As a fan who has seen Dylan live in concert 4 times over the last 4 decades, after reading this book I consider myself a novice. So unless you have an already deep appreciation for Dylan, you may struggle to get through this work. For me, I never knew there were so many angles with which to consider Dylan's catalog. When does the harmonica come in? What is it paired with? Is it in response to lyrics? What kind of poetry does Dylan use? What tone - is he crooning or using rhythm to drive home a point? Rhythm in general, back-ground vocals, minor key, song structure? So many ways to analyze Dylan's music and make observation of the changes over the years. The best way to read this book is with a streaming service (or the real thing) at hand to listen about the tune you are reading about and learning from. So go deep, learn new observations and start listening to Bob Dylan. This book is scheduled for a September 14, 2021 release. An advance digital copy was made available in exchange for a review without any obligation of favorable summary.
