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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 14, 2017
I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read and was entertaining. The "Wit and Wisdom of the Gallaghers" sections were especially funny. It was nice to see the variety of artists covered. I also liked that Rory Gallagher's Irish Tour '74 was included in the top-ten list of greatest rock live albums, as it is often overlooked.
I am giving it a four-star review for one reason and one reason only: there are a few instances of information in the book being inaccurate or iffy (and no, I don't mean in cases where the information is outdated, as the book was written in 2004 and the year is 2017 at the time of writing). Here are some examples of information being inaccurate or iffy:
-The book mentions an incident of Jim Morrison (The Doors) exposing his penis onstage in Miami as absolute fact. This information is iffy. It may or may not have ever actually happened. He WAS charged with obscenity, but it's unclear whether he actually exposed himself or whether he only pretended to. Members of the Doors say that he did not actually expose himself and photos from the concert do not show it. Personally, I don't believe that it actually happened, but it might have. My point is that it shouldn't be passed off as factual when it's so up in the air.
-At one point, it says that The Who's Tommy album was released in 1968. This is inaccurate. Tommy was released in 1969. This is somewhat forgivable, as Tommy was recorded in 1968-1969.
-There is a section that is a list of songs about prostitutes and prostitution. One of the songs included is House of the Rising Sun by the Animals. This one is a half-truth. The original song (and pretty much every cover version prior to the Animals one) House of the Rising Sun is written from the point of view of a prostitute. The Animals drastically rewrote the lyrics to be about gambling and alcohol abuse rather than prostitution.
-There are a few sections that try to summarize and describe different types of electronic music. In the last one, it describes industrial music as being rock music mixed with techno. I'm not sure the best way to describe industrial music, but that is not it. Industrial music is not even remotely a type of techno.
-The very last page of the book is a section about rock stars that were heavy users of psychedelic drugs. The last paragraph is about the Beatles. It said that there were thinly-veiled references to LSD in Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds. It then implies that the fifty-year-old rumor that John Lennon purposefully titled the song Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds because it could be abbreviated into LSD is true. This is iffy at best and completely untrue at worst. John Lennon (and many others) have stated that the song was inspired by a drawing that John's son Julian did of his classmate Lucy flying in a sky of diamonds. In 2004, Paul McCartney said that it was "pretty obvious" that Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds was inspired by LSD. The thing is, Paul played no role in writing the song. It was written entirely by John Lennon. In other words, the only person who would know for sure has been dead for more than thirty-five years. Personally, I believe that the idea for the song originally came from the drawing, but that the song was padded out and added to by descriptions of hallucinations. What I believe is irrelevant here, though. This is far from an absolute fact.
I'm just nitpicking here and probably ranting a little bit. None of this petty stuff should discourage anybody from reading this book. I just know too much useless crap.
I am giving it a four-star review for one reason and one reason only: there are a few instances of information in the book being inaccurate or iffy (and no, I don't mean in cases where the information is outdated, as the book was written in 2004 and the year is 2017 at the time of writing). Here are some examples of information being inaccurate or iffy:
-The book mentions an incident of Jim Morrison (The Doors) exposing his penis onstage in Miami as absolute fact. This information is iffy. It may or may not have ever actually happened. He WAS charged with obscenity, but it's unclear whether he actually exposed himself or whether he only pretended to. Members of the Doors say that he did not actually expose himself and photos from the concert do not show it. Personally, I don't believe that it actually happened, but it might have. My point is that it shouldn't be passed off as factual when it's so up in the air.
-At one point, it says that The Who's Tommy album was released in 1968. This is inaccurate. Tommy was released in 1969. This is somewhat forgivable, as Tommy was recorded in 1968-1969.
-There is a section that is a list of songs about prostitutes and prostitution. One of the songs included is House of the Rising Sun by the Animals. This one is a half-truth. The original song (and pretty much every cover version prior to the Animals one) House of the Rising Sun is written from the point of view of a prostitute. The Animals drastically rewrote the lyrics to be about gambling and alcohol abuse rather than prostitution.
-There are a few sections that try to summarize and describe different types of electronic music. In the last one, it describes industrial music as being rock music mixed with techno. I'm not sure the best way to describe industrial music, but that is not it. Industrial music is not even remotely a type of techno.
-The very last page of the book is a section about rock stars that were heavy users of psychedelic drugs. The last paragraph is about the Beatles. It said that there were thinly-veiled references to LSD in Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds. It then implies that the fifty-year-old rumor that John Lennon purposefully titled the song Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds because it could be abbreviated into LSD is true. This is iffy at best and completely untrue at worst. John Lennon (and many others) have stated that the song was inspired by a drawing that John's son Julian did of his classmate Lucy flying in a sky of diamonds. In 2004, Paul McCartney said that it was "pretty obvious" that Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds was inspired by LSD. The thing is, Paul played no role in writing the song. It was written entirely by John Lennon. In other words, the only person who would know for sure has been dead for more than thirty-five years. Personally, I believe that the idea for the song originally came from the drawing, but that the song was padded out and added to by descriptions of hallucinations. What I believe is irrelevant here, though. This is far from an absolute fact.
I'm just nitpicking here and probably ranting a little bit. None of this petty stuff should discourage anybody from reading this book. I just know too much useless crap.
June 17, 2022
Yes this was a freebie with a magazine which I picked up in a charity shop but it is some weak tea.
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