Thoughts on: Like a Rolling Stone by Greil Marcus

This is a book about a song. A very important song, yes, but does it really merit its own treatment? Absolutely. "Like a Rolling Stone" is probably Dylan's crowning achievement, the sort of song you instantly recognize even if you think you've never heard it before. It is, according to the interpretation you accept, either about a debutante's fall from grace or someone realizing they're truly free for the first time.

Greil leads us through the song's conception in the studio. It began as a waltz; the take we hear on the final recording was a happy accident that the band could not reproduce. Al Kooper's defining organ part wasn't even supposed to be there: he snuck back into the studio after being pulled off lead guitar.

Once recorded, the song almost fell prey to the "experts" at Columbia records, who believed it was too long for radio. As a compromise, Columbia released a promo record that had one half of the song on each side. Attentive listeners realized the fade midway through the song was unnatural and began requesting the song in its six-minute glory. An artistic and commercial tidal wave followed, and it forced The Beatles and The Stones to raise their games.



The A.D.D. approach to Dylan's history (reversing to his first appearance at the Newport Folk Festival, fastfowarding to "Blood on the Tracks") would be confusing and unreadable in the hands of a lesser writer. As it stands, Marcus uses this technique to capture the dizzying excitement of the song and its effect on popular culture.

This is probably the best book about music I've read in years, so I can heartily recommend it.

"Like a Rolling Stone":

[Download the MP3]

"Like a Rolling Stone" (Early Version):

[Download the MP3]

[NPR Story on the Book]
[Read the lyrics at Bobdylan.com]

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