By Forris Day Jr.
I’ve never been much of a Bob Dylan fan. I do like some of his music but overall I can take or leave it. I had the opportunity to read the new book by Jim Beviglia called “Counting Down Bob Dylan – His 100 Finest Songs” and much to my surprise I enjoyed it. What I really liked about it was its format. Beviglia doesn’t just do a random countdown of his favorite songs but he writes why he feels the way he does and includes some pretty in-depth stories and song break-downs to back up his explanations.
Right away I realized that he researched the subject and is incredibly knowledgable about music in general. Beviglia writes intelligently and that made this read extremely interesting. He understands music and it’s lyrics like few writers I have read. He is able to state his feelings and passion in a way that anyone can understand. Even though I have never heard most of these songs, I am now curious to listen to many of them just to get a better feel for them. Time to get out the iTunes gift-card.
You can read the book as a whole, from beginning to end, or you can bounce around from song to song. Each song is a stand alone story, or perhaps “essay” is a better word choice. Bring the book with you when you know you will only have short blasts of reading time such as waiting at the doctors office or longer jaunts such as riding on an airplane. I guarantee you the time will fly. You see what I did there?
If you love music you will enjoy how Beviglia breaks each song down by lyrics and the music itself. You will listen to Dylan tunes in a whole new way once you gain an understanding of the songs meanings or implied meanings in some cases. Many of the stories involve other bands and musicians such as The Beatles and Eric Clapton. I think because of that you will savor the book, weather you’re a Dylan fan or not.
The print version is a hardcover and it is also available for an e-reader. No matter what your taste in rock and roll or folk music “Counting Down Bob Dylan – His 100 Finest Songs” should prove to be an enjoyable read for all music lovers. I recommend this interesting and insightful book.
Rating: 7.5/10 – “Chillin’ with Dylan”
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