Sometimes a 5-star book is a well-written, spellbinding story, sometimes its a quick, fast read of a subject that leaves you with your mouth open. Wow, could this sort of shit really be true? Its so phenomenally out of my sphere of experience that I can't wait to turn the page to see what is the next step on the road to fame (and its great that the book names names). ( )

Pop Babylon is another book in the Babylon series that includes ‘real-life’ experiences from hotels, hospitals, aeroplanes, resorts and now the world of pop. These books are light reading and somewhat hit and miss for me. I loved Hotel and Hospital, but not Beach as much. Why do I keep reading them? Well, for two reasons: they’re easy to pick up and put down when I’m working extra long hours and I’m nosy – I want to know what’s really going on. Plus, these books have been in abundance recently at $5 sales. Pop was one of these purchases.

Some Babylon books cover a day or a week; this book covers a year in the making of a boy band. A year is an exceptionally long time in pop music, and there are downfalls as well as rampaging success – this book covers it all. The story is told in the first person by an ailing music manager, who decides to get a boy band together to make wads of cash. There’s a lot of science that goes into the creation of a boy band – choosing the right mix of boys (get some that are good looking, some that can sing), the right song (target different populations) and the right kind of promotion (use social media and tour the schools). It’s really interesting, especially the concept of ‘dead mikes’ for some members – i.e. don’t let the audience hear them sing.

The dialogue is somewhat unnatural at times, as characters tell those who are supposedly ‘in the know’ about tour riders, roadies, groupies and backstage tales. However, it does benefit the reader and gives us some alleged tales about Take That, East 17 and Westlife to name a few. Tales about percentages and royalties for the managers, companies etc is also an eye opening experience. The ending is a bit sudden but I can’t think of where else the story could have gone. Overall, it’s not fine literature but a quite interesting tale in the behind the scenes creation of music – sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll, warts and all.

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com

The latest in the funny, but fading 'Babylon' series which never quite recaptured the hights of the original 'Hotel Babylon'. A satire on modern manufactured pop bands and the naughty goings-on of the various producers, managers and associated hangers-on to the famous, and wannabe famous pop stars. ( )