Product Description

Bob Dylan has always regarded himself as a songwriter: ‘I am my words,’ he wrote in 1964. Distilling a lifetime’s passion and study, leading Dylan author, Clinton Heylin charts the development and first moments of genius of this unique artist whose songs changed the world. From his first attempts at writing, Song to Bridget, in 1957, (apparently for Brigitte Bardot) Bob Dylan always aspired to poetry, yet his role as a writer rather than a performer of his own songs is often overlooked. In over fifty years of creativity he had penned some of the most iconic, and perfect, songs in popular history. Arriving in New York in 1961, the city had an enormous impact on the young artist and, as he established himself amongst the folk clubs and artists, he would produce songs that spoke for a whole generation: Blowing in the Wind, A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall, The Times They Are a Changin’, ‘Like a Rolling Stone’, and ‘Forever Young’. In Revolution in the Air Clinton Heylin recounts the story of each song as it is written, giving a full appreciation of the songs themselves as well as Dylan the emerging artist. Unlike any other book on Dylan, it charts his rise as a writer, where he gained his inspiration, the burst of energy which produced some of his most famous songs as well as the lesser known stories behind the more iconic verses. This is an essential book for anyone interested in Dylan and his place in literature. Informative, opinionated, packed with new insights and revelations, this is an instant classic. Praise for Clinton Heylin: “The only Dylanologist worth reading.” - The New York Times. “Arguably the world’s greatest rock biographer.” - The Irish Independent. Bob Dylan Behind the Shades – take two (2000) “The most exhaustive, balanced and intelligent account of Dylan’s accomplishments that anybody is likely to provide.” - Mick Brown, Daily Telegraph. “This epic portrait could hardly be bettered.” - The Independent.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #24893 in Books
• Published on: 2009-04-23
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 498 pages

Review
"The only Dylanologist worth reading." - The New York Times.

"Arguably the world's greatest rock biographer." - The Irish Independent.

"The most exhaustive, balanced and intelligent account of Dylan's accomplishments that anybody is likely to provide." - Mick Brown, Daily Telegraph.

"This epic portrait could hardly be bettered." - The Independent.

"Beg, steal, borrow ... a compelling history of Dylan s mercurial songwriting" - Mojo, 5 star review.

"Valuable resource" - Observer.

"Already has the critics singing its praises" - The Herald.

"Another epic work from Heylin" - Ham & High.

"Terrifically interesting for Dylan nuts" - Sunday Herald.

"Manna for completists" - Metro

"A gripping new book by Dylan scholar Clinton Heylin so is so far in the deep end that its borderline insane . . [yet] has been devoured with a ravenous, insatiable appetite, and I have even made notes in the margin."- Mark Ellen, Word.

"A magnum opus that anyone curious about, fascinated by, and devoted to His Master's Voice will want to read and ponder." --Jonathan Cott, author, Dylan, and editor, Bob Dylan: The Essential Interviews

`A gripping new book by Dylan scholar Clinton Heylin so is so far in the deep end that its borderline insane . . [yet] has been devoured with a ravenous, insatiable appetite, and I have even made notes in the margin.' --Mark Ellen, Word

"A magnum opus that anyone curious about, fascinated by, and devoted to His Master's Voice will want to read and ponder." --Jonathan Cott, author, Dylan, and editor, Bob Dylan: The Essential Interviews

Review
`A gripping new book by Dylan scholar Clinton Heylin so is so far in the deep end that its borderline insane . . [yet] has been devoured with a ravenous, insatiable appetite, and I have even made notes in the margin.' Mark Ellen, Word

Review
"A magnum opus that anyone curious about, fascinated by, and devoted to His Master's Voice will want to read and ponder." --Jonathan Cott, author, Dylan, and editor, Bob Dylan: The Essential Interviews

Customer Reviews

Not the best Dylan book ....
I am going to give this book only three stars because I felt quite bored by the author's relentless self-promotion. I find arrogance difficult to take and, having read a whole stack of Dylan books where the authors are rather more interested in Bob than themselves, I find this one rather irritating. The issue of scholarship is significant: Heylin has spent a lot of time in the Colombia vaults and probably reads their system better than most, but his arrangement of the songs chronologically is very much a matter of opinion, informed as that opinion might be. That, effectively, is his one trick, and it is insufficient to carry this book since his critical skills are not of the same order. It becomes tedious that Heylin ends each section with a little twist that he presumably finds witty; I don't, at least after a few of them. He also seems to have much more respect for himself than for Dylan and, with an ego the size of his own should be more forgiving of both Bob's ego AND his libido. I also am much irritated by Heylin's lack of respect for other authors, I have met Michael Gray and find him an interesting, insightful and pleasant man. I am SURE that Gray would not speak of Heylin in the way that Heylin does of Gray and everyone else. In my opinion, the best thing to inform anyone wanting to find out more about Dylan is to read another book, so long as it is intelligently written. Heylin doesn't agree with this, thinking most other writers inferior to himself, and it is to his detriment. In a few word, I will state with certainty; Song and Dance Man 3 is MUCH better than this book, though much more demanding intellectually to read. I would like to test Heylin's knowledge of American roots music; I suspect it would NOT be great, and certainly would not match Gray's.

Ain't Clinton Heylin Great!
Ain't Clinton Heylin Great' would have been a good alternative title for this book. Once one wades through the self-congratulatory, ego-driven 'Seems Like an Intro' the book is actually not to bad. Heylin obviously thinks very highly of himself and very little of any one else who has ever written about Dylan. He also fancies himself as something of a wit, unfortunately, Oscar Wilde he is not.

However, beyond Heylin's obvious shortcomings as a writer the book is enjoyable and where he fails as a writer Heylin does seem to be a half decent researcher. The reasonably informed and educated reader will doubtless see through the tabloid standard assumptions that populate almost every page and enjoy the history and origins of the songs.

Great Book - Just Ask The Author
Echoing the other reviews of this book on here, this is a fantastic piece of work by one of the foremost Dylan experts and despite being chopped into individual songs it still manages to read like a cohesive whole. Even the most serious Dylan fans will find something new here and I for one can't wait for the next volume which will cover his less acclaimed but in many ways more interesting work.

Unfortunately however the author, rather than let the books obvious merits speak for themselves appears to find it necessary to tell us how good he is, frequently, and less forgivably how poor pretty much every other Dylan scholar throughout history has been. This monumental arrogance is pretty tedious at times and can become wearing but it shouldn't detract from what is a significant work. Heylin may be as he so often points out, the best there is when it comes to writing about Dylan but my God you wouldn't want to have him round for dinner.