Robert Shelton (critic) his Dylan biography, "No Direction Home, The Life and Music of Bob Dylan" which was finally published in 1986, after years of arguments with publishers about the style and length of the work. Shelton's intention from the outset was to write a serious cultural study, not a showbiz biography; as a result, he later said his life's work had been "abridged over troubled waters". The title is taken from the lyric of Dylan's hit single, "Like a Rolling Stone". The same title, "No Direction Home", was used by Martin Scorsese for his 2005 documentary film about Dylan's career from the
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan Dylan's subsequent recognition led to his being named as "Spokesman of a Generation", a label Dylan repudiated. "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan" reached number 22 in the US (eventually going platinum), and became a number-one album in the UK in 1964. In 2003, the album was ranked number 97 on Rolling Stone Magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. In 2002, "Freewheelin"' was one of the first 50 recordings chosen by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry. Neither critics nor the public took much notice of Dylan's self-titled debut album, "Bob Dylan",