Category Archives: BOOK REVIEWS

Book review: WHO IS BLUES Vol.2 – The Interviews. Blues Encounters 2000 – 2020 by Vincent Abbate

Vincent Abbate - Who Is Blues

Self Published [Publication date 01.09.21] ‘Who Is The Blues Vol.2: The Interviews. Blues Encounters 2000-2020′ is an interesting cross section of 20 years of interviews of contemporary blues artists by the German based, New York blues scribe Vincent Abbate. Abbate … Continue reading

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Book review: BOBBY RUSH with Herb Powell – I Ain’t Studdin Ya: My American Blues Story

Bobby Rush with Herb Powell - I Ain't Studdin' Ya - My American Story

Hachette Books [Publication date 15.07.21] Grammy award winner Emmett Ellis Jnr aka Bobby Rush’s  ‘I Ain’t Studdin’ Ya: My American Blues Story’ is easily one of the best musical biographies of the year. It’s the life and time of a … Continue reading

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Book review: ERJA LYYTINEN – The Blues Queen by Mape Ollila

Erja Lyytinen - The Blues Queen

Docendo Oy Publishing [Publication date 06.11.20] ‘Erja Lyytinen – The Blues Queen’ is a refreshingly honest biography about a hugely talented classically trained violinist turned rock blues guitarist,  singer-songwriter,  band leader and perfectionist in search of respect and acceptance. It’s … Continue reading

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Book review: On Track…TOM PETTY (Every album, every song) by Richard James

On Track...TOM PETTY (Every album, every song)

SonicBond Publishing (Release Date 30.07.21) The posthumous Tom Petty box set was titled ‘An American Treasure’, a fitting description of a legend of rock who did things on his own terms and has perhaps only been fully appreciated since his … Continue reading

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Book review: Loud ’n’ Proud – 50 Years Of Nazareth by Martin Popoff

Loud ’n’ Proud – 50 Years Of Nazareth by Martin Popoff

Wymer Publishing [Publication date 06.08.21] Scottish rock legends have been recording for 50 years now, and a book on the band and their fantastic legacy has been long overdue. Their charting days be over (they were chart and Top Of … Continue reading

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Book review: Decades – THE SWEET in the 1970s by Darren Johnson

The Sweet in the 1970s Decades

Sonicbond Publishing [Publication date 20.07.21; 24.09.21 US only] Reviewing a book by a fellow GRTR! writer, ooh tricky one but luckily Darren Johnson has written a short, concise, informative and entertaining book on 70s glam rock icons the Sweet. Sweet … Continue reading

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Book review: Decades – FLEETWOOD MAC in the 1970s by Andrew Wild

Decades- Fleetwood Mac in the 1970s

SonicBond Publishing [Publication date 14.05.21] No band survived the seventies with a more spectacular transformation than Fleetwood Mac. They began it as a successful British blues band who were about to be left reeling by the departure of their founder … Continue reading

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Book review: Decades – URIAH HEEP in the 1970s by Steve Pilkington

Decades- Uriah Heep in the 1970s by Steve Pilkington

Sonicbond Publishing (Release Date 28.03.21) Following the series of  ‘On Track’ releases, reviewing a band’s back catalogue in comprehensive detail, Sonicbond have been moving onto a new ‘decades’ concept in which a band’s history is examined in more detail over … Continue reading

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Book review: On track…CAMEL (Every album, every song) by Hamish Kuzminski

On track...CAMEL (Every album, every song) by Hamish Kuzminski

Sonicbond Publishing [Publication date 14.06.21] Camel are a band that certainly deserve both a concise overview and a continuing recognition of their collective greatness, and significant contribution to the world of prog. None other than Steve Rothery supplies the foreword, … Continue reading

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Book review: Babysitting A Band On The Rocks by GD Praetorius

Babysitting A Band On The Rocks by GD Praetorius

Sonic Bond Publishing [Publication date 14.05.21] G. D. Praetorius is a life-long rock music fan who was involved in the production of almost 200 rock shows from the mid-70’s through to the mid-80s. Mostly based in and around Long Island, … Continue reading

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Book review: Decades – Curved Air in the 1970s by Laura Shenton

Decades - Curved Air in the 1970s by Laura Shenton

Sonicbond Publishing [Publication date 18.06.21] Author Laura Shenton makes no excuses for compiling a series of extracts from previously published work.  This includes contemporaneous snippets from the likes of Disc & Music Echo to more recent cribs from Prog magazine.  … Continue reading

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Book review: On track…Marc Bolan, Tyrannosaurus Rex and T.Rex (Every album, every song) by Peter Gallagher

On track...Marc Bolan, Tyrannosaurus Rex and T.Rex (Every album, every song) by Peter Gallagher

Sonicbond Publishing [Publication date 11.06.21] By the time of his untimely death in 1977 Marc Bolan was still releasing singles, although the big hits of earlier this decade were behind him, he had his own successful TV show and more … Continue reading

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Book review: Alice Cooper in the 1970’s by Chris Sutton

Alice Cooper in the 1970’s by Chris Sutton

Sonicbond Publishing [Publication date 28.03.21] There is no denying that the1970’s was the decade that the Alice Cooper band went from virtual nobodies to household names, but it was also a decade of massive upheaval for the band as front … Continue reading

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Book review: On track…ASIA (Every album, every song) by Peter Braidis

On track...ASIA (Every Album, Every Song) by Peter Braidis

Sonicbond Publishing [Release date 14.05.21] Asia were formed in 1981, one of the enduring melodic rock “supergroups” of that decade and one of the most successful.  Many readers will only remember the “classic” original line-up (and debut album) but this … Continue reading

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Book review: IGGY & THE STOOGES: On Stage 1967-1974 by Per Nilsen

IGGY & THE STOOGES: On Stage 1967-1974 by Per Nilsen

Sonicbond Publishing [Publication date 14.05.21] Iggy Pop is almost a household name, here in the UK he has appeared in various television commercials over the last few years and none more than the last year or so. Whilst Iggy & … Continue reading

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Book review: On track…STEVE HACKETT (Every album, every song) – Geoffrey Feakes

On track...STEVE HACKETT - every album, every song by Geoffrey Feakes

Sonicbond Publishing [Publication date 30.05.21] The hallmark of a good rock read has to be when the reader genuinely learns something new about the subject matter.  Geoffrey Feakes is evidently a real fan of Hackett’s work but once again there … Continue reading

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Book review: Decades – Focus in the 1970s (Stephen Lambe)

Decades - Focus in the 1970s (Stephen Lambe)

Sonicbond Publishing [Publication date 30.04.21] At the outset I should declare an interest.  As an inveterate Focus-watcher since the early 1970s, author of articles about the band for Record Collector magazine, liner notes, and the first book about Jan Akkerman … Continue reading

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Book review: On track…LEVEL 42, AIMEE MANN (Every Album, Every Song)

On track...LEVEL 42 (Every Album, Every Song)

Sonicbond Publishing [Publication date 01.04.21] Level 42 were very much a band of the eighties – the decade of their greatest success – and  submerged their early brand of jazz rock fusion in a highly accessible blend of pop funk.  … Continue reading

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Book review: ROY WOOD, KANSAS (On Track…)

ROY WOOD On Track

Sonic Bond Publishing Roy Wood: The Move, ELO & Wizzard by James R Turner The ‘On Track…’ series gets to one of my musical heroes, Roy Wood. An interesting musician to cover, as although he still tours, Roy Wood has … Continue reading

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Book review: On track…UFO (Every Album, Every Song) by Richard James

On track...UFO (Every Album, Every Song) by Richard James

Sonicbond Publishing [Release date 26.02.21] It was a sad day when UFO announced their ‘Last Orders’ tour in 2018, even sadder when a couple of weeks after the UK leg long-standing keyboard/guitar player Paul Raymond died of a heart attack.  … Continue reading

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Book review: OFF THE CHARTS by KAT GOLDMAN

Off The Charts

  Sutherland House [Publication date 09.02.21] Canadian singer songwriter Kat Goldman has made four critically acclaimed albums and her songs have been covered by Grammy-nominated band, The Duhks, Dar Williams, among many others. I will be honest I had not … Continue reading

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Book review: On track…KATE BUSH, RENAISSANCE, DIRE STRAITS, JONI MITCHELL

On Track...KATE BUSH

Sonicbond Publishing [Publication dates: December 2020; January/February 2021] The On Track volumes from Sonicbond come thick and fast.  I can’t help thinking that in the rush certain standards are being compromised or, at least, opportunities missed. Firstly there are a … Continue reading

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Book review: Limelight: Rush in the 80’s by Martin Popoff

Limelight by Martin Popoff

[Publication date 20.10.20] Martin Popoff’s follow up to ‘Anthem: Rush in the ‘70s’ he now covers the band’s 80’s albums – both studio and live. Different from the ever expanded ‘Track By Track’ books in that although Martin Popoff critiques … Continue reading

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Book Review: ON TRACK (every album, every song…) – IRON MAIDEN (by Steve Pilkington) and THIN LIZZY (by Graeme Stroud)

ON TRACK (every album, every song...)- IRON MAIDEN (by Steve Pilkington) and THIN LIZZY (by Graeme Stroud)

Sonic Bond Publishing The ‘On Track’ series is a new one to me, but glancing at GRTR!’s recent book reviews it seems to be a rapidly growing collection. While more critically acclaimed artists such as the Beatles and Bruce Springsteen … Continue reading

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Book review: Decades – Marillion in the 1980’s by Nathanial Webb

decades---marillion-in-the-198

Sonicbond Publishing [Publication date 09.10.20] Sonicbond have already published a series of enjoyable ‘On Track…’ books and now they delve a bit deeper into some bands’ histories with this Decades series. Marillion are one of the first artists to get … Continue reading

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