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Audio CD Description One would not anticipate a conventional memoir from Bob Dylan--indeed, one would not have foreseen an autobiography at all from the pen of the notoriously private legend. What Chronicles: Volume 1 delivers is an odd but ultimately illuminating memoir that is as impulsive, eccentric, and inspired as Dylan's greatest music. Eschewing chronology and skipping over most of the "highlights" that his many biographers have assigned him, Dylan drifts and rambles through his tale, amplifying a series of major and minor epiphanies. If you're interested in a behind-the-scenes look at his encounters with the Beatles, look elsewhere. Dylan describes the sensation of hearing the group's "Do You Want to Know a Secret" on the radio, but devotes far more ink to a Louisiana shopkeeper named Sun Pie, who tells him, "I think all the good in the world might already been done" and sells him a World's Greatest Grandpa bumper sticker. Dylan certainly sticks to his own agenda--a newspaper article about journeymen heavyweights Jerry Quarry and Jimmy Ellis and soul singer Joe Tex's appearance on The Tonight Show inspire heartfelt musings, and yet the 1963 assassination of John Kennedy prompts nary a word from the era's greatest protest singer. For all the small revelations (it turns out he's been a big fan of Barry Goldwater, Mickey Rourke, and Ice-T), there are eye-opening disclosures, including his confession that a large portion of his recorded output was designed to alienate his audience and free him from the burden of being a "the voice of a generation." Off the beaten path as it is, Chronicles is nevertheless an astonishing achievement. As revelatory in its own way as Blonde on Blonde or Highway 61 Revisited, it provides ephemeral insights into the mind one of the most significant artistic voices of the 20th century while creating a completely new set of mysteries. --Steven Stolder

Customer Reviews It's Called "CHRONICLES!" It's NOT An AutoBiography! I'm amazed at the negative reviews here regarding "Chronicles." There seems however, to be a common thread. Perhaps these reviewers are confusing this book to be an actual autobiography, which it's not! Will we ever get a true autobiography from Dylan? I don't know. And I don't care. This book is merely a compilation of snapshots taken over the professional life of Bob Zimmerman. They are not necessarily "chronological" as the title would imply. They are simply a way for the author, in a stream of consciousness, to explain occurrences and his professional growth, sublime or ridiculous. They often serve to enhance the mystery of the great troubadour of our time. Sometimes, as simple as sharing french fries with Tiny Tim, they are funny and make Bob Dylan appear more human than we ever thought. Take "Chronicles, Vol 1" as a recollection of a great talent, and what still matters to him 40 years later. Will you know the nitty gritty details and all-there-is-to-know of Bob Dylan? No. It wasn't intended as such. This book is as simple as sitting on the front porch, 'listening' to some times mundane yet interesting nostalgia from the "artist of a Generation" who was greatly misunderstood. We also get a little insight as to what made him tick, and often are surprised, as in finding out his fondness for Barry Goldwater. Details, even important, were intentionally left out. Remember, it wasn't until recently that Bob even officially released typewritten lyrics. Zimmerman is still a very private person. I for one, am greatly looking forward to "Chronicles, Vol. 2!" Attn: Ghost Writer required Upon completion of this book, I came away knowing less about Bob Dylan than before I picked it up. There must be a reason he elaborates on certain aspects of his life that would appear to be trivial in nature to most people however we've no idea why these events warrant pages of type. I don't buy this 'He's a genius so everything he does is genius'. Even a genius can fire blanks now and again. Dylan is no exception. Why is this books timeline so jumbled? What's the point of it? Presumably he chose the order in which his rather boring anecdotes were presented in, however again we're left scratching our heads. Too many names dropped, not enough editing. This guy's a songwriter - not a writer. And the Point Is? Anyone looking for deep insights into Bob Dylan and his art will likely be disappointed in this rather skimpy memoir in which he seemingly picks out a handful of aspects of his life and career at random while ignoring everything else. We get a very lengthily chapter on the making of his 1989 album "Oh Mercy" which is a solid album, but it seems odd that this relatively obscure work gets so much ink while groundbreaking albums like "Highway 61 Revisited," and "John Wesley Harding" go ignored. Also missing is anything about his infamous motorcycle accident or his late 70's conversion to fundamentalist Christianity. Perhaps much of this is to be covered later, after all the full titles of this book is "Chronicles, Volume One" but thus far Mr. Dylan's memoirs come across as little more than a brief stream of consciousness attempt to reassert his reputation for being an egnegmatic recluse.