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 @SUBJECT:FAQ: rec.music.dylan Frequently Asked Questions (1 of 2)
 @PACKOUT:02-03-94àFr
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Newsgroup: rec.music.dylan,rec.music.info,rec.answers,news.answers
Organization: University of Chicago

Archive-name: music/dylan-faq/part1
Frequency: bi-weekly

************************************************************************
      Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), part 1 of 2
       for newsgroup rec.music.dylan
            Please email corrections and suggestions to:
             [e-mail] (Adam K. Powers)
            Last update: 30 January 1994
************************************************************************
CONTENTS:

Part 1 - What is available on Internet? (this 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, or some
  way to order Dylan CDs via Internet?
 4. Where can I find lyrics, tablature and other Bob Dylan
  information via Internet?
 5. Is there some way that I can get lists of Bob Dylan concert
  tapes and unreleased recordings from past years?
 6. When and where will Bob Dylan be performing next?
 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? (next 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.
  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...?

************************************************************************

1. What is rec.music.dylan, anyway?

Welcome!  This Usenet newsgroup is devoted to the discussion of
Bob Dylan, his music, and things Dylan-related.  We welcome your
comments on nearly any issue, even if it's only tangentially associated
with Bob Dylan.  This newsgroup is not moderated, so anything goes;
but certain subjects are generally frowned upon, such as tirades against
other readers of the newsgroup for their opinions...

Bob Dylan is a singer, a guitar player, a song writer and a
recording artist. Born Robert Allen Zimmerman in Hibbing
Minnesota in 1941, his earliest circulating recordings date from
1958! His earliest recordings on an unofficial bootleg LP date
from 1960, his first commercial release dates from 1962. He
continues to write, record and perform to this day.

There is no official Dylan fan club, so small packs of Dylan fans band
together to stay informed and carry on general discussion.  This
particular Usenet newsgroup was founded mid-1989 by Tom Buckley.

Sometimes it seems that all we're interested in are upcoming tour dates
and clarification of fact regarding old recordings, but there is often
very interesting discussion of Dylan's lyrics themselves, a reason
that no doubt many of you read this newsgroup.  If you don't see the
sort of discussion you want, you're encouraged to bring it up yourself!

If you have no access to Usenet News but you do have Internet
access then you could join a FreeNet in order to make use of free
Usenet News access. For example:

telnet yfn.ysu.edu

username: visitor

follow the instructions for becoming a registered user and then
read rec.music.dylan whenever you please.

The majority of readers access this group through a newsreader
(such as rn on Unix systems), but there is also a digestified format
that is sent to many others via email.  If you'd rather read in that
format (a long email sent to you once or twice daily), read this:
************************

** FOR YOUR REFERENCE ** (Highway 61 Digest)

The service addresses, to which questions about the list itself
and requests to be added to or deleted from it should be directed,
are as follows:

    Internet: [e-mail]
              [e-mail]

    BITNET:   HW61-Req@Virginia
    UUCP:     ...!uunet!virginia!highway61-request

You can send mail to the entire list (and rec.music.dylan) via one
of these addresses:

    Internet: [e-mail]
    BITNET:   HW61@Virginia
    UUCP:     ...!uunet!virginia!highway61
************************
The Highway 61 Digest is maintained by Doug Poulin <[e-mail]>

If you lack Usenet news access and want to post, simply e-mail
your posting to:

[e-mail]
   ^     ^
   N.B. - NOT . or _ / hyphens not full stops or underscores!


2. Glossary of terms and acronyms common to this newsgroup.

All areas of knowledge develop jargon and acronyms which inevitably
serve to keep outsiders out and to confuse newcomers. Medical
doctors complicate the simplest things with needlessly difficult
terms and abbreviations, computer experts often make the easy
inaccessible to newcomers with obscure terms and abbreviations
by trying to 'simplify' communications, management consultants...
Well, you get the picture.  People with a serious and debilitating
Dylan habit can also develop these tendencies.
Watch for the following obscure terms...

#Dylan = The name of the Dylan channel on irc.

BoB = Blonde on Blonde [1966] [not a typo for "Bob"!]

BotT = Blood on the Tracks [1974]

BIABH = Bringing It All Back Home [1965]

boot = bootleg

bootleg = circulating copy of officially unreleased material in any
form.  The term is probably derived from 'bootleg' liquor, which
was sometimes smuggled in bottles strapped to one's leg during
Prohibition in the United States, 1918-1933.

Bootleg Series = The Bootleg Series 1961-1991, Rare and Unreleased,
Volumes 1-3 [1991] - not to be confused with 'bootleg' above, this is
an official release that reveals many songs and performances from
throughout Dylan's career that were previously available only on
bootleg media.  The liner notes of this boxed set mention that further
volumes would be released, but no reliable source has been able to
determine if and when this might actually happen...

BTW = By the way...

EDLIS = Exchange of Dylan Lyrics - Internet Service
[see question 7, below, for more information on EDLIS]

GAIBTY = Good As I Been To You [1992]

H61R = Highway 61 Revisited [1965]

Hurricane = The lead-off single from Desire [1976], which tells
Dylan's rather loose interpretation of the murder trial of boxer
Rubin "Hurricane" Carter; Carter is today a free man in Canada after
having endured a convoluted series of mistrials and legal wrangling.

IMO = In my opinion...

IMHO = In my humble opinion...

irc = Internet Relay Chat, an international live real-time
conferencing system with a channel called #Dylan.
[see question #8, below]

JWH = John Wesley Harding [1967]  This album (and its title track)
were mis-named after outlaw John Wesley Hardin.  Dylan's song
has very little to do with the story of the real Hardin; instead,
it's basically just a spin-off of Woody Guthrie's "Pretty Boy Floyd."
Some Dylan fans note the religious bent of this album and claim that
the initials 'JWH' really refer to the Judeo-Christian deity...

Krogsgaard = Krogsgaard's 1991 reference book, Positively Bob Dylan
[listed below in question 10c]. A Krogsgaard number would be in a form
such as [7/201]. This refers to item seven in the Krogsgaard listing
for event 201. Badly addicted rec.music.dylan readers can be told such
a number and then immediately sing the relevant item without reference
to the Krogsgaard book itself!

pirate = Illegal copy of officially released material.

smiley =  An unusual punctuation device, presumably employed only by
computer-users, which looks like a sideways smiley-face:  :-)
A smiley usually means that a comment or article has been written
in jest, and should be read accordingly.  A common variant is ;-)
with the 'winking' eye.  There are many, many variants on the smiley,
and most are used to represent the flairs of spoken language that are
often hard to perceive in text.  :-(

tape tree = A 'pyramid' method of distributing tapes organized
by someone with a good or unusual tape that begs to be circulated.
That person posts an announcement to the newsgroup, asking people
to send email to him to sign up.  He collects the names of those
interested, and creates a 'tree' such that no one has to make an
excessive number of copies, and people with better tape decks make copies
for those without, etc.  The original tape is the 'seed'.  Those who
receive copies from the seed and make further copies are 'branches', and
those who receive copies from branches but don't copy for anyone else
are the 'leaves'.  Sometimes a person who make copies is called a 'parent'
and one who receives copies is a 'child'.  Each person who receives tapes
is expected to send tapes of other events in return to his/her branch.
If blanks are sent in lieu of recorded tapes, the person sending blanks is
expected to pay postage for both the tapes that he sends and the ones he
will receive; another method is to send double the number of blank tapes
to recorded tapes...

T-999 = Numbers like these are Townsend numbers.

Townsend number = A three figure number identifying a specific
bootleg CD as cited by Phill Townsend in his Strangers And
Prophets [listed above], or as cited in Isis [listed above].

UTRS = Under The Red Sky [1990]

WGW = World Gone Wrong [1993]

ZZ = someone used to the vi editor in Unix posting from a
different and unfamiliar editor trying to end their posting...


3. Is there a Bob Dylan discography available online, or some
way to order Dylan CDs via Internet?

It is beyond the scope of this document to give a true discography
for Bob Dylan, but here is a list of the standard U.S. release
full-length Bob Dylan albums:

Title                           Released        CD Order #
-----                           --------        ----------
Bob Dylan                       March 1962      CK 8579
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan      May 1963        CK 8786
The Times They Are A-Changin'   January 1964    CK 8905
Another Side of Bob Dylan       August 1964     CK 8993
Bringing it All Back Home       March 1965      CK 9128
Highway 61 Revisited            August 1965     CK 9189
Blonde on Blonde                May 1966        CK 841
Greatest Hits                   March 1967#     CK 9463
John Wesley Harding             December 1967   CK 9604
Nashville Skyline               April 1969      CK 9825
Self-Portrait                   June 1970       C2K 30050
New Morning                     October 1970    CK 30290
Greatest Hits, Vol. 2           November 1971#  C2K 31120
Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid     July 1973       CK 32460
Dylan                           November 1973^  CK 32747
Planet Waves                    January 1974    CK 37637
Before the Flood                June 1974'      C2K 37661
Blood on the Tracks             January 1975    CK 33235
The Basement Tapes              June 1975*      C2K 33682
Desire                          January 1976    CK 33893
Hard Rain                       September 1976  CK 34349
Street Legal                    June 1978       CK 35453
At Budokan                      July 1978'~     C2K 36067
Slow Train Coming               August 1979     CK 36120
Saved                           June 1980       CK 36553
Shot of Love                    August 1981     CK 37496
Infidels                        November 1983   CK 38819
Real Live                       December 1984'  CK 39944
Empire Burlesque                June 1985       CK 40110
Biograph                        October 1985#   C3K 38830
Knocked Out Loaded              August 1986     CK 40439
Down in the Groove              May 1988        CK 40957
Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1       October 1988    Warner Bros. 9 25796-1
Dylan and the Dead              February 1989'  CK 45056
Oh Mercy                        September 1989  CK 45281
Under the Red Sky               September 1990  CK 46794
Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3       October 1990    Warner Bros. 9 26324-1
Bootleg Series Vols. 1-3        March 1991@     C3T 47382
Good As I Been to You           October 1992    CK 53200
World Gone Wrong  October 1993 CK 57590


This is NOT intended to be a complete discography by any means.
Check the discography file at ftp.cs.pdx.edu for more details
on Bob Dylan releases available on compact disc.
[see question 4 for help].

Notes:
'  Live album
#  'Greatest Hits' collection - *most* songs previously released
^  Recorded in 1970, outtakes from Self-Portrait
*  Recorded in 1967!
~  This is the Japanese release date - U.S. release was December 1978
@  Collection of previously unreleased material spanning 1961-1991...


Also of interest are the 30th Anniversary Tribute Concert
double-CD set; and Masterpieces, a triple-CD import collection
that contains a few songs not available elsewhere on CD.

To actually order CDs online, you can try the Compact Disc Connection,
a California-based mail-order company.

telnet holonet.net

username: cdc

Once you're logged in as cdc, the menus are fairly self-explanatory,
and you can make purchases with your credit card.

There have been several 'best album' polls done on the music
newsgroups - the most comprehensive were the 'Usenet Artist Polls'
and are available by anonymous FTP from ftp.uwp.edu in /pub/music/uap
(many polls done on individual artists, not just Dylan).

The Dylan albums most frequently recommended by readers of r.m.d
are _Highway 61 Revisited_, _Blonde on Blonde_, _Blood on
the Tracks_, and _The Bootleg Series, Vols. 1-3_, although
you'll find staunch fans of nearly every album...

The Dylan you might like depends more on you than on the opinions
of others. You could describe in reasonable detail your musical,
political, religious and sexual tastes, post that on
rec.music.dylan, and ask for advice...

Additional material may be found at the various FTP archives
[see question 4, below].


4. Where can I find lyrics, tablature and other Bob Dylan information
via Internet?

There are three archive sites from which information regarding Bob Dylan
may be obtained by FTP [If the term "ftp" is meaningless to you then ask
a local computer guru to show you what to do...]:

potemkin.cs.pdx.edu  (Portland State University)
ftp.uwp.edu   (University of Wisconsin, Parkside)
ftp.nevada.edu   (University of Nevada)

Olof's yearly summaries of Bob Dylan concerts and recordings, plus
a number of transcribed interviews, concert/tape reviews, and similar
documents are available by anonymous FTP from potemkin.cs.pdx.edu,
in the directory /pub/dylan, and are maintained by Trent Fisher.
This site originated as a replacement to Anthony Kapolka's archives
from the early days of rec.music.dylan.  Consequently, many items of a
more recent vintage have yet to be added to this archive at the time
of this writing.  Please address any questions regarding recent
material (specifically, Olof's archives for 1991-1993) to
[e-mail] for the time being.

Lyrics to a limited number of Bob Dylan songs, plus some guitar
tabs and other information by be found by anonymous FTP from
ftp.uwp.edu, in pub/music/artists/d/dylan.bob.

Guitar tablature to many of Dylan's songs is available by
anonymous FTP from the alt.guitar.tab archives at ftp.nevada.edu,
in /pub/guitar/d/Dylan.Bob, and also /pub/guitar/d/Bob.Dylan (the
separate directories are probably due to an oversight or change).

An anonymous FTP session begins like this - at your prompt, type:

ftp ftp.uwp.edu  [or whatever site you'll be getting files from]

Enter 'anonymous' (without the quotes) when prompted for a login name,
give your computer address as the password.  Use either 'ls' or 'dir'
and 'cd' to find your way to the proper directory.

If you cannot find transcribed music online, you should be able to
find music to all the released albums from good music stores and
suppliers.  For example, the book for Good As I Been to You is
available from Special Rider Music Sales, 8/9 Frith St., London W1V 5TZ.
[Thanks to Frank <[e-mail]> for that info.]


5. Is there some way that I can get lists of Bob Dylan concert
tapes and recordings from past years?

There is one electronic document that makes a good reference guide,
plus one essential book:

#1 - If you've got a little disk space to spare [approx. 1.5
megabytes], you can download Olof's year-by-year Bob Dylan
archive - which lists Dylan's public appearances and recordings,
gives handy reference tables of songs played on tour, and even
lists recommended tapes by tour!  The best part is that it's free
for your own personal use.  Don't try printing it out unless
you've got the time & ribbons - the combined total of all the
files would be on the order of 600 pages...  How do you get it?
ftp potemkin.cs.pdx.edu, in the /pub/dylan directory, the
1960.Z through 1990.Z files (they are compressed).  [For the 1991-1993
files, temporarily direct your requests to [e-mail]]

#2 - There is a book called "Positively Bob Dylan" by Michael
Krogsgaard (this book is frequently referred to simply as
'Krogsgaard' on this newsgroup).  This tome numbers Dylan's
various performances and lists the songs performed at each
and every known Bob Dylan recording through early 1991.  There are
always gaps and changes as new tapes surface, but this book is
essential to the serious collector!  It provides a fast,
easy reference for identifying tapes and so on.  The main
disadvantage of such a serious book is that it costs about US$55.
See item 10c below for more information.


6. When and where will Bob Dylan be performing next?

Since official announcements from Dylan's publicity office regarding
tour dates are rare, we have to rely on local people to look for
advertisements or call ticket agencies and then to inform the rest of
us.  If you hear of an upcoming concert in your area, please tell us!
Set-lists from shows that you have seen recently are also appreciated,
even if you don't know the titles of all the songs that were played.

Tour dates are usually posted piece-meal to the newsgroup, and
sometimes these postings will contain conflicting or confusing
information.  If your local ticket agency has no knowledge of a concert
date that you saw announced here, don't give up hope.  Agencies such as
TicketMaster frequently do not know about particular shows until a
few days before they are authorized to sell tickets for that show.
Some concert dates start out as rumors and never materialize, but many
rumors do become fact.  Be patient.

There is no mail-order for Bob Dylan concert tickets.

There are also Dylan hotlines you can ring on the telephone for
the latest information on Bob Dylan events:

USA: 303-243-8025 (The Rolling Tomes Hotline - the operator will
ask you to enter the "hotline access number" located in the lower
right corner of the back cover of the current Rolling Tomes
catalogue. So you must either have seen the catalogue or have
contact with someone who has...  See question 9, below.
A touch-tone telephone is required. The recording is updated at
least weekly, more often when news warrants it.)

UK: (does anyone know the number for the Wanted Man hotline?)

7. What is EDLIS?

The Exchange Dylan Lyrics - Internet Service is an Internet
wide conspiracy to make available Dylan lyrics for the
purposes of research and/or private study.  Lyrics available
are restricted to a reasonable proportion.  Any copying to
evade purchase is wrong.  EDLIS consists of a number of loosely
affiliated individuals who have chosen to horde and distribute
Bob Dylan information.  This service includes, but is not
limited to, information regarding: Bob Dylan song lyrics,
versions of Bob Dylan songs performed by other artists, bootleg
compact discs, and tape trees.

If you post a request for specific lyrics (or for detailed
boot CD information) on rec.music.dylan you might find an
EDLIS agent answers your needs magically in your e-mail box.
In return, EDLIS is always in need of transcribed lyrics and
information on compact discs, old and new.  If you are able to
type in or scan Dylan lyrics not presently available on the
Internet, please do so - the only reason that EDLIS sends you
anything is because others have contributed in the past!


8. What if I want to talk about Dylan on-line at all hours?

If no one in the same room as you wants to chat about Dylan 24
hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year you might think
you have an insatiable desire. But there is relief! IRC!
Internet Relay Chat. On Internet Relay Chat there is always an
international live real-time Dylan conference - usually in
English - waiting for you to join it. At your Unix prompt type:

irc

and once irc is up and running type:

/join #Dylan

and what you type after that will be seen by all the others on
that channel. If all is quiet simply wait until the lull ends or
learn how to invite others in (/invite), change the topic
(/topic) and so on.

Many arrange to meet at #dylan by prior arrangement through
e-mail, setting a time to rendezvous.  Bear in mind the time
zones - discussion tends to ebb and flow with New Zealanders
and Australians starting the day, as they begin to flag
Europeans join, and Americans  are last to come in, though
some #dylan people keep very odd hours indeed.

Treat #dylan like a Paris street cafe.  If you want to be
certain that stimulating, interesting people are there when
you are there, bring them with you.

If Bob Dylan is performing in a country you can try to see
who is on from that country, such as Japan:

/who *.jp

And then use /invite to invite in unsuspecting irc-ers and
ask them about media coverage, whether they are going to the
concerts or know anyone who is, will they be taking a DAT
recorder with them, etc etc etc.

As with all esoteric computer matters, if the command irc is not
available on your computer, simply ask a local computer guru how
to ftp and compile what you need.

You could also logon by telnet to a limited version of irc:

telnet sci.dixie.edu 6668

So long as you have full Internet access something should be possible,
and you can join in on the Dylan discussion via irc...

(end part 1 of 2)
************************************************************************



Archive-name: music/dylan-faq/part2
Frequency: bi-weekly

************************************************************************
      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: 30 January 1994
************************************************************************
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, or some
                way to order Dylan CDs via Internet?
        4. Where can I find lyrics, tablature and other Bob Dylan
                information via Internet?
        5. Is there some way that I can get lists of Bob Dylan concert
  tapes and unreleased recordings from past years?
        6. When and where will Bob Dylan be performing next?
 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...?

************************************************************************
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.  Don't fret!  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
these books but could never afford them, 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 take suggestions from 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 catalogues 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]

_Song and Dance Man_ by Michael Gray
ISBN: 052520685-X
[currently out of print in the USA, but a new, updated edition will be
published soon]

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:

The 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 $64.95/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...

Goldmine (US, 700 E. State St, Iola, WI 54990, [phone],
FAX [phone]. Subscriptions $35/yr.)
This is a record and CD collectors' publication, published
twice a month, known for being a forum for bootleg buyers and
sellers.  Goldmine has phased out detailed advertisements from all
but the largest dealers, including a crackdown on classified ads.
This includes tapes and videos, but *not* CD's.  Subscriptions are $35
for a year; you can call and order by Visa/MC, or mail them a check or
money order.  If you call them they will send you a free sample copy.

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.

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 follow the newsgroup
for a while, you will invariably see discussions of unreleased Bob Dylan
material.  A friendly email response will often help locate 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.  Circulating
videotape copies probably originated from a mid-1980's late-night
television broadcast of this movie in Britain.

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 on videocassette.  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 special, with a very different song selection,
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...  This audio bootleg is one of many fragments
of of soundboard tapes circulating from the 1966 tour, and the origin
of these tapes is a frequent topic of discussion among Dylan fans
everywhere.

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."

In short, the easiest way to find a particular out-of-print or rare item
is to latch onto a discussion of that item, or to bring up the topic
yourself.  Most Bob Dylan fans are quite willing to share their addiction
with others...

(end part 2 of 2)
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