Revolutions and record deals - copious Dylan content in two new books

There’s lots of Dylan content (including a Bob caricature on both covers) in two new books I’ve been browsing:

* There's a Riot Going On: Revolutionaries, Rock Stars and The Rise and Fall of '60s Counter-Culture, by Peter Doggett (Canongate, 2007, 598pp, £25), a hefty door-stopper, documents Dylan’s on-off-very off relationship with the swirl of the 1960/70s weekend revolution.

While the Dylan content is a come-on, I can’t yet face the prospect of this minutely detailed blow-by-blow account of the collision of the rest of this cast, tawdry rockers and dubious politicos. If you’ve read it, The Dylan Daily is keen to publish your reaction.

* The Producer: John Hammond and the Soul of American Music, By Dunstan Prial (Picador paperback, 2007, 368pp, £7.14 from amazon.co.uk) had strong reviews on first publication last year in the USA. Available in the UK since May in paperback, it’s a compelling tale of Hammond’s role as a talent-spotter/enabler at Columbia – it has 20-odd pages of detail discussing Hammond’s interaction with Dylan.

Apart from Dylan, Hammond played a major role in the careers of two generations of great musicians, including Billie Holiday and Count Basie, and Aretha Franklin and Springsteen. His major legacy, though, according to writer Dunstan Prial, was to single-handedly racially integrate the US music biz.

Once again, if you’ve read it, The Dylan Daily is keen to publish your reaction.



Gerry Smith