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List Price: $15.00 | | Publisher: Guernica Editions Inc.
Salesrank: 1592742
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| Media: Paperback |
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Editorial Review:
From his rock 'n' roll of the 1960s through his return to folk and blues in the 1990s, this guide is a unique and comprehensive view of Bob Dylan's albums. Analyzing the famous singer-songwriter's career, this work provides a detailed discussion of Bob Dylan's albums from 1962 through 1997's Time Out of Mind. With critic notes on each album, new approaches to favorite tracks, and extra attention on certain overlooked songs, the evolution of the popular artist and his albums are now effectively documented.
The Bob Dylan Albums (Essay Series 44) Reviews:
Simplistic, Often Obvious 
2009-11-13 - If you're relatively new to Bob Dylan's production, this will lay out its album chronology and give you some insight into songs. A much better book for this is the Rough Guide to Bob Dylan, which provides more information with a sharper edge. If you are looking for a broad and factual introduction to the man-myth, you'll be much happier with the Rough Guide, which is great for beginners, and still useful to those more deeply immersed in Dylan.
Another Essential Dylan Book 
2002-10-28 - This book looks at each of Dylan's records, including 2001's triumphant "Love and Theft". Without getting bogged down in the convoluted lyric analysis that some other Dylan studies suffer from, the book provides a concise, engaging guide to Dylan's remarkable recording career. The reader gains a depper appreciation for Dylan's words and Dylan's music.
There are more than a few pearls in this collection; for instance, rightly recognizing "Greatest Hits, vol. II" as "the best introduction to Bob Dylan's work" and heralding such overlooked gems as "In the Summertime" and the albums "Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid" and "Hard Rain". Varesi provides an even hand throughout, as he is not afraid to criticise such blunders as "Self Portrait", "Renaldo and Clara" and some of Dylan's more mediocre live offerings.
Ultimately, the accessible album-by-album approach will have the reader going back to the music and then returning to the book for the commentary.
New Dylan Book Captures the Spirit of the Music
2002-09-24 - This book is a well written, engaging study of Dylan's officially released albums. It really captures the spirit of Dylan's music. The chapter on The Bootleg Series Vol. 4 is, in particular, remarkably vivid. Also very useful as a balanced consumer guide. Highly recommended.
Not what it should be
2002-09-20 - While this book does provide some helpful information on some of Dylan's lesser known work, anyone familiar with the more well-known Dylan (i.e. the mid-60s Dylan, the Blood on the Tracks Dylan, the Time out of Mind/Love and Theft Dylan) won't find much new information there. Varesi's take on Time out of Mind is laughably one-dimensional. And his misreading of "Leopard-skin Pill-box Hat" is ridiculous. Does anyone really think that song's about a hat? Come on now.
This book is worth reading for those of us who need to take a second look at some of the lesser known albums, but it is by no means an authoritative or important work of scholarship on Dylan
