Category Archives: Book Review

book review::Nirvana:The Biography

Thursday September 13, 2007

book review::Nirvana:The BiographyLast summer I read Everett True’s Nirvana:The Biography published by Da Capo Press. Everett True was the assistant editor of Melody Maker in 1989 when he set out to be the first journalist to cover Nirvana and the Seattle scene. The book does all the usual by following the band from their beginnings to the end, providing inside anecdotes and a lot of stories most of us haven’t heard before. Nirvana:The Biography is 636 pages long, and provides an insider’s account of the band and what it was like to be a part of the machine that blanketed the nineties music scene. The book also includes a large section of photos which will interest fans and perusers alike.

What I found most appealing about the book are the early chapters which do a pretty good job of illustrating the dynamic of the Northwest music scene in the late eighties. The descriptions of Aberdeen give a good sense of what it was like to grow up in a small nowhere town within close proximity to the vibrant hubs of Seattle and Olympia’s K Records. Everett True breaks down the dividing line between “Seattle prosperity” and the “Olympia integrity” and more specifically the mindset of the times that there was Seattle, and then there was everywhere else in the Pacific Northwest. No one played solos in Olympia, because solos were taboo and the music wasn’t about technical ability, but raw noise and emotion. For fans of the band and the scene in general, Nirvana:The Biography will be entertaining and informative. Finally, at one point Everett True mentions that Kurt had an affinity for myth-making; no doubt his finest myth making was his exit.
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Book Review:: "The Lost Beach Boy" By Jon Stebbins & David Marks

Monday August 27, 2007

Book Review:: "The Lost Beach Boy" By Jon Stebbins & David Marks “Lost Beach Boy”
by Jon Stebbins with David Marks
Published Virgin Books, 2007
Ever read Pete Best’s tales from the Beatles early years in “Beatle! -The Pete Best Story”? Well it was a good look at a time when such a legendary group was just beginning to become “legendary”. Pete Best as everyone knows, was fired from the Beatles in 1962 and his post Beatles life never really equaled that amazing period. Although the stories aren’t quite similar, David Marks, the original Beach Boys guitarist and his new book “The Lost Beach Boy” written with Jon Stebbins (also author of “The Real Beach Boy – Dennis Wilson”, 1999) – takes on a similar retelling, the beginnings of an important Rock n’ Roll band – and where his life went after.

The David Marks story takes a great glimpse into the Beach Boys formative years. He played on the band’s first four LPs and helped define the band’s classic guitar sound. Throughout “The Lost Beach Boy”, he recounts early events, most told in humorous fashion – from fistfights with actual surfers; detailed tour episodes, like David and Carl Wilson’s escapades with hookers and the trashing of several hotel rooms. The book also writes about his close relationship with Dennis Wilson – both having their appetite for living every moment.

The book also sets out to correct important facts in Beach Boys history – Most biographies have omitted David Marks as being an important part of the group. He in fact had been written by most as Al Jardine’s “fill-in” – according to the Marks, Jardine had left early on, not finding any real financial gain from the band. Another interesting find was Brian Wilson’s road weariness, which was present as early as 1963 – he was in favor of being in the studio producing other acts (Al Jardine would replace Brian on bass guitar and complete a BB line-up with Marks). Brian would eventually quit touring for most of the 1960’s in part to a nervous breakdown in late 1964.

Although only in The Beach Boys until 1963, his exit came after an argument on the road with Murray Wilson. Al Jardine would eventually replace him for good, but David Marks’ story after his departure reads like a classic episode of VH1’s “Behind The Music”. At 15, he embarked on a solo career that would never be fully realized – from various single releases from his band David Marks And The Marksmen and The Moon to several other bands throughout the 60’s and 70’s. He would cross paths and play in music projects with many California notables, from members of The Turtles, The Byrds, Warren Zevon, among others. The book also recounts Marks’ first LSD trip, courtesy of Rodney Bingheimer which would later spiral into harder drug and alcohol abuse – discussed in great length throughout the later chapters of the book. The birth of his daughter would signal a turning point that would bring his life back in order and would eventually bring him back to the Beach Boys. “The Lost Beach Boy” is not only a biography of a musician but an essential chronicle of an important period in music – the youthful, timelessness of early rockn’ roll.

Video: The Beach Boys w/ David Marks “Surfin’ Sufari” 1962

Video: The Beach Boys “Surfin’ USA”/”Things We Did Last Summer” 1963

Video: Entertainment Tonight ca. 90′s – Where Are They Now: David Marks

For More info on David Marks/The Beach Boys

book review::33 1/3:Use Your Illusion I & II

Thursday August 23, 2007

book review::33 1/3:Use Your Illusion I & III’ve had this copy of Eric Weisbard’s Use Your Illusion I & II, from the 33 1/3 series sitting around a while, because I wanted to wait until I got into the mood to hear the record again. I have now finished the book and as a result, revisited the album a few times, skipping the same songs, and still liking the ones I liked years ago. Eric Weisbard’s book is interesting and atypical of this series, because it is more about the symbolism of GNR’s Use Your Illusion and the state of music at that time, rather than a tale of the author’s love affair with the record.

A pervading theme in the book is the audacity of a bloated double album, which is among other things, made up of several songs which were attempting to capture the largeness of GnR’s previous hits “Paradise City,” “Welcome To The Jungle,” or “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” The author uses “Don’t Cry” as an example showing how much they wanted it to catch on lies in the fact that it appears twice on UYI 1 & 2. Use Your Illusion was supposed to be a mega-album like Thriller, where grandiose singles combined with huge promotion were to inundate us for years. The author also talks a bit about how GNR were one of the many bands who were obliterated by the Nirvana machine, making the excesses of GNR instantly anti-chic and outmoded. The author writes much of his book from his memories of the album, and he revisits his own re-sequencing of the album as well.

No doubt that Axl was an ass, and his reappearance this decade has been nothing short of embarrassing, but for a while GnR came and fired a lightning bolt under the tail of a commercial music industry which was tired and short on ideas. Nirvana then comes around and wipes the map, but in the end becomes the same bloated monster that GnR was, and to see the proof of that just look at all the posthumous releases Nirvana has had, like that joke of a box set. In the end, GnR and Nirvana have many things in common, not the least of which is two front men who short circuited. This is all of course a pandora’s box of discussion better suited for another time.

http://33third.blogspot.com/
http://www.continuumbooks.com/

Book Review::Jon Savage:Teenage-The Creation Of Youth Culture (1875 – 1945)

Wednesday June 27, 2007

Book Review::Jon Savage:Teenage The Creation Of Youth Culture (1875 1945)I recently finished up Jon Savage’s Teenage: The Creation Of Youth (1875 – 1945). The work is a compelling read that traces the philosophical development of the teenager from their beginnings to their fully realized state of separation. Undoubtedly, in Europe and America we see in the mid-forties, a teenage society becoming profoundly removed from their parents raison d’etre. Savage shows us all sorts of teenagers from the Lost Generation to the flappers, and how music was usually the common denominator. Savage’s book emphasizes the importance of forties American pop culture, and how it virtually opened the door to the world of the teenager, for all their thoughts and dreams to run wild and free. Moreover, the book itemizes successive generations of teenagers who all had their own unique missions and parental divides. Savage also makes a lot of interesting points about the atomic bomb and its’ spectre being responsible for both the creation of pop music and its prosperity. The potential for world destruction has given teenagers the message that today is now and tomorrow may not come; so when are you going to start living? Finally, the book also discusses the many ways in which parents and governments have attempted to control or socialize the teenage generation, and how it has led to more and more unique ways of rebelling.

The book is really a monstrosity of information. I have just given a brief synopsis, but understand it is a serious historical work in every sense, and really ambitious, but still a fun read. Jon Savage has succeeded in creating a vastly entertaining and informative work that travels pretty fast for its’ size, and comes highly recommended.

Book Review::Double Nickels On The Dime, The Minutemen

Thursday May 17, 2007

Book Review::Double Nickels On The Dime, The MinutemenIn another installment of the 33 1/3 series, Michael T. Fournier has written a book on the Minutemen’s album Double Nickels On The Dime. It is a really interesting inspection of a record that I have heard countless times in my life and still enjoy listening to. Furthermore, the book gives particular insight into a band that held as its members one of my favorite guitar and bass players of all time, and by far one of the most imaginative drummers ever. Frankly, as much as I have listened to this record over the years, I could have never imagined that Mr. Fournier had so much more to teach me about Double Nickels on the Dime. Below are just a few observations from the book, with the addition of a few thoughts of my own.

The record came about in no small part as a result of the release of Husker Du’s double album Zen Arcade. Nothing like Zen Arcade had ever came out of the punk world before, and The Minutemen were thus inspired to take such ambition into their own hands. The record was recorded by ex-Blue Cheer keyboardist Ethan James, and with its release the boundaries of punk were broken down for good. The Minutemen came around during a time when there were no rules to punk rock. Then hardcore installed itself and “coloring inside the lines took the place of creativity. The Minutemen’s biggest influences were CCR with their political themes, The Pop Group with their funk, reggae and jazz leanings, and Wire who showed that anyone can play in a band. The Minutemen were about making a statement through the band’s lifestyle. “Econo” was the theme, and the band illustrated this though the fact that no one overplayed. On the contrary, all of the instruments filled the space perfectly.

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Michael T. Fournier breaks down each song, showing such diverse themes as social statements, political commentaries, cultural oddities, and literary allusions. Some songs have lyrics that were ramblings from Hurley’s notebook. Others like “God Bows To Math” is about the now deceased cigar smoking radio evangelist Dr. Gene Scott whose theology often crossed into bizarre borders. Much more compelling was learning that Mike Watt was so impressed with Joyce’s epic Ulysses that he integrated many of the book’s themes throughout the album. The Minutemen even occasionally farmed out the lyrics to friends like Black Flag’s Chuck Dukowski and Henry Rollins. It was also really interesting to find that in choosing the contents of each side of the record, they did a lottery where they each picked a song they wanted on their side of the record. Moreover, the band was always determined to keep things fresh and avoid any ruts. This is best shown when you listen to Double Nickels On The Dime and hear that it not only stands the test of time, but for such a long album its multitude of short songs flow incredibly well.
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I have read a few books in the 33 1/3 series and while I generally have enjoyed them, this book seems to go a bit deeper than others have. This is the result of Michael T. Fournier actually getting the chance to spend time with Mike Watt, who was more than willing to discuss the band and record at length. Watt sums up the musical age of The Minutemen by stating that “punk wasn’t a style, it was a state of mind”, and more importantly back then “being a punk was like painting a target on your back – it wasn’t cool”.

Finally, in our age of shave your head into a mohawk, get a bunch of tattoos, and call your self punk, I am a little suspicious. Punk has long seemed like a foregone conclusion to me. When I see the “cookie cutter punk” bands that are so popular these days I have nothing but disdain and questions. What is this stuff people call punk these days? Isn’t it really just another cash cow of over marketed, sound the same bands that the masses eat up? It is so far removed from what bands like The Minutemen were trying to do that it would be inappropriate to even refer to them as their bastard child. What is presently referred to as punk is the same status quo in different costume that Watt and his peers were against. My, my, my, haven’t things changed.

Book Review:: 33 1/3 Stone Roses

Friday March 16, 2007

Book Review:: 33 1/3 Stone Roses

Alex Green has written an enticing read on The Stone Roses self-titled record for the 331/3 series. I found the book to be not only a fun trip down memory lane, but also an insight into one of the greatest records of all time. Moreover, the book gave me an excuse to listen to the record over and over while I was reading. Alex Green does an excellent job at coming through as a music fan relating his own personal experience with the “album”, and how much joy this record has brought him. He itemizes each song for their meanings, strenghths, and ultimate offerings to the music gods. Below you will find some of Green’s thoughts, and my own personal feelings about the record.

After years of honing their skills the Roses were sure they had created a masterpiece with the lemon album. They weren’t shy about telling people either. “The Stone Roses” show more than a band with potential. “It shows a band sizzling with skill, consumed with drive and aspiration and possessing an almost preternatural mastery of the pop paradigm”. In fact, for a time their creative star burnt so incredibly bright, that it would burn out completely not too long after this record.

Alex Green recalls that they were the cockiest musicians he had ever seen. It was this sheer fearless braggadocio combined with perfect songs that made their music addictive. The sixties influences, Reni’s drums, Mani’s bass, Squire’s guitars, oh and the perfect frontman Ian Brown, completed this blissful elixir. “Some people long to be famous, but some people think they already are and Ian Brown was that sort of character with such self-belief born within”. Brown had a look that was an amalgamation of one half intellectual, and one half boxer. You could never tell which one he was, making him both “mysterious and alluring” as a front man.

The songs are in perfect order and take you on an aural journey that can hardly be summed up in words. They merged guitar based pop with the grooves of dance pop, and this is best illustrated on their highest charting single “Elephant Stone”. NME writer Jack Barrow put it best by saying that the single was “proof that acid was good for you”.

I first heard I wanna be adored on a station out of Moyock, NC in 1989. The song seemed otherworldly and refreshing compared to other music at the time. I went out immediately and searched everywhere for the record. That original copy provided the soundtrack to many drives I took at the time. I always saw it as heresy that later american releases would tack on Fools Gold on the end of the record. Fools Gold is an alright song, but to echo Alex Green, the virtuosity and pomposity of I am the Resurrection with its motown backbeat and the jam make it the perfect album closer. The album was perfect, but I guess some marketers thought the inclusion of Fools Gold would make it sell better in the states. As has been throughout history, the almighty dollar speaks loudest and is the prime mover in the bastardization of art.

I have an unwieldy music collection, but still manage to pull the record out every couple of years. It really deserves more attention from me, but as typical of me, I often ignore my lovers. Reading Alex Green’s book was a great joy, because i’ve been able to listen to “The Stone Roses” a good ten or fifteen times in the last couple of days. It is an album that does what music is supposed to do. It takes me away from the wear and tear of life, gives me hope and for a time empowers me.

I shouldn’t even have to call the “The Stone Roses” their debut, because really it was their only album. That thing referred to as Second Coming which they released five years later isn’t worthy enough to wipe the proverbial ass of the self-titled record. Anyone with any music sense
has to agree, and Alex Green certainly does. I tried to listen to Second Coming again recently and still think it is every bit as worthless and dissapointing as I did when it came out. While it does nothing to desecrate the lemon album, I still think we’d be better off without any Second Coming in existence.

They changed the face of British pop, leaving an indelible mark, and with all the potential in the world, some would say threw it all away. They created the blueprint for what many refer to as Britpop, and in true anti-hero fashion became the de facto refusers to carry its torch, by virtue of their laziness, bad decisions, cocaine, and protracted legal battles. It has often been written that the band blew their talent, but I ask, can we really say that in good faith? I mean for a time, they came together to become more than the sum of their four parts and create a record that illustrates pure genius. Most bands are very lucky to make one decent album that will be worth its salt on a later day. The Stone Roses only created a masterpiece that will be listened to for ages to come, and that is no small feat. That puts them with very elite company and in a place where all music lovers should respect. In a world where we unapologetically worship image over substance, The Stone Roses had both, and Alex Green reminded me of this fact with his book.

by Scott Meiggs