Rating: 
Summary: The whole album should have been recorded in Minneapolis
Review: The New York tracks sound lifeless and insignificant in comparison. The Minneapolis-recorded tunes are crisp and vibrant. Look for the bootlegs of the unreleased Minneapolis tunes to see how this wonderful album could have been even better.Decent book, by the way. Good info and an entertaining read.
Rating: 
Summary: Crap...pure crap
Review: This is an interesting book that could have benefitted from a serious edit. The authors clearly respect and admire Dylan's work (co-author Odegard was a member of the Minneapolis musicians who reworked five of BOTT's ten tracks), and the interviews they have conducted with the BOTT musicians are fascinating for what they show about how this legendary album was put together. Throughout, Dylan remains a shadowy figure, glimpsed briefly through the eyes of those lucky enough to be sitting in the New York and Minneapolis studios when BOTT was recorded. The frustration of the Minneapolis musicians at never receiving due credit for their work comes through clearly, and it's interesting to ponder the reasons for such unnecessary neglect. The authors have assembled a very interesting, very literate group of interviewees. On the downside, the book is padded with fluff, perhaps to justify its publication in book form instead of as an extended article in "Rolling Stone" or some other such publication. An entire chapter is dedicated to a potted history of the world at time of BOTT's recording. But references to Vietnam and Nixon and the gas crisis shed zero light on the importance of this album, which lies in the very fact that, unlike much of Bob's early work, it is *not* overtly political or colored by world events. Indeed, BOTT is an intensely personal creation; the authors' cursory examination of the Dylans' marital woes at the time provides some key insight into BOTT's genesis, of course, but adds nothing new to what diehard fans already know. At one point, the authors dip into tedious psychobabble, as they try to explain the dynamics of Bob's tense relationship with his younger brother, David. They even quote a rabbi who points the finger of blame at Jewish-mother syndrome. Truly a low point in this book. And the chapter devoted to an analysis/exegisis of each song on BOTT is just plain unnecessary, especially for 99.9% of the readers of this book, who are already well-acquainted with the lyrics. In short, a good book about a great album (indeed, one of the greatest), but one that could have been better in half as many words.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting but overlong
Review: This is an interesting book that could have benefitted from a serious edit. The authors clearly respect and admire Dylan's work (co-author Odegard was a member of the Minneapolis musicians who reworked five of BOTT's ten tracks), and the interviews they have conducted with the BOTT musicians are fascinating for what they show about how this legendary album was put together. Throughout, Dylan remains a shadowy figure, glimpsed briefly through the eyes of those lucky enough to be sitting in the New York and Minneapolis studios when BOTT was recorded. The frustration of the Minneapolis musicians at never receiving due credit for their work comes through clearly, and it's interesting to ponder the reasons for such unnecessary neglect. The authors have assembled a very interesting, very literate group of interviewees. On the downside, the book is padded with fluff, perhaps to justify its publication in book form instead of as an extended article in "Rolling Stone" or some other such publication. An entire chapter is dedicated to a potted history of the world at time of BOTT's recording. But references to Vietnam and Nixon and the gas crisis shed zero light on the importance of this album, which lies in the very fact that, unlike much of Bob's early work, it is *not* overtly political or colored by world events. Indeed, BOTT is an intensely personal creation; the authors' cursory examination of the Dylans' marital woes at the time provides some key insight into BOTT's genesis, of course, but adds nothing new to what diehard fans already know. At one point, the authors dip into tedious psychobabble, as they try to explain the dynamics of Bob's tense relationship with his younger brother, David. They even quote a rabbi who points the finger of blame at Jewish-mother syndrome. Truly a low point in this book. And the chapter devoted to an analysis/exegisis of each song on BOTT is just plain unnecessary, especially for 99.9% of the readers of this book, who are already well-acquainted with the lyrics. In short, a good book about a great album (indeed, one of the greatest), but one that could have been better in half as many words.
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