Bob Dylan: Behind the Shades Revisited

Heylin, Clinton. Bob Dylan : behind the shades revisited, New York, NY : William Morrow, c2001.

This unauthorised biography is deemed by The New Yorker as “the most readable and reliable” of all Bob Dylan biographies. This recommendation is probably due to the fact that Manchester native Clinton Heylin wrote it with a close-up and personal narrative-style which is refreshingly free of either uncritical worship or parochial judgments. Originally published in 1991 as Behind the Shades, in 2001 Heylin added new sections, substantially reworked text, and brought the story up-to-date with the American singer/songwriter’s explosive career in 2000. Though he was denied access to Dylan for this book, his exhaustive research and 260 interviews with important people in Dylan’s life—George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Emmylou Harris, Robbie Robertson, to name a few—give Heylin story considerable depth. In 780 pages, the readers follow the story of Dylan from his humble beginnings in Minnesota to his arrival in New York in 1961, his subsequent rise in folk circuit of Greenwich Village and continued with his Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde success, his motorcycle accident, his protest-fuelled songs, to his controversial conversion to born-again Christianity. The fans will be given what they have always wanted: a chance to get to know the man behind the shades.

•Image: Goodreads | Citation: Trove | Annotation: Goodreads, Amazon

When Giants Walked the Earth: A Biography of Led Zeppelin

Wall, Mick. When giants walked the earth : a biography of Led Zeppelin, London : Orion Books, 2008.

This 534 page biography of Led Zeppelin provides second-person narrative style, fan fiction-esque interlude, and is written as if the author had almost insight into the main characters (Led Zeppelin). Written by British veteran rock journalist Mick Wall who happens to also be a former associate of both Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, the biography is rich and revealing: delving into the depths of the four band members unique personalities (Page is fascinated with English occultist Aleister Crowley and his active Ordo Templi Orientis religious practice) and the chronology of events is well-organised; starting with the time of Jimmy Page in the Yardbirds and his struggle to bring together an “album-centered” band through every obstacle, as well as great stories about the album covers, management, Elvis, The Who, the rise and sad loss of Bonham, everything you should know about the Biggest Band in the World.

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Meetings with Morrissey

Brown, Len, 1957-. Meetings with Morrissey, London ; New York : Omnibus Press, c2009.

This 324 page book is beautifully written, thoroughly researched, and intimate in style. The former New Musical Express journalist Len Brown has produced a very intelligent and insightful account of the career of Morrissey, covering his 25 years as The Smiths frontman, and onto his solo work. In this biography Brown revisits his own NME-era interview with the English singer/songwriter, explores in detail the extraordinary lyrical content of Morrisey's songs—there’s even a great chapter detailing Oscar Wilde’s influence on Moz’s lyrics. He takes a retrospective look at the singer-songwriter's most distinctive memories—he dyed his hair gold at the age of 13 and it turned purple; he was then sent home from school. It is the personal and socio-political context of the period which Brown weaves into Morrissey’s life and art which makes this biography such a tender and worthwhile exposition essential reading for Morrissey fans.

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Comfortably Numb: The Inside Story of Pink Floyd

Blake, Mark. Comfortably Numb : The Inside Story of Pink Floyd, Cambridge, Mass. : Thunder’s Mouth Press, 2008.

Lucidly written, this could arguably be the most comprehensive book ever written about the English progressive rockers Pink Floyd. As meticulous, exacting and ambitious as any David Gilmour-Roger Waters (plus Syd Barret) creation, this 448 page chronicle covers a lot of ground, from a background story and history of the band, to how the albums charted and were received by critics and fans, the meaning of the songs, to musical progression versus creative tension. In addition to this, the book also incorporates hundreds of new and exclusive interviews—with band members, friends, road crew, musical contemporaries, former housemates, and university colleagues. Notoriously private and very guarded when it comes to their past and their personal lives, the British popular music and culture writer Mark Blake very thoroughly disclosed the problems of each Pink Floyd member, which means that, as a reader, you really do feel as if you’re being sucked into the drama. Well researched. Well documented. Accurate. Every chapter is a trove. Indeed.

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The True Adventures of the Rolling Stones

Booth, Stanley, 1942-. The true adventures of the Rolling Stones, Chicago, IL : A Capella, 2000.

“In the backstage doorway Jagger was standing, dressed in black trousers with silver buttons down the legs, black scoop-neck jersey with white Leo glyph on chest, wide metal-studded black belt, long red flowing scarf, on his head an Uncle Sam hat, his eyes wide and dark, looking like a bullfighter standing in the sun just inside the door of the arena, seeing nothing but the path he walks, toreros and banderilleros beside and behind him, to his fate.” Yes, this 416 page book by the American music journalist Stanley Booth, the Stones’ inner circle, is that detailed and engaging, with many more moments in this huge rock band's history captured in similar descriptive detail. A truly entertaining read.

•Image: Goodreads | Citation: Trove | Annotation: Goodreads, Amazon