( 40 reviews )
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Posted: Aug 6 2009
I found it hard to read at times but overall it was interesting to read the mind of a genius. If you have heard and read everything bob dylan has recorded, you will get the songs and albums he talks about, and the people he talks about.But if you only know him through certain albums like "blonde on blonde" or "blood on the tracks" you'll be clueless as to what he is talking about. Like me, I really wish he had talked about more about the blonde on blonde album and who were the inspirations for songs like "I Want You" or "Just Like a Woman." I loved the description of Joan Baez which only makes you wonder why they didn't tie the knot. So if you are open to reading anything that has to do with music, read this!
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Posted: Jul 26 2009
Following the release of his finest trio of recordings since Blood on the Tracks comes this first volume of a memoir chronicling (mostly) his early days in NYC, learning his trade among the misfits and bohemians. Rich in detail, anecdotes, and cultural insights, Chronicles paints a compelling portrait of the artist as a young man, coming of age in an America where revolutionary change still seemed possible. His tone is casual throughout, his writing style conversational. As others have noted, he makes it seem like anyone in the same circumstances might have come up with Hard Rain, It's All Right, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding), or Subterranean Homesick Blues. False modesty? Maybe. But elsewhere he has admitted to being mystified by his own muse, so perhaps he really is no wiser than the rest of us.
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Posted: Jul 15 2009
I got the audio version which has Sean Penn narrate and it works for me. Seems the perfect man for the job. Wonder if they'll have Penn do the anticipated Chronicles Vol. 2? Hope so. This book was a lot of fun. Dylan's writing is wonderful. Seems it surprised a lot of people Dylan would write an autobiography, especially media people. They can never get enough if they even sense there is more to be gotten, no matter how many interviews a celebrity does. We aren't offered up here the juicy personal tidbits many media parasites like to feast on, however. What Dylan mostly chronicles is his journey as a musician and he skips around out of chronology from one period to the next. He delves into the creation of lesser known albums "New Morning" and "Oh Mercy" on which he collaborated with producer Daniel Lanois in New Orleans. A sizable portion of this volume is devoted to his first coming to New York City and Greenwich Village at the start of the 60s before he got huge. He recounts meeting the figures of that scene and richly describes many of the places and people that made up that world that are now long gone. Most absent is the period of peak fame, the mid-60s. Also talks about Minnesota. Of particular interest are recollections of musical discoveries that had a profound impact on him as a musician like hearing Robert Johnson for the first time. Chronicles is a great time and an essential book for any interested in American music history over the last 50 years. Lookin' forward to volume 2.
