John Robinson (35)

A touch repetitious at times, and relatively trippy at times, this is still a solid look at an absolute guitar god.

It's shocking to think that Hendrix cemented his reputation over the span of 18 months and three studio releases. This takes you through the buildup to those albums (and him literally blowing the minds of the top British musicians at the time), through their releases, and then Hendrix's desperate search for what came next.

He accomplished so much in his short time in the spotlight. Imagine what he could have done had he been able to bring in jazz in the way he wanted to. Or saw the explosion of hip hop. Imagine if he and Prince could have worked together.

Imagine.… (más)

I think the thing that initially caught my eye with this particular magazine was the term "soft rock". I'd never considered the Eagles (pictured on the cover) as soft rock. Country rock, perhaps. I just thought of them having their own style, and fitting into the larger genre of "rock" (now, unfortunately, considered "classic rock"...whatever.)

But I do love each and every one of the bands featured in this book, despite the fact that the Eagles sound nothing like the Electric Light Orchestra, who sound nothing like 10cc, who sound nothing like Fleetwood Mac, who sound nothing like Supertramp, who sound nothing like Steely Dan, who sound...well, you get the idea.

I think, if this proves anything, it proves that the 1970s was a fun time for rock. Period.

As for the magazine, you'll get a two-to-four page overview of each band or artist, usually paired up with a couple of (often horribly outdated) interviews by a key member or two of the band, then it's on to the next one.

A nice overview, but nothing earth-shaking here whatsoever.

I've really gotta stop buying these things. I have two more to read, then, I think I'm done with music magazines.… (más)

This, the very last of the slew of music artist spotlight albums I purchased, turned out to be a decent one to go out on.

Highlighting interviews with Ringo starting from 1964, about two years after he joined the Beatles, right up to almost present day, we see a much less clowning and much more attentive, intelligent Ringo.

Yes, there's a point where the questions and subsequent answers get repetitious (such as that old chestnut from the early-to-mid-1970s: "Do you consider yourself more an actor or musician now?")

A decent, and mostly unbiased overview.… (más)

Genesis: The Ultimate Music Guide collects historical articles from the pages of Melody Maker and New Musical Express (NME), stitching together a lively chronology of the the band’s various iterations and musical directions. This format allows the reader to experience the full trajectory of Genesis, as described in the leading UK music magazines of the era. Along the way, the book is supplemented with contemporary reviews of each album, serving to affirm how well the prog of the early years has held up over the decades, and how poorly much of the pop of the later years has not. Hardcore fans will certainly find a wealth of information on one of the finest progressive rock bands, as well as the subsequent solo efforts of the band members.… (más)