Subterranean Dylanologist Blues

There’s something a little disturbing about Dylan fanatics, and by fanatics I mean lonely men who listen to Blonde on Blonde six times a day and obsessively collect bootlegs from the Neverending Tour. Okay, so I’m sure Clinton Heylin, author of Bob Dylan: Behind the Shades and Bob Dylan: The Recording Sessions, is not at all lonely. But his obsession cannot be doubted, for his latest opus about the Cryptic Bard from Hibbing is a two-volume affair that dissects every single song Dylan captured on tape—and even a few that he merely alluded to in interviews. Yes, that’s two volumes, so you’re looking at about 1,000 pages. With the first volume due out in April, Revolution in the Air (Chicago Review Press) is sure to whip the fans at ExpectingRain.com into a lather. True to form, Heylin digs deep—way deep—into the songs, mixing cold hard facts with illuminating anecdotes. This is not for the uninitiated, but if you’re a confirmed Dylan nut, this epic will fit nicely on the shelf where you keep that Japanese pressing of Highway 61 Revisited. You know…the one with the wrong take of “From a Buick 6.”