Chronicles, Volume 1 by Bob Dylan Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Chronicles, Volume 1
Book Review: A decent book
Summary: 3 Stars
I am not sure why everyone seems to love this book so much. While I did enjoy the book, I didn't see it as ground breaking or magical. Dylan at times gets really personal with his writing, but also always seems to keep his distance. He's a wonderful song writer without question, but why some people look at him as a god for this I never have understood. In the book he makes a clear point to the reader, that he's more human than savior. This is a fun and interesting book, that contains many of the people that influenced him in his life. The inside view of these people, is probably one of the most engaging aspects of this little story. I am greatful that Dylan wrote this book, but to put it up on a pedistal and call it a classic is far reaching.Book Review: A genius articulates his inner dialogue
Summary: 5 Stars
The biggest surprise is that Dylan's memoirs are, for the most part, lucid and down-to-earth. He does a good job of articulating "scenes": particular people at a particular time and place doing, saying, and thinking particular things.
On some subjects he does stray from the particulars however and I felt that a few short audio tracks might help explain what he is talking about. Nevertheless, I thought the insights he devulges about his creative process and his career influences were profound and fascinating. This is the work of a genius divulging his inner dialogue.
He explains that he realized he could only succeed as a song-writer and not an instrumentalist after watching Mike Seeger, a renowned virtuoso folk musician, play guitar one night. The idea that it was his ambition to succeed for its own sake and not some unstoppable inner creative force that produced his repertoire is a revelation to me.
It undoubtedly helps if you know his music well and are familiar with at least the major influences he cites. I had no clue that he had heard and absorbed Robert Johnson before he recorded his first album with Columbia (John Hammond gave him a pre-release copy of "King of the Delta Blues Singers"). If you grew up listening to that album as well as Dylan's early albums you must read this book.
Book Review: A glimpse at Robert's toolbox, not his laundry.
Summary: 5 Stars
There have been countless books (Amazon has 250-300) written about his life which have focused on all aspects of his life. Colleges and universities have classes surrounding the meaning of some of his songs.
He wrote the soundtrack to a generation and has been labelled all kinds of things. He's a legend (but dismisses being "the voice of a generation") but doesn't want to be put in a museum just yet. He's still out there doing what he always wanted to do. If anything, the Bob Dylan he wanted to be is the one who is out there today touring relentlessly.
I don't see Dylanologists particularly caring for this book because they want it all. It's not a book that you need the Dylan Secret Decoder Ring for. It's very straightforward. But as with most autobiographies, a lot is either taken out altogether or toned down to protect the living. Or will be included later on...
The book takes places at different times and ends up more or less where it started, and has the feel of having a conversation (or a car ride) where the conversation might veer off in different directions, and eventually comes back to where he started, in this case, New York City. An old photo of Times Square featured on the front cover, an early 60s photo of Dylan is on the back.
You learn that a 5 second encounter with wrestler Gorgeous George is as much an influential figure in his life as Woody Guthrie was (although he mentions very little about his own interest in boxing) You see him trying to get out of 2 significant "slumps" in his life (1968 and 1987) to make a comeback/reinvention, and the "Oh Mercy" sessions that he'd have critical acclaim with, shows Dylan testing everyone's nerves including finding confidence in what he was doing again. To me, this chapter was the most revealing out of anything else in the book. It's something that will make you want to go to the music store and pick that CD up (and Time Out of Mind, which was by far his best recording in a long time).
He also got to hear Robert Johnson's music (from Albert Hammond Jr.) long before Eric Clapton's own obsession in a few years when the name would cause puzzled looks from his peers. He would hear some things in songs that others didn't pick up on.
You see him encounter early critics of his music and style in Minneapolis and trying to find his own voice as well as the building blocks of turning a midwestern kid named Bobby Zimmerman from a small town in Minnesota into the persona known as Bob Dylan, and trying to find a balance between the two over the years. You see him studying countless influences and picking things up, taking them apart, and putting them back together again in a way he could do them.
But you also see him taking his midwestern background and putting it to his advantage (not unlike Johnny Carson who was able to relate to everyone yet kept his own personal life far away from the limelight), taking apart some of the pretentiousness and ridiculousness of urban life, or taking something out of today's headlines and putting them to a centuries old style of music, or taking something from the past and making it sound modern.
He doesn't go deep into his relationships although you learn that his girlfriend in the early 60s is related to Alan Lomax, Joan Baez is as important if not more so than he is and explains why, and that he felt it important to keep his family as far away from the spotlight as possible (even though one is in the Wallflowers and the other is a film and music video director). Maybe some more blanks will be filled in with Martin Scorsese's documentary on Dylan.
Overall, it's an enjoyable book worth reading that's over before you know it. It's not a "songwriting 101" or a tell-all, but
a lot of tools of his trade are in there, but like a magician or performer, he's not going to give all his secrets away. But hopefully he'll write more and take us on more journeys with him through his chronicles.
Book Review: A rare glimpse into the mind of a visionary
Summary: 5 Stars
Much has been written about this book since it came out. One thing is for sure: a true biography it's not. It's equal parts fiction and myth blended seamlessly with actual events in Dylan's life and career. A lot of what he talks about in the book is embellished, made up, and written for effect. Having said that, it does provide many nuggets of insight viewed from his own perspective. Maybe the most fascinating thing is the way he describes his relationship with his own songs as he recorded them, and over the years. One wonders whether every songwriter has this type of relationship with their songs. He talks about the importance of privacy and family life. Privacy he still maintains to this day. Family life? Considering he's on the "never ending" tour, and spends several hundred days year after year on the road, there can't be much family life left. I've been a Dylan fan for most of my life, but reading this book made me go back and revisit gems like "Oh Mercy" and "Infidels" and appreciate them in a new light. One reviewer here said you get the impression he's just a "regular guy". There's nothing "regular" about this guy. He's nothing short of one of the greatest artists of all time, let alone alive today. We're all fortunate to be alive at the same time as him. Once he's gone, our grandkids will ask "so...did you ever get a chance to see Bob Dylan?"Book Review: Absolutely Fascinating Insights into Dylan
Summary: 5 Stars
I read this book from start to finish on a 9 hour trans-atlantic flight, and was absolutely unable to put it down until I was finished. Dylan essentially serves up 3 snapshots of his life in this 300 page first volume of a reputed three volumes: his early days in Minneapolis and New York, prior to making it big; his disenchantment with fame and fortune era-1971; and his recording of the Daniel Lanois-produced "Oh Mercy" album in 1987-88.
Couple of things that struck me while reading this: first and foremost, Dylan must have a memory of steel. I mean, he recounts his early days in New York (era-1961) with simply an incredible amount of detail and color, and yes, even name-dropping. It's like a painting coming to life in your mind, and like you are right then and there. Second, it's hard for some to accept (see reviews below), but Dylan makes it perfectly clear he never wanted to be the 'spokesman for a generation' and in fact flat-out refuses it, going to extreme lengths in the early 70s to try and change his image. Third, for anyone expecting personal stuff, forget about it! Dylan will refer once in a while to "my wife" in the various chapters, and that's it. Good for him. Finally, the "Oh Mercy" chapter gives great insight on how Dylan and Lanois struggled through their disagreements to deliver a pretty good (but not classic) album. Dylan must've been pleased as he asked Lanois to produce "Time Out of Mind" in 1997. This book covers such much, yet so little. Just imagine how much more is yet to come!
Some retailers provided a (free) accompanying "Chronicles Volume One Limited Edition" CD. The CD (6 tracks, 18 min.) is notable for including a previously unavailable track, "The Cuckoo", recorded live at the Gaslight in NY in 1962. The audio quality is surprisingly good (coughs from the audience are clearly heard at one point, though). Also included is a previously unreleased demo of "Dignity", which Dylan discusses in the book. The other 4 tracks are 2 songs each from the "New Morning" and "Dignity" albums which songs Dylan also discusses in the book. In all, a terrific CD for the inclusion of the previously unavailable tracks. And the book is a must, not just for Dylan fans, but for anyone wanting to understand better the beginnings of one of rock's great legends. And when he comes to your town this year or next, please go see him! Who knows how long the "never-ending tour" will really go on?