Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)This is a fascinating book. Harvey examines 70 early Dylan songs for their musical and lyrical influences. He doesn't stop when he finds an earlier song with a similar melody. He finds a song that influenced the melody of *that* song, and then he finds yet an earlier song that had a similar tune, and so on.
Dylan has sometimes been criticized for ripping off the songs of this or that performer. Dominic Behan, for a famous example, claimed Dylan copied his 1957 "Patriot Game" in "With God On Our Side." Harvey's research shows what Behan conveniently did not mention: The "Patriot Game" melody had been used by Burl Ives in his versions of "The Nightingale," released on two different records in 1952 and 1956, before Behan wrote his song. Then Harvey traces the melody back to a recording made by Jo Stafford in 1948, released on a 78 rpm album. Harvey also reports that Liam Clancy said a very similar melody ("The Merry Month of May") came from the Appalachian Mountains.
Dylan *had* heard "The Patriot Game" and was influenced by it, as the lyrics indicate. The point is that, when folk songs and their melodies are the issue, no one person can usually be determined to be the author. Someone may copyright various songs, as A. P. Carter did with many Carter Family recordings, but that doesn't mean he wrote them. It is more a matter of receiving royalties that would otherwise be lost to Anonymous.
Harvey's book is fascinating reading, well written, and original. In this time when so many Dylan books are rehashes of the same old stories, it is a pleasant surprise to read a volume that is written from independent research.
The Formative Dylan is also a rare Dylan book in that its subject is Dylan's music, not his private life. Highest recommendation.
Click Here to see more reviews about: The Formative Dylan: Transmission and Stylistic Influences, 1961-1963 (American Folk Music and Musicians, No. 7.)
The Formative Dylan examines the roots of Bob Dylan's acoustic period. Through short articles that detail the histories of 70 songs, this book describes the influences upon Dylan's earliest recordings.
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