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The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia: Revised and Updated Edition |  | Author: Michael Gray
Publisher: Continuum
Category: Book
List Price: $29.95
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Rating:  21 reviews
Sales Rank: 396303
Media: Paperback
Edition: Corr. and Updated Pbk. Ed., Updated and Rev. Ed
Pages: 784
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3.6
Dimensions (in): 10 x 6.9 x 1.7
ISBN: 0826429742
Dewey Decimal Number: 782.42164092
EAN: 9780826429742
ASIN: 0826429742
Publication Date: April 15, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
"The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia" is one of the most wide-ranging, informed, entertaining, provocative, and compulsively readable books ever written about popular music. It's the culmination of over thirty years of dedicated research and scholarship by Michael Gray.Bob Dylan's outreach is too wide, too deep and too long for any book about him to cover it all. He'll be 65 years old when this book is published and his career spans 45 years of American history. The many different kinds of entry that are in the book include: biographies of singers, musicians, songwriters and composers who have influenced Dylan and/or worked with him; critical assessments and factual details (including place and date of recording, date of release and original catalogue numbers) for all Dylan's albums and for a large number of individual songs from decades of work; and, Dylan's key career and biographical moments.The many different kinds of entry that are in the book also include: biographies of writers, poets and other key cultural figures who have impacted on Dylan's work and/or who are mentioned within it, from William Blake to William Carlos Williams and from Lenny Bruce to Franz Kafka, in each case delineating the often surprising ways in which they connect to Dylan's work; short biographies of music critics and authors of books and major websites on Dylan; critical assessments & facts on Dylan's own books and films; and, discursive subjects, from Dylan Interpreters to Cowboy Heroes, and from The Use of Hollywood Dialogue in Dylan's lyrics, to 'frying an egg on stage'.
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 21
 4 and 1/2 Stars -- Invaluable, Could Have Been Great February 8, 2010
VoodooLord7 (Oklahoma, USA)
There is a virtual library of books covering nearly every Bob Dylan aspect, but this is the first that anyone should buy. Unlike most, it is very general, touching on criticism, biography, and nearly every other area. Unlike many, it is written for a general audience; the casual and curious will get at least as much out of it as hard-cores. This is a veritable treasure trove of Dylan facts, criticism, figures, trivia, and more. All fan levels will find much to enjoy and appreciate; readers are both entertained and enlightened. Simply put, no serious Dylan fan can be without this, and anyone even remotely interested should seriously consider it.
The best thing about the book is its comprehensiveness - over seven hundred pages plus a generous amount of pictures, an interesting preface, and a well-compiled index. Michael Gray is keenly aware of his audience and clearly learned from one of the main complaints about Song and Dance Man III, his prior Dylan work. This aimed at hard-cores, and while they appreciated the painstaking documentation, many found it at times overwhelming, and some were especially annoyed by the many long footnotes. Documentation is just as extensive here, but Gray wisely relegates it to brackets at entries' end, letting those who do not care for it easily skip. The simple alphabetical index also makes for easy browsing, as does Gray's convenient capitalizing of entries mentioned in other entries.
Yet the book is not perfect. There are a few clear flaws, but they are relatively minor and take away little. The most important thing in such a book is accuracy, and this reaches a very high mark. I noticed about half a dozen errors and have seen a few others pointed out, but they are thankfully minor and mostly not about Dylan directly. Besides, such accuracy is extraordinary in a work of this magnitude, especially one written by a single person.
However, many of Gray's subjective choices are controversial, and individual tastes will go a long way toward determining how much one likes the book, though thankfully nothing overrules the indisputably positive features. First and most importantly, it is important to realize that the title is somewhat misleading. Though encyclopedic in scope - at least if we restrict ourselves to one volume encyclopedias -, this has very little resemblance to standard encyclopedias. For starters, it is not a purely reference work. The preface admits that the book is primarily the work of a critic, and there is also much biographical material, trivia of the sort that would not make an encyclopedia, and many comments of various natures. This last is the most important; in stark contrast to actual encyclopedias, Gray does not even pretend to be objective or neutral. His opinions are everywhere; many are negative, and quite a few are controversial. A good number even seem inflammatory; hard-core Dylan fans are a warring camp, and Dylan books are known for this, but one can easily question the usefulness and relevance of igniting old battles in such a work. Much of this is of course Dylan-related - e.g., Gray's constant bickering about latter-day concerts -, but the most controversial probably relates to others. Fans of Joan Baez and Roger McGuinn will be particularly offended, and I probably need say no more about The Beatles' entry other than that it says only "A pop group." Many will likely be bothered not so much by the presence of opinions as by the way Gray delivers them as if they are facts. On top of this, a significant amount of what he says is discursive, and a surprising amount is personal. Perhaps this should not surprise; it is after all his book, and its nature is clear in the very first entry. Some may even be glad; it after all gives the book a personal, informal feel that makes reading more entertaining - there is even occasional humor, though the jokes sometimes fall flat - than a standard reference work would be. Those normally bored by such books could even be delighted. However, those wanting standard encyclopedic tone will be disappointed - perhaps even to the point of disliking the book and/or finding it near useless.
The book is also not what it seems in other ways. Indeed, it may be best to describe the work as not about Dylan directly so much as about things related to him, often quite tangentially. The strange description on the back implies this, but I assumed it was misleading; perhaps it should be considered a warning. For example, a very large percentage of the book consists of entries about musicians who have played with Dylan. All have the basic information one would expect: biographical summary, information about the Dylan connection, and a bit about other work. Many, perhaps most, will want nothing more; this is after all supposed to be about Dylan. However, many entries go much further, some even lasting pages. Such extended entries go into considerable detail about biographical and other non-Dylan matter. Even stranger, some barely mention Dylan; he is sometimes thrown in as a sentence or two at the end seemingly as an afterthought. Such entries are always revealing and frequently interesting; much is even fascinating on its own terms. However, their relevance is very debatable; many will likely skip most or all of them. The book would be considerably shorter without them and arguably better.
In strange contrast, despite the remarkable comprehensiveness, a surprising number of things related directly to Dylan that almost anyone would have included are absent. For example, I never doubted that every officially released song would have an entry, but almost none do. In fact, the ones that are chosen seem wildly arbitrary; most of the best-known and best are missing, but quite a few obscure ones are present. Even more bizarrely, the entries are often very short, and the information is in no way standardized; we might get pages of intense critical analysis about one and a few token notes on another. Similarly, all official albums are here, but the entries are extremely short - a few sentences with the most basic information. Many other no-brainers are also missing. For instance, there is no entry with all basic biographical information in one place, and the book lacks obvious, eminently useful lists of things like Dylan's award and sales.
It is also easy to take issue with what Gray includes. Long entries about obscure and unpopular topics like Dylan's gospel era, his much-maligned Under the Red Sky album, and some of his recent traditional folk song choices will bore many. It is hard to blame Gray for riding pet favorites, but they often seem out of place. More importantly, they make the book distinctly uneven in regard to the length and quality of entries. How much information we get, as well as what type and how well it is presented, depends on how much Gray likes - or hates - it. Those with similar views will be glad; those with widely variant ones may be profoundly disappointed. All of this would of course be taken for granted in a normal Dylan book, but anything with "Encyclopedia" in the title distinctly implies something else.
The inclusion of critical material is another case in point. Gray's critical Dylan book has been through three expanded editions, and there are many others by various authors. Anyone looking for such a work can easily find one, but "Encyclopedia" does not imply a critical book, and most will probably be surprised by criticism's presence. It may be a pleasant surprise to some, but probably at least as many will find it annoying and cumbersome. Its randomness is particularly puzzling even to those who like it. There is no method to its distribution; famous songs are passed over without criticism, and we may go dozens of pages without any only to have an in-depth analysis of an obscure song. Many will think criticism is inappropriate in such a work and only weighs it down, but even those who like will really only have their appetites whetted. Gray may have put it to lure readers into Song and Dance Man III, but he may well scare away more readers than he wins over. Leaving aside the question of whether criticism should even be present, it should at least be more even-handed.
Gray's writing may also irritate some, particularly his overuse of certain words. One would think this could not be a problem in such a long work, but he rides some - particularly "risible" - so hard that it is impossible not to notice. His use of British spellings in Dylan lyrics is also annoying and inaccurate. British spellings might annoy Americans, but no one should take authors to task for using native spellings in their own prose. However, Dylan is American and uses American spellings; non-Americans must not force their nationality onto him. Gray is not alone in this sad trend, but his participation is unfortunate.
Finally, though the book has something for all, those who have read many Dylan books, especially Gray's, will get significantly less out of it. As it sticks mainly to basic information, especially when about Dylan directly, hard-cores will already know much of it. Perhaps more disappointingly, Gray reuses much of his prior writing verbatim to the extent of several pages at a time; for example, album entries are direct from Song and Dance Man III. This is understandable given the work's general nature, and hard-cores must remember they are not the target audience. Even so, as with much else, there is a strange randomness; for instance, Gray reuses long passages about obscure works but refrains from copying many other sections of at least equal relevance. This can only disappoint hard-cores, but the book still has plenty to make it worthwhile for them.
All this may make it seem that cons outweigh pros, but this is far from so. It is just that cons are easier to describe, and listing them will be more useful to potential buyers than simply belaboring the many excellencies. The truth is that this is a wonderful, invaluable book for all fans and, if not perfect, is still excellent. Opinions may vary somewhat widely in subjective areas, but none can deny the book's high overall quality, and it belongs on every fan's bookshelf. If you buy only one Dylan book, make it this one.
 Excellent Research--And Fun to Read December 23, 2009
Lawrence J. Epstein (New York)
This Encyclopedia is extraordinarily interesting and useful for Dylan fans. Some reviewers have noted mistakes in writing about people associated with Dylan. Gray's research about Dylan, though, is thorough and important. I don't recall a clearer rendition of Dylan's family background, for example. When the material is about Dylan himself, that is, the Encyclopedia is wonderful.
Gray is, as others have noted, unafraid to express strong opinions. Whether one agrees or disagrees with him, I prefer the thoughtful opinions to simple facts alone or to an uncritical appreciation of every note that Dylan sung. The entries are characteristically enjoyable and readable.
I find myself going to this Encyclopedia for a quick overview of a subject and then using the entry as a jumping off point to find more material.
--Lawrence J. Epstein, author of Political Folk Music in America from Its Origins to Bob Dylan
Perfectly MAD book!! June 11, 2009
Joseph Morris (Elmwood Park, NJ)
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3AAZ28KZV5MIT
 Dylan Encyclopedia February 27, 2009
C. Dahlberg (Greenville, SC)
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
Paperback binding is very poor. When the book is opened, the binding splits. Recommend don't buy since it won't last very long.
how we think October 28, 2008
Bruce P. Barten (Saint Paul, MN United States)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
In a way, I am too much like this book to offer anyone else an opinion about what can be found in hundreds of pages. If anyone imagines intellectuals walking around like a book that never ends, try thinking of me as being like this book. I believe in intoxication in words the way other people have been seduced by sex, drugs, and rock and roll. I already know many of the songs by Bob Dylan, and Michael Gray has information that goes way beyond what I learn by trying to sing them when I want to know how I really feel.
Just a bit on the movie "Annie Hall" can surpass my ability to say anything. I think like Woody Allen when I confront a monstrosity like the culture that I belong to in more ways than one. I believe in flawless recitation, and the Bob Dylan Encyclopedia description of the setting of a comment about the song "Just Like a Woman" whereby "a vacuous hippie character played by the wonderful Shelley Duvall recites the lines quoted as if they're far-out and profound, . . ." makes me want, even more, to be that far-out and profound, in addition to gaining more information about sex, drugs, and rock and roll.
Thinking is not at all what it used to be for people who spend a lifetime waiting for television to tell them something. What is in this book is a form of culture that rarely appears on the screen that people are checking for news every day. It rocks even as it remains words on a page.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 21
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