A fun road trip to concerts with your friend who is a walking music history book. The friend that always scores the best tickets with backstage passes. Complied in short chapters that were entertaining and educational reads. I looked forward to each concert adventure and exclusive insider insights.

When I first begin reading the book I was only interested in a handful of the artists included. I intended to skim and skip over the artists that I was unfamiliar with or uninterested in. I didn’t have any desire to delve into the Classic Rock or Legacy Pop/Rock artists. Yet, this changed while delving deeper into the reading. Carter’s natural storytelling abilities felt as though I was sitting next to him.

I found myself researching the artists included and listening to the hits and even the deep cuts. I searched for live footage for the artists that I will never have the opportunity to see in concert. I added artists to my concert bucket list that I would have never have thought twice about seeing. I even found myself perusing and even purchasing rock periodicals. I picked up copies of Mojo and Uncut magazine for further Rock/Pop music reading. (I am more of a Decibel and Terrorizer magazine reader).

This book provided extensive live music history. It has enriched my knowledge of the included artists spanning over 40+ years of concerts. I recommend this book to any fan of live music. It was an enjoyable and informative trip into 50 concerts. ( )

When I was selected to receive The Decibel Diaries in LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program, I was elated. Rock and Roll has been part of my life for more than half a century, and I still enjoy it today. When I received the book and looked at the table of contents, my enthusiasm waned. Oh, punk rock. Meh. Heavy metal. Yuck. At least half of the shows reviewed were for acts I didn't care that much about. I put the book aside for a few weeks.

I was foolish. You don't have to like a group to enjoy a description of their concert, particularly when recounted by an unpretentious recorder like Carter Alan, who takes us from 1973 to 2015, from his teenage years to middle age, in 50 concerts. As a DJ and program director in Boston, he had terrific backstage access in his later years, and many of the stories he recalls are quite fascinating. He also fleshes out each concert review with information about the act that I wouldn't have known otherwise. I may check out some of the acts he saw that I'm not that familiar with. Maybe I'll enjoy them after all. But not the heavy metal groups. Yuck. ( )

Part music history, part concert reviews, and part autobiography, DJ Carter Alan walks us through 45 years of concert going. This was a real walk down memory lane as his concert going years pretty much mirrors my own and I've been lucky enough to see many of the same bands. The book is entertainingly written and the recollections add a personal touch that takes the book beyond just being a series of reviews. The idea of a suggested playlist for each of the concerts was a clever touch, and one I enjoyed so much that I ended up building a full playlist for the book on Spotify - the first time I've been inspired by a book to do that. ( )

As someone who attended rock concerts regularly through the time period covered here by Alan, I was as interested in his memories as in any insights to the music or culture he might provide. His memories were interesting albeit rather cursory. His insights? Well, he's no Lester Bangs, but that's ok. His trip down memory lane triggered many memories of my own, which made my journey through his book enjoyable. Frank Hoppe--KCSN. ( )

The Decibel Diaries: A Journey through Rock in 50 Concerts by Carter Alan was an OK read for me. The author looks back over 50 concerts that he attended over the years covering the importance of those concerts to him as well as how the concerts fit in culturally and with the artists. It wasn't a book that I could just sit and read straight cover to cover, I had to read it in bits. I received this book as part of the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program in exchange for this review. ( )