Review – Bob Dylan Performing Artist Series
Three-Volume Set by Paul Williams Covers Dylan's Career
Aug 3, 2009
Bob Dylan: Performing Artist is a 3-volume set of books written by rock journalist/critic Paul Williams, founder of Crawdaddy magazine. This set of in-depth studies, published over a period of 14 years by Omnibus Press weighs in at over 1000 pages, and covers all aspects of Dylan’s musical performances—concerts, recordings, film and TV appearances—from 1960 through the mid-2000’s.
Series Focuses Exclusively on Dylan's Musical Performances, Live and Studio
Unlike a traditional biography, even of a musician, Bob Dylan: Performing Artist focuses exclusively on the music, rather than his already-well-documented personal life. In his introduction, Williams says his intention was “to describe and discuss a significant number (though by no means all) of Bob Dylan’s performances, in chronological order, from throughout his career so far.” Describing Dylan’s vast output, the author calls it “a torrential flow of work.”
Each of the three volumes of Bob Dylan: Performing Artist covers a different period of the singer/songwriter’s nearly 50 year career, hence three titles: Bob Dylan Performing Artist 1960-1973 (The Early Years), Bob Dylan Performing Artist 1974-1986 (The Middle Years), and Bob Dylan Performing Artist 1986-1990 & Beyond (Mind Out of Time). The latter volume actually goes more than a decade beyond 1990, as Williams has added text to newer editions.
Although they were written separately, the author has maintained a consistent tone throughout, and the three volumes can be read as one without much distinction beyond the covers. Williams’ down-to-earth writing style allows for a smooth reading experience, and a surprisingly quick one (relative to its length) for those interested in a fairly deep analysis of Dylan’s studio and live performances.
Paul Williams' Series is Exhaustively Researched
“Well-researched” may be an understatement in discussing these volumes. As the founder and editor of the first American rock magazine (Crawdaddy, 1966, preceding Rolling Stone by more than a year) the author had an insider’s access few biographers do. Williams had interviewed Dylan several times prior to the writing of this series, for one.
The author also has attended more than 140 Dylan shows over 40 years time, at one point following the ’86 tour across the country and back. Most importantly, Williams clearly loves the music of Bob Dylan. This is a factor that, in the hands of the wrong writer, could backfire, in perhaps placing an over-idolized, over-idealized emphasis on the artist or the work, Not so here.
Paul Williams is able to balance his admiration for Dylan and his music with the critical eye of a seasoned journalist, so that readers get both the enthusiasm of a fan and the integrity of a trusted critic. Apply this to a vast and deep knowledge of his subject matter, and the resulting work is one that stands above the others.
As well-informed and fascinating as Paul Williams’ Bob Dylan: Performing Artist series is, it’s safe to say that these books are not really for the casual fan of Dylan, except perhaps for research purposes (in which case they are marvelous). But for the avid Bob fanatic, or those wishing to really begin to understand the work of a master, these are highly rewarding volumes that the reader will return to again and again.
For more Dylan resources, read: Bob Dylan Biography Suggestions and/or An Overview of Dylan Albums
Williams, Paul. Bob Dylan: Performing Artist 1960-1973 , The Early Years 1990, Omnibus Press 310 pages (ISBN: 1.84449.095.5)
Williams, Paul. Bob Dylan: Performing Artist 1960-1973 , The Middle Years 1991, Omnibus Press 334 pages (ISBN: 1.84449.096.3)
Williams, Paul. Bob Dylan: Performing Artist 1960-1973 , Mind Out of Time, 2004 Omnibus Press 383 pages (ISBN: 1.4449.831.X)
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