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An artist who helped define a period in popular culture, Johnny Marr tells his story in a memoir as vivid and arresting as his music. The Smiths, the band with the signature sound he cofounded, remains one of the most beloved bands ever and have had a profound influence on a number of acts that followed - from the Stone Roses, Suede, Blur, and Radiohead to Oasis, The Libertines, and Arctic Monkeys.
Cured is not only the first insider account of the early days of the band, it is a revealing look at the artistic evolution of the enigmatic Robert Smith, the iconic lead singer, songwriter, and innovative guitarist at the heart of The Cure. A deeply rebellious, sensitive, tough, and often surprisingly "normal" young man, Smith was from the start destined for stardom, a fearless nonconformist and provocateur who soon found his own musical language through which to express his considerable and unique talent.
Autobiography covers Morrissey's life from his birth until the present day.
Kim Gordon, founding member of Sonic Youth, fashion icon, and role model for a generation of women, now tells her story - a memoir of life as an artist, of music, marriage, motherhood, independence, and as one of the first women of rock and roll, written with the lyricism and haunting beauty of Patti Smith's Just Kids.
Written with the participation of the group's key members, including reclusive singer-songwriter Paul Westerberg, bassist Tommy Stinson, and the family of late guitarist Bob Stinson, Trouble Boys is a deeply intimate and nuanced portrait, exposing the primal factors and forces - addiction, abuse, fear - that would shape one of the most brilliant and notoriously self-destructive bands of all time.
Under the Big Black Sun explores the nascent Los Angeles punk rock movement and its evolution to hardcore punk as it's never been told before. Authors John Doe and Tom DeSavia have woven together an enthralling story of the legendary West Coast scene from 1977 to 1982 by enlisting the voices of people who were there. The book shares chapter-length tales from the authors along with personal essays from famous (and infamous) players in the scene.
An artist who helped define a period in popular culture, Johnny Marr tells his story in a memoir as vivid and arresting as his music. The Smiths, the band with the signature sound he cofounded, remains one of the most beloved bands ever and have had a profound influence on a number of acts that followed - from the Stone Roses, Suede, Blur, and Radiohead to Oasis, The Libertines, and Arctic Monkeys.
Cured is not only the first insider account of the early days of the band, it is a revealing look at the artistic evolution of the enigmatic Robert Smith, the iconic lead singer, songwriter, and innovative guitarist at the heart of The Cure. A deeply rebellious, sensitive, tough, and often surprisingly "normal" young man, Smith was from the start destined for stardom, a fearless nonconformist and provocateur who soon found his own musical language through which to express his considerable and unique talent.
Autobiography covers Morrissey's life from his birth until the present day.
Kim Gordon, founding member of Sonic Youth, fashion icon, and role model for a generation of women, now tells her story - a memoir of life as an artist, of music, marriage, motherhood, independence, and as one of the first women of rock and roll, written with the lyricism and haunting beauty of Patti Smith's Just Kids.
Written with the participation of the group's key members, including reclusive singer-songwriter Paul Westerberg, bassist Tommy Stinson, and the family of late guitarist Bob Stinson, Trouble Boys is a deeply intimate and nuanced portrait, exposing the primal factors and forces - addiction, abuse, fear - that would shape one of the most brilliant and notoriously self-destructive bands of all time.
Under the Big Black Sun explores the nascent Los Angeles punk rock movement and its evolution to hardcore punk as it's never been told before. Authors John Doe and Tom DeSavia have woven together an enthralling story of the legendary West Coast scene from 1977 to 1982 by enlisting the voices of people who were there. The book shares chapter-length tales from the authors along with personal essays from famous (and infamous) players in the scene.
In the second half of the 20th century New York was the source of new sounds, including the Greenwich Village folk scene, punk and new wave, and hip-hop. But as the end of the millennium neared, cutting-edge bands began emerging from Seattle, Austin, and London, pushing New York further from the epicenter. The behemoth music industry, too, found itself in free fall, under siege from technology. Then 9/11/2001 plunged the country into a state of uncertainty and war.
An early architect of punk rock's sound, style, and fury, whose lip-curling sneer and fist-pumping persona vaulted him into pop's mainstream as one of MTV's first megastars, Billy Idol remains, to this day, a true rock 'n' roll icon. Now, in his long-awaited autobiography, Dancing with Myself, Idol delivers an electric, searingly honest account of his journey to fame - from his early days as front man of the pioneering UK punk band Generation X to the decadent life atop the dance-rock kingdom he ruled.
As lead singer and songwriter for the Velvet Underground and a renowned solo artist, Lou Reed invented alternative rock. His music, at once a source of transcendent beauty and coruscating noise, violated all definitions of genre while speaking to millions of fans and inspiring generations of musicians. But while his iconic status may be fixed, the man himself was anything but. Lou Reed's life was a transformer's odyssey. Eternally restless and endlessly hungry for new experiences, Reed reinvented his persona, his sound, even his sexuality, time and again.
Legendary Rock and Roll guitarist. Founding member of Television. Masterful storyteller. Written in Lloyd's inimitable, frequently humorous style, Everything Is Combustible chronicles, through vignettes, Lloyd's colorful early life, starting in Pittsburgh and soon moving to New York City, and then details his teenage travels and encounters with music legends including Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, John Lee Hooker, Buddy Guy, and Keith Moon.
Bob Mould stormed into America's punk rock scene in 1979, when clubs across the country were filling with kids dressed in black leather and torn denim, packing in to see bands like the Ramones, Black Flag, and the Dead Kennedys. Hardcore punk was a riot of jackhammer rhythms, blistering tempos, and bottomless aggression. And at its center, a new band out of Minnesota called Hüsker Dü was bashing out songs and touring the country on no money, driven by the inspiration of guitarist and vocalist Bob Mould. Their music roused a generation.
Keith Morris is a true punk icon. No one else embodies the sound of Southern Californian hardcore. Short and sporting waist-length dreadlocks, Morris is known the world over for his take-no-prisoners approach on the stage and his integrity off of it. Over the course of his 40-year career, he's battled diabetes, drug and alcohol addiction, and the record industry. My Damage is more than a book about the highs and lows of a punk rock legend, however.
Patty Schemel was a drummer at the epicenter of the Seattle grunge scene in the early '90s, best known for her work with the alternative rock band Hole. Hit So Hard begins with stories from a childhood informed by the AA meetings Schemel's parents hosted in the family living room. Their divorce triggered her rebellious adolescence and first forays into drinking at age 11, which coincided with her passion for punk rock and playing drums.
This memoir, written entirely by Elvis Costello himself, offers his unique view of his unlikely and sometimes comical rise to international success, with diversions through the previously undocumented emotional foundations of some of his best known songs and the hits of tomorrow. The book contains many stories and observations about his renowned cowriters and coconspirators, though Costello also pauses along the way for considerations on the less appealing side of infamy.
His music thrilled the generation it was written for and has entertained and inspired every generation since. Hero: David Bowie is an exploration of the man behind the myths and the makeup told from the very beginning. Respected music journalist and biographer Lesley-Ann Jones knew David Jones from the days before fame, when he was a young musician starting out, frustrated by an industry that wouldn't give him a break and determined to succeed at whatever cost.
Joy Division's career has often been shrouded by myths. But the truth is surprisingly simple: over a period of several months, Joy Division transformed themselves from run-of-the-mill punk wannabes into the creators of one of the most atmospheric, disturbing, and influential debut albums ever recorded. Chris Ott carefully picks apart fact from fiction to show how Unknown Pleasures came into being, and how it still resonates so strongly today.
Van Halen's rise in the 1980s was one of the most thrilling the music world had ever seen - their mythos an epic party, a sweaty, sexy, never-ending rock extravaganza. During this unparalleled run of success, debauchery, and drama, no one was closer to the band than Noel Monk. Throughout Van Halen's meteoric rise and abrupt halt, this confidant, fixer, friend, and promoter saw it all and lived to tell. Now, for the first time, he shares the most outrageous escapades.
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.
Joy Division changed the face of music. Godfathers of alternative rock, they reinvented music in the post-punk era, creating a new sound - dark, hypnotic, and intense - that would influence U2, Morrissey, R.E.M., Radiohead, and numerous others. The story is now legendary: In 1980, on the heels of their groundbreaking debut, Unknown Pleasures, and on the eve of their first U.S. tour, the band was rent asunder by the tragic death of their enigmatic lead singer, Ian Curtis. Yet in the mere three years they were together, Joy Division produced two landmark albums and a handful of singles - including the iconic anthem "Love Will Tear Us Apart" - that continue to have a powerful resonance.
Now, for the first time, their story is told by one of their own. In Unknown Pleasures, founding member and bass player Peter Hook recounts how four young men from Manchester and Salisbury, with makeshift instruments and a broken-down van, rose from the punk scene to create a haunting, atmospheric music that would define a generation. Peter talks with eye-opening candor and reflection about the suicide of Ian Curtis; the band's friendships and fallouts; the evolution of their sound and image; and the larger-than-life characters who formed a vital part of the Joy Division legend, including Factory Records founder Tony Wilson and producer Martin Hannett. Told with surprising humor and vivid detail, Unknown Pleasures is the book Joy Division fans have awaited for decades.
What did you love best about Unknown Pleasures?
It's like sitting next to Peter Hook in a bar, while he tells you the story of Joy Division from his perspective. Oh, sure, there's controversy over who has the right to call themselves what, and sure the band had their differences, but this is Peter Hook's version of the tale. And it's a *great* listen - well-told, fascinating, and definitely gives you a new insight into who Ian Curtis was.
You can even hear the narrator start to choke up at times, when he thinks about the old days.
If I had one complaint... the timelines don't necessarily work as well in audio form as they might in a book, where you can easily skip over them, or go back to them for reference. I found myself thinking "get on with it" as Hook listed off yet another show Joy Division played at yet another club with yet another description of how "we sounded sh*te, Bernard bruised his elbow..." etc. etc.
The rest of the book, though... no one but Peter Hook could have narrated this story. His style is relaxed and natural and really fun to listen to.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful
Would you consider the audio edition of Unknown Pleasures to be better than the print version?
I haven't read the print version, but the author's narration of the audio version I believe must have added a lot to the text. It doesn't sound so much as if he's reading, but telling a story.
What other book might you compare Unknown Pleasures to and why?
Other biographies and autobiographies read by the author.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
I never listen to a book in one sitting, but I listened to this one every chance I got.
Any additional comments?
Highly recommended.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
Unknown Pleasures is a great book, hands down. Hearing Hook talk about his time with the band, getting into their sudden rise and tragic end, is a great. Hook is a natural storyteller, and his voice has just the right character, I don't think a professional narrator could have done it justice.
The only flaw with the book I'd say is that the extensive timelines Hook provides, while incredibly detailed and a great resources, just don't work at all in audio format. Hearing every venue, every set list, every supporting band as well as the price of admission is a real endurance test. What's worse, they're not entirely skippable because Hook still manages to get some good one-liners and small stories in during the timelines. A PDF of the timelines would have been a much better solution instead of 1 1/2 hours of audio.
Still, it's a small flaw. The book is great, and if you have any interest in Joy Division or just music in general, it's a great pick.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
The direct insight into an amazing band and world of people. Hooky's story is honest forthright, reflective, compelling and intriguing. His details about Joy Division especially the life and character of Ian Curtis give you an understanding of his turmoil and brilliance also described so well by others. For a man thats tone deaf and self taught he still remains one of my favorite bass players and has a life long fan now.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I'm a fan of the music, in my opinion it hokds up a bit better than some of the other music of the day eg. I still listen to Substance, Joshua Tree not so much. It's fascinating to hear Mr. Hook's stories and recollections overlaid by time lines.
During Mr Hook's recitation over desciptions upon descriptions of gigs and gigs thru cities and cities, the articulated detail puts one almost within the stacks and cases of gear and musicians cramped in the back of a van, rattling along with the rest of the cargo, up the motorway, to the next gig.
I can't wait for the audio of Mr. Hook's New Order tome, hopefully also read by 'ooky. Did I misspell that right?
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Great account of the rise and tragic fall of one of the best bands ever in the voice of a principle character. I loved it!
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
It is wonderful to hear Peter Hook's side of one of the most interesting and influential stories in modern music. A must for any Joy Division/New Order fan.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
More than any other audiobook I have ever heard, this is like sitting across the table from the author as he reads the book to you.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
What about Peter Hook’s performance did you like?
His voice thickly accented Mancunian English
Any additional comments?
A very detailed account from the bass player, Peter Hook on Joy Division, his youth, the formation of the band & subsequent bands, their peers/other bands during that time, the key players, if there is one comment it's that this barely scratched the surface of Ian...for those looking to glean more about the elusive frontman, you may need to look elsewhere. What Hooky did say is Ian was 'many people' and perhaps no one ever really got the 'whole Ian'. Very insightful and honest, I believe.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I've read this book in print, but author Peter Hook's narration (with its strong local accent) adds a whole new layer to this story set in Northern England. Recommended.