''Bob Dylan, Performing Artist'' is a series of three books written by music critic Paul Williams concerning the music of American singer-songwriter

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

. Unlike many other books about Dylan, these are not biographical but focus primarily on the performances delivered at various concerts over a period of almost forty years. The performances Williams analyzes were either personally attended or reviewed from audio-tapes (and sometimes from videotapes). In an interview published in ''Isis'' magazine's August 1990 issue, Williams told interviewer Derek Barker, "I didn't want to write about the person, I wanted to write about what this person has created, his art, his music." ''Bob Dylan, Performing Artist'' is considered one of the leading critical analyses of Dylan's songs and performances.

''The Early Years (1960–1973)''

The first volume of the ''Performing Artist'' series, which covers the years 1960 through 1973, also recounts Dylan's childhood from his birth in May 1941 to August 1959. ''Early Years'' ends in December 1973 with Williams' review of the album '' Planet Waves''.

''The Middle Years (1974–1986)''

''Middle Years'' is the second book of the series, covering from January 1974 to September 1986 and ending with a review of the album '' Knocked Out Loaded''.

''Mind Out Of Time (1986–1990 and beyond)''

The last of the three volumes spans from September 1986 through September 1990. As the word "beyond" in the title implies, ''Mind Out Of Time'' includes two reviews by Williams of albums recorded after 1990, '' Time Out of Mind'' (1997) and '' Love and Theft'' (2001). The reviews were previously published in the magazine ''

Crawdaddy! ''Crawdaddy'' was an American rock music magazine launched in 1966. It was created by Paul Williams, a Swarthmore College student at the time, in response to the increasing sophistication and cultural influence of popular music. The magazine w ...

''. Williams does not provide an explanation for omitting reviews of other post-1990 albums such as ''

Good as I Been to You ''Good as I Been to You'' is the 28th studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on November 3, 1992, by Columbia Records. It is composed entirely of traditional folk songs and covers, and is Dylan's first entirely solo, ac ...

'' and ''

World Gone Wrong ''World Gone Wrong'' is the Bob Dylan discography, 29th studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on October 26, 1993, by Columbia Records. It was Dylan's second consecutive collection of only traditional folk songs, performed ...

''.

Reception

All three volumes of ''Performing Artist'' were widely acclaimed by critics. ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' magazine described the series as "Substantial, compelling...a voyage of rediscovery." American poet

Allen Ginsberg Irwin Allen Ginsberg (; June 3, 1926 – April 5, 1997) was an American poet and writer. As a student at Columbia University in the 1940s, he began friendships with William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, forming the core of the Beat Gener ...

commented, "Paul Williams historicizes Dylan's genius of American tongue."
Paul Williams' web page

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bob Dylan, Performing Artist Books about Bob Dylan Books about rock music