This past October I listened to an audio version of Daryl Sanders’ That Thin, Wild Mercury Sound. It was great. So much so that I asked for it — and received it — for Christmas. And yes, I’m reading it again.
The book is self-described like this: “That Thin, Wild Mercury Sound is the definitive treatment of Bob Dylan’s magnum opus, Blonde on Blonde, not only providing the most extensive account of the sessions that produced the trailblazing album, but also setting the record straight on much of the misinformation that has surrounded the story of how the masterpiece came to be made.”
Four things are impressive here. First, how much homework Mr. Sanders has done, tracking down every living person who was in Studio A when this album was produced. Second, how much access Sanders gained to the session tapes so that it’s as if the reader were a fly on the wall while these songs were being recorded. Third, how well written the book is so that you can’t…
