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10/07/2008

Folk-Rock: encore

Thanks to Daniel Lobby:

“I think it wrong of 'keepingitrandom' to characterise the Folk-Rock - The Bob Dylan Story book as 'almost fanzine style' or to say that 'the general tone (is) pretty flighty'.”

“Published in February 1966, it was presumably written in the preceding months, a time when Dylan was riding on chart success. It is admittedly a quick-fire book written for a predominantly young readership but, within that context, it is fairly serious and quite informative, containing some detail not generally known at that time.

“One could say that it was a 'cut and paste' job. After all, the authors, Sy and Barbara Ribakove, cite 20 different publications that they consulted and list 17 articles from which they have drawn material. In addition, however, they thank Izzy Young for allowing access to 'the research facilities of The Folklore Center'.

“It was never intended to be a formal biography and, the repetition of Dylan's own life-story fables aside, it is reasonably accurate. Even their judgements are far from flippant.

“The book ends: 'Exactly where Bob Dylan is going, no one can predict. He may never find a permanent stopping place. But the journey will never be dull, either for him or for those who watch, applaud or mock him along the way. It is out of such journeys, sometimes dangerous, always lonely, that great art is made'.

“Not bad, not bad at all.”

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