylan’s face during the musical jousting with Donovan in the hotel room jamming scene in Don’t Look Back. And familiar rock hack prejudices crop up in the author’s ignoring of the achievements of great pre-Dylan pop writers such as Cole Porter.
But I combed Burns’ text closely enough to unearth such reservations, which suggests that he successfully engaged me in a serious discussion about Dylan’s art.
Series Of Dreams is a stimulating new study: recommended.
A round of applause for Glen Murray Publishing, too – this handsome, well-designed volume is a pleasure to handle.
DETAILS: Series Of Dreams: The Vision Songs Of Bob Dylan, by John Burns, published by Glen Murray Publishing, November 2008, 136pp, £12.99, pbk, ISBN 9780955318351.
Available from:
www.glenmurraypublishing.co.uk
Monday, 5 January 2009
Yet more new Dylan books in 2009
With the Dylan bookshelves already groaning, many more new titles are scheduled for 2009. I’ll be buying (probably from Amazon):
Jan
* The Cambridge Companion to Bob Dylan (Cambridge Companions to American Studies) by Kevin J. H. Dettmar (hbk/pbk - 31 Jan)
Feb
* The Political Art of Bob Dylan by David Boucher and Gary Browning (pbk)
March
* Bob Dylan: The Illustrated Biography (Classic Rare & Unseen) by Chris Rushby (hbk, 1 Mar)
* Bob Dylan (Music Icons) by Luke Crampton and Dafydd Rees (pbk, 25 Mar)
April
* Revolution in the Air: The Songs of Bob Dylan, 1957-1973 by Clinton Heylin (hbk)
* Dylan: 100 Songs and Pictures by Bob Dylan (pbk)
May
* Bargainin' for Salvation: Bob Dylan, a Zen Master? by Steven Heine (pbk)
* Highway 61 Revisited: Bob Dylan's Road from Minnesota to the World by Colleen J. Sheehy and Thomas Swiss (pbk)
June
* Real Moments: The Photographs of Bob Dylan by Barry Feinstein (pbk)
Gerry Smith
Jan
* The Cambridge Companion to Bob Dylan (Cambridge Companions to American Studies) by Kevin J. H. Dettmar (hbk/pbk - 31 Jan)
Feb
* The Political Art of Bob Dylan by David Boucher and Gary Browning (pbk)
March
* Bob Dylan: The Illustrated Biography (Classic Rare & Unseen) by Chris Rushby (hbk, 1 Mar)
* Bob Dylan (Music Icons) by Luke Crampton and Dafydd Rees (pbk, 25 Mar)
April
* Revolution in the Air: The Songs of Bob Dylan, 1957-1973 by Clinton Heylin (hbk)
* Dylan: 100 Songs and Pictures by Bob Dylan (pbk)
May
* Bargainin' for Salvation: Bob Dylan, a Zen Master? by Steven Heine (pbk)
* Highway 61 Revisited: Bob Dylan's Road from Minnesota to the World by Colleen J. Sheehy and Thomas Swiss (pbk)
June
* Real Moments: The Photographs of Bob Dylan by Barry Feinstein (pbk)
Gerry Smith
Monday, 29 December 2008
Hidden riches on your Dylan shelves
Becoming acquainted with Tell Tale Signs – the packaging as well as the CDs – reminded me that I routinely overlook hidden riches on the Dylan album shelves.
Quite apart from the high quality recordings, the various album and DVD box set products include well-executed, extensive booklets full of expert discussion of the music, plus beautiful photographs.
I have a high regard for this aspect of Columbia/Sony’s tending of the Dylan legacy.
In case you also tend to overlook these riches, here’s details of what’s under your nose, but largely invisible:
* CDs
Biograph
Liner notes pp4-41 by Cameron Crowe; About The Songs pp42-62,
Cameron Crowe with Bob Dylan, 64pp, 1985
Bootleg Series vols 1-3
Liner notes by John Bauldie, 72pp, 1991
Bootleg Series vol 4 Live 1966
Liner notes by Tony Glover, 56pp, 1998
Bootleg Series vol 5 Live 1975
Liner notes by Larry ‘Ratso’ Sloman, 56pp, 2002
Bootleg Series vol 6 Live 1964,
Liner notes by Sean Wilentz, 56pp, 2004
Bootleg Series vol 7 No Direction Home: The Soundtrack
Liner notes by Andrew Loog Oldham, Eddie Gorodetsky and
Al Kooper, 60pp, 2005
Bootleg Series vol 8 Tell Tale Signs
Liner notes by Larry ‘Ratso’ Sloman, 64pp, 2008
The Essential Bob Dylan
Liner notes by Patrick Humphries, 12pp, 2001
DYLAN Limited Edition Box Set
Liner notes by Bill Flanagan, 40pp, 2007
* DVDs
Bob Dylan - Don’t Look Back (‘65 Tour De Luxe Edition)
Reprint of 1968 book, by D.A. Pennebaker, 159pp, 2007
The Other Side Of The Mirror:
Bob Dylan Live At The Newport Folk Festival 1963-1965
Liner notes by Tom Piazza, 20pp, 2007
Masked And Anonymous: music from the motion picture
Liner notes by Alan Light, 16pp, 2003
I’ve purposely excluded the Traveling Wilburys box, but probably missed some gems - please let me know.
Gerry Smith
Quite apart from the high quality recordings, the various album and DVD box set products include well-executed, extensive booklets full of expert discussion of the music, plus beautiful photographs.
I have a high regard for this aspect of Columbia/Sony’s tending of the Dylan legacy.
In case you also tend to overlook these riches, here’s details of what’s under your nose, but largely invisible:
* CDs
Biograph
Liner notes pp4-41 by Cameron Crowe; About The Songs pp42-62,
Cameron Crowe with Bob Dylan, 64pp, 1985
Bootleg Series vols 1-3
Liner notes by John Bauldie, 72pp, 1991
Bootleg Series vol 4 Live 1966
Liner notes by Tony Glover, 56pp, 1998
Bootleg Series vol 5 Live 1975
Liner notes by Larry ‘Ratso’ Sloman, 56pp, 2002
Bootleg Series vol 6 Live 1964,
Liner notes by Sean Wilentz, 56pp, 2004
Bootleg Series vol 7 No Direction Home: The Soundtrack
Liner notes by Andrew Loog Oldham, Eddie Gorodetsky and
Al Kooper, 60pp, 2005
Bootleg Series vol 8 Tell Tale Signs
Liner notes by Larry ‘Ratso’ Sloman, 64pp, 2008
The Essential Bob Dylan
Liner notes by Patrick Humphries, 12pp, 2001
DYLAN Limited Edition Box Set
Liner notes by Bill Flanagan, 40pp, 2007
* DVDs
Bob Dylan - Don’t Look Back (‘65 Tour De Luxe Edition)
Reprint of 1968 book, by D.A. Pennebaker, 159pp, 2007
The Other Side Of The Mirror:
Bob Dylan Live At The Newport Folk Festival 1963-1965
Liner notes by Tom Piazza, 20pp, 2007
Masked And Anonymous: music from the motion picture
Liner notes by Alan Light, 16pp, 2003
I’ve purposely excluded the Traveling Wilburys box, but probably missed some gems - please let me know.
Gerry Smith
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