Book review: On track…SPARKS, ROXY MUSIC, DAVID BOWIE

On Track…Sparks 1969-1979 by Chris Sutton (Sonicbond Publishing. 2024)

Chris Sutton has penned a few titles previously for SonicBond including a couple on Alice Cooper and an AC/DC one.

Unlike some titles in the series this Sparks one features interviews specifically for the book, although the Mael brothers’ management declined an invitation for their contributions. They do feature with quotes lifted from interviews they gave for box set sleeve notes.

Interesting between albums chapter on how the Mael brothers relocated to England in 1973 prior to making 1974’s ‘Kimono My House’, where the rest of the band were left behind in the US. Includes interviews with original band members Jim Mankey and Harley Feinstein.

Although chart wise you could argue Sparks had their peak chart success in the years covered in the book, the Mael brothers have certainly been on a purple patch in the past decade or so, with charting albums again, sell out tours and more new music planned for next year.

Really informative book and recommended for any lover of Sparks. ****

On Track…Roxy Music by Michael Kulikowski (Sonicbond Publishing, 2024)

Eight albums in ten years, Roxy Music didn’t hang around and their first two and final two albums are the ones to have according to the author, who has been a fan for over forty years. From my childhood I can distinctly remember my mum owning a copy of 1980’s ‘Flesh + Blood’ album, proof that Roxy Music may have attracted the hip art crowd, but also had the songs to appeal to the casual music fan.

The book covers the standard On Track… format reviewing each album and its songs, plus any non-album singles and related B-sides released around the time of a particular album’s release. The author knows his stuff although perhaps the book is padded out a bit too much with passages of lyrics.

The author was at the band’s 2022 reunion/farewell tour, and it seemed to be a fine send off for both band and fans judging by his write-up. Sage advice from the author at the end of the book, “…pull out a Roxy album at random and have a really good time”, with this book as your reading pleasure. ***1/2

On Track…David Bowie 1964-1982 by Carl Ewens (Sonicbond Publishing, 2024)

There is a plethora of books about David Bowie out there and it could be argued that we don’t need another one. However, Carl Ewans’ book focuses on what could be described as Bowie’s most successful and creative eras.

The classic Bowie albums are covered in depth and to be fair, nothing that you couldn’t read up online with the numerous articles about these albums, in particular ‘The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust’. The author does cover live albums, and selected box sets at the end of the book, and a welcome addition is the coverage of productions and collaborations. Covers the well-known, Iggy Pop’s ‘Lust for Life’ and maybe not so familiar, ‘Andy Warhol’ by Dana Gillespie.

Interesting read and perfect for any newcomer to the music of David Bowie. ***

Reviews by Jason Ritchie

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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)