Usenet 1994 January/usenetsourcesnewsgroupsinfomagicjanuary1994.iso/answers/music/dylan-faq/part2

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From: [e-mail] (Adam K. Powers)
Subject: FAQ: rec.music.dylan Frequently Asked Questions (2 of 2)
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Summary: Information for fans of singer/musician Bob Dylan
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         Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), part 2 of 2
             for newsgroup rec.music.dylan
            Please email corrections and suggestions to:
             [e-mail] (Adam K. Powers)
               Last update: 19 December 1993
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CONTENTS:

Part 1 - What is available on Internet? (previous article):
    1. What is rec.music.dylan, anyway?
    2. Glossary of terms and acronyms common to this newsgroup.
    3. Is there a Bob Dylan discography available online?
    4. Where can I find lyrics and/or tablature to Dylan songs on
        Internet?
    5. Is there a 'DylanBase' or some way that I can get lists
        of performances and songs from past years on Internet?
    6. When and where will Bob Dylan be performing?
    7. What is EDLIS?
    8. What if I want to talk about Dylan on-line at all hours?

Part 2 - Where else can I get information, off-line? (this article):
    9. Where can I buy Bob Dylan collectors' items?
    10. What books about Dylan's life and music are available?
        a. Bob Dylan biographies
        b. Studies of Dylan as a performer, lyricist, etc,
            and related works.
        c. Reference books
    11. Are there magazines about Dylan to which I could subscribe?
    12. What are bootlegs, and how do I find them?
    13. Where can I get a copy of...?

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9. Where can I buy Bob Dylan collectors' items?

Some of us have the good fortune to live in places that have an
adequate supply of record stores, well informed collectors with the
latest gab on your favorite artists, and record shows; if you aren't
in such a location, you may feel out of touch.  You aren't!  Even the
most avid record hounds use mail-order as a reliable way to purchase
books, posters, and memorabilia (not to mention information regarding
new records, tours, etc...)
Here are a few recommended sources:

U.S.: Rolling Tomes - P.O. Box 1943, Grand Junction, Colorado 81502.
Phone: [phone] Monday through Friday 10-6 Mountain time,
24 hr. fax: [phone].  They accept Mastercard, Visa, checks,
money orders, and international money orders drawn from a U.S. bank
in U.S. funds.  This is an essential source for Dylan fans in the
United States and across the world - their inventory covers everything
from back issues of fan magazines to books to records and videotapes.
Rolling Tomes is also the distributor for several Dylan magazines,
namely Homer, Isis, Look Back, On the Tracks, Rolling Thunder, and
Telegraph [see question 11 for details and subscription rates].

U.S.: Goldmine Magazine - 700 E. State St., Iola, WI 54990-0001.
This is a collectors forum with advertising from record dealers all
over the world, published biweekly.  They will send a free trial
issue to you if you request one...  Goldmine contains loads of
mail-order information, so you'll need a few hours poring over an
issue (often with a magnifying glass) to sort it all out.

U.K.: My Back Pages - P.O. Box 117, Carlisle CA1 2UL.
Accepts pounds sterling or US dollars by check, postal money order,
or international money order.  Another good source for books,
and also distributes the magazine Isis.

U.K.: Wanted Man - P.O. Box 22, Romford, Essex RM1 2RF.
Distributes The Telegraph magazine.

10. What books about Dylan's life and music are available?

The number of publications about Bob Dylan continues to grow rapidly:
Here is a three-part overview of some of the better-known books,
divided by subject material.  This is only the tip of the iceberg -
better to check a catalog or your local libraries and bookstores for
greater detail.

If you read the following list and think you might want to read many of
items listed, but don't want to buy dozens of expensive books, do
not despair!  Inform your local library of the vast, untapped multitude
of popular music resources by recommending some of these titles to them.
Do not be afraid; most librarians do not bite.  After all, what good is
a public library that does not listen to its  public?  These books are,
for the most part, well-written commentary on the life and music of one
of the most significant popular songwriters of this century, and are a
worthy addition to a library collection...

Also, library catalogs will help you get an overview of published
monographs related to Bob Dylan. A good first catalogue to check is
found in California, and access is easy if you already have full
Internet access.

telnet melvyl.ucop.edu

If this union catalogue proves inadequate investigate the "use"
command by typing in "help use" from within melvyl.

If the hundreds of free online public access catalogues available
on the Internet are not enough for you there are more
sophisticated sources such as CURL, OCLC, First Search, RLIN,
UTLAS, NACSIS and the like... But you will need a password and
someone must pay the bill!


10a. Bob Dylan biographies

Bob Dylan has never been accused of over-publicizing his private life.
Consequently, you will find that most of the biographies concerning
him are rather spotty for large periods of time, and often contradict
one another on important details.  Most of the older biographies focus
heavily on the years up to 1966, and are pretty thin from there onward.

_Bob Dylan: An Intimate Biography_ by Anthony Scaduto, New York:
New American Library, 1979 [originally published 1972].  366 p.
ISBN: 0451086090    LCCN: 4040-7214 79-316819 /MN
[Good basic coverage of the sixties Dylan, not without errors]

_No Direction Home: The Life and Music of Bob Dylan_ by Robert Shelton.
New York: Ballantine Books, 1987 [reprint of 1986 edition]. 661 p.
ISBN: 0345347218    LCCN: 85-26781
[a good overview of the early years, but many errors have been
cited by other writers]

_Dylan: A Biography_ by Bob Spitz.  New York: McGraw-Hill, 1991
[update of 1989 edition].  639 p.
ISBN: 0070603308    LCCN: 88-12912
[Probably the least-loved of the biographies - Spitz tends to be
both mean-spirited and inaccurate in his reporting]

_Behind the Shades: A Biography_ by Clinton Heylin, New York:
Summit Books, 1991.  498 p.
ISBN: 0671738941    LCCN: 91-8858 /MN
[The only biography to provide good, detailed coverage of Dylan's career
through the 1970's and 1980's]

_Hard Rain: A Dylan Commentary_ by Tim Riley, New York: Knopf, 1992. 356 p.
ISBN: 0394578899    LCCN: 91-52808
[Riley provides a decent overview through 1976, but dismisses Dylan's
more recent career]


10b. Studies of Dylan as a performer, lyricist, etc, and related works.

_Performing Artist, Vols. 1 & 2_ by Paul Williams.
Vol. 1 (1960-1973) - Novato, CA: Underwood-Miller, 1991.  310 p.
ISBN: 0887331319    LCCN: 89-20527
Vol. 2 (1974-1986) - Novato, CA: Underwood-Miller, 1992.  334 p.
ISBN: 0887331432    LCCN: 92-1769 /MN
[Probably the best general studies of Dylan that have yet appeared.
Williams largely eschews lyric analysis and biography in favor of an
admittedly nebulous look at Dylan the "performer:" singer, songwriter,
movie maker, song and dance man.  You might not agree with everything
Williams says, but there's no better survey of his output]

_Dylan_ by Jonathan Cott.  Garden City, NJ: Doubleday, 1984.  244 p.
ISBN: 0385191618    LCCN: 84-4049
_A Man Called Alias_ by Richard Williams.  New York: Holt, 1992. 192 p.
ISBN: 0805022554    LCCN: 92-14992
[Both are good picture books, with adequate looks at Dylan's opus]

_The Rolling Thunder Logbook_ by Sam Shepard.  New York: Limelight
Editions, 1987 [reprint of 1977 ed.].  184 p.
ISBN: 0879100699    LCCN: 86-27366
[Contains great photos of the 1975 tour]

_Wanted Man - In Search of Bob Dylan_ edited by John Bauldie. New York:
Citadel Press, 1991.  224 p.
ISBN: 0806512660    LCCN:
[A collection of interviews with other performers and personalities who
have worked with Dylan over the years.  Many of these interviews have
been quoted in part by the major biographers, and give an interesting,
scattershot but effective portrait of Dylan as seen through the eyes of
his collaborators]

_A Darker Shade of Pale: a Backdrop to Bob Dylan_ by Wilfrid Mellers.
New York, Oxford Univ. Press, 1985.  255 p.
ISBN: 0195036220    LCCN: 85-272 /MN
[Serious musical analysis of Dylan through 1970 - recommended for fans
with a strong background in music theory and history]

_Across the Great Divide: The Band and America_ by Barney Hoskyns.
New York: Hyperion Press, 1993.  439 p.
ISBN: 1562828363    LCCN: 93-17243
[A bio of long-time Dylan collaborators, The Band; contains a good
deal of information on Dylan's work with them, especially on the 1966
and 1974 tours]

_Alias Bob Dylan_ by Steven Scobie.  Red Deer, Alberta: Red Deer College
Press, 1991.  192 p.
ISBN: 0889950695    LCCN: 91-188326 /MN
[Lyric analysis]


10c. Reference books

_Lyrics 1962-1985_ by Bob Dylan.  New York: Knopf, 1990 [reprint of
1985 revision of _Writings and Drawings_].  527 p.
ISBN: 039454278-9    LCCN: 85-40408
[The official lyric book, covering *most* of Dylan's songs - but the
printed lyrics sometimes don't match the recordings, and there are
many songs omitted...]

_Positively Bob Dylan: A Thirty Year Discography, Concert & Recording
Session Guide, 1960-1991_ by Michael Krogsgaard.  Ann Arbor, MI:
Popular Culture, 1991.  498 p.
ISBN: 1560750006    LCCN: 89-92336
[The most frequently quoted reference guide on rec.music.dylan,
and a truly massive undertaking - this book provides an exhaustive
list of every Bob Dylan recording in circulation.  There are minor
errors throughout, and new tapes surface regularly, but this is an
essential guide for any serious collector...]

_Stolen Moments: The Essential Bob Dylan Reference Book_ by Clinton
Heylin.  [Another guide to Dylan sessions & so on...]

_Tangled Up in Tapes_ by Glen Dundas.  [ditto, preferred over
Krogsgaard by some, although the format is quite different]

_Strangers and Prophets_ by Phill Townsend, 1992-.
[A guide to compact disc bootlegs, provides photos and detailed
information.  Essential to serious collectors...]

_The Bob Dylan Concordance_ by Steve Michel, 1993.
[Provides a comprehensive index to Dylan's songs by the lyrics.
If you ever wonder what song that line stuck in your head came from,
this book is for you.  An excellent companion to the 'official' lyric
book, and a great resources for fans of Dylan's writing]

_I Just Write 'Em As They Come: An Annotated Guide to the Writings
of Bob Dylan_ by Tim Dunn. ["The Dylan song encyclopedia"]

_The Bible in the Lyrics of Bob Dylan_ by Bert Cartwright, 1993.
[A good look at Dylan's use of biblical references in his lyrics.
Flawed but fascinating]


11. Are there magazines about Dylan to which I could subscribe?

There are several highly regarded periodicals devoted to Dylan's
career - again, this is not a complete listing, but merely a guide:

Telegraph (UK - Wanted Man, P.O. Box 22, Romford, Essex RM1 2RF,
3 times a year, subscriptions currently $45/year via Rolling Tomes)
is the oldest and perhaps best known Dylan fan magazine.

Isis (UK - P.O. Box 132, Coventry, West Midlands CV3 5RE,
bi-monthly, subscriptions currently $54.95/yr. via Rolling Tomes)
is excellent for information regarding bootleg audio & video material
plus a comprehensive guide to Dylan's constant touring.

Why a Pig? (UK, quarterly) is not a Dylan-fanzine but is a forum for
information regarding underground CDs.

ICE (US, P.O. Box 3043, Santa Monica, CA 90408, monthly, subscribe
directly for $30/yr in North America, $40/yr elsewhere) is a newsletter
that provides information on new CDs, re-issued CDs, underground CDs,
and planned releases, all from reliable sources.  Again, not a Dylan
magazine, but usually contains something regarding Dylan CDs...

On The Tracks: The Unauthorized Bob Dylan Magazine (US - published
by Rolling Tomes [address above], quarterly, US subscriptions currently
$24.95/yr, or $39.95/yr to also receive the monthly newsletter,
Series of Dreams)  Features interviews, columns by well-known Dylan
commentators, such as Paul Williams, and importantly, includes the
Rolling Tomes catalog within its pages.  The companion newsletter
covers the gritty details such as concert dates, setlists, news events
and rumors.

Look Back (USA - quarterly, $35/year US subscription via Rolling Tomes).

Who Threw the Glass (Australia - quarterly, AUS$12 for subscription,
contact Shane Youl <[e-mail]> for more information) contains
analysis & discussion of Dylan's ongoing works...

Rolling Thunder (Italy - three times a year, issues $12 each through
Rolling Tomes)  Described in the Rolling Tomes catalog as "large format,
nice layout and photos. Mostly Italian text."


12. What are bootlegs, and how do I find them?

A bootleg is any recording, live or studio, which is not officially
sanctioned by the artist's recording company for sale or distribution.
In the U.S., it is legal to tape a radio show or television special
for your own personal use, but it is illegal to sell or rebroadcast
such a recording.  It is also illegal to record concerts without the
artist's consent, and anyone who makes or distributes bootleg
recordings can be subject to prosecution.

A pirated recording, however, is an illegal copy of an official
release by an artist.  Anyone who tapes a legally available CD or
record and then tries to sell you a copy is violating the copyright
on that recording and is knowingly depriving the artist of royalties.
The record industry does its best to search out pirates and prosecute
them.  Pirated recordings (often made in countries like Thailand
or Indonesia, where authorities are easy to bribe or too busy to
notice) do deprive the company and artist of money, and are thus
far worse than bootlegs - the record industry claims that it loses
hundreds of millions of dollars every year to record pirates.  These
are usually the cheapo tapes with blurry covers (or no jacket at all)
that are sold in flea markets and the like.  Avoid like the plague.

On the other hand, counterfeit recordings are generally very
professional in appearance (supposedly there are thousands of pirated
copies of the Beatles' _Let It Be_ album in circulation that are nearly
indistinguishable from the official Apple Records release).
A counterfeit recording is an exact copy of a legitimate recording
(often with a few distinguishing flaws) that is illegally distributed as
the real thing.

Nevertheless, there are literally thousands of bootleg recordings of
Dylan performances and even studio sessions that are widely circulated
among collectors, and certain countries (such as Italy) have lenient
copyright laws which allow many of these recordings to be pressed on
compact disc.  These discs are usually distributed as expensive
"live/rare" material and can only be found through record specialty
stores (usually the same places that sell used records) and individual
dealers, some of whom do mailorder business.

It is not within proper Internet/Usenet etiquette to make the sources
of such black-market operations available publicly, so the only way
that you will find bootlegs is by finding a store that sells them or
posting a request for information and waiting for someone to respond
via email.  That is one FAQ that can't be answered publicly.

Many people obtain 'live/rare' material by trading DAT or cassette tapes.
This is obviously a lot cheaper than searching for profit-seeking dealers
of CD bootlegs (most of these are mastered from cassettes, anyway),
and is far less condemnable, so long as there is no payment involved.
Rec.music.gdead, the newsgroup for the Grateful Dead, is one place
where live tapes are traded legally - this is because the Grateful Dead
allow their concerts to be taped from a special section of the audience
and distributed for non-profit listening.  If you're reasonably
discreet and obey general net.etiquette, you might be able to find
someone with whom you can trade live Dylan tapes...

If you do come across a Dylan CD and want to tell the newsgroup about
it, simply imitate the format of other listings you have seen, or ask
for help.  Of importance are the songs included and their length, the
title and manufacturer of the disc, the matrix number (printed in tiny
characters on the inner ring of the disc), and the supposed origin of
the recording.


13. Where can I get a copy of...?

There are certain Bob Dylan items that are frequently referred to by
writers, critics and fans, but are simply not available to the general
public except as bootlegs [see item 12...].  Here are a few such items:

The movie Renaldo and Clara - this four-hour movie (and a two-hour,
edited version) was shown at a few theaters in 1978, received generally
dismal reviews, and disappeared from sight.  It will probably not be
given official release on any format any time in the near future.
It does, however, contain some great live footage from the 1975
Rolling Thunder tour, during which this movie was recorded.

The Hard Rain television special - filmed in concert in Fort Collins,
Colorado, May 1976, this footage was broadcast on NBC, but has not seen
official release.  Some, but not all, of the performances from this set
are on the live album _Hard Rain_...  There is an 'alternate' version
of the Hard Rain videotape from Clearwater, Florida, April 1976 that
was never released but also circulates in the underground.

The movie Eat the Document - a one-hour film shot by D.A. Pennebaker
during the landmark 1966 'electric' tour of England.  Again, this film
was shown at a few theaters in 1971, and has had a rare television
airing or two since, but is not in print.

The Royal Albert Hall concert - one of the most famous bootlegs of all
time, also from the 1966 tour of England (many believe that this
recording is really from Manchester or elsewhere).  Contains some
truly amazing live performances; the 'electric' set was received very
poorly by the audience at hand.  Near the end of the show, an
irritated audience member yells out "Judas!"  Dylan responds by saying:
"I don't believe you... You're a liar!" before launching into a truly
overpowering version of "Like a Rolling Stone," obviously directed at
that same audience member...

Please note that the D.A. Pennebaker film of the 1965 British tour *is*
in print on videocassette; it's called "Don't Look Back."  Also in print
on videocassette is an in concert videotape of Dylan with Tom Petty &
the Heartbreakers from 1986, titled "Hard to Handle."

(end part 2 of 2)
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