The Bob Dylan Albums

Rating:
Summary: New Dylan Book Captures the Spirit of the Music
Review: This book is a well written, engaging study of Dylan's officially released albums. It really captures the spirit of Dylan's music. The chapter on The Bootleg Series Vol. 4 is, in particular, remarkably vivid. Also very useful as a balanced consumer guide. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: New Dylan Book Captures the Spirit of the Music
Review: This book is a well written, engaging study of Dylan's officially released albums. It really captures the spirit of Dylan's music. The chapter on The Bootleg Series Vol. 4 is, in particular, remarkably vivid. Also very useful as a balanced consumer guide. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Another Essential Dylan Book
Review: This book looks at each of Dylan's records, including 2001's triumphant "Love and Theft". Without getting bogged down in the convoluted lyric analysis that some other Dylan studies suffer from, the book provides a concise, engaging guide to Dylan's remarkable recording career. The reader gains a depper appreciation for Dylan's words and Dylan's music.
There are more than a few pearls in this collection; for instance, rightly recognizing "Greatest Hits, vol. II" as "the best introduction to Bob Dylan's work" and heralding such overlooked gems as "In the Summertime" and the albums "Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid" and "Hard Rain". Varesi provides an even hand throughout, as he is not afraid to criticise such blunders as "Self Portrait", "Renaldo and Clara" and some of Dylan's more mediocre live offerings.
Ultimately, the accessible album-by-album approach will have the reader going back to the music and then returning to the book for the commentary.

Rating:
Summary: Another Essential Dylan Book
Review: This book looks at each of Dylan's records, including 2001's triumphant "Love and Theft". Without getting bogged down in the convoluted lyric analysis that some other Dylan studies suffer from, the book provides a concise, engaging guide to Dylan's remarkable recording career. The reader gains a depper appreciation for Dylan's words and Dylan's music.
There are more than a few pearls in this collection; for instance, rightly recognizing "Greatest Hits, vol. II" as "the best introduction to Bob Dylan's work" and heralding such overlooked gems as "In the Summertime" and the albums "Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid" and "Hard Rain". Varesi provides an even hand throughout, as he is not afraid to criticise such blunders as "Self Portrait", "Renaldo and Clara" and some of Dylan's more mediocre live offerings.
Ultimately, the accessible album-by-album approach will have the reader going back to the music and then returning to the book for the commentary.

Rating:
Summary: Not what it should be
Review: While this book does provide some helpful information on some of Dylan's lesser known work, anyone familiar with the more well-known Dylan (i.e. the mid-60s Dylan, the Blood on the Tracks Dylan, the Time out of Mind/Love and Theft Dylan) won't find much new information there. Varesi's take on Time out of Mind is laughably one-dimensional. And his misreading of "Leopard-skin Pill-box Hat" is ridiculous. Does anyone really think that song's about a hat? Come on now.
This book is worth reading for those of us who need to take a second look at some of the lesser known albums, but it is by no means an authoritative or important work of scholarship on Dylan