About the Book
FEATURING AN EXCLUSIVE NEW INTERVIEW WITH SIR PAUL McCARTNEY'An astonishing amount of research' NEW YORK TIMES'An easy and addictive read' MOJO????? THE TELEGRAPH'Meticulously [and] lovingly told in this delightful history' JANN WENNERPersuasive, captivating and bursting with insight, this dual biography by acclaimed journalist Jim Windolf dives into the surprisingly supportive, occasionally rivalrous, always fertile relationship between Bob Dylan and the Beatles.Few artists have shaped pop culture as profoundly as the Beatles and Bob Dylan. In Where the Music Had to Go, Jim Windolf offers a new, persuasive interpretation of how two of the twentieth century's greatest recording artists influenced one another - and reveals how their apprenticeships, accomplishments and legacies are uncannily intertwined.From Dylan's early dismissal of the Beatles as being for 'teenyboppers' to his rapid acknowledgment of their talent, the book captures the pivotal moments that pushed Dylan to 'go electric' and inspired the Beatles to deepen their lyrics. Packed with vivid anecdotes (the Beatles rehearsing Dylan songs; Dylan spending hours at Lennon's childhood home), the book paints a picture of a relationship full of camaraderie, rivalry and mutual evolution.Windolf's meticulous research uncovers hidden gems, peeling back layers of history to reveal the stories fans didn't even know they were missing. From Lennon's and McCartney's lyrical transformations to George Harrison's growth as a songwriter, the book showcases the ripple effects of the Beatles-Dylan connection. More than a music biography, this is a front-row seat to the forces that shaped the sound of a generation.
About the Author :
Jim Windolf is a features editor at the New York Times. He has published articles, reviews, essays and humour pieces in Vanity Fair, the New Yorker, New York magazine, Rolling Stone and other publications. He lives in New York City.
Review :
An astonishing amount of research . . . There's something very moving about [Where the Music Had to Go] that makes us feel a sense of gratitude for the work of these extraordinary talents - and to Jim Windolf for putting it all together
The friendship between Bob Dylan and the Beatles and how they influenced, competed with, and revered each other is meticulously, lovingly told in this delightful history of a magical world in an historic era
Dylan's and the Beatles' relations were more than comradely or competitive. They became a call and response - a tit for tat - that was an exploration of the consciousness of their generation. Jim WIndolf explored this dynamic brilliantly in Where the Music Had to Go. It's a book for serious fans and students of the '60s and '70s that's not to be missed
One-part delightful nostalgia, two parts smart analysis and perceptive connections, this book expertly re-explains those magical long-ago years we loved so much
Jim Windolf is an American original, and Where the Music Had to Go is a great gift - a brilliantly fresh take on Dylan and the Beatles that illuminates connections and crosscurrents between the five immortals that we've never thought of before. Reading this book reignites the giddy thrill that these pop-culture visionaries gave us and each other
I've always known how important the Beatles and Dylan were to me, but I had no idea how important - even crucial - they were to each other. With backstage tales and critical insights, Jim Windolf connects the dots to paint an astonishing dual portrait
Where the Music Had to Go isn't just a single book. It's at least five: a biography of these great artists, a history of modern music, a meditation on creative influence, a deep dive into the role of politics in art and an analysis of media and fame. The good news: each is wonderful on its own, and together they're absolutely stellar-a joy to read.
A revelation. The complementary, at times rivalrous, and always influential relationship among Bob Dylan and the Beatles fuelled a musical revolution that transformed popular music into art. With nuance and eagle-eyed research, Jim Windolf offers an unprecedented look at the mechanics of a musical fusion that we're only just beginning to understand. With wisdom and insight, he brings Dylan and the Beatles' story vividly to life
I didn't think it was possible to add anything to either the Beatles or Dylan canon, but Jim Windolf has crafted a compelling and knowledgeable narrative chronicling the magnetic push and pull between these two giants of modern music and culture. It's never less than absorbing, even for diehard obsessives like myself
Exquisitely researched, thrilling, and moving . . . I thought I'd been down every Beatles and Bob Dylan rabbit hole, traveling far into their separate histories - and I consider myself well-versed in their individual influences - but this book was revelatory. Windolf is extraordinarily attentive to the details of the Beatles' and Dylan's parallel evolutionary tracks, and he is an impressive harvester of their interactions . . . I felt as if I were listening for the first time to a riveting story, carefully told in cinematic detail, about the most interesting people on the planet
This delicious book twins the lives of Dylan and the Beatles to tell the whole history of the 1960s and 1970s. What struck me most was the vulnerability - even, I daresay, the sweetness - in some of these macho guys' interactions. For example, deep into their careers, Dylan admits he's 'in awe of' McCartney, and McCartney addresses Dylan affectionately as 'lovely boy.' We also discover zigzagging connections - including how close Joan Baez was to John and Paul, and how Dylan played host to Marianne Faithful - as well as landmark synchronicities. Readers will find here a host of fascinating cameos and name drops
A fresh portrait of two of the most influential music acts of the 1960s and '70s
This book has been needed for quite some time and is happily received . . . Windolf effectively fills this gap with his excellent contribution
An easy and addictive read. Friendship, rivalry, similarities, differences, influence, coincidence, they're all here in what feels like reading two biographies at the same time, their stories folding into each other
A page-turner that's both nostalgic and analytical, and always entertaining
'[An] engrossing take on the playful and sometimes competitive interchanges that occurred over the years between Mr Dylan and the Beatles
A meticulously researched and unputdownable read with a feast of new information for even the most learned Dylan or Beatles scholar
Lively, incisive, and deeply researched, Windolf's account captures the specific, consequential moments in a creative dialogue
Jim Windolf details in Where the Music Had to Go how these two era-defining acts also established a lifelong creative rapport: one that was by turns competitive, supportive and inspiring ★★★★★
It's a real rolling stone of a read, by turns funny, fascinating and deeply moving . . . fantastic
Where the Music Had to Go delineates why the late 60s were such an unparalleled era of musical innovation . . . Windolf's triumph is he manages to render sepia history as technicoloured real time . . . stringently researched and efficiently executed
Windolf goes an incredibly long way in re-telling these tried-and-true stories in a way that you've never heard any of them before . . . warm, enthusiastic, engaging and informative . . . a natural storyteller
