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dcox83's review
4.0
It amuses me endlessly that a book series that looks at the writings/life of historical figures like Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Malcome X and Martin Luther King Jr. put out an edition about Bob Dylan.
What's to say? A book of academic essays about Dylan is either going to appeal to you or not. I liked it and loved reading about different perspectives people take with his music. Like any book essays, there's going to be some duds (The guy who wrote about Blonde on Blonde spent the entire essay talking about the numbers in the song titles and about their symbolsim) and some that are great (Bob Dylan & Religion, and Bob Dylan & Feminism).
I wouldn't suggest it unless you had an average knowledge of his major albums as it'd be a little intimidating to pick it up without knowing his music first.
What's to say? A book of academic essays about Dylan is either going to appeal to you or not. I liked it and loved reading about different perspectives people take with his music. Like any book essays, there's going to be some duds (The guy who wrote about Blonde on Blonde spent the entire essay talking about the numbers in the song titles and about their symbolsim) and some that are great (Bob Dylan & Religion, and Bob Dylan & Feminism).
I wouldn't suggest it unless you had an average knowledge of his major albums as it'd be a little intimidating to pick it up without knowing his music first.
richardwells's review
3.0
Dylan is sure keeping some rarified company in the Cambridge Companion series, hanging out with the likes of Homer and Wittgenstein, and every great of the Western world in between. Is the Bobster really this important. I guess the dons of Cambridge think so. I'm not familiar with the series, but I'm pleased to say neither the editors nor writers over-reached with Dylan. The downfall of just about every Dylan tome is the author's bending and twisting of D's lyrics to fit his or her preconceived notions. There is a bit of that, but not as much as I expected. Here are two funny bits (not in the book) that should drive any Dylan academic to the tavern: one, Joan Baez tells the story of Dylan commenting on his own lyrics by saying that he thought it funny that academics would be studying them down the years, wondering what they mean, making up all sorts of interpretations, when even he didn't know what they meant, and he wrote them; and, two, in his last interview Dylan said he's glad to finally have some fans who just take the lyrics at face value and don't look for hidden meanings are special wisdom in them. Now, given that, just how do you study and discourse on the lyrics of Bob Dylan? The Cambridge Companion makes a good attempt by situating Dylan in the cultural times - in terms of songwriting there's BD and AD, and that's his great contribution - he changed the face of pop lyrics. His depth as a poet will remain debatable, his impact is historic, and probably worthy of inclusion in the Cambridge Companion series. Not up there with Homer or Wittgenstein, but... If you're just digging in to the Dylan oeuvre this book is necessary; if you're an old addict you'll buy it just because, and there's stuff in it to enjoy.
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