Freebirds Review

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Freebirds ReviewIn a nutshell, I loved it!
If you're reading this review, I will proceed with the assumption that you are familiar with (1) the incomparable power of a Skynyrd song gripping your soul and not letting go or (2) the enjoyment of reading a truly well researched, well written contemporary biography.
There have been stories of Skynyrd's humble beginnings, rock & roll antics, head-strong personalities and individual excesses since Day One. CREEM and Rolling Stone kept watch. Cameron Crowe offered his tip-of-the-hat to them in "Almost Famous." But the real story? The real people? Finally, it's here. And it's every bit as compelling as Skynyrd's timeless compositions.
FREEBIRDS is a fascinating book about the roots and evolution of Lynyrd Skynyrd from its beginning through present day. It was never as simple as blue collar rough neighborhoods and kids with a dream. The book reveals a highly kinetic mix of intelligent, complicated individuals and their talents, friendships, differences and colliding fates. Not to say there wasn't the private or very public fight here or there... The actual events are discussed by the people who were there. Brant maintains an even hand in presenting different sides of the same story. Contradicting recollections of events (whether through past "impairments" or 20-20 hindsight) are examined and placed before the reader for consideration.
The information in the book far exceeds anything published before (or that probably ever will be) by virtue of the sheer depth and number of events discovered, disclosed, investigated, tales told and recollections shared. It is evident Author/Biographer Brant had the professional credibility and respect to write FREEBIRDS. It was a book that needed to be written and the author has given the reader both solid fact-finding and spellbinding story telling blended together artfully in top notch writing.
FREEBIRDS "reads" very well -- it's comfortable and engaging, evenly paced and balanced in it's approach. I was very drawn in by it. As the old saying goes, "It's a real page turner!"
To reiterate: I loved it!Freebirds OverviewFreebirds: The Lynyrd Skynyrd Story is the first narrative biographyto examine the roots, evolution, and eventual emergence of one of themost captivating bands in the history of rock and roll.Though plagued by devastating personal tragedy, numerous personnelchanges brought on by the ravages of working on the road, and theuntimely deaths of some of its founding members, Lynyrd Skynyrd hascontinued to record, tour, and produce bestselling albums. Interwovenwithin this fascinating portrait are in-depth biographies, includingthe inside stories of the intricate interband relationships; the truthbehind the charges of vehicular manslaughter, child molestation, andbroken contracts; the origins of their songs; and much, much more.The result is a mesmerizing look at how this southern rock legendendured and prevailed despite a history laden with professionaldisadvantages, personal loss, and the ego-fueled transition tointernational stardom. Recently nominated for induction into the Rockand Roll Hall of Fame, Lynyrd Skynyrd celebrates stoic independenceand bar-hopping camaraderie. The band's music infiltrates the mindwith images of Southern landscapes, hard-driving women, and theimportance of home and family.This fascinating bio features one-on-one interviews with musiclegends Charlie Daniels, Warren Haynes, and Allen Woody; producer AlKooper; Johnny Van Zant, Billy Powell, Leon Wilkeson, Ed King, ArtimusPyle, Rickey Medlocke, Hughie Thomasson, the widows of Ronnie Van Zantand Steve Gaines, and band members, family members, and record companyexecutives. Also featured are dozens of never-before-publishedphotographs, as well as a complete discography and bibliography.

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1000 Songs that Rock Your World: From Rock Classics to one-Hit Wonders, the Music That Lights Your Fire Review

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1000 Songs that Rock Your World: From Rock Classics to one-Hit Wonders, the Music That Lights Your Fire ReviewIt's not correct to say I finished this one. Every time I open it there's something new to look at. This book is just gorgeous and has a ton of retro and vintage rock photos. My favorite is the use of vintage posters, album covers and rock tickets. In addition to the look, Thompson's picks are on the money but he struggles to put some genres into context. One example is an odd placement of a Bela Lugosi biography used at the beginning of a chapter on movie theme songs. Still, this is a book you'll love to own and want to share.1000 Songs that Rock Your World: From Rock Classics to one-Hit Wonders, the Music That Lights Your Fire Overview

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The Greatest Music Never Sold: Secrets of Legendary Lost Albums by David Bowie, Seal, Beastie Boys, Chicago, Mick Jagger, and More Review

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The Greatest Music Never Sold: Secrets of Legendary Lost Albums by David Bowie, Seal, Beastie Boys, Chicago, Mick Jagger, and More ReviewThis book includes a chapter on the demos Ray Davies recorded in 1987 of the songs he wrote for the musical "80 Days". Dan is pretty thorough in his research, interviewing playwright Snoo Wilson, director Des McAnuff and arranger Robby Merkin. Very informative, and highly recommended to any Kinks fan who wants to learn more about these songs.The Greatest Music Never Sold: Secrets of Legendary Lost Albums by David Bowie, Seal, Beastie Boys, Chicago, Mick Jagger, and More OverviewThe Greatest Music Never Sold is a never-before-attempted look at the legendary lost recordings of the pop music world. It reveals the secrets of 20 albums - works by superstars and supergroups such as Mick Jagger, Seal, Chicago, David Bowie, Prince, Sheryl Crow, and the Beastie Boys - that have never been officially released. New interviews with artists, band members, producers, engineers, and label executives shine a light into the darkened studio vaults, revealing the ego battles, politics, and career confusion that have buried work by these pop music greats. Certain to appeal to record collectors, bootleggers, and ardent music fans everywhere, The Greatest Music Never Sold is a rare look into one of pop music's hidden corners.

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Four Way Street: The Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Reader Review

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Four Way Street: The Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Reader ReviewThirty years ago my dad "accidentally" flooded the garage, destroying my carefully harvested collection of UK and US publications containing interviews with, articles about and occasional references to CSNY, who for me were "the" band of the early to late 1970's. This latest manifestation of Dave Zimmer's love for the music of, and fascination about the individuals in, the USA's first "supergroup" means I now have access again to many of those writings.
Ranging from 1970 to 2002 in terms of first publication, the articles and interviews cover the development of CSNY from a self confident, but untested, aggregation of individuals through to being elder statesmen of rock capable of selling out tours of major venues in the early 21st century. Although the primary ingredient is pieces that focus specifically on the band as a whole, Zimmer leavens the mix with items that focus on the individuals, using them to cast a more oblique and often revealing light on the activities and behaviour of the "main" band. Not surprisingly, the majority of the articles come from US publications; that said, these include both the usual suspects - primarily "Rolling Stone" and writers such as Cameron Crowe - and also less well known (at least in the UK) publications such as "Crawdaddy" and "Creem". There are, however, some significant pieces from UK publications such as "Melody Maker" and UK writers such as Roy Carr and Vicki Wickham.
Music is the central interest of Zimmer's selection of pieces. CSNY were, however, notable for the nature of their personal, as well as professional, lives and the issues are not shied away from. Some of it requires reading "between the lines", but such articles as Roy Carr's interview with David Geffen, Zimmer's own major interview with Graham Nash and the pieces on David Crosby's drug addiction deal with the issues head on.
Inevitably, there are some personal favourites that didn't survive what must have been a rigorous editing process. Dave Zimmer is, however, to be massively congratulated for delivering a consistent and coherent narrative thread and fitting together the jigsaw like pieces of 30 years of writing to present a clear and illuminating picture of one of the major popular musical outfits of the late 20th century. A worthy companion to his and Henry Ditz's "Crosby, Stills and Nash: The Biography".Four Way Street: The Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Reader Overview

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Waiting for the Sun: A Rock and Roll History of Los Angeles Review

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Waiting for the Sun: A Rock and Roll History of Los Angeles ReviewBarney Hoskyns' "Waiting for the Sun" is a superbly written and illustrated history of the Los Angeles music scene from the Second World War through the early nineties. There aren't many really good books about popular music around, but this is one of them; in fact, I'd say it's the best book yet written about a music "scene" (as opposed to a particular artist), even better than Jon Savage's "England's Dreaming," which recounts the explosion of punk in the U.K. in the 1970's.
The story moves effortlessly through the progression of musical styles that have flourished and often cross-pollinated each other in Southern California -- small-combo jazz, R&B, early rock & roll, surf music, folk-rock, psychedelia, country rock, heavy metal, punk and rap. The book includes lively portraits of the many famous (and infamous) people who have been a part of it, like Phil Spector, Ricky Nelson, Sam Cooke, David Crosby, Neil Young, Sonny Bono, the Beach Boys, Jim Morrison, Gram Parsons, Charles Manson, Randy Newman, Steely Dan, X and NWA, but also discusses many talented people who never quite made it to the big time, or who lost their way before realizing their full potential. Hoskyns is quite good in describing the business side of the music scene, and in relating events outside the music scene (for example, the booming aerospace industry, the surfing craze, the development of a "San Francisco sound," and the riots of 1965 and 1992) that had a significant impact on it.
In tracing the development of popular music in LA, Hoskyns makes the key point -- though this is hardly news -- that no musical style remains popular very long, and even the most creative and versatile artists simply can't stay on top for more than a couple of years. A handful of artists (Neil Young and Joni Mitchell come to mind) do manage to hold onto a significant audience throughout their careers, but few artists have their level of talent and dedication, and seem to do better by going into production, or management, or the movies, or politics (like Sonny Bono), than trying to rely on an outmoded musical formula.
Another key point is that during the sixties, Los Angeles became the popular music capital of the U.S., if not the world. Los Angeles' preeminence in the industry may be a given now, but even as late as the mid-sixties, many of the top groups lived and worked in New York, Detroit, New Orleans, and elsewhere; as Hoskyns documents, a lively club scene, big-name entertainment companies, sun and palm trees, and growing ranks of like-minded artists, all combined to make the region the entertainment mecca it is today.
This book contains a few small errors, such as repeatedly referring to "Huntingdon" rather than "Huntington" Beach, and ascribing several different publication years to Mike Davis' "City of Quartz," another fine book about Southern California. I also don't understand the significance of the book's lame title, except that it was also the title of the Doors' generally lame third album. Finally, I take issue with Hoskyns' gratuitous bashing of Joan Didion, whose writings on California in the sixties are still -- at least to this Midwesterner -- better than anyone else's.
These minor complaints aside, "Waiting for the Sun" is a superb book, a great addition to the literature on both popular music and Southern California.Waiting for the Sun: A Rock and Roll History of Los Angeles Overview

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Life on Planet Rock: From Guns N' Roses to Nirvana, a Backstage Journey through Rock's Most Debauched Decade Review

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Life on Planet Rock: From Guns N' Roses to Nirvana, a Backstage Journey through Rock's Most Debauched Decade ReviewWhat can a book reviewer say about a memoir written by the editor of RIP magazine and endorsed by Cameron Crowe, Scott Ian, Paul Stanley, Alice Cooper, Lemmy Kilmister, and one of the founders of MTV? Lonn Friend was in the inner circle of Larry and Althea Flynt when he was offered the editorial helm of Flynt Publishing's fledgling rock magazine. For seven years, RIP magazine chronicled the American heavy metal scene as it transformed from the heyday of hair metal to the era of grunge rock.
Friend's memoir marks a critical contribution to the history of heavy metal. It reads like an impeccably verified collection of bar-room tales from a top notch storyteller. The opening chapter alone is worth the paperback cover price - it represents some of the first new material published about Guns N' Roses in the last decade. Lonn Friend greenlighted Guns N Roses' cover shot in 1988, months before Appetite for Destruction went platinum. He cavorted with the band as well (as members of Metallica and Skid Row) well into the Use Your Illusion era. In Life on Planet Rock, Friend reveals for the first time how well he knew of Slash's heroin addiction during their 1990 interview. (Slash himself has now gone on record about the addiction, so Friend was comfortable revealing the whole story.)
Other chapters focus on the legendary antics of Alice Cooper, The Who, KISS, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Bon Jovi, and Motley Crue. This book is a Who's Who highlight guide to the brief reign RIP magazine -- only with the wisdom of hindsight and the freedom to tell all! Friend turns highly introspective in the closing chapter, examining his own turbulent relationship with the music industry and rock journalism.Life on Planet Rock: From Guns N' Roses to Nirvana, a Backstage Journey through Rock's Most Debauched Decade Overview

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U2: At the End of the World Review

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U2: At the End of the World ReviewAlthough this is a book about U2, it's such a strange and fascinating tale that it should stand as a classic of rock-n-roll writing as well as the single essential volume for any U2 fan.
The first thing that sets this book apart from the usual rock bio is that it doesn't focus on serving up facts about the band members. There's no "born here, went to school here" at the beginning; instead, we open with Bono, startled into crouching with a hand over his nakedness when a German family comes to reclaim the East Berlin house he's staying in just after the Wall falls. The rest of this tome continues in the same vein, conveying what the band members are like and how they live their rockstar lives by vividly recounting moment-to-moment experiences that the author lived through along with them.
Bill Flanagan was granted unprecedented access to the band member's lives, and throughout the two years he spends touring with him, they treat him as a friend. He makes no pretense of impartiality but rather tells everything from his own point of view, which is much more genuine than any false distance would be and allows you to feel you're there with the band. The length of time and volume of material that result are made more manageable by the fact that Flanagan gives each chapter its own brief coherency, so they can easily be read separately as well as together (and indeed a couple of them were originally published as magazine articles in Musician).
The real reward comes from following the band through to the end of their Zoo TV/Zooropa tour. There's a detachment from reality that Flanagan, the band members, and all the tour crew come to experience as they dedicate themselves to a roaming life, and it's gradually revealed as the band's experiences become more and more strange. Eventually, when you reach the near-insanity of Bono walking and talking and refusing to go to sleep in Japan, it makes a kind of strange sense. Along the way, Adam bottoms out, Edge does 'shrooms and falls in love, and Larry injects himself with bull's blood. It's all good stuff.
If you're really into U2, it would be a crying shame for you to miss out on this book because you'll never understand the band so well any other way. If you've somehow stumbled upon this out of a general interest in rock-n-roll life, it's worth your time to use this book for an insider's view. And if you're looking for some fun nonfiction, it doesn't get any crazier than this.U2: At the End of the World Overview

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Bob Dylan: Behind the Shades Revisited Review

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Bob Dylan: Behind the Shades Revisited ReviewClinton Heylin's revised edition of Behind the Shades is, at this point, the definitive Dylan biography, and is not likely to be surpassed anytime soon. In spite of it's comparative neglect in relation to Sounes' Down the Highway (published almost simultaneously, to coincide with Dylan's 60th birthday), Heylin's book is a more informative and rewarding book.
In tone, Heylin's writing is not as journalistic as Sounes', and more judgmental of Dylan as artist and musician. It draws heavily on interview material with associates and friends of Dylan's, and is significant in giving detailed attention to Dylan's career in the 80's and 90's, which is necessary for anyone seeking to understand Dylan's recent critical resurgence.
Based on his knowledge as the world's pre-eminent Dylan scholar, Heylin gives extensive commentary on Dylan's albums and their recording, a process he has given even greater attention to in his companion book Bob Dylan: The Recording Sessions (1994). This is one of the major differences between Heylin's book and Sounes'. Sounes does not focus so much on Dylan as a musician or even Dylan as a lyricist. Sounes' biography is more, well, biographical, providing tons of anecdotal accounts of Dylan's life and travels, while missing the point - Dylan matters because of his music and his lyrics above all else. His life, so cloaked in mystery and seclusion, is a mystery, and will remain so. A recording artist is ultimately most communicative through their recordings - through what they are, what they're not, and how they are presented to the artist's audience. Sounes attempts to fill in the mystery of Dylan's life, which is ultimately an impossible task, at the expense of communicating any real understanding of his music.
Heylin's biography is also superior in that it draws on an extensive knowledge of Dylan's unreleased recordings. When dealing with a subject whose own officially released canon is so often poorly representative of his recording career, Heylin's knowledge is wide-ranging and intensely critical. An informed and considered discussion of Dylan's unreleased recordings, which are in many cases superior to those he has chosen to issue, is especially important when examining Dylan's 1980's output, a series of albums sometimes marred primarily by the choices of which songs and takes of songs to include on the released albums. Sounes barely acknowledges the existence of important unreleased recordings, and that diminishes the importance of his biography considerably.
Sounes' one trump over Heylin's biography is the much-publicized revelation of Dylan's second marriage. How important this biographical detail is to understanding or appreciating Dylan's music, however, is very debatable. If you are looking for an easily-readable, readily-digestable account of Dylan's life with little detailed discussion of his music, go for the Sounes bio. Otherwise, Heylin's Behind the Shades, especially in its new revised edition, is the real deal and is the preeminant Dylan bio. Highly recommended.Bob Dylan: Behind the Shades Revisited Overview

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The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (Revised and Updated for the 21st Century) Review

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The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (Revised and Updated for the 21st Century) ReviewThere are two reasons why I had to get this book. Firstly, my 1995 copy crumbled into an oblivion of dry glue, a spine torn in half and a cover too flabby to endure. I did turn to the book often for information, but from the looks of it, you'd think I shot it out of a canon once a week as well. The book is just as cheaply constructed as other reviewers contend, while the Q Rock Stars Encyclopedia is much friendlier to the reader both aesthetically and physically. Secondly, Rolling Stone's web site used to contain all the information found in this book. Recently, though, the disappointing decision was made to scrap those lengthier and more informative biographies for the infuriatingly cursory headnotes they recently replaced them with.
Some of the omissions noted by other reviewers here are remarkable not necessarily because of the bands omitted, but because of the "artists" Rolling Stone replaced them with. I mean, come on, the guys in Great White aren't exactly pioneers, and why anyone thinks the exclusion of Wierd Al Yankovic is at all noteworthy mystifies me. But to leave them out for Britney Spears? Ricky Martin? What a blow! Couldn't we just scrap Milli Vanilli, for the love of God? It isn't as though Tiffany, who is included in this book, will be remembered any more than Britney 30 years from now; nonetheless I don't consider either pop star worthy of inclusion at the expense of decently talented blues bands such as Great White who at least know what a "chord" is. The real crime with regard to the debate over who's in and who's out is the exclusion of various Native American songwriters such as Jim Boyd or Bill Miller. The former in particular continues to make unbelievable folk rock (some of which was featured on the "Smoke Signals" Soundtrack). The work Boyd has done with Sherman Alexie (songs like the incomparable "Million Miles Away") especially warrants recognition here.
Those objections aside, this really is a nearly inexhaustible resource for fans of any of the 1,900+ bands the book takes a look at. I think that the distant tone with which the entries are written will infuriate more passionate fans who think their heroes aren't getting the accolades they deserve. But as an Encyclopedia's duty is to provide the essential information, this book at least succeeds more often than it fails. My own relationship with its past and current editions is going on about 8 years now. Along with the "Rough Guide to Rock" or the "Encyclopedia of Record Producers," it continues to be one of the few resources I run to for answers to questions or quick tutorials on bands whose work I am yet to be familiar with. I think it should also be noted that people ought not to be mislead by the "Rock 'N Roll" title, as the book includes many bluegrass, country, and folk artists who may not immediately be associated with Rock 'N Roll per say, but who influenced the genre to such an extent that their exclusion from this book would have been egregious. I mean people like Dave Van Ronk, Bill Monroe or Townes Van Zandt.The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (Revised and Updated for the 21st Century) OverviewCompletely updated with new entries and extensive revisions of the previous 1,800, The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia Of Rock & Roll is the authoritative volume on the world's music makers -- from the one-hit wonders to the megastars. In 1983, Rolling Stone Press introduced its first Rock & Roll Encyclopedia. Almost two decades later, it has become the premier guide to the history of rock & roll, and has been selected by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame & Museum as its official source of information. Giving full coverage to all aspects of the rock scene, it tells the story of rock & roll in a clear and easy reference format, including complete discographies, personnel changes for every band, and backstage information like date and place of birth, from Elvis Presley to Eminem. Since the last edition, the music scene has exploded in every area, from boy-bands to hip-hop, electronica to indie rock. Here, the Encyclopedia explores them all -- 'NSync, Notorious B.I.G., Ricky Martin, Radiohead, Britney Spears, Blink-182, Sean "Puffy" Combs, Portishead, Fatboy Slim, Fiona Apple, Lil' Kim, Limp Bizkit, Oasis, Outkast, Yo La Tengo, TLC, and many, many more. The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll, Third Edition includes all the facts, phenomena, and flukes that make up the history of rock. Accompanying the biographical and discographical information on the nearly 2,000 artists included in this edition are incisive essays that reveal the performers' musical influences, first breaks, and critical and commercial hits and misses, as well as evaluations of their place in rock history. Filled with hundreds of historical photos, The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia is more than just a reference book, it is the bible of rock & roll.

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Pickin' Up the Pieces: The Heart and Soul of Country Rock Pioneer Richie Furay Review

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Pickin' Up the Pieces: The Heart and Soul of Country Rock Pioneer Richie Furay ReviewRichie Furay, a great musician and songwriter who arguably has one of the best tenor voices to ever grace the sounds of rock or country, has written an exceptional memoir. Fans of the post-folk era California sound, country-rock, 60's/70's rock n' roll and those faithful to Christian beliefs will all enjoy Furay's unique perspective of how music became his life, and also led him to his true vocation, the calling as a pastor with Calvary Chapel in Colorado.
For those readers who may fear too much Christian influence for whatever reason, rest easy. While Furay has woven an intimate tale of his life, illustrating how his music career contributed greatly to his ultimate religious vocation, he is honest and factual, and resists the temptation to be preachy or overbearing in his recollection of one of the greatest eras of American music. The chronology of the times, his view of former bandmates, the music industry in general and reflective behind-the-scenes insight of the groups Buffalo Springfield, Poco, Souther-Hillman-Furay, and the other bands/duos he has performed with since leaving strictly secular music behind, run the gamut, from the elation of being in the R n' R Hall of Fame, to the disappointment of being considered washed up and out of style when he embraced Christianity in his mid-30's, just as he was trying to keep his profile high as a solo artist. Richie Furay shows the same courage and conviction in writing this book that he has shown throughout his musical career, staying true to his beliefs in his talent, his wife and family and those who work closely with him. His upbeat, outgoing attitude, which was his trademark as a musician and in his songwriting, shines through in the retelling of his life, from his youth in Ohio, to stardom and frustration in southern California, to the epiphany he experienced shortly after moving to Colorado and literally struggling to salvage his musical career and his marriage simultaneously. Furay does not "sugar coat" the difficult experiences---including several major personal, familial and professional trials--- which makes the book even more appealing.
Naturally, the discography of his musical life is noted, as are interviews and other secondary resource material, giving Furay's biographical narrative a validity that other recent similar works lack. Throughout the narrative, he does not apologize for his beliefs and thematically inserts his Christian perspective in each chapter. This is a book written by a genuinely happy man who truly understands how blessed he really is, despite the fact that Poco has never received the superstar status he, Jim Messina and Rusty Young dreamed of when they formed that band in 1968, and that monetarily speaking, his musical career has not made him independently wealthy. It did, however, give him an avenue to find his true calling, and Furay makes it clear that the rewards he has found in his Christian congregation in Colorado have been the richest of his life.
For baby-boomer music enthusiasts, this book is a must. Reading it takes you back in time, and lets you enjoy the past with a positive vibe---just like the music of Richie Furay.Pickin' Up the Pieces: The Heart and Soul of Country Rock Pioneer Richie Furay OverviewWhen a young Richie Furay moved to New York hoping to make it big in folk music, God wasn't one of his concerns. But destiny was. Later, when he started Buffalo Springfield with Neil Young and Stephen Stills, it seemedFuray's destiny had finally arrived. Although the band recorded only three albums, it remains a touchstone of sixties rock music–with all five band members now enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Furay remained a musical pioneer, forming Poco and recording some of the first–and best–country rock music of the sixties and seventies. His work was a major influence on the Eagles and innumerable other bands. But he still had not found his destiny. It wasn't until his marriage almost disintegrated that Furay confronted his need for God. After co-founding two legendary bands and recording with a rock super-group, Richie Furay finally found his destiny. The long journey took him from sold-out arena concerts to the pulpit of a Colorado church, from rock royalty to the Rock of Ages.Destiny is often found in the places where we're not looking. As you follow the twists and turns in Richie Furay's inspiring journey, you'll gain fresh insight into your own.

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The Doors Review

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The Doors ReviewBen Fong-Torres has demonstrated journalistic brilliance in the way this book is organized. Each section is laid out like a conversation; interspersed among comments and reflections by Densmore, Krieger and Manzarek, as well as members of the Morrison and Courson families, is just enough narrative for clarity. Fong-Torres smoothly inserts quotes from interviews with Jim Morrison, and the result is a unified presentation of The Doors as an entity. Inevitably, it is the Morrison persona that dominates, but this book does a credible job of portraying all of the Doors. The descriptions of the studio experience, particularly challenges of the technology of the late 60s, are fascinating. There is a great deal of insight into the creative process of the band. While Morrison's rampant alcohol and drug abuse is not the focus of the book, there is ample evidence of the ripple effect it had on his bandmates. The photos from the band's private collection justify the cost.The Doors Overview

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Jim Morrison: Life, Death, Legend Review

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Jim Morrison: Life, Death, Legend ReviewDon't be fooled by this book. These are all second- and third-hand accounts of events. This guy did zero-null-nada extra research to write a book about Jim Morrison. He took all of it from all the other books (Manzarek, Densmore, Sugarman/Hopkins, etc.) written about Morrison. On top of that the book could be organized better. Story after story are strung together with no connection to each other. Davis takes some literary license making it read like a polished novel: he seems to know every facial expression that was exchanged between people and exactly how many drinks Jim had wherever he went.
1. Didn't go into the full conversation that Ray and Jim had discussing the full meaning behind naming the band "The Doors".
2. Made a passing comment that Ray and his wife and Jim may have had a menage a trois.
3. Stated that The Doors were first on a list of bands at Columbia Records that were being dropped by the company. According to Ray or John's book the Doors were in the middle of the list.
4. He said that after Jim hosed down the studio after recording "The End" that Jim had jumped the studio fence and Paul Rothchild grabbed him as Jim tried to run away. Patricia Butler ("Angels Dance and Angels Die") states that Jim scaled the fence and returned to Pam waiting in her car by climbing back over the fence and getting his boot caught in the fence. The boot was then found the next day and later traced to Jim. (Mrs. Butler actually did some research in her book if you read her bibliography).
5. Davis states that the boyfriend of the girl that Jim was making out with backstage in New Haven had asked the Police to look for her which is how the Police stumbled upon Jim and maced him. According to Ray Manzarek, that's not why the Police were backstage before the show.
6. States that the Doors' Buick commercials ran in the South and Midwest. In Manzarek's or Densmore's book it states that Buick pulled the plug after making the deal and never ran the ad.
7. States that Robby took Spanish Caravan from Isaac Albeniz Partido No. 1. He took it from Albeniz Spanish Suite 1. (There is no such work in classical music called a "Partido"!)
8. He called "The End" Robby's "Andalusian goat song". Yeah, I always picture a goat in the Spanish Andalusian Mountains when I listen to that song.
9. He says in The Lost Paris Tape (Paris) that Jim "launched into an astounding version of Orange County Suite". Sadly, the most amateur, unprofessional poet or musician wouldn't be caught associating themselves with a recording (if you want to call it that) like this. There is no semblance of poetry or music on this embarrassing piece of short sleepy, childlike tape. The most interesting moment on this tape is when Morrison comments on the beautiful Cuban cigar he has and tells his buddy that he doesn't have to bite the tip off.
10. He says that Jim and Pam saw the movie "Pursued" on the night of July 2. Later in the book he writes that Pam said the movie they saw was "Death Valley". He makes no reference to the contradiction.
I made these observations after a few days of reading this book. Too bad Mr. Davis didn't pay attention to these subtleties after devoting part of his life writing it. The more I read in this book the less credence I gave to it. I wonder if Stephen Davis even knows what song featured the words "I'm the lizard king. I can do anything!"? I highly doubt it. I think I remember his book "Hammer of the Gods" also came under heavy scrutiny when it was released. This is a good starter kit to get familiar with Morrison. When you're finished with this get the other books and start connecting the dots.
Jim Morrison: Life, Death, Legend OverviewAs the lead singer of the Doors, Jim Morrison's searing poetic vision and voracious appetite for sexual, spiritual, and psychedelic experience inflamed the spirit and psyche of a generation. Since his mysterious death in 1971, millions more fans from a new generation have embraced his legacy, as layers of myth have gathered to enshroud the life, career, and true character of the man who was James Douglas Morrison.In Jim Morrison, critically acclaimed journalist Stephen Davis, author of Hammer of the Gods, unmasks Morrison's constructed personas of the Lizard King and Mr. Mojo Risin' to reveal a man of fierce intelligence whose own destructive tendencies both fueled his creative ambitions and brought about his downfall. Gathered from dozens of original interviews and investigations of Morrison's personal journals, Davis has assembled a vivid portrait of a misunderstood genius, tracing the arc of Morrison's life from his troubled youth to his international stardom, when his drug and alcohol binges, tumultuous sexual affairs, and fractious personal relationships reached a frenzied peak. For the first time, Davis is able to reconstruct Morrison's last days in Paris to solve one of the greatest mysteries in music history in a shocking final chapter.Compelling and harrowing, intimate and revelatory, Jim Morrison is the definitive biography of the rock idol in snakeskin and leather who defined the 1960s.

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Shakey: Neil Young's Biography Review

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Shakey: Neil Young's Biography ReviewI'm a huge Neil Young fan, with over two dozen of his albums in my collection. But I'm not a fanatic, and as a result I found his biography, "Shakey" to be as stimulating, but as frustratingly erratic as the artist himself. One thing Neil Young could never be accused of is self-censorship, and author Jimmy McDonough writes about him in the same vein, telling in nearly 800 pages a stoory that could have been more succinctly and powerfully conveyed in about half that number. McDonough spent over ten years working on the book, however, and I guess he felt that his huge investment of time justifies the book's length.
The book is a rambling narrative of Young's life, mainly as seen through the eyes of his closest associates, but is told in the Hunter S. Thompson "gonzo" style of journalism as McDonough frequently inserts himself into the story. There is nothing necessarily wrong with this approach, in may have in fact been necessary, but it ends up padding the length. The main story is interspersed with a hundred or so pages of text from McDonough's various interviews with Young in which the artist is quoted verbaitim. It is a fascinating and unprecedented look into Young's mind, but again it starts to become wearing after awhile. Lengthy passages about such relatively uninteresting subjects as Young's passion for model trains slow things down even further.
Ultimately, "Shakey" is likely to be endured only by Young's most ardent fans and will not win the artist any new converts. But I get the feeling that Young would prefer it that way. As McDonough recounts, the quickest way to get Young to drop a song from an album is to tell him its going to be a surefire hit. He is that rare rock star who actually eschews popularity. Young remains a startlingly original talent after nearly four decades in the recording busines and for all of its flaws, "Shakey" manages to capture his essence.Shakey: Neil Young's Biography Overview

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Backstage Passes and Backstabbing Bastards Review

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Backstage Passes and Backstabbing Bastards ReviewAl Kooper has been rightly called the "Forrest Gump" of rock and roll. Throughout the 60's and 70's he seemed to turn up as a producer or band member with the right group of musicians until he either checked out of a band (the first electric Bob Dylan tour in 1965) or was thrown out (Blood, Sweat and Tears). Over the course of 40 years he's amassed an amazing amount of experiences that he's collected in Backstage Passes and Back Stabbing Bastards. This is the third edition of his music biography first published in 1979, then updated in the mid-90's, and now reissued covering 1998 to the present. "BP&BB" reads very much like a long-form interview you'd see in Rolling Stone (when it was good) or MOJO (always good). While he's never quite gone beyond cult figure status on his own, behind the scenes he's worked with some legends, most notably Bob Dylan and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Dylan pops up at various times throughout the book and Al's stories about him are alternately revealing but mostly hilarious. It was Dylan who gave Kooper his "calling card" to rock stardom when he overruled producer Tom Wilson and turned up the organist on "Like a Rolling Stone". The organist was Kooper, who'd BS'd his way onto the session and only jumped on the organ (an instrument he couldn't turn on let alone play) when Mike Bloomfield showed up and shattered Kooper's guitar hero dreams just by tuning up. That session would be both a blessing and a curse for Kooper, who got a ton of session work from producers looking for "that Dylan sound" but left Al wanting something more substantive musically. Enter Dylan, who dragged him onstage at the legendary Newport Folk Festival when he went electric. Al sets the record straight on that show and has a much different version of the event than the history books because he was RIGHT THERE. He was also "right there" when Bob went to Nashville to record "Blonde on Blonde". Al's relationship with Dylan has certainly evolved over the years and from his stories you get the impression that Bob's been doing everything he can to run away from his legacy instead of embracing it.
From there, he joined the Blues Project until they imploded. Organized and performed at Monterey Pop, then formed Blood Sweat and Tears until he was ousted by their drummer following their debut album. That might be the end of the story right? Wrong! Taking the phrase "if you can't beat `em, join `em" to heart, he became a staff producer at CBS Records under "Captain Clive" Davis. His first project would be the legendary "Super Session" album with Mike Bloomfield and Stephen Stills. Kooper's work with "Bloomers' is a case of missed opportunities, when things were good with him they were very good. They would produce 3 albums together but Mike could be exasperating to deal with. He only appeared on ½ of "SS" and "The Live Adventures", leaving suddenly midway through both due to chronic insomnia and/or a heroin addiction that eventually took his life.
After leaving CBS, he relocated to Atlanta with the idea of forming his own record label (ala` Phil Walden at Capricorn Records). While scouting local talent he spotted a guitar army from Jacksonville and "Sounds of the South's" first artist was Lynyrd Skynyrd. LS seem to have a love/hate relationship with Kooper. While grateful for producing their first 3 albums (as well as hits like "Free Bird", "Gimme 3 Steps" and "Sweet Home Alabama") his production methods seemed to soften the powerhouse sound they had live. It's no wonder he was immortalized as "Mr. Yankee Slicker" in the song "Workin' for MCA".
The one story I wished he'd expanded on was playing with Jimi Hendrix on "Electric Ladyland". They'd met at Monterey Pop and Al received one of Jimi's Strats as a thank-you for his work. That guitar would prove to be more trouble than it was worth later on.
The last 10 years have been something of a rough road for Al. He became an associate professor at Berklee College of Music in Boston, became a grandfather, and endured a long recovery from a debilitating eye disorder. But he's still out playing live (with his academic colleagues no less!) and his dry wit is still there, can't wait for volume 4!
Highly recommended!
Backstage Passes and Backstabbing Bastards OverviewÂA rock 'n roll classic, back in print, updated and revised.ÂÂOne of the funniest rock memoirs ever, Al Kooper's legendary ÂBackstage Passes is available again! Al's quirkly life, from would'be teenage rocker, to crashing Bob Dylan's recording session and playing the organ on ÂHighway 61Â, to forming Blood, Sweat, and Tears and masterminding the Super Sessions, it's all here...plus, in this updated version, Al rides with us all the way back to the end of the 20th century. There has never been a more wickedly humorous and honest book by a man who has made such rock history.

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Does the Noise in My Head Bother You?: A Rock 'n' Roll Memoir Review

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Does the Noise in My Head Bother You: A Rock 'n' Roll Memoir Review371 pages of text, 3 page "Semiprologue", 32 pages of color and b&w photos throughout Tyler's life. Take the dust jacket off and there are wrap-around photos of Tyler in full regalia and mic stand. The inside front and back pages have the same series of photos.
In a nutshell-if you like Steven Tyler/AEROSMITH (originally spelled ARROWSMITH for about 5 seconds-Tyler wanted HOOKERS, but changed the spelling to A-E-R-O) you'll like this book. With the help of David Dalton, a long time Rolling Stone Magazine contributor, Tyler tells his tale in much the same style as he would in a conversation. His comments are sometimes off the wall and colorful, but somehow seem to help tell his life story. A quick glance at the chapter headings will prove my point. But Tyler writes in a very straightforward, in your face, no-holds barred style. Throughout the book Tyler constantly lays things out, no matter the subject matter, which helps paint a better, fuller picture of both his music, and himself.
Beginning with his birth, we learn about his parents and their strong influence on his adult outlook , his early formative years, friends and acquaintances, and his discovery of music. There's a lot of background details that help fill in Tyler's early life-a boyhood in many respects like other kids of the era, and how he found his way to music, and his decision to make music his life. Tyler talks about the comparisons between Mick Jagger and himself, and how the press played up their similarities. But Tyler makes no bones about Jagger/The Stones-he idolized them, along with other r'n'r stars of the day. We also learn about the many personal and band escapades-involving sex/drugs/r'n'r during the many years when the band was touring hard-and partying just as hard. If you've ever wondered about the highs and lows of a r'n'r band, this portion of the book will give you a good look into what it's all about. But Tyler tells his story with both great insight and humor, using that Tyler way with words, and that peculiar turn of a phrase that never seems to fail him.
For fans of the band, the book gets really interesting when the original band (with guitarist Ray Tabano), decided to try and "make it", by moving to Boston. This portion of the book really has the flavor of AEROSMITH-the song choices, the small clubs, trying to get by, and the beginning of their recording career, and the recording of various albums, and Tyler's on-going feud with guitarist Joe Perry The many details are what make this book worth reading-all the trials and tribulations that Tyler and the band went through in order to make music, and persevere in the music business.
Tyler also talks about his family-especially his four children. This is where he opens himself up and shows that underneath all that bravado, he's a caring, sensitive man. Tyler also talks about his stints in rehab, and the many physical maladies that have plagued him for a number of years, a number of which were caused by his r'n'r lifestyle. The book is also a cautionary tale of how excess can lead to ruin-his marriages and divorces, his troubles with his band mates, his regrets when looking back at parts of his life when the conflict of home life and his band made life almost intolerable, and so on. But in the end, Tyler (now a judge on American Idol) has adjusted to his sixth decade, living in Laurel Canyon, where many of his idols once lived, able to look back at a lifetime of music making.
For anyone who wonders if Steven Tyler is for real-this book will amply prove that point. His jive-talking, flavorful, sometimes off-color word usage, sometimes semi-nonsense style of writing keeps the interest up throughout this book. At times you get the feeling that Tyler is telling you his tales one on one, which is very effective, and sometimes visceral, but always interesting. The combination of small details throughout gives added depth to his story. It's an honest (as he sees it) look at a man, his music, his life in and outside of music, and how they all intertwine. And for all the jive bravado, you get the feeling, that underneath is someone who wants to let people know that, in many respects, he's just like us-an example-the book is dedicated to his mother. If you've ever wondered (as I have) if the persona he throws out is all there is, this book will help you see past all that. You may be surprised.
If you're interested in the other side of the r'n'r coin, so to speak, check out the book "And On Piano Nicky Hopkins: The Extraordinary Life of Rock's Greatest Session Man". As much as Tyler ultimately "made it" in music, Hopkins story (truly perhaps the greatest session man in r'n'r) is altogether something different. This book is a window into the r'n'r lifestyle of a man few could match.Does the Noise in My Head Bother You: A Rock 'n' Roll Memoir Overview
"I've been mythicized, Mick-icized, eulogized and fooligized, I've been Cole-Portered and farmer's-daughtered, I've been Led Zepped and 12-stepped. I'm a rhyming fool and so cool that me, Fritz the Cat, and Mohair Sam are the baddest cats that am. I have so many outrageous stories, too many, and I'm gonna tell 'em all. All the unexpurgated, brain-jangling tales of debauchery, sex & drugs, transcendence & chemical dependence you will ever want to hear."

The son of a classical pianist straight out of the Bronx of old Archie comics, Steven Tyler was born to be a rock star. Weaned on Cole Porter, Nat King Cole, Mick-and his beloved Janis Joplin-Tyler began tearing up the streets and the stage as a teenager before finally meeting his "mutant twin" and legendary partner Joe Perry. In this addictively readable memoir, told in the playful, poetic voice that is uniquely his own, Tyler unabashedly recounts the meteoric rise, fall, and rise of Aerosmith over the last three decades and riffs on the music that gives it all meaning.

Tyler tells what it's like to be a living legend and the frontman of one of the world's most revered and infamous bands-the debauchery, the money, the notoriety, the fights, the motels and hotels, the elevators, limos, buses and jets, the rehab. He reveals the spiritual side that "gets lost behind the stereotype of the Sex Guy, the Drug Guy, the Demon of Screamin', the Terror of the Tropicana." And he talks about his epic romantic life and his relationship with his four children. As dazzling, bold, and out-on-the-edge as the man himself, Does the Noise in My Head Bother You? is an all-access backstage pass into this extraordinary showman's life.


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