Bob Dylan: Roads Rapidly Changing - In & Out of the Folk Revival 1961 - 1965 (2015 Video) User Reviews

Highly interesting and edifying

[grantss · 8/10 · 8 October 2023]

A documentary on the early career of master lyricist Bob Dylan. From his move to New York from Minnesota in 1961, to his early days in Greenwich Village, to first success, a record deal, first few albums and folk idol status to his going electric in 1965.

As a massive Bob Dylan fan I didn't think I would learn much from this or find it particularly interesting. I was this pleasantly surprised to find this very interesting and that it has some stuff that even I didn't know.

Interviews are insightful, though some are of the empty cheer-leadery type (the bane of every biographical documentary). Actual recordings of Dylan songs are included which is quite a feat when it comes to musical documentaries nowadays and a sign that this is a serious documentary.

Overall, a great capture of Dylan's early days and how Dylan turned the folk music world on its head.

Excellent Look at Dylan's Folk Roots

[Michael_Elliott · 26 February 2018]

Bob Dylan: Roads Rapidly Changing (2015)

**** (out of 4)

If you're a fan of Bob Dylan then you know there have been countless documentaries made about him. Some are from professionals like Martin Scorsese while others are cheaper, fan-made films that often don't contain any music because of the copyright issues. At first I thought BOB DYLAN: ROADS RAPIDLY CHANGING was going to be one of them but that turned out not to be the case.

This here is an exceptionally well-made documentary that covers the early stages of folk music, its rise in Greenich Village and of course how everything changed once Dylan got on the scene. We get to hear from some of the people who were there during this period as they discuss Dylan getting some early gigs, getting his record contract and of course him taking off.

If you're a fan of folk music or/and Dylan then you'll really enjoy this documentary. I was really surprised at how well-made it was but it does a very good job at telling the story of folk music and everything that was going on in New York City at the time. Not only do we get to hear tracks from Dylan but we also get music from several others that gives you a great idea of the various sounds that were happening at the time.

The documentary also goes over Dylan's albums going up to Bringing It All Back Home when he of course went electric. There are some great concert clips as well as other footage here that makes this a must see for fans of the artist.