Rating: 
Summary: Dylan deserves far more contempt than this
Review: From NOTES FROM HAMPSTEAD by Elias Canetti: "Contempt for one's fellows must be balanced with self-contempt. If the latter prevails, then the writer is lost: he will destroy himself like Gogol. If the former prevails, the result is a prophet: arrogantly certain in his belief, he is a threat to the world, and thus ecstatically he helps bring about its destruction. Finding the right balance."
Well needless to say, Dylan's self-contempt is nonexistent. And his arrogant self-righteousness is breathtaking. Here's a guy whose adulteries destroyed his marriage and yet he still has the arrogance to chastize other people for being non-Christians.
Rating: 
Summary: fantastic inside detail, but hero-worshippers beware
Review: Heylin, a leading Dylanologist, has dropped the Big One in time for Bob's 60th birthday. Sounes' "Down the Highway" is dull, boring and uninformative by comparison. The copy of "Behind the Shades Revisited" sitting in front of me is 720 pages long, without the long list of interviewees, discography, bibliography and so forth at the back, so I don't know why the site description lists it as five hundred and some. Where Sounes' book is a by-the-numbers bio, Heylin leaves long quotes intact throughout the book, giving it a rich texture, rather than reducing it to the mush of the omniscient narrator. The last book I read about Dylan was Scaduto's in 1972. These books of 2001 no longer make possible the naive hero worship I was so thrillingly involved in back then while in high school. It's the art that is Great, not the man, an imperfect vessel. I have come, over time, to find a tragic view of life much more accurate than a heroic one, and that seems to be something that Dylan and I have both learned. Young idealists beware -- you can safely listen to Dylan's '60s music and read Scaduto if you want to avoid these things -- I wouldn't want to have been old before MY time! Beyond technique, what really sets Heylin's book apart and makes it compelling (I personally have no interest in a National Enquirer-style expose) is that his life has been changed by Dylan's music, just as mine has. He therefore seeks the meaning at the intersection of the man and the art. This is still a worthwhile quest. The Big Questions remain, even in a time when a book series can be called "Kill Your Idols."
Rating: 
Summary: Tiresome
Review: I find it surprising that so many reviewers seem so delighted with Mr. Heylin's book. While I did enjoy learning bits about the origins of songs and Dylan's studio methods, I found that for the most part Mr.Heylin was falling over himself to express just how much he dislikes everyone in Dylan's life with the exception of the man himself. For most of the book, Heylin treats Dylan like a talented golden boy, whose personal habits he finds highly distasteful, but is willing to overlook. But by the end of the book, I think maybe he has spent just a little bit too much time in his room thinking about Bob Dylan, and is clearly quite tired of him. 800 pages of humorless crankiness makes for a very tiresome read. My recommendation is to just listen to the albums and let old Bob keep his personal life to himself.
Rating:
Summary: Flat, cold and irritating
Review: I read this biography not just because I'm a big and longstanding fan of Bob Dylan, but also because of the strength of many of the accolades the book has received, both in Amazon and elsewhere. I couldn't have been more disappointed. The biography is clearly well-researched, despite Heylin's proud but unconvincing defence of the fact that he has never met Dylan. However, the biography lacks any warmth or feel for Dylan and the huge and deep contribution his music has made to modern culture. The book comes down with detail, but much of it is incidental and irrelevant. Moreover, Heylin manages to be condescending and irritatingly opinionated, especially and unnecessarily so about other biographers. His constant use of direct quotes merely breaks the flow of the text and rarely adds much. Normally, when one reads a biography of a musician and songwriter who has played such an important part in one's own life, and especially when the author admits to being fan, one would expect to be driven back to the music with renewed vigour and interest. In the case of Heylin's biography this didn't happen. I can still recall the huge impact that some of Dylan's albums had on my life, and music more generally, but this does not come across in Heylin's often flat and at times self-important writing style. While there is plenty of gossip around Dylan's fondness for women, drugs and drink, few original insights are offered about his music. Indeed, Dylan's music is hardly assessed at all, apart from occasional references to the views of other critics. Dylan's life and music deserve a lot more.
Rating:
Summary: Sex and Drugs and Rock & Roll , and God !
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this unpretensious , warts and all account of Dylan`s life and art . All the obvious episodes in Dylan`s career ( ie going electric at Newport , the basement recordings , the Rolling Thunder tour , the born again christianity , his inability to come to terms with modern recording techniques etc. ) and more , are dealt with in a concise and lucid way . And the many anecdotes by people close to Dylan helps to give us a better understanding of the pressure he lives under , and the effect drugs and booze have had on his behaviour , and relationships . This book certainly enlightened me on the enigma that is Dylan without ever getting to the core of this great artist ( then again , I don`t think Dylan knows himself , let alone Clinton Heylin who has never met the great man ) . The real revelation for me however , was the fact that while quality albums might not arrive as fast as they once did , this mercurial maverick`s real art ( along with the songwriting ) lies in the live , and often sublime interpretations of his songs ( I finally understand why there are so many Dylan bootleg fanatics ) . A great read !
Rating: 
Summary: unauthorized
Review: I will not read this book as it is an unauthorized biography.
Rating:
Summary: As Objective and Thorough as a Biography can be.
Review: In Behind the Shades Revisted, Heylin presents his findings with the astute, detached eye of a detective. Some reviewers are skeptical of an unauthorized biography, but Heylin effectively defends his approach: With authorized biographies, the subject has ultimate approval of the finished product. Consequently, the results are unavoidably subjective and incomplete. Heylin culls from a multitude diverse sources (interviews with musicians Dylan has worked with, friends, former girlfriends, ex-wives, to name just a few), presenting many different sides of his subject. Heylin has never interviewed or even met Dylan, and while this makes Behind the Shades feel somewhat detached, it offers more potential for objectivity. [Dylan is notoriously disingenous with reporters, so the value of first-hand interviews is probably negligible.] Heylin describes Dylan's childhood and adolescence in northern Minnesota. Dylan's origins (both personal and musical) are described; Dylan has been enthusiastic about music at least since his early teens. Heylin provides detailed analysis of Dylan's early influences (mostly American pop icons like Little Richard) and follows his evolution during his early 20s, when he discovered folk and blues. He then proceeds to describe Dylan's artistic heyday during the mid-60's, his late 60s-early 70s hiatus, and his mid-70s resurgence. One of the most impressive aspects of Heylin's writing is his willingness to discuss Dylan's largely derided work during the 80s-early 90s. While Dylan's work during this era has been understandably ridiculed (though Heylin's interpretation of much from this period is a little more positive than most other critics), his analysis provides essential insight into his subject. Whether intentionally or not, Heylin creates a dichotomous portrait of Dylan. The younger Dylan (ca 1960-68) is a vibrant, often affable personality with unwavering idealism. As the story progresses, the pressures of fame and the demanding nature of celebrity begin to take there toll to the extent that it seems to impact Dylan's work. By the time Behind the Shades concludes, Dylan is presented as a weary, slightly confused and misanthropic curmudgeon no longer capable of producing new material that is inspired or surprising. This is the only arguable flaw with Behind the Shades. This conclusion might have seemed perfectly reasonable in 1999 (when the edition I read was published), but the release of Love and Theft in 2001 somewhat discredits Heylin's conclusion. Heylin can hardly be blamed for this; Love and Theft, Dylan's most inspired work in fifteen years (and his most extroverted since the 60s), was a completely unexpected triumph, but it does make the last chapter seem a little dated. Despite it's slight flaws in the last chapter or two (hardly his fault) Heylin has created a rich, multi-faceted portrait. By interspersing numerous quotes from Dylan's associates within his own writing, Heylin creates a book of many voices. Heylin definitely has strong views, but tries to be fair and accurate, and makes every effort to present contrary perspectives. Despite it's seemingly intimidating length (700+ pages), Behind the Shades is compellingly readable; his approach is always well-defined, and often clever (he subtly reference Dylan's lyrics on numerous occasions). Behind the Shades is a critical, objective portrait of pop music's greatest (and most psychologically elusive) songwriter.
Rating:
Summary: As Objective and Thorough as a Biography can be.
Review: In Behind the Shades Revisted, Heylin presents his findings with the astute, detached eye of a detective. Some reviewers are skeptical of an unauthorized biography, but Heylin effectively defends his approach: With authorized biographies, the subject has ultimate approval of the finished product. Consequently, the results are unavoidably subjective and incomplete. Heylin culls from a multitude diverse sources (interviews with musicians Dylan has worked with, friends, former girlfriends, ex-wives, to name just a few), presenting many different sides of his subject. Heylin has never interviewed or even met Dylan, and while this makes Behind the Shades feel somewhat detached, it offers more potential for objectivity. [Dylan is notoriously disingenous with reporters, so the value of first-hand interviews is probably negligible.] Heylin describes Dylan's childhood and adolescence in northern Minnesota. Dylan's origins (both personal and musical) are described; Dylan has been enthusiastic about music at least since his early teens. Heylin provides detailed analysis of Dylan's early influences (mostly American pop icons like Little Richard) and follows his evolution during his early 20s, when he discovered folk and blues. He then proceeds to describe Dylan's artistic heyday during the mid-60's, his late 60s-early 70s hiatus, and his mid-70s resurgence. One of the most impressive aspects of Heylin's writing is his willingness to discuss Dylan's largely derided work during the 80s-early 90s. While Dylan's work during this era has been understandably ridiculed (though Heylin's interpretation of much from this period is a little more positive than most other critics), his analysis provides essential insight into his subject. Whether intentionally or not, Heylin creates a dichotomous portrait of Dylan. The younger Dylan (ca 1960-68) is a vibrant, often affable personality with unwavering idealism. As the story progresses, the pressures of fame and the demanding nature of celebrity begin to take there toll to the extent that it seems to impact Dylan's work. By the time Behind the Shades concludes, Dylan is presented as a weary, slightly confused and misanthropic curmudgeon no longer capable of producing new material that is inspired or surprising. This is the only arguable flaw with Behind the Shades. This conclusion might have seemed perfectly reasonable in 1999 (when the edition I read was published), but the release of Love and Theft in 2001 somewhat discredits Heylin's conclusion. Heylin can hardly be blamed for this; Love and Theft, Dylan's most inspired work in fifteen years (and his most extroverted since the 60s), was a completely unexpected triumph, but it does make the last chapter seem a little dated. Despite it's slight flaws in the last chapter or two (hardly his fault) Heylin has created a rich, multi-faceted portrait. By interspersing numerous quotes from Dylan's associates within his own writing, Heylin creates a book of many voices. Heylin definitely has strong views, but tries to be fair and accurate, and makes every effort to present contrary perspectives. Despite it's seemingly intimidating length (700+ pages), Behind the Shades is compellingly readable; his approach is always well-defined, and often clever (he subtly reference Dylan's lyrics on numerous occasions). Behind the Shades is a critical, objective portrait of pop music's greatest (and most psychologically elusive) songwriter.
Rating: 
Summary: The girls all say 'you're a worn out star'
Review: The first 3/4 of this book is engaging and well thought out. But I think the "revisited" portion of the book demonstrates a loss of critical abilities on Heylin's part. Dylan has recently sung, "The girls all say 'you're a worn out star'" and unfortunately Heylin is one of those girls. I think it comes down to this. Heylin, in his original "Behind the Shades" wrote that Dylan's career looked bleak. The notion of the poet who has lost his muse, itself a cliche, runs throughout the final chapters of the book. Rather than providing true insight into the last decade of Dylan's career Heylin merely returns to this cliche time and again. The truth is more complicated and its quite clear that Dylan's creative powers, far from evaporating are on the upswing with both TOOM and Love and Theft.
Rating:
Summary: Good... if you want an encyclopedia
Review: This book is well researched. It is written in a good language. It is rather objective. It has nothing to do with who Bob Dylan is. Here you will find every single detail the author has ever found out about Bob Dylan. It doesn't matter whether it's important or not. This makes this book something akin to an encyclopedia - and, for me, there is a big difference between a biography and an encyclopedia. I read the former to get at least a bit closer to the essence of a fascinating personality. I've never read one of the latter from cover to cover. If you want information, and lots of dry, even though well-presented, facts, you will find them here. All of them. A year-by-year, day-by-day account of Dylan's life. I think Dylan is something more.
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