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List Price: $14.95 | | Publisher: Three Rivers Press
Salesrank: 293305
Released: August 27, 2002 |
| Our Price: $8.88 |
| Used Price: $1.69 |
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| Media: Paperback |
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Editorial Review:
"The War and Peace of Rock and Roll." —Bob Dylan
In 1975, as Bob Dylan emerged from eight years of seclusion, he dreamed of putting together a traveling music show that would trek across the country like a psychedelic carnival. The dream became reality, and On the Road with Bob Dylan is the ultimate behind-the-scenes look at what happened when Dylan and the Rolling Thunder Revue took to the streets of America.
With the intimate detail of a diary, Larry "Ratso" Sloman’s mesmerizing description of the legendary tour both transports us to a celebrated period in rock history and provides us with a vivid snapshot of Dylan during this extraordinary time. This reissue of the 1978 classic resonates more than ever as it chronicles one of the most glittering rock circuses ever assembled, with a cast that includes Joan Baez, Robbie Robertson, Joni Mitchell, Allen Ginsberg, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, and a wild entourage of groupies, misfits, sinners, and saints who trailed along for the ride. Sloman candidly captures the all-night revelry and musical prowess—from the backstage antics to impromptu jams—that made the tour a nearly mystical experience.
Complete with vintage photos and a new introduction by renowned Texas musician, mystery writer, and Revue member Kinky Friedman, this is an unparalleled treat for Dylan fans old and new. Without question, On the Road with Bob Dylan is a remarkable, revealing piece of writing and a rare up-close and personal view of Dylan on tour.
On the Road With Bob Dylan Reviews:
still reading, and geting used to it 
2009-09-06 - Since Dylan came, I've been there. So have lots of us. He's the iconic figure that helps connect the dots for everybody 50 or 60 years old. I've read, collected, listened, copied, imitated, shunned, exhorted, and every other kind of recognizable mental acknowledgment an attitude for the times. I like finding out new facts about the real Bob Dylan. The more I read about Bob, the more it seems the same stories keep resurfacing with a different twist. Everything is a version of what some "out of the dark" associated person may have said or for sure, according to quotes, did say. Who knows? Before I began plowing into this "On The Road One",I just finished another Dylan book, "Behind The Shades, Revisited", . So far, it's very interesting reading, except for the fact I stay confused about this Ratso fellow. He never seems to show up in any other Dylan biographies, although he writes as if he was continuously on the scene. For me the Rolling Thunder sections of the other Dylan histories represented a boring aspect of the times. Especially when the outsiders are brought into the fold and they are illuminated for the reader's interest. I think the Rolling Thunder aspect of Dylan's history is a large pathetic waste of Dylan's life and performances. There's very little quality listen able music from those times. The jam band, drug infested, hedonistic debacles staged every night throughout the World's stages seem boring. I guess you had to have been there, and probably on stage. So I'm going to continue digging through this first person Dylan tale, and see if Ratso becomes more bonified, and maybe even give the "Renaldo and Clara" episodes more thought.
Simply the most entertaining book about Bob Dylan 
2006-07-05 - This is the one to read, as endorsed by The Man himself.
Imagine covering Dylan at a time at which he had matured but was still "livin' on the edge" (at age 35 Dylan had crested as a musician & peaked as a performing artist, with his two Rolling Thunder Tours providing the proof).
Larry Sloman did just that.
Read his book along with the "Rolling Thunder Logbook" and then grab hold of one of the circulating tapes from 1975 (or for that matter, 1976) ... any complete, good-quality audience recording will beat the heck out of the offical release of this material.
Most of us would prefer (and still patiently await) the offical release of the "holy grail" of Dylan gigs, i.e., the Montreal show of Dec. 1975.
Sloman's Whine Fest 
2006-01-04 - This book should have been called, "On the Road with Larry Sloman." This has to be the WORST book ever written about Bob Dylan because it has little to do with Dylan, there is very little in the book about Dylan and is ALL about the writer (Sloman) to the degree, at some point in the middle, he starts referring to himself,annoyingly, in the third person. It is about the dislike of his presence by Dylan's people, his difficulty as being a reporter as a wannabe and is self serving. The only redeemable aspect of this book is his coffee shop conversations with Joni Mitchell at the end of the book.
If you enjoy page after page after page of incessant whining and childish, pouting by an author then by all means buy it.
Obviously Five Stars
2005-03-10 - Sloman's rant cuts to the bone and shares more than enough scraps from the feast of Dylan's mid '70's rock n' roll circus. His gonzo inspired adventure and inside/outside perspective are essential to understanding the status system of the stars on tour and the underbelly of the music industry. He writes with passion, humour, and desire. To be sure, he seems a pathetic sycophant at times, often treated like a mascot by the musicians and promoters, but his honesty and sincerity in not shying away from a less-than-flattering portrait of his situation makes one believe all the more in the truth of his tale. Anyone who feels that the book needs more Dylan and less Sloman clearly misses the point. His descriptions of Dylan as mystery man, his cogent intuitions about Rubin Carter, and his revelations about Joni Mitchell's songwriting process are bang-on. This is decidedly NOT a biography of Dylan, it is a story of one man's journey ON THE ROAD with a Bob Dylan tour. Any attempt on Sloman's part to disguise his experience behind a false veil of objectivity would render the story mute and destroy its delightful spirit. Hat's off to Ratso for a brilliant rendering of the Rolling Thunder Review.
far more depth than most rock books
2004-01-05 - i read a LOT of books on music, and though a solid Dylan fan, i wouldn't call myself a fanatic. This book really stands out in the level of detail it relates, and i would say it's as good as any writings about what it's actually like to be on a big rock tour. Sloman (also the ghostwriter of howard stern's 2 books) tape recorded 100s of hours of backstage chatter, so you do really get an accurate picture of the personalities here. Yes, its' slanted to the positive, since Ratso is certainly a superfan, but it's by no means a snow job. i'd compare it to "spanish tony" sanchez's book on the Stones insofar as you get far better insights to the players involved from this kind of account as you do a typical bio. i've read 5 or 6 other dylan bios and found this to be most enjoyable and insightful. The only reason i woudn't give it 5 stars is that you really have to be a pretty big fan of Dylan, folkies, or the rock touring world in general, because the level of depth here also means it's not for the more casual fan etc.
