What a find! If I don’t listen to another good audiobook this year I’ll just be happy I stumbled across this gem. I’ve been a fan of Paul Simon for ovWhat a find! If I don’t listen to another good audiobook this year I’ll just be happy I stumbled across this gem. I’ve been a fan of Paul Simon for over fifty years, ever since my favourite school teacher brought a record player into an English lesson and played tracks from a Simon & Garfunkel album to we amazed students – nobody had ever done something this daring in a lesson before. His message was ‘listen to the words’, and it had most of us hooked: yes, theses were songs – good songs – but there was poetry here. I don’t know which album it was. The duo had released a few by then, but they had me. They had me good!
I’ve been looking for a good biography of Simon for a while, and this was the only one available on Audible (I prefer to listen rather than read non-fiction). In actual fact, it really isn’t a bio. It’s a series of conversations between PS , Bruce Headlam, and Malcolm Gladwell, a pair of Canadian journalists. Thirty hours of conversation, often supplemented by the musician’s live playing and singing, is distilled down here to slightly less than six hours of pure magic. The other thing to note is that this isn’t a potted history of Simon’s life or even his musical career, rather it’s an exploration of how his music is created: his inspirations, his methodology, his abiding inquisitiveness about, and love for, all types of music.
Over the course of numerous sessions, Simon sits down with his guitar, and they chat. They’ll get talking about a theme or a particular song, and an explanation will be given as to where the idea came from, what chords, or rhythm or style, was in his head - how the idea grew into something. He would often play a bit to demonstrate something and then perhaps sing along, maybe even a whole song. It’s enthralling. It’s compulsive. The man really is a musical genius....more
I’ve been a big fan of Elton John since the early 1970s. My elder brother bought a copy of his album Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player and playI’ve been a big fan of Elton John since the early 1970s. My elder brother bought a copy of his album Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player and played it continually in our house. He then added Madman Across the Water and I was completely hooked, this becoming my favourite album of all time – by anybody! I subsequently added other albums to the family collection, in fact all Elton's albums up to and including the biographical Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy. Keep in mind that in the the first half of the 1970s Elton was releasing a new album at roughly six-monthly intervals. After captain Fantastic I admit that I somewhat neglected EJ for a period; his music had diversified somewhat as he explored a new writing partnership and he lost me for a bit. I was to return again later, re-listening to the early albums, though I never did invest in his work from 1976 onwards, with the exception of the excellent Songs from the West Coast (2001).
This book details Elton’s rise to fame, explores his early life, his fledgling career and walks us through each album (complete with critique) and then practically every major event in his life to date. It’s comprehensive, up to date and has loads of photos to supplement the text. I found that there’s a great deal I didn’t previously know about the singer/song writer, for instance: that he’d been a session player on Tom Jones’s Delilah and also the Hollies track He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother and that an album called Reg Dwight’s Piano Goes Pop was once release in which he sings covers of songs by artists such as Mungo Jerry and Canned Heat.
If I had to find something to criticise, it would be that I don’t agree with some of the thoughts here on the merits of a number of Elton’s albums and also that I found the writing a little ‘dry’. In addition, I noted that a reference to the song Tiny Dancer states that Bernie Taupin wrote the lyrics to recount the time he met his first wife - something he refutes in his own memoire Scattershot: Life, Music, Elton, and Me. But I know that this is nitpicking, this book really is as comprehensive a study of the man and his work as I’ve come across and the collection of photos here really are fantastic. This book would make a fabulous addition to the bookshelf or coffee table of any Elton John fan.
My thanks to Quarto Publishing Group for providing a copy of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review....more
I’ve been a fan of Elton John’s music since the early ‘70s, a time in which he’d release up to three albums in a twelve month period. But it wasn’t unI’ve been a fan of Elton John’s music since the early ‘70s, a time in which he’d release up to three albums in a twelve month period. But it wasn’t until the release of his biographical album Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975) that I became aware of the close collaboration between Elton, who composed the music, and Bernie, who wrote the lyrics for the songs. Whilst Elton became all glamour and glitz, as the years passed, his song writing partner steadfastly stayed in the shadows. This self-penned story of Bernie’s life therefore throws a good deal of light on a man who’s definitely isn’t the shy and retiring bloke I imagined him to be.
Brought up in the rural eastern English county of Lincolnshire, he walks us through his life in rough chronological order. That said, there are few dates here, so it’s sometimes hard to accurately follow the timeline. He didn’t enjoy school, but always loved music. Eventually he started writing down lines that might later turn into songs. His early influences included American country, R&B, improvisational jazz and even Scottish ‘runt’ Lonnie Donegan. His eventual partnership with Elton John, via an advert in the New Musical Express is, of course, well documented.
Taupin constantly refers to himself as a loner, and yet he’s been married four times, has had a lengthy string of girlfriends and lists a number of close friends, in addition to his best buddy Elton. Included in this list are American singer Alice Cooper and ex-Beatle Ringo Starr. His addictions to booze and what he refers to as the White Lady, or the powder, fuelled many late nights as he made the acquaintance of a seemingly endless stream of well-known singers, actors, artists and writers. He comes across as a wonderer, a man who struggles to settle, who is happy to dine and holiday alone, but who is forever seeking stimuli and is always excited to meet new and interesting people.
I listened to an audio version, narrated by John Lee. There were times when I though his delivery wasn’t quite suited to the material, but his jocular pub raconteur drawl definitely worked for the many hilarious anecdotes that pepper this book. In fact, I really can’t recall when I laughed so much. Like most celebrity bios I’ve come across, it drifts into a list of achievements towards the end, but on the whole this is a fine overview of the life of a gifted man who has actually led a particularly varied and interesting life. Highly recommended.
My thanks to Hachette Audio for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
Early on, Ryder muses that most people have heard of the band Motley Crew because of their much covered hell-raising but probably couldn’t name a singEarly on, Ryder muses that most people have heard of the band Motley Crew because of their much covered hell-raising but probably couldn’t name a single record they’d made. Well, that’s precisely how I feel about the Happy Mondays. Ryder and his mate Bez – the one who prances about on stage but adds nothing of any substance to the music – are well known for their regular television appearances (Celebrity Gogglebox, Celebrity Mastermind and Celebrity Big Brother to name but a few), but I’m a total stranger to their musical output – and they’ve been going for around forty years! In truth, I’m sure I’ve heard some of it, but I just can’t call a single song to mind.
I’d thought that this would be simply a series of anecdotes but actually it’s a (semi) serious attempt to provide some guidance to anyone starting out on the long and treacherous road to rock stardom. And in addition there are plenty of anecdotes here too, as well as a decent history of the band and their various travails as well as reflections on Ryder’s time with his other ensemble, Black Grape. Mixed in with this are a few pearls of wisdom such as: do your own thing and make sure you practice. Okay, there’s a bit more than that but you get my drift. It’s actually good fun, with the audio version I listened to being narrated by the author himself. He states early on that he’s long suffered from ADHD and I think this comes across a little in his rapid and somewhat ranting delivery.
This book will definitely appeal to fans of the band – I’ve now tracked down a few of the Monday’s tracks and I confess that I’m not about to join that particular club – and to anyone thinking about starting up a band. Seriously, there actually are some fairly basic, but nonetheless precious, pointers here.
My thanks to W. F. Howes Ltd for providing a copy of this audiobook vis NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....more
I wasn’t convinced I was doing the right thing by spending an Audible credit on a long (over 25 hours) audiobook from an writer I’d only had one experI wasn’t convinced I was doing the right thing by spending an Audible credit on a long (over 25 hours) audiobook from an writer I’d only had one experience with – a bad one as it happened. I found the author’s Cloud Atlas impressively clever but nonetheless pretty much incomprehensible, so why would I dip my toe in that particular pond again? Well, simply because I’d heard really good things about it.
Utopia Avenue is a band, put together in 1967 by Canadian manager Levon Franklin. It comprises an eclectic group of characters:
Folk singer & keyboard player Elf Holloway Gravesend born and raised bass guitarist Dean Moss Netherlands born lead guitarist Jasper de Zoet Gruff Yorkshireman Griff (I think his surname was mentioned once but I missed it)
All but Griff also write songs and tend to sing lead on the titles they pen. But that’s getting ahead of myself, the book takes us through the process of building the band and gives us a pretty good introduction to each of the players along the way. Late 1960’s London, where the early action is centred, is brilliantly brought alive and each of the characters are instantly engaging in their own way. There’s plenty of humour here and I enjoyed the reminder of lots of very English things that found their way into this section, for example: attitudes, products and phrases that have long since been pretty much binned from modern life.
As the band finds some success Mitchell provides full-on descriptions of their playing, together with song lyrics and plenty of cameo appearances from notable music figures of the day – including Marc Bolan, David Bowie, Little Richard, Brian Jones, John Lennon and loads of other musicians plus writer Alan Ginsberg, artist Francis Bacon and even the despised disc jockey Jimmy Saville. And the reader, Andrew Wincott, does a brilliant job of bringing these figures to life with a full array of accents. There’s also a weird section here that felt straight out of a surreal novel by Haruki Murakami. Yes, Mitchell has thrown the kitchen sink at this one.
Of course, the path to fame is not a seamless one. Along the way we witness the full gamut of sexual awakening, family conflict, drugs, jail and death. But despite the inclusion of some darker moments the majority of this story is just great fun; I wished them all success and cheered for them when they found it. It’s a rollicking tale that grabbed me early on and then dragged me along as a willing spectator. It’s a book that’s about as far removed from Cloud Atlas as I think it’s possible to get, and all the better for it as far as I’m concerned....more
I was a big Bowie fan back in the early seventies, a time when I was in my teens and he was releasing what to me remain his most iconic albums: Hunky I was a big Bowie fan back in the early seventies, a time when I was in my teens and he was releasing what to me remain his most iconic albums: Hunky Dory & Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. He was fresh, his voice just a little off and his lyrics somewhat strange but always conveying a story. I wasn’t quite so enamoured with the albums that followed but in 1983 he released Let’s Dance in which a re-invented Bowie produced a collection of tracks that everyone I knew loved and played to death. And he would, of course, continue to re-invent himself, as he always had – often when I wasn’t watching.
But what of the man? I knew surprisingly little of him really, and I certainly hadn’t perceived him to be a voracious reader. I suppose his lyrics had to come from somewhere; something had to be feeding his mind, planting seeds for the many varied stories he told in his songs. Bowie is described an an autodidact, who struggled with formal education but spent a lifetime self-educating. So it turns out he was a huge reader, reading constantly including sometimes from a library of circa 1500 books he often carted around with him when he travelled. This book provides a list of the one hundred books he considered most important and influential (note – these are not necessarily the books he most enjoyed).
There’s a real mix here. I recognised quite a few but there are only two books (plus one magazine and one comic) that I can actually claim to have read. There are about half a dozen books I’ve sometimes planned to read but haven’t gotten around to yet (by authors such as Hitchens, Martin Amis, DeLillo and Capote), quite a few I really don’t fancy and a fair few more I’d never heard of. There’s a good sprinkling of science fiction, a little philosophy, some poetry and much of the rest is an eclectic mix of the avant-garde and the obscure. Getting on for a third of the books were written before he was born.
The author tries to explain in what way each book was significant for Bowie, what he took from it or how his discovery of the text tied in to a particular song he wrote (for example the phrase homo superior in ‘Oh! You Pretty Thing’ was scavenged from Olaf Stapledon’s science fiction novel Odd John). There’s also a thread of autobiographical commentary running through the piece, so we learn quite a bit about Bowie’s development as a person and as an artist as we make our way through the list of books. In fact, I found one if the most interesting elements to be how the books seemed to help shape the man and that the changes wrought duly steered him towards an ever more off-centre collection of books.
I didn’t find myself wishing to rush out and grab many titles listed here but I did find it a fascinating study of this chameleon of a man.
My sincere thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing Plc & NetGalley for supplying an early copy of the book in exchange for an honest review....more
Like a television episode of Classic Albums this book tells the story of a band, it’s members and the memorable record they recorded. Of course, here Like a television episode of Classic Albums this book tells the story of a band, it’s members and the memorable record they recorded. Of course, here the band is a fictional one but I must admit I found it quite hard to separate fact from fiction, so engrossed was I in the telling of this tale. It’s set largely in LA in the 70’s and brings to life a band comprising six musicians, led by bad boy Billy Dunne. Women love Billy and as the band finds some success he’s more than happy to accommodate any that take his fancy - but only for one night. But then he meets and falls in love with Camila and soon there’s a child on the way. Dovetailing this is the story of free spirited Daisy Jones who dreams of being accepted as a talented song writer. When the The Six are persuaded to record a song with Daisy – who is recognised by music industry professionals for her distinctive voice rather than her song writing talents – a collaboration is born that will ultimately lead to the recording of an album.
I was interested enough in the concept of this book to attempt to secure a pre-release copy via NetGalley. When that failed I purchased an audio version of the book and I have to say that this worked really well. For some books I think audio can work even better than reading the written word and I attribute this most often to the quality of the reader, but here the format just fits. The story is told by way of a long series of interviews with the members of The Six, Daisy, Camila and many others who have associations of one sort or another with the band. You don’t get to hear the questions or prompts, just the responses. This might sound a little weird but it really isn’t, the whole thing is easy to follow and really provides clear picture of the time, the place and the people. As for the events, well there are many discrepancies in the recollections of what actually happened or what was said, but this just adds to the entertainment and the feel that these are real people talking about their memories of real events. And the fact that the audio version uses a cast of many just increases the feeling that this is a documentary not a piece of fiction.
I kept thinking of a programme I watched about Fleetwood Mac’s recording of their classic album Rumours: in reality the story plays out quite differently but there are notable similarities, the key element being two complicated love stories. There’s plenty of drugs, sex and rock ‘n’ roll here but it’s also a subtler tale of addiction and relationships and of conflicting emotions. In my view it’s all brilliantly done. There are even lines from imaginary songs sprinkled throughout and these were great and made me desperately want to hear the actual tracks!
It’s a book that I was sad to finish – I felt quite emotional, actually. Refreshingly different and definitely one of the best books I’ve come across this year....more
I suppose he’s always been there, Mick Jagger. In fact, he was there before I was there. Born in 1943 and having formed the Rolling Stones with old scI suppose he’s always been there, Mick Jagger. In fact, he was there before I was there. Born in 1943 and having formed the Rolling Stones with old school chum Keith Richards in 1962, the band had already passed their peak years (arguably 1965-67) before I realised music was a ‘thing’. I bought my first single (Without You by Harry Nilsson) in 1971 by which time McCartney had filed suit for dissolution of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones had already released the majority of their best stuff. But I was certainly aware of both bands by this time and in that school playground debate that was frequently repeated I was definitely a Lennon and McCartney man. But as my interest in listening to music and actually buying records gained more prominance in my life I started to acquire a sneaky liking for the snake-hipped one. He was different from other singers, more edgy. He was interesting.
This book was first published some years back, comprising a well researched and pretty comprehensive account of the first 50 years of Mick’s life. For this version a short epilogue has been added, effectively bringing the book up to date. There was no cooperation from Jagger himself in the construction of the book, rather the facts were gathered together from research and from conversations with numerous people close to him. Significant input was provided by chauffeur/fixer Tom Keylock and band ‘minder’ Frank Thorogood but interviews were also conducted with Jagger’s parents and some other members of his family.
Mick’s life is tracked through from his early life in Dartford, Kent to his education at Wentworth Primary School (where he first met Keith Richards), the local grammar school and the London School of Economics. It’s clear that he was bright and diligent student – most of the time. He was a gifted mimic and in many ways ‘performed’ from an early age. Most of the book, though, focuses on his love for black American music, particularly blues, and his journey from fledgling singer to the influential rock star he eventually became. There are loads of facts and interesting anecdotes here and I thought the text did paint a decent picture of how events unfolded (be they fully accurate or not). Some of the most interesting segments dealt with the up and down relationship between Mick and Keith Richards and also Jagger’s history with a whole series of women. The events leading up to the death of fellow band member Brian Jones are also walked through in some detail, though additional information provided in the epilogue does throw some doubt on this account.
It’s all very well put together and if the book flags a little towards the end it’s really no more than confirmation that most of the interesting (to me) moments in the performer’s life happened early on. Anyway, if nothing else it gave me the prompt to call up loads of old videos of the group churning out classic songs. Yes, I may have once favoured the Fab Four’s output but I think I’m now very much a Stoner.
My thanks to Endeavour Press and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ...more
I first became aware of Bowie when I was at school, in the early 70’s. Was it his music or his look I noticed first? Actually, I think it was that my I first became aware of Bowie when I was at school, in the early 70’s. Was it his music or his look I noticed first? Actually, I think it was that my mates started to talk about him and so I was forced to take a look too. The album that had caught their attention was, of course, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. I managed to borrow a copy and was instantly drawn into the story. The songs were good, but it was the whole narrative that went with the album that got me. And the way Bowie and the band dressed. They were just … different.
It was a short step from there to discovering that there were earlier recordings to track down and finding Hunky Dory was, perhaps, my greatest musical discovery to that point. Here was an album full of songs that really spoke to me. Listening to it now, I can see that the whole thing sounds like it was recorded in a few weeks (which it was) with vocals that are a little rough around the edges. But that was part of the attraction, I think. Here was a man who had something to say and I was eager to hear it.
This book follows Bowie’s musical journey from start to finish, both in words and pictures. It chronologically details the man’s achievements, pointing out key moments in each year and exploring the motivations behind his recordings. It shows that he was interested in all forms of art: from an initial love for music he progressed to mime and also found plenty of time for acting and painting in his hugely productive life. As the story develops it is possible to start to assess the mindset of someone who developed from an eager young performer, anxious to experiment and find something ‘new’, to a mature, thoughtful and more rounded man; a man who suddenly see’s that he’s running out of time and yet is still full of ideas and drive.
From a personal perspective, Bowie’s music was where my interest in him lay. After the early/mid seventies I lost track of him, though the occasional single would pop up that still grabbed me. Then, in 1983, he released the album Let’s Dance and my love affair with his music was rekindled. Ten years on and here, again, was something different, something fresh. The songs were catchy and told a story, the voice was smoother than it once was but still had an edge. And the look, well that was something to aspire too. Wow, he’d done it again!
I lost track of him again after this point, but was – like just about everyone I know – devastated by the news of his death in January. He’d always been there in the background, this man who seemed to be constantly ahead of the curve, ever changing and always threatening to delight and surprise anew. I think, perhaps, that when people who impacted you in your formative years pass on it hurts all the more.
This book tells the story of a man who lived life to the full, who made things happen. It tells of a man who left school with virtually no qualifications yet was able to develop into the articulate, intelligent and creative force we know him to have been. It’s a comprehensive account and it’s also a complete delight to look at. The photographs and the artful layout are superb. I read it in electronic format but I know it’s a book I’d love to own in its printed form. It’s something I’d leave lying around, for people to pick up and browse through. It’s a book I’d pick up and remember, wistfully, a man who made a significant impression on me.
My thanks to Insight Editions and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
Great pictures of EJ through the years. Really enjoyed this trip down memory lane. If I had one disappointment it's that it doesn't have many pics of Great pictures of EJ through the years. Really enjoyed this trip down memory lane. If I had one disappointment it's that it doesn't have many pics of his band or enough background facts to support the superb photos....more
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