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Black Vinyl, White Powder
 
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Black Vinyl, White Powder (Paperback)

by Simon Napier-Bell (Author)
3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
RRP: £8.99
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Frequently Bought Together

Black Vinyl, White Powder + You Don't Have to Say You Love Me + I'm Coming to Take You to Lunch: A Tale of Boys, Booze and How "Wham!" Were Sold to China
Price For All Three: £22.43

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Product details

  • Paperback: 95 pages
  • Publisher: Ebury Press; New Reduced Edition edition (3 Jan 2007)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0091880920
  • ISBN-13: 978-0091880927
  • Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 12.8 x 3.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 84,932 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

The lowly third position of musical pursuits in the familiar cry of "sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll" suggests what Simon Napier-Bell's book Black Vinyl White Powder makes all too clear: from it's mid-1950s beginnings: pop music has always been intrinsically linked not only with sex, but with all manner of illegal substances. Indeed, it is an often-repeated fact that success in the music business will frequently be accompanied by more than mere musical activity. "Drugs are sometimes as important as talent," explains Napier-Bell in this entertaining and often compelling read, and it is from this angle that he presents his gripping 50-year history of pop.

The author's previous memoir, the often-hilarious You Don't Have to Say You Love Me, detailed his career in the pop industry from his esteemed position as joint-roller for the Johnny Dankworth Orchestra to his later role as manager of huge acts such as Japan and Wham! With such a career behind him, his range of contacts and experiences result in an often breathtaking sprint through the history of pop, incorporating major icons such as Elvis and the Beatles to leading figures from numerous late 90s dance movements. In Black Vinyl he diligently notes the particular pharmaceuticals used in order to satisfy the creative and, more often, hedonistic needs of the artists in question. Fascinating anecdotes abound, from the amusing, (such as the report of keyboard player Graham Bond's frequently heard airport custom's cry, "If you want the drugs I've got them up my arse"), to the tragic, (as figures from Syd Barrett to Kurt Cobain fall by the wayside, their drug habits supported, if not actively encouraged by an industry where such behaviour is the norm).

If a fault can be aimed at this mostly enjoyable read, it is that Napier-Bell's insistence on maintaining the link between drug-taking and the music it frequently accompanies often results in a sensationalist tabloid feel which steers him away from the more revealing anecdotal style that proved so enjoyable in his earlier book. However, his droll approach is always entertaining and Black Vinyl White Powder is recommended to anyone interested in an industry where, according to one interviewee, half of those involved are left with "scrambled eggs for brains". --Steve Price --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.



Q magazine

'Rewarding, titilating...a genuine insight into hhow things really work behind the scenes'

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Customer Reviews

11 Reviews
5 star:
 (3)
4 star:
 (4)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
 (2)
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Average Customer Review
3.5 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the great music books, 9 Feb 2002
By Mr. Daniel Smith "dang65" (Cheshire, England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Fabulous book. I picked it up in the library but will certainly buy a couple of copies to give as presents. It's full up with mad little anecdotes from start to finish. An original page-turner which seems to cover every event, trend and star in the history of British pop music - and to connect each of them with their own drug. It all makes sense when you read it anyway. The constant reminders of the gay influence over the British pop industry of the last 50 years is quite hilarious at times, and Simon Napier Bell's own memories are full of wit and no regret. Recommended completely.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent guide to the British music business, 8 Oct 2002
I enjoyed every word of this wonderful account of the British music business. I was born in 1960 and found that this was a reminder of the soundtrack of my life, from Dusty Springfield, through the days of Marc Bolan and Ziggy Stardust to the greed of the eighties.

The way in which Napier-Bell links the sounds of each era with the most popular drug could have been a bit of a cheap gimmick, but it works beautifully and is never less than totally convincing.

Anyone who's interested in popular music should read it.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A great read between the white lines, 17 April 2001
By A Customer
This is the most readable and thought-provoking history of the music business that I've read. Although you might be forgiven for thinking that gay sex was just as influential as drugs, the book is a shrewd and honest insight into a business which has had a major influence on youth, and now adult, culture for the past 50 years. It may have taken 3 years to write - and if drugs is so influential then it's hardly surprising - but Black Vinvyl White powder was well worth waiting for.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Read it!!
A brilliantly insightful and anecdotal account of the development of the British Music Industry and its artists from the 50's through to the 90's.
Published 19 days ago by J. Viney

4.0 out of 5 stars EXCELLENT READ FOR THE CONVERTED
I sort of felt ripped off when I first read this book as it was not what was promised on the cover. Then I read the author's book about Wham! which was fantastic (sic)! Read more
Published 8 months ago by David P. Weber

2.0 out of 5 stars Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear
A corny and cheesy title for a corny and cheesy book. The endorsement by Julie Burchill on the front cover should have put me off. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Dudley Trishell

2.0 out of 5 stars "Black Vinyl..Or is it Simon Napier Bell's autobiography?!."
Embossed with biased journalist quotes on both front, back and inlay, "Black Vinyl-White Powder" is most certainly not "The greatest book written about pop... Read more
Published on 1 Jan 2005 by schlamiel

4.0 out of 5 stars When more is not enough...
This book comes loaded with great raves on the cover by many well known writers and critics on UK pop music - why, is easy to see in that the book tells more of the truth by a... Read more
Published on 26 Nov 2004 by Siriam

5.0 out of 5 stars A Terrific Snort
Callow has a point he wants to get across in this history of British rock and pop: none of it would have happened without drugs. Read more
Published on 30 May 2002 by J. Mcgregor

1.0 out of 5 stars "You don't have to say you love me" - in fact I don't.
Under no account waste your money buying this book nor your life reading it - I did both and I am angry with my self for doing it. Read more
Published on 22 Mar 2002 by Pop Fan (paul.sherratt@lineone...

3.0 out of 5 stars Sex, drugs and rock and roll
I've managed to read a preview of this book, and if you at all interested in the history of British music, and the influence drugs has had in this fickle industry over the years... Read more
Published on 13 Mar 2001 by sleazyred@downtownlasvegas.fre...

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