New books sing rock giants’ praises
Written by Toledo Free Press Staff Writers | | news@toledofreepress.comU2: A Diary
Ardent and casual U2 fans will be dazzled when peeling back the wrapping paper of Matt McGee’s “U2: A Diary” (Omnibus Press, 336 pages). But the luster of the package fades as the title misleads readers looking for juicy secrets.
The book is beautiful — jet black with four black-and-white photos of the band members expertly crafted to reprise the U2 3D concert film.
A better title would have been “U2: A Scrapbook.” Each chapter, organized by year, has a solid introduction. There is a running day-to-day entry of what the band was doing. There are quotes from the band and its important players made in the past and there are reflections about events that happened as many as 32 years ago. That’s a spoiler; the band first jammed together in 1976.
Although this design choice probably saved the project, it also leads to some serious troubles. The intros are strong enough to spoil the whole chapter, which could reduce the book to about 15 minutes of entertainment.
The daily entries are so filled with minutia that the reading is tedious. Most of the daily entries are three lines: date, venue, and other bands on the ticket. But the sheer number of concert dates shows how driven U2 was to become — what McGee clearly believes — the greatest band in the world.
Readers who give the style a chance will find the scope of the band’s evolution as musicians, artists, businessmen, Christians, rock historians, writers and humanitarians remarkable. The book helps fans understand how a set of four musicians can make so many different styles of albums. Some will be persuaded to buy a couple CDs to fill out their U2 collection. Fans may learn to appreciate a song they never cared for before and get a behind-the-scenes look at the music industry.
The strongest part of the book is the examination the band’s determination to live out its strong Christian ideals but not be a stereotypical, proselytizing, Christian rock band.
It is a coffee-table book, but there are not nearly enough photos to help break up the text. Instead, the designers used a lot of white space and random, indecipherable ticket stubs to lighten the pages. Unfortunately, the quotes are not given context, forcing readers to search through the daily entries for understanding. And the number of typographical and grammatical errors is also disturbing.
According to Omnibus Press, McGee founded @U2 (www.atu2.com) in 1995; it is now the oldest independent U2 fan site. Ultimately, the problem with the book is that it is written by the band’s biggest fan in the world: he’s too awed by his idols to bedazzle his readers.
— Robert Holman
Who Are You
Somewhere between thorough and excessive lies “Who Are You: The Life of Pete Townshend” by Mark Wilkerson (Omnibus Press). Clocking in at more than 600 pages (Including 26 pages of references) what began as an online project grew into a biography worthy of the Warren Commission.
Details abound, cultivated from various interviews, articles, liner notes and Internet resources, which paint as complete a picture of the profound and prolific Who songwriter/guitarist as has ever been attempted. While the book is more of a collection as opposed to offering author input or insight, “Who Are You” is the most meticulous book you’ll find on the life of Pete Townshend.
It doesn’t matter if you think “Baba O’Riley” is called “Teenage Wasteland” or if you know that Townshend played guitar on Yvonne Elliman’s 1973 cover of “Can’t Explain,” “Who Are You” is an outstanding resource for all things Townshend.
— CRK
The Clash
Each passing year has improved the legacy of The Clash.
While the English group’s American Top 40 resume is slight, its reputation as one of the last bands that mattered grows.
The first official history of the band, “The Clash,” (Grand Central Publishing, 384 pages) assembled from interviews with Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon and Topper Headon, offers unprecedented access to the band’s photo and memorabilia archives.
As one would expect, the book is an unvarnished, no-glamour account, with gritty storytelling and as much myth deconstruction as myth building. Song-by-song conversations and a methodical account of touring never bore, but add to the book’s momentum.
Album and single sleeves are faithfully reproduced and candid photos abound.
A treasure for Clash fans, rock historians and those seeking punk inspiration.
— Michael S. Miller
25 Albums That Rocked the World!
One man’s “desert island list” of the greatest pop albums is another man’s catalyst for derision, as evidenced by this paperback (Music Sales, 304 pages).
A British-eye view of rock history that sticks with the dinosaur bands and their biggest hits (Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon,” Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours,” Led Zeppelin’s “IV”) with only passing nods to black contributions (Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley and Michael Jackson appear), the book makes a chronological argument for the two dozen most earth-shattering albums.
The odd album out is Abba’s “Gold,” the only greatest-hits collection included and the most head-scratching inclusion. Abba may be loved internationally, but to include its greatest hits package along side “Sgt. Pepper,” “Born to Run,” “Graceland” and “Blonde on Blonde” is weak, especially when the other borderline choices, such as R.E.M.’s “Automatic for the People,” are least worth debating. A great argument starter, but not a great closer.
— Michael S. Miller
