Bob Dylan: American Troubadour

(Paperback)

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With Bob Dylans receipt of the Nobel Prize in Literature, his iconic status as an American musical, cultural, and poetic giant has never been more apparent. Bob Dylan: American Troubadour is the first book to look at Dylans career, from his first album to his late masterpiece Tempest. Donald Brown provides insightful critical commentary on Dylans prolific body of work, placing Dylans career in the context of its time in order to assess the relationship of Dylans music to contemporary American culture. Each chapter follows the shifting versions of Dylan, from his songs of conscientious social involvement to more personal exploratory songs; from his influential rock albums of the mid-1960s to his adaptations of country music; from his three very different tours in the 1970s to his born again period as a proselytizer for Christ and his frustrations as a recording and performing artist in the 1980s; from his retrospective importance in the 1990s to the refreshingly vital albums he has been producing in the twenty-first century. Bob Dylan: American Troubadour will engage not only Dylan fans and students of his work but also those interested in American popular music, history, and culture. Anyone who has been touched, challenged, or surprised by a Dylan song will enjoy this concise and informed critical exploration of Dylans music and his place in the American musical landscape.

Reviews

In recent years there has been a plethora of books on the enigmatic Mr. Dylan, but this entry in Rowman & Littlefields Tempo music series on rock, pop, and culture is a bit different as it explores Dylans music through the lens of social and cultural history. In nine fascinating chapters, Brown, a freelance writer and editor, follows Dylan chronologically through his career, from young troubadour in Greenwich Village who unwittingly became the spokesman of a generation through his controversial electric transformation to the rural glory of the Basement Tapes to his richly creative Blood on the Tracks period to his born-again phase to his current renaissance as a rock elder and cultural force. Browns discussion of individual songs and albums is particularly insightful. This concise examination of the Dylan corpus is especially good for younger generations who may want to better understand how a musician in his early seventies can still be so compelling and relevant in twenty-first-century America. A useful Dylan and cultural events timeline and an annotated discography round out the volume. * Booklist *
Many studies of Bob Dylans life and career have been overly comprehensive, to the delight of his obsessive fans. It is refreshing to read editor, theater critic, and blogger Browns crisp and concise contribution to Dylan scholarship. The author organizes the book into nine chronological periods of the musicians ever-changing life, up through the release of Tempest in 2012. Along the way he references key national and world events and cultural influences that were relevant to Dylans creative output. The narrative flows smoothly, and many songs receive a paragraph of mini-interpretation. The final section, covering the years 200012, is especially interesting as it documents the unexpected resurgence of Dylans career with three major albums and relentless touring. Brown devotes much more space to a close reading of the newer songs. VERDICT Brown proves that he is very well versed in all things Dylan with this very accessible work. While it covers familiar territory, the books strength is a thorough assessment of Dylans career, album by album, song by song. Both longtime fans and newcomers to Dylans work will appreciate Browns approach. * Library Journal *
Cultural critic Brown explores the entire catalogue of Bob Dylan in tandem with the social, political, and personal events that unfolded over the course of the artists lifetime. Emphasizing the dual history approach, the book begins by aligning Dylans timeline with the national one. Dylan performs at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, reads Joseph Conrad while recording 'Blood on The Tracks,' and influenced by the women in his life, moves towards religious music in the early 80s. Brown dissects almost every song on each of Dylans albums, including the records he produced in the late 80s, which he admits represent a 'nadir' for the artist. The string of in-depth, song-by-song album reviews are glued together with quick history lessons. Many writers have already explored Dylan in his historical context, including most of the great first wave of pop critics, like Ellen Willis and Greil Marcus, as well as academic historians such as Princetons Sean Wilentz. Brown is thorough in his analysis * Publishers Weekly *
In nine fascinating chronological chapters, music and literature critic Donald Brown analyzes Bob Dylan's recording career. Drawing on an array of published sources but mostly the recordings themselves, the author begins with 'Becoming Bob Dylan.' Because of the plethora of Dylan biographies, many listed in the helpful bibliography . . . . Brown offers limited biographical details and . . . plunges into Dylan's first record, Bob Dylan, with an analysis of each song. This is the format of all the chapters: a brief description of the musical, historical, and biographical context of the record, then a critical analysis of the songs. . . .There is a helpful discography. The book's chief contribution lies in Brown's critical analyses of so many songs. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. * CHOICE *
While many of the stories of Dylans life have been dissected ad nausea in just about every bit of medium imaginable, Browns approach is refreshing; a nearly album by album retrospective of one of the most culturally significant and musically influential musicians in modern history. In addition, unlike many biographies on Dylan, Brown is objective enough to point out when the albums were uneven and, for most of the 1980s, downright mediocre. While its clear from his writing and exhaustive knowledge of the music, that Brown is a fan of the singer, its nice to read an impartial take on this exhaustive catalog of music. ... Brown has written a book that manages to be ideal for both the casual Dylan fans and the diehard acolytes of the singer. * Examiner *
Bob Dylan: American Troubadour is a welcome addition to the Dylan library, simply because it is one of the better general introductions to Dylan's work. . . that has appeared in recent years. [It] is an excellent starting point for the novice Dylan fan [and]. . . contains enough surprising insights to have even the most seasoned Dylan reader leading towards the edge of his seat. Excellent book. * Bob Dylan in (Het) Nederland(s) *
Time spent with this highly readable book will almost certainly send readers back to rediscover Dylans work, and the reader will come away with a new appreciation for Dylans more popular material, as well. Highly recommended. * Musoscribe *
Browns book [is] a must read for Dylan enthusiasts. * Journal of American Culture *

Author Bio

Donald Brown is an editor, theater critic, and book reviewer at The New Haven Review. He teaches at Yale and since 2006 has commented on music, movies, and books on blogocentrism. He has a degree in Art History and Comparative Literature from the University of Delaware and a doctorate in Comparative Literature from Princeton University, where he studied as a Mellon fellow.