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My Life in Dire Straits
- The Inside Story of One of the Biggest Bands in Rock History
- Narrated by: John Illsley
- Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins
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The first, and only, inside story of one of the greatest bands in rock history - Dire Straits - as told by founding member and bassist John Illsley
One of the most successful music acts of all time, Dire Straits filled stadiums around the world. Their albums sold hundreds of millions of copies and their music - classics like “Sultans of Swing”, “Romeo and Juliet", “Money for Nothing”, and “Brothers in Arms” - is still played on every continent today. There was, quite simply, no bigger band on the planet throughout the '80s.
In this powerful and entertaining memoir, founding member John Illsley gives the inside track on the most successful rock band of their time. From playing gigs in the spit-and-sawdust pubs of south London to hanging out with Bob Dylan in LA, Illsley tells the story of the band with searching honesty, soulful reflection, and wry humor. Starting with his own unlikely beginnings in Middle England, he recounts the band’s rise from humble origins to the best-known venues in the world, the working man’s clubs to Madison Square Garden, sharing gigs with wild punk bands to rocking the Live Aid stage at Wembley. And woven throughout is an intimate portrait and tribute to his great friend Mark Knopfler, the band's lead singer, songwriter, and remarkable guitarist.
Tracing an idea that created a phenomenal musical legacy, an extraordinary journey of joy and pain, companionship and surprises, this is John Illsley’s life in Dire Straits.
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- Unabridged
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When musicians in the New York folk scene of the 1960s grew tired of city life, they decided to "get it together in the country". They headed for Woodstock - not to the site of the infamous music festival of 1969 but to the Catskills, to Bearsville, to Woodstock proper. Counterculture revolutionaries like Janis Joplin, Richie Havens, and Paul Butterfield got "back to the land", turning the once sleepy hollow into a funky Shangri-La.
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Captured the era - too many mistakes
- By Frank Canino on 04-17-16
By: Barney Hoskyns
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When Giants Walked the Earth
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- By: Mick Wall
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 18 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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They were the last great band of the '60s and the first great band of the '70s. They rose, somewhat unpromisingly, from the ashes of the Yardbirds to become one of the biggest-selling rock bands of all time - and eventually paid the price for it, with disaster, drug addiction, and death.
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Very annoying but tolerable for serious fans.
- By M. Allen on 08-14-19
By: Mick Wall
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Deal
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- Narrated by: Peter Berkrot
- Length: 13 hrs and 5 mins
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On their 50th anniversary comes a groundbreaking rock-and-roll memoir by one of the founding members of the Grateful Dead. The Grateful Dead are perhaps the most legendary American rock band of all time. For 30 years, beginning in the hippie scene of San Francisco in 1965, they were a musical institution, the original jam band that broke new ground in so many ways.
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Decent but not great
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Paul McCartney
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The best-selling author of the definitive biography of former Beach Boy Brian Wilson offers new insight into the life and music of Paul McCartney, one of the world's most popular and influential musicians. Informed by new, exclusive interviews with friends, bandmates, and collaborators, the book describes McCartney's many triumphs as well as his failures, from the Beatles era through his decade with Wings and his subsequent solo career.
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Great...But
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Swimming with the Blowfish
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The ultimate front-row seat to the rise, fall, and rebirth of a band that was - for a time - the biggest in the world, Hootie & the Blowfish, and Jim Sonefeld’s shattering and redeeming spiritual path from addiction to recovery and a more fruitful life.
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Excellent book
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By: Jim Sonefeld
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Few artists have left a more indelible mark on America's musical landscape than Charlie Daniels. Listeners will experience a soft, personal side of Charlie Daniels that has never before been documented. In his own words, he presents the path from his post-Depression childhood to performing for millions as one of the most successful country acts of all time and what he has learned along the way.
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Like a Rocking Chair on Charlie's Front porch.
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If you were a fan of popular music in the 1960s and early '70s, you were a fan of the Wrecking Crew - whether you knew it or not. On hit record after hit record by everyone from the Byrds, the Beach Boys, and the Monkees to the Grass Roots, the 5th Dimension, Sonny & Cher, and Simon & Garfunkel, this collection of West Coast studio musicians from diverse backgrounds established themselves as the driving sound of pop music - sometimes over the objection of actual band members....
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Left Guessing
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Skydog
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Revised and expanded, with a new afterword by the author, this is the definitive biography of Duane Allman, one of the most revered guitarists of his generation. Skydog reveals the complete story of the legendary guitarist: his childhood and musical awakening; his struggling first bands; his hard-won mastery of the slide guitar; his emergence as a successful session musician; his creation of the Allman Brothers Band; his tragic death at age 24; and his thriving musical legacy.
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duane was the best great story
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Punk Rock Blitzkrieg
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- Narrated by: Corey M. Snow
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Having outlived his bandmates, Marky is the only person who can share the secrets and stories of the Ramones' improbable rise from obtuse beginnings to induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But it wasn't all good times and hit songs, and Marky doesn't shy away from discussing his own struggles.
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Dedicated Punk Fans Must Read
- By Leostriple on 03-26-15
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So Many Roads
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No longer dismissed as relics of the hippie era, a new generation has lionized the Dead for creating a culture that paved the way for social networking, free music swapping, and the uncompromising anticorporate attitude of indie rock. Now, fifty years after the band first began changing rock 'n' roll both sonically and psychically, So Many Roads paints the most vivid portrait yet of the Grateful Dead, one of the most enduring institutions in American music and culture.
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Great first book on the Dead
- By robert on 10-30-15
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Traveling Music
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The music of Frank Sinatra, Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, and many other artists provides the score to the reflections of a musician on the road in this memoir of Neil Peart's travels from Los Angeles to Big Bend National Park. The emotional associations and stories behind each album Peart plays guide his recollections of his childhood on Lake Ontario, the first bands that he performed with, and his travels with the band Rush. The evocative and resonant writing vividly captures the meanderings of a musical mind.
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If your a music lover you'll dig this one
- By Jason Lessenger on 09-12-15
By: Neil Peart
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What listeners say about My Life in Dire Straits
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Chris Baker
- 05-22-23
Great book
Being a musician and lover of music I enjoy listening to this type of book
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- Donita
- 11-13-21
John Illsley & Mark Knopfler are class acts!
I was looking forward to this book & it did not disappoint. John Illsley doesn’t portray himself as a saint, but his decency is apparent. I enjoy books that let me peek into the lives of talented people, but I don’t think I’ve ever experienced any of them giving such praise to the roadies & others who are responsible to “put the show on the road” & he gives them ENORMOUS credit. Refreshing & admirable! Another add-on to this review is that my husband & I were quite fortunate to score great seats at a Mark Knopfler small venue concert in Dallas before COVID-19. (I count it as kind of a lifetime achievement concert!) Mark was gracious & friendly, telling bits of history of how the songs originated & performing them to perfection. He gave credit to the musicians with him (they were great) and it is easy to see how these two talented yet humble artists have maintained a friendship that spans so many years. Thanks for a terrific book that spotlights that talent nurtured by dedication & hard work can result in success beyond anyone’s wildest dreams.
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- Mark
- 08-06-23
Great book
John thank you for this book. I’ve listened to you guys since the beginning. Still do. The best band ever existed. It was great to hear your story and thank you for telling it !!! Love❤️❤️❤️
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- Basher
- 01-02-23
Impressively real, laid-back, contemplative, and dignified
Satisfyingly nuanced for us fans of the band and fans of Mark’s art. No dirt. John Illsley reads his sincere memoir beautifully. It's no surprise that Mark wrote and reads a supportive forward to this fine recording.
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- Amazon Customer
- 12-11-21
fantastically written
Dire Straits is my favorite band so getting this inside scoop from John was incredible. It's a wonderfully crafted and humble story. it confirms my suspicions that the members are all stand up guys with tremendous talents.
you'll love this book whether you are a DS fan or not. it's really a cool time machine back to the days where records were sold, getting a demo tape meant going to a studio and getting a song on the radio was the only way to get a chance.
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- LizSD
- 11-13-21
Masterfully crafted
Illsley gives a unique insight on the many facets of his experience as a member of Dire Straits that even many diehard fans were unaware of thorough vivid imagery and wonderful anecdotes.
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- Tom Hockman
- 08-10-22
Interesting for fans but with some caveats
My Life in Dire Straits is written and narrated by John Illsley, a guitar sideman for the entire run of Dire Straits from 1977 to 1994 (when On Every Street tour ended). John is not as gifted a narrator as he is a musician, so the reading is stilted. His accent can also cause misunderstanding if you don't listen to his pronunciations closely.
As for the content of the book, it's a 9 hour listen and John doesn't get to the time with Dire Straits until 3 hours into the book. I have to say I was totally not interested in his life experience growing up in post-war England as it's a story I've heard before in books such as Life, Keith Richards autobiography. If you're really, really an Illsley fan, then you would find his life experiences interesting, but to my way of thinking it just didn't entertain me. Maybe if this was Mark Knopfler's autobiography I would have been more interested. I was more eager about the Dire Straits years.
Mark K. does offer a brief intro praising John's book and says he did a great job remembering all the key details of the growth of the band and trials and tribulations of personnel changes and the grinding impact of world tours.
I did learn that Dire Straits managed to develop a very strong following around the world, not just the US. They were popular in all over Europe, including Germany, Spain the Netherlands, and even Eastern Europe, as well as North America and Australia. In fact, in places like Australia they were something of a super group to the Aussies and New Zealanders. I doubt many bands had the breadth of fandom on nearly every continent clamoring for their latest music and concerts. Dire Straits was literally trying to please the entire world with each and every album and tour.
The descriptions of the world tours help clarify just how brutal long tours can be on people physically, mentally, and in terms of relationships. John and Mark K both lost relationships over their tours for the sake of fans. I think John's stories about being away from his children is the most heartbreaking aspect of the cost of touring.
I was not happy that Dire Straits took 6 years to follow up Brothers in Arms and then quit once and for all after On Every Street, but now I at least understand why the size and onerous burden of touring drove them to dissolve the band. I have admired Mark's diverse talents on his solo albums, but miss the Rock & Roll side of his music he left behind with Dire Straits.
I don't think Mark has any plans to write a bio on his life or the band, so this is probably the only definitive document we will ever get about this popular band.
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