A DARKER SHADE OF PALE
- A BACKDROP TO BOB DYLAN, by Wilfrid Mellers

      With the Beatles, Bob Dylan is one of the most talented performers to emerge from the sixties. For more than twenty years Dylan has been a spokesman for the young--a representative of a generation and a way of life. While Dylan's originality is his strength, his art has roots in Amercan folk, country and pop music.
      In this book, Wilfrid Mellers examines Dylan's musical heritage, from the British folk ballads that influenced his lyrics to the American folk-singers who influence his music. Mellers looks at how Dylan's vocal and instrumental style was affected by such greats as the Carter family, Hank Williams, Jimmie Rodgers, Elvis Presley and Woody Guthrie. He goes on to consider what Dylan did with this musical legacy, and how he made these musical forms his own.

UK, Faber & Faber 1984, 255 pages, softcover, ISBN 0-571-13345-2	USA, Oxford University Press, 1985, 255 pages, softcover, Advance Proof, ISBN 0-571-13345-2	USA, Oxford University Press, 1985, 255 pages, softcover. ISBN 0-19-503622-0
Travis & Emery 2010. 255 pages, softcover, ISBN 978-1-84955-101-4. (Note that the title has dropped the "A", and is now just "DARKER SHADE OF PALE")