"Revolution In The Air"
I'm just reaching the end of this massive first part of Heylin's attempt to put Dylan's entire output in order and critique it.
While one can not question the mans ambition in doing such a thing it also can not be denied the thing is massively flawed.
The first thing one notices is Heylin's insitence on placing himself onto almost every page, usually taking pains to condemn almost everyone else who has written about Dylan. For a man who seems hell bent on the accuracy of others, his assertion that "Lay Lady Lay" was nixed from the "Midnight Cowboy" film in favour of Fred Neil's cover of Harry Nillson's "Everybody's Talkin'" is frankly laughable.
That, however is not my main gripe.
While Heylin is pretty sound on Dylan's trad "borrowings" (and why shouldn't he be, it's all on public record) he is absolutely rubbish on Bob's main wellspring, the blues.
His limitations in this area are apparent in his early statement, "Blues..that most limiting of musical forms". Bollocks..even more limiting than the three chords in "Blowing In The Wind"?
This casual aproach rears its head again and again.
"Maggies Farm" is appraised by Heylin as "..this 12 bar blues." Once again, for any professional rock critic that may read this, "12 Bar Blues" is not a musical style, it's a blues consisting of 12 bars with (usually) a 1 1V V progression, "Maggies Farm's" verses consist of a lot more bars than that (64, I think) and are really over one chord until the V1 V turnaround.
The musical framework of "Pledging My Time" is described as "Leftover strands of the blues" (Jeez, thanks Clint) No, it's a classic 8 bar format that goes back to The Mississippi Sheiks "Sittin' On Top Of The World," though Dylan probably derived it from Tampa Red's "It Hurts Me Too"
These are just two examples, it just goes on and on, God knows what he's going to do with Dylan's later almost excusively blues-based output.
Heylin only had to consult a blues scholar to clarify this, but obviously thought he didn't think it was important enough.
One day someone will write a great book about Dylans MUSIC. We all know that lyrics are important here, but Dylan is a singer/songwriter, not a poet.
P.S Clinton, if you're going to mention someone in passing, like..oh say Van Morrison, best not call him a "cunt" eh?