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Determined To Stand: The Reinvention of Bob Dylan
In Determined to Stand Chris Gregory traces the way in which Dylan, by focusing on his roots in folk, blues, country and gospel music, was able to reinvent his art and his persona from the 1990s onward to create a new and unique body of work.
….It’s almost like I heard it as a voice. It wasn’t like it was even me thinking it… I’m determined to stand, whether God will deliver me or not…
Although Bob Dylan’s music of the 1960s and 70s was highly acclaimed and vastly influential, by the mid 1980s his creativity had dipped so low that he was seriously thinking of retiring. Yet from the late ‘90s onwards he began to produce work that was comparable in quality to that of his heyday. The action in these extraordinary songs appears to take place in an indeterminate historical period, sometime between the American Civil War and the present day; in a mythic landscape of noisy, smoky honky tonks and juke joints; haunted by the ghosts of the great blues and country music legends, along with various long-lost crooners and torch singers. The songs reference a vast number of literary texts, ranging from Ancient Greek epics and the King James Bible to Shakespeare, the Romantic and Symbolist poets. They tell the story of Dylan’s personal battle to reclaim contact with his poetic muse.
In Determined to Stand Chris Gregory traces the way in which Dylan, by focusing on his roots in folk, blues, country and gospel music, was able to reinvent his art and his persona from the 1990s onward to create a new and unique body of work. The book is an in depth study of Bob Dylan’s songs from 1997’s Time Out of Mind to 2020’s Rough and Rowdy Ways. It also focuses on the crucial role that the live performances on Dylan’s Never Ending Tour (1988 to the present) played in his battle to find ways of remaining creative despite the onset of ageing.
….It’s almost like I heard it as a voice. It wasn’t like it was even me thinking it… I’m determined to stand, whether God will deliver me or not…
Although Bob Dylan’s music of the 1960s and 70s was highly acclaimed and vastly influential, by the mid 1980s his creativity had dipped so low that he was seriously thinking of retiring. Yet from the late ‘90s onwards he began to produce work that was comparable in quality to that of his heyday. The action in these extraordinary songs appears to take place in an indeterminate historical period, sometime between the American Civil War and the present day; in a mythic landscape of noisy, smoky honky tonks and juke joints; haunted by the ghosts of the great blues and country music legends, along with various long-lost crooners and torch singers. The songs reference a vast number of literary texts, ranging from Ancient Greek epics and the King James Bible to Shakespeare, the Romantic and Symbolist poets. They tell the story of Dylan’s personal battle to reclaim contact with his poetic muse.
In Determined to Stand Chris Gregory traces the way in which Dylan, by focusing on his roots in folk, blues, country and gospel music, was able to reinvent his art and his persona from the 1990s onward to create a new and unique body of work. The book is an in depth study of Bob Dylan’s songs from 1997’s Time Out of Mind to 2020’s Rough and Rowdy Ways. It also focuses on the crucial role that the live performances on Dylan’s Never Ending Tour (1988 to the present) played in his battle to find ways of remaining creative despite the onset of ageing.
- GenresMusic
336 pages, Paperback
Published March 1, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 6, 2021
Determined to Stand: The Reinvention of Bob Dylan by Chris Gregory is an in-depth look at Dylan’s work from 1997 to the present. It paints the picture of a gifted artist who was not content to just perform his already iconic songs of the 1960s, but who wanted to change, grow, and explore different types of music and art. This is an extensive review of Dylan’s work from 1997 to present, but it also looks back on his early work and rise to fame. There is in addition a comprehensive discography that includes detailed descriptions of Dylan’s later songs and the author’s review of their meaning and their impact. This is not a tell-all biography of the man. This is a thorough, comprehensive, and meticulously researched review of his work that will impress any Dylan fan and music fans in general.
I do not claim to be an expert on Bob Dylan or even a superfan. I am a casual fan who likes some of his iconic songs, but knew very little about his life and his eclectic body of work. I learned so much about him that I did not know, such as the fact that he became a Christian in the late 70’s and recorded Christian music until the early 1980s. I learned that he was an artist not just in music, but an author and painter as well. Among his many awards are both the Nobel and Pulitzer prizes. That is just a little of the vast amount of information readers will learn about Bob Dylan in this book. The discography is amazing, and the author provides beautifully thought out descriptions, insights, and reviews of each song. The author also walks us through Dylan’s live performances and provides perceptive commentary. This book is not a light read. Determined to Stand is an in-depth history and review of the later work of Bob Dylan, and could easily be used to teach a college course. I would take that class, and I think the author should teach it! I would highly recommend that fans and students of music history check this one out.
I received a free copy of this book from the author. My opinions are my own and are voluntary.
I do not claim to be an expert on Bob Dylan or even a superfan. I am a casual fan who likes some of his iconic songs, but knew very little about his life and his eclectic body of work. I learned so much about him that I did not know, such as the fact that he became a Christian in the late 70’s and recorded Christian music until the early 1980s. I learned that he was an artist not just in music, but an author and painter as well. Among his many awards are both the Nobel and Pulitzer prizes. That is just a little of the vast amount of information readers will learn about Bob Dylan in this book. The discography is amazing, and the author provides beautifully thought out descriptions, insights, and reviews of each song. The author also walks us through Dylan’s live performances and provides perceptive commentary. This book is not a light read. Determined to Stand is an in-depth history and review of the later work of Bob Dylan, and could easily be used to teach a college course. I would take that class, and I think the author should teach it! I would highly recommend that fans and students of music history check this one out.
I received a free copy of this book from the author. My opinions are my own and are voluntary.
September 30, 2021
An impressively rich volume on Bob Dylan's writing in the 21st century. I loved it. Such a lot of research to reveal references and quotations scattered across lyrics like a Kurt Schwitters collage. And the placing of accounts of inspired concert performances as spacers among the author's expositions of songs made a great formula.
The final song to be considered is Murder Most Foul. While I welcomed this new material from Dylan last year it never fully satisfied me and, being on a second disc when the album came out, I quite often ignored it and savoured the rest of the album on repeat. But in six pages Chris Gregory was able to reiterate my reading of lines more eloquently than I had, to tease out more, and to pull the whole piece together very nicely.
Great book, great chapter, possibly the best section, certainly one cracker out of many. Sincere thanks Mr Gregory.
The final song to be considered is Murder Most Foul. While I welcomed this new material from Dylan last year it never fully satisfied me and, being on a second disc when the album came out, I quite often ignored it and savoured the rest of the album on repeat. But in six pages Chris Gregory was able to reiterate my reading of lines more eloquently than I had, to tease out more, and to pull the whole piece together very nicely.
Great book, great chapter, possibly the best section, certainly one cracker out of many. Sincere thanks Mr Gregory.
July 7, 2021
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Determined to Stand (the reinvention of Bob Dylan). I found it to be inspiring and thought provoking. An excellent resource for anyone studying poetry or music. This book is more than a catalogue of Bob Dylan’s latest work, analysing his songs with a focus on the period between 1997-2020’s. Chris’ writing is almost poetic as he delves into Dylan’s different art forms giving meaning and understanding to Bob Dylan and the artist he is.
I personally had not given much thought to Dylan and his music over the past few years. I have heard of him–I think you would have had to have lived a very sheltered life not to–and knew and liked some of his music but that was about it. Whilst reading Determined to Stand, I listened to each song I didn’t remember or didn’t know. Each song took me back to a time of bittersweet memories reminding me of lazy hazy days spent in Somerset, where I would share an evening or two with my brother and his friends, jamming and sharing thoughts on different artists and their music. The poetry of Dylan’s songs relighted my love of music that looks straight into my soul. Chris wrote about this stage on Dylan’s career with deep knowledge and insight blending the book together with references to Dylan’s earlier work and comparison to other artists.
I thought the front cover and lay out of the book was engaging; however, I would recommend anyone who is dyslexic to use a coloured overlay as the pages are very white and the writing is detailed. I found the discography helpful as Determined to Stand caused several discussions among my family and friends.
I would definitely recommend Determined to Stand (the reinvention of Bob Dylan) even if you are just a little bit curious about Bob Dylan.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I personally had not given much thought to Dylan and his music over the past few years. I have heard of him–I think you would have had to have lived a very sheltered life not to–and knew and liked some of his music but that was about it. Whilst reading Determined to Stand, I listened to each song I didn’t remember or didn’t know. Each song took me back to a time of bittersweet memories reminding me of lazy hazy days spent in Somerset, where I would share an evening or two with my brother and his friends, jamming and sharing thoughts on different artists and their music. The poetry of Dylan’s songs relighted my love of music that looks straight into my soul. Chris wrote about this stage on Dylan’s career with deep knowledge and insight blending the book together with references to Dylan’s earlier work and comparison to other artists.
I thought the front cover and lay out of the book was engaging; however, I would recommend anyone who is dyslexic to use a coloured overlay as the pages are very white and the writing is detailed. I found the discography helpful as Determined to Stand caused several discussions among my family and friends.
I would definitely recommend Determined to Stand (the reinvention of Bob Dylan) even if you are just a little bit curious about Bob Dylan.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
March 14, 2022
This isn't a book to take lightly, but it is an important book for ardent Dylan fans.
It's a thematically-based analysis of all Dylan's songs from Time Out Of Mind up to, and including, Rough And Rowdy Ways. As such, it's a counterpoint to most Dylan literature which focus primarily on earlier works.
It took me a while to get through. That was primarily because it does need concentration to get the best out of it. The print size also makes for more words per page than most books.
It's a thematically-based analysis of all Dylan's songs from Time Out Of Mind up to, and including, Rough And Rowdy Ways. As such, it's a counterpoint to most Dylan literature which focus primarily on earlier works.
It took me a while to get through. That was primarily because it does need concentration to get the best out of it. The print size also makes for more words per page than most books.
September 30, 2021
An exhaustively researched dive into Dylan’s songwriting in the new millennium.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews