Bob Dylan Chronicles Volume One

If you’ve been wondering if you should spend 25 bucks on this first book
in Dylan’s autobiographical trilogy… the answer is yes. It’s really,
really good. Sort of reads like Tarantula with some structure and history.
As you read it you get the feeling that everything he has ever told
everyone in any interview before now was all just pure BS. (after all he’s
good at BS). Lot’s of inside stuff, imaginative history, real clues on his
discovery of the muse and it’s loaded with the same imagery his songs are,
in fact it reads like a song. I figured it would either really suck or be
just another stolen moment from Zimmy, but it feels and reads like he’s
been thinking and musing over this for quite some time.

The first chapter is magical. He takes you back to the village in the early ’60s. And if you know the geography, it’s even more magical. The second chapter revolves around the insanity of his life in the late ’60s, where he just wants to be a songwriter and make records, and the rest of the world wants him to be their saviour. The third chapter revolves around making “New Morning” and getting his life back by turning his back on the insane counter-culture of the late ‘60′ and early ’70s and making country recrods to drive the fans, and the lunatics, away. Chapter 4 is in some ways the least compelling, but for songwriters and musicians, it might be the most interesting. He chronicles the making of “Oh Mercy”, from songwriting to recording with Daniel Lanois. Songwriters, even if you’re not a Dylan fan, you should read this book.