Revolution in the Air: The Songs of Bob Dylan 1957-1973 - Softcover

Clinton Heylin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1849012962 ISBN 13: 9781849012966

Publisher: Constable & Robinson, 2010

Synopsis

Bob Dylan has always regarded himself as a songwriter: ''I am my words,'' he wrote in 1964.

Distilling a lifetime''s passion and study, leading Dylan author, Clinton Heylin charts the development and first moments of genius of this unique artist whose songs changed the world.

From his first attempts at writing, Song to Bridget, in 1957, (apparently for Brigitte Bardot) Bob Dylan always aspired to poetry, yet his role as a writer rather than a performer of his own songs is often overlooked. In over fifty years of creativity he had penned some of the most iconic, and perfect, songs in popular history. Arriving in New York in 1961, the city had an enormous impact on the young artist and, as he established himself amongst the folk clubs and artists, he would produce songs that spoke for a whole generation: Blowing in the Wind, A Hard Rain''s Gonna Fall, The Times They Are a Changin'', Like a Rolling Stone, and Forever Young.

In Revolution in the Air Clinton Heylin recounts the story of each song as it is written, giving a full appreciation of the songs themselves as well as Dylan the emerging artist. Unlike any other book on Dylan, it charts his rise as a writer, where he gained his inspiration, the burst of energy which produced some of his most famous songs as well as the lesser known stories behind the more iconic verses.

This is an essential book for anyone interested in Dylan and his place in literature. Informative, opinionated, packed with new insights and revelations, this is an instant classic.

About this title

About the Author

Clinton Heylin is the most distinguished writer on Bob Dylan in the world. He is the author of Bob Dylan: Behind the Shades - Take Two and Bob Dylan Day by Day. He has also written on all aspects of popular culture, including The Act You've Known For All These Years: A Year in the Life of Sgt. Pepper and Friends, Despite the System: Orson Welles versus the Hollywood Studios and Babylon's Burning: From Punk to Grunge. He lives in Somerset.

From Booklist

Prolific Dylanologist Heylin makes his arguably greatest contribution with a painstakingly researched consideration of every song Dylan is known to have written, some 600, all told. Drawing from manuscripts, studio logs, concert recordings, and other sources, Heylin traces Dylan’s career by listing the songs in order of writing rather than public presentation. This first of two volumes collects everything from juvenilia predating his 1961 arrival in New York to his 1974 comeback album, Planet Waves. Even songs that were never recorded or performed are noted, but the major ones receive multipage write-ups that are, in essence, insightful, revelatory mini-essays. Documenting the mercurial performer’s transitions from Guthrie-influenced folkie to raging rocker to laid-back country singer, Heylin, who appears to have heard virtually all of the concerts Dylan has performed during the past 20 years of what has come to be known as the “Neverending Tour,” reveals how vintage songs take on new meanings as they’re recast by their author on stage decades later. --Gordon Flagg

Edition details

• Publisher: Constable & Robinson
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1849012962
• ISBN 13: 9781849012966
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 586