Biograph

by

Bob Dylan

Edit

Biograph is more than just a retrospective; it is essential for any Dylanophile. While it indeeds collects the majority of the essential tracks in Dylan's canon (Rolling Stone, Heaven's Door, Watchtower, I Want You, Blowin' In The Wind, etc.), classic album tracks (To Ramona, The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll, etc.), live and alternate take offerings (Visions, I Don't Believe You, It's All Over, etc.), and the best of the latter day tracks (Gotta Serve Somebody, Groom, Every Grain of Sand, etc.), what makes this set an essential for the hard-core (other than the revealing sequencing, which puts a whole new light on the material, and the deluxe packaging) is the generous smattering of previously unreleased material. Absolutely first-rate songs such as Percy's Song, Caribbean Wind, and Up To Me stand up well to his officialy released canon. This, along with Volumes 1-3 of The Bootleg Series, show that Dylan throws away tracks that any other artist would kill to have written. This release was so good, in fact, that it set the standard (and the pattern) for all box sets to come. It stands as a good primer for those new to Dylan, and also as an essential addition to the catalog of the fan who already has everything else.

It goes without saying that this is great music, but it's not worth buying and I wish someone had told me that before I blew 30 bucks on it. Naive little me figured I better find out what all this Bob Dylan nonsense was, greatest songwriter ever and whatnot, so I pick up this three disc set figuring that should cover me. But no. I reccomend using that thirty bucks to buy Hwy. 61, Blonde on Blonde and Blood on the Tracks. It's a much better use of your money. The fact is after hearing Biograph what you are going to do is go out and buy everything from Freewheelin' through Desire tossing on Time Out of Mind and Love and Theft, while you're at it. This will then be obsolete for you, as it is for me. I guess it's a good introduction, but it's a damn expensive introduction. If you really want to get your feet wet before buying the complete works I guess you can buy greatest hits volume one, which is by no means complete, but at least is only nine or ten bucks. After you hear that you'll run out and buy all the studio albums, so in all honesty I reccomend buying Highway 61 or Blood on the Tracks as an intro because then you'll at least have a start on your collection when you begin, which I promise you, you will. Blonde on Blonde might be a bit tough to start with, it's a good idea to go with one of the other two to get used to Dylan and his way of making music before diving into the greatest double album ever. So, that's about all. Enjoy it, whatever you choose to start with.