No Direction Home: The Life and Music of Bob Dylan

I really enjoyed this book. This is the first book I've read about Dylan so I can't say this is the best because I have nothing to compare it with but I found it very enjoyable and I liked the fact that the author is a friend and who acknowledges that so we know from what bias he is writing, a bias I rather enjoyed because there really is no objective way to look at Dylan- it's all subjective and this book is a great subjective overview. I also enjoyed how the author gave his commentary on Dylan's music and lyrics but left room for other interpretations- I think that's how Dylan wants his lyrics to be interpreted- leaving them open for each individual to have his own opinion. It's also cute how the author uses Dylan's lyrics to name his chapters and sections. I recommend this book to anyone who's a Dylan fan and/or interested in the folk/rock music period of the early 60's especially.

This is the second best Dylan biography to date (the first being Clinton Heylin's Behind the Shades Revisited). Shelton is obviously a big Dylan fan (no surprise to those knowledgeable about Dylan), and he tends to cover over Dylan's warts. One nice feature is that Shelton includes thoughtful analyses of Dylan's early songs and albums at appropriate times in the narrative. Heavily weighted toward Dylan's early career but entertaining and very informative.

This book only covers up to 1985 or so (because that's when it was written), but for the Hibbing-to-1985 period it's the best possible Dylan biography.

A master in the day, Bob Dylan's story of his early coffee shop day up untill about the mid-80's. Robert Shelton in 1961 wrote a article for Dylan that help his music take off.Dylan went from the Village folk scene to performing in front of large crowds of people. This book shows the transition from a coffee shop to the big stage. While telling you a blow for blow story of Dylan's life right up untill the mid-80's. The story starts out close to Dylan and over the span of the novel it come more of a distant observer. This book summerizes the whole time period and makes Dylan's personality better known. His songs have more impact now that you understand his motives. I recomend reading it.

You must be interested in Dylan, as both a folk artist and a renegade, to take on this lengthy biography. If you are though, Shelton provides you with almost a Bible of Dylan from 1941 in Duluth, MN to 1985 in NYC - through all his different stages, his changing emotions, his passions - and of course his music. Getting into Dylan can be intense but he'll rumble your soul and twist your head a couple times so you get to see whats all around you. His influence on music and society is absolutely far-reaching. This book is excellent!!!