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Bob Dylan Performing Artist 1960-1973 The Early Years
An in-depth analysis of Dylan's groudbreaking and often controversial work on stage and in the studio.
310 pages, Paperback
First published May 28, 1990
About the author
Paul Williams
50 books6 followersLibrarian note: There is more than one author on goodreads by this name.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 23, 2019
That book was totally cool.
February 7, 2009
This guy is an ass. The book has awesome consistent facts, but he disses on Nashville Skyline. Nobody disses on Nashville Skyline.
January 1, 2024
Finished this in a bit of a hurry to get 21 books in for 2023, but I don’t think I would have gotten more out of it by slowing down.
Williams is… almost charmingly obsessed with Dylan. It bothered me at first (the “shivering beauty” of Dylan’s singing, his “penetrating harmonica solos” and “extraordinarily sensitive guitar accompaniment” waxed too AO3 for me) but as I read on, I realized that Dylan scholars stumble into this pitfall almost out of necessity. They go out of their way to make sure you know they know that Dylan is a flawed person, a flawed artist, and then in the same breath they worship him as a prophet or even deity. Why? Because they’re not creators. They’re wonderfully intelligent and analytical writers, but they can’t quite comprehend Dylan even after all their research. What’s the line? “You try so hard but you don’t understand…?” And they’re ok with that—they’re fine with not understanding and so assume that no one ever could. Therefore, Dylan is some kind of ethereal being, a genius beyond all human intellect.
I don’t mean to generalize. Williams specifically seems to be projecting his own experiences onto Dylan (again, trying to humanize someone he never saw as human in the first place). This is a good book. At the end of the day, I’m not sure I’ll get much more out of reading other people’s interpretations of Dylan’s work, though I still have a couple books I want to knock off my list. Bob Dylan is just some guy, and that’s the best thing about him. Sometimes he knows what’s up and sometimes he doesn’t, and those of us who create can relate to that. We can’t understand his personal process but we also don’t really need to, and we shouldn’t try to get that close to someone we’ve never met.
Williams is… almost charmingly obsessed with Dylan. It bothered me at first (the “shivering beauty” of Dylan’s singing, his “penetrating harmonica solos” and “extraordinarily sensitive guitar accompaniment” waxed too AO3 for me) but as I read on, I realized that Dylan scholars stumble into this pitfall almost out of necessity. They go out of their way to make sure you know they know that Dylan is a flawed person, a flawed artist, and then in the same breath they worship him as a prophet or even deity. Why? Because they’re not creators. They’re wonderfully intelligent and analytical writers, but they can’t quite comprehend Dylan even after all their research. What’s the line? “You try so hard but you don’t understand…?” And they’re ok with that—they’re fine with not understanding and so assume that no one ever could. Therefore, Dylan is some kind of ethereal being, a genius beyond all human intellect.
I don’t mean to generalize. Williams specifically seems to be projecting his own experiences onto Dylan (again, trying to humanize someone he never saw as human in the first place). This is a good book. At the end of the day, I’m not sure I’ll get much more out of reading other people’s interpretations of Dylan’s work, though I still have a couple books I want to knock off my list. Bob Dylan is just some guy, and that’s the best thing about him. Sometimes he knows what’s up and sometimes he doesn’t, and those of us who create can relate to that. We can’t understand his personal process but we also don’t really need to, and we shouldn’t try to get that close to someone we’ve never met.
November 5, 2011
Not that there is anything wrong with being a Dylan tragic but it would take one to write a book like this and then add 2 more to the series. I am a huge fan of Dylan's work up until Desire so I found this a good read and it made me play and listen to my old Dylan recordings in a new light. For the fan who is committed.
August 16, 2018
Dylan as live entertainer as artist, rather than Dylan as recording artist as artist.
April 23, 2020
The excessive use of parentheses bothers me.
November 22, 2020
Loved it--Williams is one of Dylan's long-time critics/reviewers and knows his stuff. Great job focusing on these early years of Dylan's touring.
November 26, 2014
This is my first discovery of Paul Williams' writing. Not only is it an extremely informative work on one of the greatest artists of our age, but the writing itself is a true pleasure to read. I fell in love with Williams' voice in the first ten pages and immediately went to find more of his works. In doing so, I discovered that he passed on a few years ago. His writing was so intimate and his passion made so plain, that it actually bothered me on a personal level to find he was gone. It really did draw me in that much.
Read this book is you're a Dylan fan. Even if you know it all about Dylan, it's not just the information (though that is considerable and often amazing in depth) that makes this a worthwhile read, it's the passion for the subject and for music and for LIFE in general. Come for the great musical artist being discussed, stay for the artist discussing him.
Yes, I suppose this isn't so much a review as it is my personal letter to Mr. Williams. From one writer to another:
Mr. Williams, you were one hell of a wordsmith, and I hope someday to reach your level. Just when I was beginning to doubt the work and sacrifice of this path, I find your book and remember that this is a goal worth striving for. Thank you for your work. I hope you're having a hell of a time up there.
Read this book is you're a Dylan fan. Even if you know it all about Dylan, it's not just the information (though that is considerable and often amazing in depth) that makes this a worthwhile read, it's the passion for the subject and for music and for LIFE in general. Come for the great musical artist being discussed, stay for the artist discussing him.
Yes, I suppose this isn't so much a review as it is my personal letter to Mr. Williams. From one writer to another:
Mr. Williams, you were one hell of a wordsmith, and I hope someday to reach your level. Just when I was beginning to doubt the work and sacrifice of this path, I find your book and remember that this is a goal worth striving for. Thank you for your work. I hope you're having a hell of a time up there.
November 6, 2010
Really enjoyable Dylan history here. Well written and researched. More and more with the great official bootlegs being released I'm being blown away by the scope of Dylan's recordings. Even in the '80s and '90s when he wasn't releasing a lot of stellar work on record, the unreleased stuff held gems up there with his best early work (almost). This book shows how committed and serious Dylan has always been to his art and pursuing the pure moment.
March 2, 2013
This is great book for Dylan fans. Paul Williams is an enthusiastic chronicler of Dylan's early career. He considers Dylan one of the great artists of the 20th century. Williams is an avid collector of rare Dylan recordings and appreciates Dylan's ceaseless creativity in revamping old songs to keep them fresh. This has enabled Dylan to keep touring without getting tired of his old material.
August 19, 2014
This guy definitely has some things to say about Bob Dylan, and that's the reason you would read it. A unique writer and thinker, very interested in himself and his ideas and not so much with others, obsessively well researched. My main problem: overly romantic, subjective, and relativistic to the point of meaninglessness when it comes to interpretation of art.
February 9, 2008
Williams sometimes borders on fanatical, but his enthusiasm, attention to detail, and unique perspective of Dylan -- not primarily as a songwriter, but as a performing artist -- makes this book series a must for any serious Dylanphile.
April 21, 2008
I have read no other books on Bob Dylan to compare this to, but I really enjoyed reading it!
September 14, 2008
All of Paul Williams's books in this series are terrific.
January 25, 2016
Paul Williams does a very good job of getting into the creative process, the times, and the life of Bob Dylan.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews