Rock 'n' roll book thread

[katie]

I have just finnished 'How Black Was Our Sabbath' by D Tangye & G Wright two ex crew members.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/512mgK4OrzL._SL500_AA240_.jpg

A great insight into life on the road in the 70's and the inner workings of Sabbath.

Can anybody recommend a good Rock book, autobiography or biography?

[Mr Walker]

Billion Dollar Babies by Bob Greene... i found a moderately priced copy on amazon a few months ago... best rock and roll book I ever read... all about the making of the Muscle of Love cd and the Christmas tour they did prior to its release. Alice was a real racist kinda dude. Can't remember the quotes off the top of my head, but I'll post a few during the week. One was when he saw some black chicks dancing on TV and he commented that someone must have put some acid in their watermelon.

[lesfunk]

Sabbath Bloody Sabbath 'the battle for Black Sabbath' by Gary Sharpe Young.
The best Period

[katie]

Billion Dollar Babies by Bob Greene... i found a moderately priced copy on amazon a few months ago... best rock and roll book I ever read... all about the making of the Muscle of Love cd and the Christmas tour they did prior to its release. Alice was a real racist kinda dude. Can't remember the quotes off the top of my head, but I'll post a few during the week. One was when he saw some black chicks dancing on TV and he commented that someone must have put some acid in their watermelon.

I have heard good things about this book.

Would love to read some quotes.


Sabbath Bloody Sabbath 'the battle for Black Sabbath' by Gary Sharpe Young.
The best Period

I want this book, as it covers the Sab wilderness years that are not that well documented.

[sonrisa salvaje]

Nikki Sixx's the Heroin Diaries. Whether you like the Crue or not, it is a fascinating read.

[Hellraiser!!]

Billion Dollar Babies by Bob Greene... i found a moderately priced copy on amazon a few months ago... best rock and roll book I ever read... all about the making of the Muscle of Love cd and the Christmas tour they did prior to its release. Alice was a real racist kinda dude. Can't remember the quotes off the top of my head, but I'll post a few during the week. One was when he saw some black chicks dancing on TV and he commented that someone must have put some acid in their watermelon.

LOL! Is there anything about brazilian concerts he did in 1974?!

[Mr Walker]

Sabbath Bloody Sabbath 'the battle for Black Sabbath' by Gary Sharpe Young.
The best Period

I bought this one on Les' recommendation last year... a great read... I could have done without the nude picture of Ray Gillen, but I'm kind of a prude.

[letsrock]

I've been reading "The Dirt".
Gonna read Nikki's book next.

[Coyote]

"AC/DC: Maximum Rock'n'Roll" is a definite reading experience...
Especially the early days section...

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Nikki Sixx's the Heroin Diaries. Whether you like the Crue or not, it is a fascinating read.

I've got an 8 hour van ride to take with eleven 15/16 yr. old boys next week across Virginia...

I've already read The Dirt and Tommyland, so I planned on getting the Heroin Diaries....

Assuming it's going to be more of the same, but it's entertaining reading...

[ZahZoo]

I'd recommend Jimi Hendrix - Setting the Record Straight by Eddie Kramer & John McDermitt. The best bio on Jimi around...

Amazon.com: Hendrix: Setting the Record Straight: Edward E Kramer, John McDermott: Books (http://www.amazon.com/Hendrix-Setting-Straight-Edward-Kramer/dp/0446394319)

[binnie]

Iggy Pop - Open Up and Bleed (Paul Trynka)

An outstanding biography

[sonrisa salvaje]

I've got an 8 hour van ride to take with eleven 15/16 yr. old boys next week across Virginia...

I've already read The Dirt and Tommyland, so I planned on getting the Heroin Diaries....

Assuming it's going to be more of the same, but it's entertaining reading...

Post back after you read it. I haven't heard any reaction other than Amazon reviews.

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Post back after you read it. I haven't heard any reaction other than Amazon reviews.

I tell ya, after reading both The Dirt and Tommyland, I fully expected the Heroin Diaries to be just another Crue book full of "I banged these chicks" and "boy did we get fucked up that night".....

But I have to admit, this is one fascinating book to read... Especially from my point of view, as someone who other than a couple of experimentation joints in my teens hasn't touched drugs....

It's basically Nikki's diary from 1986 to the abrupt end of the Girls, Girls, Girls tour at the end of '87....

Little did I know when I saw the Crue live on Dec. 16th, 1987 at the Budokan in Tokyo that Nikki "died" in LA exactly one week later... They had to give him two adrenaline needles into his heart to revive him (hence the song "Kickstart My Heart")....

But reading his thoughts as he wrote in his diary, considering what horrible shape he was in, was just incredibly interesting...

Lots of name-dropping.... One of the latter references that I wasn't aware of: Bruce Dickinson's song "Tattooed Millionaire" is written because of Nikki, who was banging his wife (unbeknownst to Nikki, according to him anyway)...

Two DLR/CVH references:

"Motley Crue was America's Sex Pistols. On a musical level they had some catchy songs and cool lyrics, but they were all about the attitude and the image. They were the only band coming out of L.A. scene, apart from maybe Van Halen, who had any sincerity and took what they were doing seriously"

From drug counselor Bob Timmons: "Motley Crue lived in an unreal world - I remember on an earlier tour being backstage with them and David Lee Roth coming in and throwing an ounce of cocaine on the table and saying, "Hey, guys, there you go!" That was their attitude: We are rock stars, so this is what we do."

[sonrisa salvaje]

I thought you might feel that way. It was way different than the Dirt and Tommyland. You go into someone's mind at the height of their drug addiction, not to mention the drug of choice being heroin, and it is an insane ride.

[letsrock]

I thought you might feel that way. It was way different than the Dirt and Tommyland. You go into someone's mind at the height of their drug addiction, not to mention the drug of choice being heroin, and it is an insane ride.

The Heroin Diaries is an excellent book. Nikki sure did have issues.

[rocknrolldork]

Anyone read Rudy Sarzo's book? If so, is it worth buying?

I'm reading Behind the Glass right now. It's interviews with great producers and how they did all their studio tricks. It's cool to read how they did stuff then go back and listen to the tunes again. It's really giving me a whole new outlook on recording, editing and mixing. Great read so far.

[Golden AWe]

I just bought a Frank Zappa book by Barry Miles. Unfortunately it's in finnish, but it also cuntains some extra material about Frank's visits to Finland. Anyone read it?

I almost bought the Aerosmith book too. Is it any good? I think it was called "Walk this way".

Translations help on some cases, but imagine books like the Van Halen one with translations of Dave quotes...they're still funny, but it's never the same exact thing...

I remember Lesfunk or Mr Walker also talking about some good Bill Daisley book about Ozzy...what was it's name?

I wish Cato would also release a book about turds.

[rocknrolldork]

I remember Lesfunk or Mr Walker also talking about some good Bill Daisley book about Ozzy...what was it's name?

I've read where Bob Daisley is working on an autobiography, but I don't think it's out yet. It should say something like, "Sharon is a megabitch. She took my money out of my hands for songs I helped write and played on. Fuck her."

Doesn't he still help write songs for Ozzy from time to time?

[katie]

http://server40136.uk2net.com/~wpower/images/product_images/9781845132972.jpg

I'm off to LA in a couple of days, so i'm hoping this book will be a good read on the flight.

[Hardrock69]

You can read?

[sonrisa salvaje]

You can read and play golf?

[Dolemite!]

I just bought a Frank Zappa book by Barry Miles. Unfortunately it's in finnish, but it also cuntains some extra material about Frank's visits to Finland. Anyone read it?


I read half before I incurred fines and returned it to the lib.

Quite good... mostly about how dictatorial Frank was and how much of an asshole he could be. The usual.

[Coyote]

Just picked up Mick Wall's Zeppelin bio "When Giants Walked The Earth"...

The first lines from the prologue made me buy this:
"It could happen anywhere but it always happened best in America. Land of milk and honey, world of infinite possibility. Home of rock'n'fuckin'roll."

I'll get back to you on this...

[FORD]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/17/Johnlydonbook.jpg
Great autobiography, including the whole Sex Pistols story from someone who was actually there.

Though it's not all just Johnny talking. Also included are accounts from others who were there.... Steve Jones & Paul Cook, of course. Billy Idol & Chrissie Hynde, who were friends of the band (and formed their own groups soon after). Julien Temple, who directed the band's movie "The Great Rock n Roll Swindle". Even Johnny's dad contributes a chapter. About the only relevant voice missing is Glen Matlock, the original Pistols bass player, but that's because the book was written in the early 1990's before the Pistols reunion, and John & Glen weren't really talking in those days.

A Hell of a great read!

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Reading up on Peter Criss' expoits recently online, I see mentions of a book...

What I'm not sure of is whether he's referring to the book his WIFE put out a few years ago, or a new one... I haven't read his wife's...

I for one would LOVE to hear Peter's point of view, just as I would love to hear Ace's...

[Terry]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/17/Johnlydonbook.jpg
Great autobiography, including the whole Sex Pistols story from someone who was actually there.

Though it's not all just Johnny talking. Also included are accounts from others who were there.... Steve Jones & Paul Cook, of course. Billy Idol & Chrissie Hynde, who were friends of the band (and formed their own groups soon after). Julien Temple, who directed the band's movie "The Great Rock n Roll Swindle". Even Johnny's dad contributes a chapter. About the only relevant voice missing is Glen Matlock, the original Pistols bass player, but that's because the book was written in the early 1990's before the Pistols reunion, and John & Glen weren't really talking in those days.

A Hell of a great read!

That IS one helluva great book.

[Diamondjimi]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/17/Johnlydonbook.jpg
Great autobiography, including the whole Sex Pistols story from someone who was actually there.

Though it's not all just Johnny talking. Also included are accounts from others who were there.... Steve Jones & Paul Cook, of course. Billy Idol & Chrissie Hynde, who were friends of the band (and formed their own groups soon after). Julien Temple, who directed the band's movie "The Great Rock n Roll Swindle". Even Johnny's dad contributes a chapter. About the only relevant voice missing is Glen Matlock, the original Pistols bass player, but that's because the book was written in the early 1990's before the Pistols reunion, and John & Glen weren't really talking in those days.

A Hell of a great read!


Got this when it came out. I've probably read it 4 times. A great insight to what the early Punk movement was really like and the harsh reality's of his upbringing . I highly recommend this read!

[GAR]

Nikki Sixx's the Heroin Diaries. Whether you like the Crue or not, it is a fascinating read.

I hated that one.. its in my glovebox waiting to give back to the guy who loaned it. Really pretentious, intently sordid, unapologetic and unfulfillingly self-absorbed with angst and rage that felt like a 4am window dressing to the homeless level.

[GAR]

I just bought a Frank Zappa book by Barry Miles. Unfortunately it's in finnish, but it also cuntains some extra material about Frank's visits to Finland. Anyone read it?


That book was something else, highly recommend it even if you're not a Zappa fan. Very sad.

[kwame k]

Really pretentious, intently sordid, unapologetic and unfulfillingly self-absorbed with angst and rage that felt like a 4am window dressing to the homeless level.

Enough about your life.......what did you think of the book?