The story of how four young would-be bohemians met in Greenwich Village, fell in love, and changed the course of American music. The book describes how folk music crossed with rock'n'roll to form a new musical style and how the young beatniks rose to fame.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Learn more. |
Book Description
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Amazon Review
David Hajdu, the prizewinning author of the magisterial jazz biography Lush Life, now steam-cleans the legend of the lost folk generation in Positively 4th Street. It's like an invitation to the wildest party Greenwich Village ever saw. You feel swept up in the coffeehouse culture that transformed ordinary suburban kids into ragged, radiant avatars of a traditional yet bewilderingly new music. Hajdu's socio-musical analysis is as scholarly as (though less arty than) Greil Marcus's work; he deftly sketches the sources and evolving styles of his ambitious, rather calculating subjects, proving in the process that genius is not individual--it's rooted in a time and place. Hajdu says Dylan heisted many early tunes: "Dylan [told] a radio interviewer that he felt as if his music had always existed and he just wrote it down ... [in fact], much of his early work had existed as other writers' melodies, chord structures or thematic ideas." But Dylan and company made it all their own, and Hajdu vividly evokes the scenes they made. evoke.
Positively 4th Street is very much a group portrait. When something amazing happens, Hajdu puts you right there: the unknown Baez barefoot in the rain, bedazzling the Newport Jazz Festival and becoming immortal overnight; the irresistibly irresponsible Fariña talking his folk-star wife out of shooting him dead with his own pistol; the "little spastic gnome" Dylan transmogrified into greatness onstage, bashing Joan with the searing lyrics of "She Belongs to Me". The book is as delectably gossipy as Vanity Fair (one of Hajdu's employers). Richard married the exceedingly young beauty Mimi and helmed their career, but he might have dumped her for big sister Joan, whose madcap humour and verbal wit harmonised with his--except that he ineptly killed himself on a motorcycle first. Bob mumblingly courted both sisters, but when he cruelly taunted the insecure Joan, Mimi yanked his hair back until he cried. The account of Bob and Joan's musical-erotic passion is first-rate music history and uproarious soap opera. --Tim Appelo --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
'an evocative account of four remarkable people at a remarkable point in post-war musical history,' -- The Independent, May 22 2000
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By "staygold82"
Format:Paperback
I began this book just flipping through some of the pages half-heartedly, found it really interesting, and went back to read from the beginning. I'm so glad I did, because this book was an addictive read.
I picked it up because I am a big Bob Dylan fan and I like some of Joan Baez's songs. I had never heard of the Farinas at all. This book gave me such interesting insight into their worlds, and how they all were interwoven together. Hajdu made these people the humans that they are, rather than the famous icons they are/have been. It is truthful, shocking and, at times, sad. I wanted to slap Bob for being so mean to Joan! The atmosphere was great; I could almost smell those coffee-houses and hear the fantastic music. It made me want to be there.
I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in these musicians, the 60's folk scene, or just want to read a good life story.
I picked it up because I am a big Bob Dylan fan and I like some of Joan Baez's songs. I had never heard of the Farinas at all. This book gave me such interesting insight into their worlds, and how they all were interwoven together. Hajdu made these people the humans that they are, rather than the famous icons they are/have been. It is truthful, shocking and, at times, sad. I wanted to slap Bob for being so mean to Joan! The atmosphere was great; I could almost smell those coffee-houses and hear the fantastic music. It made me want to be there.
I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in these musicians, the 60's folk scene, or just want to read a good life story.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By E. Bradfield
Format:Paperback
David Hajdu evokes a lost world in his study of the Baez sisters, Richard Farina and Bob Dylan in the early sixties. An era when folk music was predominant and middle class boys and girls seemed to have the ability to change all kinds of evils from the "masters of war" to segregation just by sitting down and singing. Joan Baez's songs epitomised the times with her lovely but penetrating voice. Already very successful by the time the book starts Joan soon comes into contact with the rising Dylan as he made his mark on the coffee house folk circuit of New York.
The book should not be seen purely as a biography of Dylan - this period in his professional life is already well documented by Scaduto and others - the facts such as his somewhat cynical use of Joan Baez to further his career are not new and Miss Baez is on record in this area herself.
What is fresh about Hajdu's approach is that Dylan is seen mirrored in the eyes of the others- in the next room so to speak rather than in full view - so the world’s most notable singer-songwriter comes over as a little more human. A good example are his and party-animal Farina's wild adventures in swinging London.
This is a sad book - there is a lot about change and the human condition - both on a global and on a personal level. JFK is assassinated and the dreams of the young audiences become less attainable. Farina dies young in a motorcycle accident
(on the very day of his book launch party) before reaching his full potential. The accomplished guitarist Mimi Farina Baez who became Farina's wife also failed to reach her potential - being perennially shadowed by the fame of her sister (Mimi died last year of cancer).
Dylan of course had changed utterly as well and by the time of his own motorcycle accident at the close of Hajdu's book in 1966 had famously embraced the electric world of rock n roll.
Dylan's legendary appearance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival is well covered. How much things have changed is demonstrated by the fact that 70,000 turned up then – compare this with the 15,000 reported for Dylan's first return date in 2002.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
The new documentary on BBC2 from Scorcesi makes this compulsary reading.
This book brings alive the 60s and the leading characters in scenes that made up the legendary UK Dylan/Baez folk tour.
Baez uber-folk-freedom singer, a leading player in the civil rights movement, tours the UK with Dylan. He's the hot new find and she supports him with a spot in the middle of her act. They start the tour an item, she can't have been much fun to honest, after the event she admits to having a sense of "elevated joy" rather than having a lot of fun.
Dylan then realises he's a babe magnet, takes over as the crowd puller on tour, torturing journalists with his wit, and ditching Joan for a string of gorgeous groupies. Baez is broken hearted and retreats to France to join her parents and sister where a whole new tragic chapter evolves starring goergous but dyslexic Mimi.
The story of Mimi extends beyond the book and is one of the saddest and most moving stories of the century. Buy this book, feel the pain, listen to the records, live the revolution.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 75 reviews
4.1 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Winning the Hearts of the Baez Sisters . . . and Some Folk Music...
Did you ever go to a coffee house to hear folk music? Did you buy the early folk albums put out by Joan Baez and Bob Dylan? Did you ever want to go to the Newport Folk Festival? Read more
Published on 2 July 2008 by Donald Mitchell
4.0 out of 5 stars
Did we miss a(nother) genius?
There are probably too many books about Bob Dylan. This one is about his early years and David Hajdu frankly admits that the reason for including Bob Dylan was to create enough... Read more
Published on 4 Aug 2006 by Richard Forrest
4.0 out of 5 stars
worthwhile, informative, romantic/ inception of folk rock
Here's what the U.K reviewers are missing in their assessments of "Positively 4th Street": the soundtrack of this amazing romantic saga. Read more
Published on 4 Aug 2001
3.0 out of 5 stars
A different tack...
An interesting,but wrongheaded attempt to put Farina into the centre of the early 60s action,the axis around which Dylan,Baez and even Pynchon revolved. Read more
Published on 25 July 2001 by Shane Pacey
4.0 out of 5 stars
bob growing up
This is an absorbing tale of three over-achieving Americans and Mimi, in the interesting late Fifties/early Sixties. Read more
Published on 20 Jun 2001 by P. D. Warburton
4.0 out of 5 stars
Dylan Wins Against Revisionist History
Hadju's premise is sound - that the early years of Bob Dylan's career in the folk-music scene give an interesting insight into what he wanted to be and do, and the perils he faced... Read more
Published on 18 May 2001
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
