Bob Dylan All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track

by Philippe Margotin, Jean-Michel Guesdon

Overview

The most comprehensive account of Bob Dylan's Nobel Prize-winning work yet published, with the full story of every recording session, every album, and every single released during his nearly 60-year career.

Bob Dylan: All the Songs focuses on Dylan's creative process and his organic, unencumbered style of recording. It is the only book to tell the stories, many unfamiliar even to his most fervent fans, behind the more than 500 songs he has released over the span of his career. Organized chronologically by album, Margotin and Guesdon detail the origins of his melodies and lyrics, his process in the recording studio, the instruments he used, and the contribution of a myriad of musicians and producers to his canon.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316353533
Publisher:	Running Press Book Publishers
Publication date:	10/27/2015
Series:	All the Songs
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	542,145
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Jean-Michel Guesdon is a musician, composer, and sound engineer. Together with Philippe Margotin, he has written All the Songs books about the Beatles, The Rolling stones, Bob Dylan, and Pink Floyd. 

In addition to writing multiple titles in the All the Songs series, Philippe Margotin has written several other books on music, including biographies of U2 and Radiohead.

Editorial Reviews

"This tome is work of art and a labor of love covering nearly all of Bob Dylan's studio songs (originals and covers), a total of 492, from the early 1960s through 2015... Beautifully illustrated with many rare and familiar photos, the book concludes with a brief glossary of musical terms and densely packed index...VERDICT: A Dylan fan could live inside this book for weeks. Hard-core enthusiasts will be enthralled by the details of the many outtakes."—Library Journal

"Meticulously researched"—Buzzfeed

"A must for Dylan fans and those who enjoy folk music."—Booklist

"...hardcore aficionados from the Grand Coulee Dam to the Capitol will be thrilled with its scope and intricacy."
—Miami Herald

"No self-respecting Dylan fan will want to miss Bob Dylan All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track by Jean-Michel Guesdon and Philippe Margotin....a must-read for trivia buffs."—Acoustic Guitar

"...perhaps the most impressive book on the man ever produced..."—Houston Press

"...the single most exhaustive, detailed, and complete account of every song Dylan ever wrote or recorded through 2015, and will likely be the only encyclopedic volume necessary for anyone with either the slightest interest in or full-blown obsession with Mr. Zimmerman."—JamBands.com

From the Publisher

★ 11/15/2015
This tome is a work of art and a labor of love covering nearly all of Bob Dylan's studio songs (originals and covers), a total of 492, from the early 1960s through 2015. Not included are many of the 138 takes on The Basement Tapes Complete (2014). The book is arranged chronologically by album. Each album has an introductory essay (two to six pages long), and most of the songs are covered in a page of description. Major creations (e.g., "Blowin' in the Wind," "Mr. Tambourine Man," "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right") get more space. A typical summary offers information on the musical production, its "genesis and lyrics," and further details. Boxes labeled "For Dylanologists" contain obscure or trivial facts and "In Your Headphones" documents voices or odd sounds heard on the songs. The compilers seem to run out of steam near the end; the last few albums don't receive as much space. Beautifully illustrated with many rare and familiar photos, the book concludes with a brief glossary of musical terms and a densely packed index. Margotin and Guesdon (All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Beatles Release) gathered information from published interviews with Dylan and others; books; articles; and websites. VERDICT A Dylan fan could live inside this book for weeks. Hard-core enthusiasts will be enthralled by the details of the many outtakes.—Thomas Karel, Franklin & Marshall Coll. Lib., Lancaster, PA

Library Journal