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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
Ginger tells his story for the first time. It's often harrowing but outrageously honest as he journey's from war-torn south London to his adopted home in South Africa's beautiful Western Cape - where he has his own polo club. Along the way he tells of his life-long love of jazz, how he discovered the drums, life on the road and reveals the heroin use that should have killed him. He talks candidly of his three marriages, his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Cream in 1993, their 2005 reunion and his own plans for the future.
About the Author
Ginger Baker was born in Lewisham, London in 1939 and brought up along with his sister and cousin by his mother and aunt. After forging his reputation on the London jazz scene, he found phenomenal success by forming Cream with Jack Bruce and Eric Clapton in 1966. Ginger lives in South Africa, where he is an avid correpsondent to the letters pages of various polo publications.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is a great read and tells it as it was for Ginger Baker, however, it must be read with some caution. The long running animosity that he feels for Jack Bruce requires to be taken into consideration. He has often gone on & on & on..... about how he hated the Bruce/Brown writing partnership, but this seems a little like sour grapes to me. Pete Brown was originally brought in as Baker's intended writing partner but it did not take off. The reason why there were so many Bruce/Brown songs on the Cream albums and not many Baker song is because they wrote a lot and he did not. I have never seen any examples of piles of fine Ginger Baker songs that were inexplicably left off any of the Cream albums. Indeed Pete Brown, in a letter to the Mojo Magazine 197, defends himeself against the accusation, made by Ginger Baker, that he somehow stole royalities. He makes a pretty convincing argument that the Bruce/Brown writing partnership was central to the success of Cream and that Ginger has in fact been made considerably richer, particularly through the recent Reunion. He also states that had anyone suggested a four-way split of royalties for the Cream songs at the time he would have agreed to it.
Having said all that I must say again that this is a fine book and I would recommend it
Having said all that I must say again that this is a fine book and I would recommend it
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is an easy book to read and if one imagine's Ginger's voice reading it to you then it adds to it! Obviously the best parts are from 1960-70 (even though it's covered much better in Dick Heckstall-Smith's overall superior autobiography),but the book has too much on drugs (like Noel Redding's book) and the parts about Nigeria and polo I found tedious - reading pages after pages about horses being used for a sport isn't for me. The biggest problem with the book is the lack of info regarding the music for example he recorded 3 studio albums with the Gurvitz brothers - not a mention. I guess that's why there's no discography, Ginger's the best drummer ever therefore his drumming on all studio recordings is great - the songs are irrelevant (maybe from a drummers point of view there might be some truth in that!). There are mistakes of course e.g. he writes that at the Madison Square gigs by Cream in 10/2005 Jack Bruce shouted at him during "We're going wrong" that he was playing to loud - I've heard the 3 gigs many times - no evidence of this happening etc. Finally the bits about Jimi Hendrix, Keith Moon and John Bonham dying are sadly amusing, but none of this changes my respect for Ginger as the best drummer ever.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I am a huge Clapton, Bruce and Baker fan - the music they made in the sixties is one of the eternal joys of my life - I never get tired of listening to those amazing improvised live performances as well as the studio stuff and all three were truly extraordinary. I read Clapton's biography and was disappointed - Baker's is worse. True, it is an easy read but he comes across as an agressive, amazingly selfish, self obsessed thug. When will these so called 'stars' realise that we are interested in them because of their increadible musical talent - that is why we go to see them time and again and pay handsomely for their performances and music. Why cant we hear about their talent and not the long endlessly boring stories of drugs, women and generally appalling behaviour? We can all do that. What we cant do is play the drums like Baker and that is why we are in awe of him. So sadly this book was another lost opportunity, like Clapton's, and really rather dull - Baker's agression, appalling treatment of his wives and other people generally and his various financial disasters, not to mention the huge drugs issues, just serve to diminish him in our eyes. Please tell us how you became so astonishingly brilliant at drumming and we will appreciate you far more. a little bit of acknowledgement to your millions of fans who have allowed you to pursue this outrageously self indulgent lifestlye might not go amiss either!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
BRUTALLY HONEST, IF A LITTLE 'CLUNKY'
I have been reading the other reviews with interest, and the majority have some valid points to make. This is my take on the book. Read more
Published 6 months ago by J. McCarraher
I enjoyed this book
I am a huge fan of Cream and have brought every book Clapton, Bruce and Baker have issued.
This book tells Ginger Bakers story (in abbreviated form)in an apparent tell all... Read more
This book tells Ginger Bakers story (in abbreviated form)in an apparent tell all... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Bring_back_the_60s
Ginger Baker's Hellraiser
Amateurishly written compilation of chronological anecdotes, often with no connection from one to next. Read more
Published 13 months ago by BillB
awful
i was really looking forward to this book and learning about ginger baker.
unfortunatly the way the book is written is very weak with no depth and the worst bit is that ginger... Read more
unfortunatly the way the book is written is very weak with no depth and the worst bit is that ginger... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Mr. P. Moore
Dull, Dull, Dull
A poorly written schoolboy essay which quickly bores. Like others, I found the Polo and African elements tedious. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Traveller
Basically ok!
I was given this for Christmas having been a life-long Cream fan since seeing them in their early days in 66. Read more
Published 16 months ago by J. Bodicoat
Good Read
The only book i have ever read more than once. A great personal account of his life and career, although i would have preferred to read more about his days in Cream and less about... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Mr. P. Bergman
So you dont like Polo!
This is Ginger Bakers autobiography and he has spent many decades playing the game and looking after horses, so what do you expect! Read more
Published 16 months ago by S J Buck
The drum god who lost the plot
As a drummer myself, Ginger was my hero in the 60s and still was until I read this. He comes across as conceited, egotistical and practically proud of his Junkie status. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Ash Winters
If you want to know about polo......
I have to agree with the other reviewers who complained about endless chapters about polo. There's half a good book here but it's submerged in some of the most tedious chapters... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Dr. J. S. Fleming
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