Excerpt from A Guide to European and American Pop Music:

Bob Dylan is the most influential singer and songwriter in the rock era. He was born in Deluce, Minnesota on May 24th. His real name is Robert Allen Zimmerman. When he was in a high school near Hibin, he briefly performed in a rock band, and then studied at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis for 1 year. There, Robert zimmermann changed his name to Bob Dylan and became famous in Greenwich Village in new york, a holy place of folk songs. He is determined to become a "famous folk singer" and set sail in this direction regardless of the influence of many other music in his youth.

John hammond, a senior producer of 196 1 year, signed a contract with Colombian company. In the first few records he recorded, he showed little love for Williams (Hank) or Berry (Chuck)-although he occasionally inadvertently looked like the Avery Brothers. On the contrary, Dylan's music belongs to the mainstream voice of folk revival to a great extent, which is beautiful and sometimes radiant. He was quickly recognized as the most talented young lyricist [like paxton and Tom], and his songs became hymns of white students who participated in civil rights and anti-war movements, including protest songs such as "Floating in the Wind" and "A Heavy Rain is Coming", as well as traditional songs such as. Love songs based on tradition, such as Corrina Corrina, Girl from the Country, and funny songs with various singing styles, such as I will be free. His tunes are relatively simple (usually taken from traditional folk songs), and his singing skills (whether in singing or playing guitar percussion) are simple and natural in folk music, but his influence is remarkable. Dylan is creating a pattern, and the way he describes music doesn't need to be complicated. His voice, guitar playing and sometimes imperfect harmonica help to set the tone, which enabled his music to unfold and caused a sensation in China. In the world of Cuban missile crisis and nuclear disarmament movement, nothing is more exciting than listening to Dylan sing "war master" and "Rain is Coming".

It was during this period (196 1- 1964) that Dylan became a hero of folk songs and radicals, but in the wider pop music world, his songs were considered as "the most suitable for others to cover", among which Peter, Paul and Mary was the most famous one. All this has changed for two reasons. The first reason is that his repeated role as a radical leader is beginning to bore him, which is reflected in his songs, especially the fourth record, The Other Side of Bob Dylan (1964). In the immature song My Back Pages, Dylan condemned "life is a black-and-white lie" and commented on his firm oath in his early years "I was so old then, and now I am younger than then". The second and more important reason is the revolution of British pop music between 1963 and 1964. It is reported that when Dylan first heard the "Animals" band sing his traditional song "The House where the Sun Rises", he "jumped out of the car seat" because it was a rude adaptation. This incident opened a whole new world of music before his eyes, and made him realize that he might express his love for Chuck Berry and Woody Guthrie at the same time. His next album, Take It Home, subtly talks about the praise of British artists that aroused his interest in American rock music. However, rock songs were recorded on one side of the album, and an impromptu "Rolling Stones" was recorded every other song. On the cover of the record, he pointedly wrote: "I have given up the pursuit of perfection." His music danced happily and freely, and his song "Blues for Homesick Underground" came directly from Chuck Berry's "Too Many Pranks", which was easily successful.

Dylan's change of direction made him lose some of his former followers, but anyway, there is another side to this album, which includes Mr. Tambourine and the almost political song It's All Right, Horse. However, his performance with the blues band BUTTERFIELD at the Newport Your Folk Music Festival between 1965- 1966 dramatically split his audience. In fact, Dylan became an idol in the rock music industry because of his breach of contract. The success of the song "Like a Rolling Stone" (1965 ranked second in the charts) is enough to make up for the audience lost by pure folk songs. During this period, the record "Highway 6 1 Visit" and the double record "Blonde on Blonde" represented the peak of Bob Dylan's recording career. Musicians he has worked with, such as KOOPER (AL), Robbie Robertson and Nashville musicians, such as Charlie McCoy and Kenny Batri, are the best candidates to implement the idea of combining styles that Dylan has absorbed for many years. The structure of these songs is still very simple, using trite repetitive phrases, but they are usually longer and smoother. Cooper's rich organ music makes songs such as "Queen Jane Approximation" and "Like a Rolling Stone" authoritative. Dylan's lyrics are very important. Although the continuity of lines has collapsed now, there are still abundant and countless images pouring in. Their scene is an inner scene with strong and special dream logic. Sometimes [in the songs Tombstone Bruce and A Lonely Walk] are full of related strange historical figures, and sometimes they are lyrical [in the songs johanna's Illusion and The Lady with Broken Eyes in the Lowlands, it takes 65,438+02 minutes. Dylan's funny and expressionless sense of humor is still evident in Rainy Woman and Leopard-skin Medicine Box Cap.

Dylan's personal life style is accurately reflected in the ever-changing disorder of his songs. He seems to be pushing himself forward at an amazing speed (in a few months, he released three records, such as Revisiting Highway 6 1 and Countless Blondes). "He will be a legend," said Seeger (Pete), "if he doesn't go crazy in the end". The feeling of imminent inner explosion was particularly strong in 1966 when he toured with "The Eagles" (later became "The Band").

1In August, 966, Dylan's career was suddenly interrupted by a motorcycle accident. He hasn't seen the public for two years, but his style is everywhere, from advertisements in major stores to constant rumors in the press, and he is eager to return to the music scene. Illegally sold concerts (such as 1965 performed in London's famous Albert Hall) are also very popular. On the contrary, his silence promoted the development of his artistic stunts and made his credulous and wise Dylan scientists active to varying degrees. During 1967, Dylan lived in Woodstock with the band (he toured with the band during 1965- 1966), and his music continued to develop in this secret environment. Records recorded during this period (which will soon be provided in illegal transactions) have been distorted to explore Dylan's idea of becoming the new king of rock music. Some songs are hilarious and funny drunken nonsense, such as "Please Mrs. Henry" and "Million Dollar Carnival", but those melancholy songs determine that the overall mood is penitent and full of ominous feelings. In the two songs "Angry Tears" and "Too Much Out of Nothing", he seems to feel guilty about his past, and he regrets his role-recognition = unconsciousness. In the two songs "I will be released" and "The wheels are on fire", I seem to be vaguely aware that a nearby time may be sung by Dylan, so the songs are the most unique and moving. He didn't show the boredom, lack of confidence and pride in most of his previous works. He sang these songs in a sad and simple tone, occasionally adding the harmony of Richard Manuel. All the songs that Dylan and the band sang in 1967 were illegally sold in the name of basement tapes, which were Dylan's most beautiful and straightforward records. If Sergeant Pepper and Countless Blondes are the best celebrations of the new anti-mainstream cultural optimism in the 1960s, then the Basement Tape is the key expression of the other side of this optimism. In this respect, it will definitely be listed as a pioneer in a series of major records that explored popular languages in a dystopian way in the 1970s. Finally, after eight years of recording, these records were officially released in Columbia Company on 1975.

Dylan's record john wesley Harding released on 1968 shows his new attitude towards the general public. In sharp contrast to the trend of complexity (music and lyric), these songs are straightforward, concise and clear, and continue to explore the themes of crime and self-doubt. But the last two songs "Down the Bay" and "I will be your baby tonight" tend to be soft tones of two country music records recorded later, namely "Marshville Skyline (1969)" and "Self-portrait". These records caused Dylan the first real attack since 1965 turned to rock music. He was accused of falling back into the dreariness and sadness of country music, while two albums, Self-portrait, which included other folk songs, were described as just indulging himself. In fact, this is another example of the influence of early music on Dylan: his friendship with Johnny can be traced back to the early 1960s, and johnny cash sang a song "Girls from Northern Villages" with him in the album "Nashville Sky Outline". These records marked the beginning of a major re-integration between rock music and country music, because many people, from BYRDS (The) to BAEZ (JOAN), followed him to record in Nashville. However, these records are Dylan's last groundbreaking records. In the 1970s, he played a small role in the development of rock music. Some of his records are long and uneven. In the records "New Morning" (1970) and "Planetary Wave" (1973), his pronunciation is often natural and even old-fashioned, which usually represents a family-loving character who is far away from the harsh and sharp love songs in his early years. Pat Garrett and billy the kid (1973) is a film interlude record, including a classic song "Knocking on Heaven's Door". Compared with the records before 1970s, the blood on the track (1975) includes the painful idiocy, the ambiguous hearts of Lily, Rosemary and Jack (Lily and Jack of Hearts) and the affectation of "a simple turn of fate". It can be seen that Dylan is deliberately exploring, and he obviously has similar feelings in the song Hurricane, a story about Ruben Guardian's illegal imprisonment.

Dylan still receives the attention he received in the previous 10 year. 197 1 year, he published a one-sided and surreal novel tarantula. He played a short and prominent role in the film Pat Garrett by Sam Penguin Palmer. His few public performances (Bangladeshi Concert and Woody Guthrie Memorial Concert) are resounding answers to his tour of 1974 "Band" in the United States. Six million tickets were sold and the live recording Before the Flood was recorded. From this recording, we can see that Dylan and The Band have effectively returned to their early best days. When Dylan's contract with Columbia expired, he transferred to the British company Shelter Island. This record and another record, Planetary Wave, were recorded and published by the shelter company. The relationship with Columbia University has been in turmoil, especially after the termination of the two-year contract and Clive Davis' arrogance as CEO. He tried to personify the image of cooperative music, and David Geffen, who sheltered the record company, made great progress with the help of artists. After that, Columbia Company published a very infectious record Dylan (1974), which is a cynical album that only Dylan fans are interested in. As a result, the relatively large sales of Planet Wave and this record in 1974 made Dylan sign another five-year contract with Colombia.

In the mid-1970s, Dylan showed his position as a musician in his field on the "Rolling Thunder" tour (together with Joan Bates and others). But he was entangled in rumors and closely watched by Dylan scientists like A.J. Webermann, and A.J. Webermann was always willing to accept the responsibility of "exposing" Dylan's private life and pro-Israeli empathy. His relationship with his wife Sarah is not without problems. Their relationship is deteriorating, that is, the pain and despair of interests are full of blood on the road (1974) and desire (1975). The latter record contains several songs co-written with Jacques Levy. 1977 Dylan and Sarah officially divorced. Dylan devoted himself to another "Rolling Thunder" band tour, which resulted in a four-hour film "reinaldo and Clara", in which a semi-autobiographical concert performed by Dylan was inserted. 1978, that is, the year when the film was released, Record Street was legally released. From this record, it is obvious that Dylan is undergoing a change of religious belief. Vivid descriptions and chorus similar to gospel music soon fascinated him. 1979, Dylan claimed that he was a born-again Christian, and the religious theme was the core of his next four records, namely, Here comes the slow train (1979), Saved (1980) and Love Shot. At 1985, the imperial farce and the knockout were released. The latter was co-produced with playwrights Sam Shepard and Patty (Tom).

1986, Dylan returned to tour. This time, together with tom petty and his band "Broken Heart", the concert hall and the stadium are still packed with people. Daniel Lanois' weird and horrible "Oh Mercy" has also become one of Dylan's successful albums, which can be seen from the tour titled "Never Ending Tour" and 1992 album "Good As I Been to You". To celebrate Dylan's 50th birthday, CBS released a remarkable three-piece album The Bootlegs Series, which included his illegally published songs1961-1991.

However, Dylan's influence was mainly reflected in the 1960s. Without Dylan, rock music would undoubtedly take a detour, and there would be no Sergeant Pepper from the BGEATLES and The Beggar's Banquet from Rolling Stone. His main contribution to music has also influenced many singers after Lennon and McCartney, that is, the profound meaning of lyrics is as important as music. From his protest songs, it shows that his lyrics are more romantic and exciting than his music. He played a great role in the formation of the sensitivity of a whole generation in industrial countries, and his music was crucial for understanding and analyzing the 1960s.