- Library Binding: 304 pages
- Publisher: Foruli; Signed and numbered (500) limited ed edition (21 Nov 2011)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1905792190
- ISBN-13: 978-1905792191
- Product Dimensions: 27 x 5 x 27 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,171,513 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Bill Bruford
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Product Description
THE SIGNATURE EDITION OF 475 SETS
Special limited editions of Bill Bruford's best-selling autobiography. Each set is individually hand signed by Bill.
The set includes an exclusive new double vinyl album, 'From Conception to Birth'.
The package contains:
a hand signed and numbered hand bound limited edition book
hand printed book cover with embossing
an authentication hologram in the book
extra material not published in the first edition paperback
a limited edition 10" vinyl double album
die cut record sleeves
two limited edition art prints suitable for framing
a custom handmade slipcase
a piece of one of Bill's own gig-played Paiste cymbals
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
38 of 38 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is possibly the best rock autobiography I have ever read.
Erudite, articulate and well-informed, Bruford's prose is in many ways an extension of his drumming - smart, sharp and possessing of a wicked sense of humour. His tales of frustration at the jobbing musician's lot, and the apparently perennial inscrutability of Robert Fripp, are wryly funny, his clinical dissection of Yes is laugh out loud funny - but still through this you are left in little doubt that whilst there have been lows, there is an awful lot of warmth and respect for his fellow travellers - very few axes are ground, and the writing lacks the sour tone that can occasionally be found in Peter Banks' autobiog, for example. Or most of Neil Peart's written work.
Where this books really takes off, is his descriptions of the end of his performing career, and it's here that the book takes on a tone of gentle melancholy. Exhibiting a side to his character that is almost entirely absent from his interviews (and you'll see why after reading this), one feels for the strains and world-weariness of a man who is almost the classic antithesis of received wisdom defining a popular musician.
I can't recommend this highly enough - anyone with a passing interest in the more esoteric music of the 1970's, the economies of scale of the UK jazz scene, or the inner workings of one of popular music's more honest and intelligent exponents, will find this a fine read
Erudite, articulate and well-informed, Bruford's prose is in many ways an extension of his drumming - smart, sharp and possessing of a wicked sense of humour. His tales of frustration at the jobbing musician's lot, and the apparently perennial inscrutability of Robert Fripp, are wryly funny, his clinical dissection of Yes is laugh out loud funny - but still through this you are left in little doubt that whilst there have been lows, there is an awful lot of warmth and respect for his fellow travellers - very few axes are ground, and the writing lacks the sour tone that can occasionally be found in Peter Banks' autobiog, for example. Or most of Neil Peart's written work.
Where this books really takes off, is his descriptions of the end of his performing career, and it's here that the book takes on a tone of gentle melancholy. Exhibiting a side to his character that is almost entirely absent from his interviews (and you'll see why after reading this), one feels for the strains and world-weariness of a man who is almost the classic antithesis of received wisdom defining a popular musician.
I can't recommend this highly enough - anyone with a passing interest in the more esoteric music of the 1970's, the economies of scale of the UK jazz scene, or the inner workings of one of popular music's more honest and intelligent exponents, will find this a fine read
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I do thoroughly agree with the previous reviewer on this one. This is a deeply thoughtful and moving book, full of intelligent insights into the life of a working musician, the inside machinery of the music industry, the place popular music occupies in our world, etc. It's certainly much more than an autobiography: though we are offered some memorable and deeply funny accounts of life in the road and in the studio with Yes and the "Mighty Crim" (his view of Fripp manages to be both considerate, balanced, ironic and outright hilarious, all at once), the strength of this volume lies in that it offers nothing less than a Poetics of music. Sounds pretentious, I know, but it's all done with subtlety, intelligence and a sense of humour which (believe me) very few writers, let alone literary critics, actually possess: his ideas on creativity have an urgency and immediacy about them which is both disarming and memorable. Bruford has though hard and long about music, its place in the world, and, more importantly, his own relationship with music in the course of time. And this is where the book really takes off, as it were: the sad and painful account of his increasing (and crippling) self-awareness at the drum stool, of the sense of mounting exhaustion which has clouded these last years of his working life, is beautifully told and infuses the final pages of this book with a pervading melancholy. There is no false humility here, but deep honesty and a disarming frankness. Actually, being somebody who grew listening to early Yes and King Crimson (up to "Three of a Perfect Pair), but who has been with Bruford all the way up to his most recent Earthwork offerings, I think this book is a beautiful, if a bit melancholy, way of rounding up a musical career notorious for its variety, adventurousness and creativity. This book is a must for anybody interested not only in music but in how the arts in general can make something happen out there.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is, I think, the best book (of many) I have read in 2009 and one of the most interesting and intelligently-written autobiographies of a creative in any field that I have come across. I was lucky enough to know Bill for a while at the beginning of his career and hang out at a few gigs. What he was then, is what he seems to be now - honest, witty, smart, gifted, dedicated, disciplined and grounded. To see the life and career he crafted since is inspiring and personally, I am deeply respectful of it. In this book are the truthful and understated opinions of an English gentleman impelled down the path of a true artist. It is a book of self-disclosure, intelligent synthesis and interpretation, full of questions, stories and paradoxical dilemmas. This 'thick-skinned self-doubter' has gifted through his life's work musical treasures, compelling lessons and personal examples. After reading this I felt like trying harder and persisting with my small efforts. Thanks Bill.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
This is not sex, drugs or rock and roll
Bill Bruford is an extremely thoughtful and articulate writer who has put together a really interesting autobiography of his years in the music business. Read more
Published 3 months ago by BrynG
Uncle Bill tells...
Bill Bruford's writing to me seems British to the core and many a word, I confess, I must look up in a dictionary. Read more
Published 6 months ago by A. Stakenburg
It's Only Rock'n'Roll (and Jazz), Bill
This is a very interesting and enjoyable book, although it could probably have done with a bit of editing. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Mr. W. J. Griffiths
Best in class
I'm going to keep this review short. This is the best book on music I have ever read. I was surprised at the high standard of writing, proving he is so much more than just a... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Paul Millington
Recommended to all musicians, especially drummers
Bruford writes exactly as he plays: clever.
His insight to the music industry and personal story is interesting. Read more
His insight to the music industry and personal story is interesting. Read more
Published 24 months ago by Fotis D. Tirokomos
Novel, interesting, innovative and absorbing..just like his drumming
Most self-penned, or ghost written, musician autobiographies are tedious, shallow and badly-written; drifting into car-crash road-tales which keep those that aspire to be like them... Read more
Published on 16 Jan 2010 by A. Thomson
Far from Hum- drum...
I have to say, having seen Bill interviewed on television a number of times, one gets a flavour of how he thinks; he is always a joy and both funny, dry and clear thinking. Read more
Published on 21 Dec 2009 by Mr. C. J. Iredale
Great book for drummers
Bought as xmas gift for drummer stepson but such a good book that his dad wants it
Published on 8 Dec 2009 by A. J. Davidson
Excellent, But Something's Missing...
This is a superb book by a truly world-class percussionist. Almost as fluent and expressive a writer as he is a drummer, Bruford speaks frankly about his progress through the music... Read more
Published on 23 Oct 2009 by Thulëatan
A drummers life
What is it about drummers? the need for detail, the search for perfection, the search for a decent coffee!
A great read for anyone who was 'there' during the 70's. Read more
A great read for anyone who was 'there' during the 70's. Read more
Published on 19 Aug 2009 by M. Coller
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