There are 385 Dream Songs in the book, of which the first 77 are those
that were first published together. I have not read them in order, but
am skipping backwards and forwards, so that the later and earlier ones
happen for me side-by-side. You can't sustain the wow-factor of the
first encounter - for both reader and author - of a new poetry
indefinitely; there just isn't a career's worth to be had of what made
early Dylan so hugely impressive. But people disappointed with later
Dylan might in some cases have been less disappointed if they'd been
able to start with later Dylan and work backwards - even to the point
of finding some of the earliest material (e.g. "Mr Tambourine Man") a
bit gauche and wishy-washy, even given the steely charisma of the
person singing it...
Dominic
|