Reviews

Chronicles. Volume 1 by Bob Dylan

marginalian's review against another edition

challenging mysterious reflective

I didn't know much about Bob Dylan and nothing has changed after reading this book. I came across his songs about five years ago and stayed with them. Now, after reading this, I realised that I don't know much about song making either.

I like how Dylan openly speaks about his influences. There's nothing completely original in the world. His words made me realise that one's output is determined by what one takes in. Apetite grows by what one dines on. So, one must always dine best. Be it books or role models. People are only good as what they surround themselves with. Dylan followed his favourite artists to the core, studied them intensely and scraped his own work out of that. 

One thing that struck me about the book was his observations on attention. Sociologists were already warning about dwindling attention spans due to TV. Long songs were replaced by small ones and back in 60s Dylan, therefore, tried to cram long poems !!

Some quotes from the book: 

• "The books were something. They were really something"
• "Privacy is something you can sell, but you can't buy it back"
• "Art is unimportant next to life and you have no choice"
• "Even if you don't have all the things you want, be grateful for the things you don't have that you don't want"
• "With basically not much media to speak of, it was basically life as you saw it"

zoroco's review against another edition

informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

is he being honest? does it even matter? bob's voice is so strong, and he tells a cracking story. opaque, infuriating, and oddly tender. would have loved the new morning part to be longer. but what a tale huh. what a man.

alexandrakanapki's review against another edition

informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

deanna_rigney's review against another edition

4.0

Well what I basically found out by reading this is that Dylan just thinks and talks like that, meaning in the poetic language of his songs, pretty much all the time. This is in pieces without the usual beginnings and endings, which was fine by me. He discusses personal changes in his music and what brought them on as well as where he got ideas for songs. I'd highly recommend if you are into the man.

autumn_franks_03's review against another edition

slow-paced

0.25

daisyvb's review against another edition

informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

 Bob Dylan writes about fellow male musicians like gay people tweet about middle aged actresses. He also seems to like having things “in common” with the people he likes and associates with to the point where it is like; do you want to be them or be with them. The prerequisites to be liked by him is that you need to be a little weird and off-putting in some sort of way, have your own moral code doesn’t matter where it lands, write decent music, and be sexy as hell. Either that or you have to be Joan Baez. He also wants it known what whilst he is aware he is a waif blessed with the allure of Jesus and lyrical tendencies of a prized court poet, he is also just a severely normal person, a dilf with some songs if you will. Half the time he doesn’t even seem sure he has those songs, in any sense of the word. It seems very important to him that we know he is so incredibly average and doesn’t really like much except for when he has an epiphany every third page while listening to a man play guitar and howl on a record as the sun sets. Weird guy. Great story teller though, and this, plus his easy ability to reference influences without shying away from the fact he has been inspired by many who came before, during and after, means he never comes across as narcissistic, just himself, whoever that might be. 

lmullz's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted reflective medium-paced

4.5

tessyoung's review against another edition

4.0

I'm not entirely sure what to make of this read. I thoroughly enjoyed it and found it compelling but it was confounding at every turn. It's perhaps easier to explain what it is not. It is not a linear narrative of a life. It reads more like an improvised free form, free associative piece where certain recollections lead to others, of often quite startling clarity. Dylan comes across as encyclopaedic in his knowledge of music, be that his preferred genre of folk or the structure of music, how melody works and how you can play with the form. What is less clear is the analytics, experiences or inspirations that underpin the lyrical side of his songwriting. That said, having written at some length in this volume about the crushing nature of the fame he experienced in his early career and his response to it, the volume ends back at the eve of that period, so the lack of linearity means you read of consequence prior to any insight into cause. In some ways this is perfect for those who know Dylan's career throughout, but less so for those who don't.
What struck me throughout this book is just how generous Dylan is to other musicians recognising their accomplishment independent of their fame.
The other thing I loved was the references and clear debt owed to, and veneration of Woody Guthrie. I love Guthrie and loved reading about him through Dylan's eyes. Moreover, while Dylan needed to find his own voice musically, his writing appears to share something with the Guthrie autobiography 'Bound for Glory' which Dylan describes: 'Guthrie writes like the whirlwind and you get tripped out on the sound of the words alone. Pick up the book anywhere, turn to any page and he hits the ground running.' I think this is an apt description of Dylan's own writing and it was fun to spend time with him.

backstagebadger's review against another edition

adventurous funny inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

stevenp33's review against another edition

lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

4.0