ISIS: A Bob Dylan Anthology

By: Derek Barker

Expertly compiled selection of rare articles which trace the evolution of rock's greatest talent. From Bob's earliest days in New York City to the more recent legs of the Never Ending Tour, and his new highly acclaimed album, Love and Theft, the ISIS archive has exclusive interview material '" often rare or previously unpublished-with many of the key players in Dylan's career: his parents, friends, musicians and other collaborators.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1900924293
• ISBN13: 9781900924290
• Release Date: April 2002
• Publisher: Helter Skelter Publishing
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 0.5" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

ISIS: A Bob Dylan Anthology

This is a CRACKERJACK book. Hugely enjoyable and one that I hope is on everyone's wish list. Excluding the appendices (which include an opinion on "historic" live shows and on "essential" bootlegs), the anthology comprises thirty-three pieces, of which, twelve are either written by Derek alone, or in collaboration with others. And whilst most of the content has of course been drawn from past issues of ISIS Magazine, there are five entirely new essays. Of those that have appeared before, the earliest comes from ISIS #22 and the most recent from ISIS #96. The structure of the anthology broadly follows Bob's progress through the years, which gives it something of a biographical feel, albeit a particularly selective one. The text is interspersed with photographs of Bob in concert and elsewhere, as well as being liberally sprinkled with "passport" sized photos of others; poster/ticket reproductions; cartoons; band signatures and so on. Collectively these give a good overall impression of Dylan and some of his world. Derek also writes the introduction, which moves pretty briskly from what the book is about to Derek's own reasons for being "completely captivated" by Dylan. So although he states that "it is (about) a best of selection...arranged in chronological order...(which) can be read as a potted biography... or ...as individual essays," it gets its flavour from Derek's own enthusiasm for and perspective on Dylan. The result is that "ISIS A Bob Dylan Anthology" has a particular coherence that somehow accommodates the inevitably different styles of the other contributors, who, equally inevitably, have their own take on Bob. What emerges is a book drawn from a very rich mix indeed. A bit like Grandma's secret recipe fruitcake, which is stuffed full of goodies, yet is wonderfully digestible. And you always want more... It helps enormously that Derek writes well. His style is accessible, engaging and inclusive of others. He brings rigour and considerable expertise to bear. This produces pieces that are informed, accurate (or as accurate as anything about Bob Dylan ever can be) and stimulating. At the same time, there is a total absence of malice about his writing, as well as an utter lack of arrogance. This is in marked contrast to some of the recent(ish) works by one or two "world authorities" on Dylan, where what they said was much diminished by how they said it. Somehow (though I guess careful editing on Derek's part has a lot to do with it), the essays from the other contributors are pretty consistent with Derek's approach. Hence the general coherence of it all. By way of an analogy to illustrate this, it's a bit like listening to a "various artist's" CD, one where the tracks are based on a distinctive theme, rather than one intended to reflect the broad company catalogue. Turning now to some of the pieces themselves. The opener, "Interview With Abe and Beatty Zimmerman" is prefaced with an introductory note by Ian Woodward. Even for people pretty f