Million Dollar Bash: Bob Dylan, The Band & The Basement Tapes
by Sid Griffin

From the basement up…

Who needs another Dylan book? Indeed, who need another Basement Tapes book, when Greil Marcus’ Invisible Republic is essential for any self-professed Dylanologist? Well, if you’ve got one as strong as Sid Griffin has, you might as well throw it into the ring. Thankfully, the well-worn-out pre-Basement Tapes story is put over with bullet-points of the important bits, before Griffin hits us with the in-depth history of what the Tapes are, why they happened, and not only where they were recorded, but on what sort of equipment as well, taking a good look at just why your bootlegs sound like they do. Sound a little intense? It’s not. Griffin’s informality is light years away from the high-falutin’, impressed-with-themselves style that many Dylan scholars feel compelled to use in order to get their point home. As such, he captures the relaxed nature of the Dylan-Band recordings made at Big Pink (and elsewhere), leading us through each known existing 1967 recording, up to the official 1975 Basement Tapes release, even charting why and how the first 1967 acetates leaked into the hands of the likes of Roger McGuinn and Brian Auger/Julie Driscoll. As a look into what Griffin posits as Dylan’s most creative year, it’s invaluable.

4 stars 4 stars 4 stars 4 stars

ISBN 9781906002053

Reviewed by Jason Draper
<< Back to Issue 344

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