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Jack Bruce Composing Himself: The Authorized Biography
 
 

Jack Bruce Composing Himself: The Authorized Biography [Kindle Edition]

Harry Shapiro , Cream , Jack Bruce
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)

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Product Description

Review

'Cream bassist Jack Bruce has revealed he saved the life of Ginger Baker when the drummer overdosed on heroin following the band's 1967 Top of the Pops debut...Bruce told Harry Shapiro, who interviewed him for the upcoming biography, Jack Bruce: Composing Himself, that he and Clapton were concerned when Baker failed to meet them after the show. He said: "I went back into the dressing room and found Ginger stretched out on a narrow wooden bench. He was green and he was rattling. I knew immediately he'd overdosed."...'
--Daily Express, January 11, 2010

'Old rock stars never mellow, they just carry on fighting...Composing Himself, an official biography that Bruce has written with the blues writer Harry Shapiro... It's a story which traces the British rock-star arc; a loner in post-war Britain in seduced by the sexual and consumerist glamour of America and sets out to secure a reliable supply of both via music. Singing was his way in; even with Cream, Bruce's soulful, honeyed Glaswegian tones were his trademark...'
--The Sunday Times/Times online, February 14, 2010

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Product details

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 4463 KB
  • Print Length: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Jawbone Press (1 Feb 2010)
  • Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
  • Language English
  • ASIN: B003G2Z586
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #126,143 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
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Harry Shapiro
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
31 of 32 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Harry Shapiro has maintained his high standards with this excellent biography of Jack Bruce, who co-operated fully throughout. In addition, there are many comments and insights from the vast number of top musicians Bruce has worked with during his long and varied career.

The book charts not just his music, but also his rock star lifestyle, and how it almost destroyed him, as it resulted in a liver transplant from which he very nearly did not recover. Amazing to think that only 1 year after staring death squarely in the eye he was back on stage with the reformed Cream.

Interesting to read the Jack Bruce side of the so-called Baker - Bruce feud (having read Ginger's version in his autobiography last year). Perhaps suffice to say that whilst they would not necessarily choose each other as best friends, when it comes to working together as a rhythm section, they are virtually joined at the hip most of the time.

I guess that many people, like me, got a little lost from his music after the breakup of Cream, his early solo albums, and the short stint with WBL. However, reading this book has encouraged me to delve once again into the Bruce back catalogue.

Like most of Shapiro's books, once you pick it up, it is very hard to put down.

All in all, a worthy subject, and a book that does the monumental talents of Jack Bruce justice.
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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Who is Jack Bruce?? 4 April 2010
Format:Paperback
As a fan of Jack Bruce for many years, I really looked forward to the publication of this authorised biography. I have been quite disappointed by it however, as it is really light on any kind of insight into Jack Bruce - the person. The book includes lots of impersonal details about who recorded what and when, and who stood on stages where and when; but it is sadly lacking in any insights into the personality of Jack Bruce. For all Jack's grumbles about the other biography - "Jack" by Steven Myatt, I think this is a much better book for anyone trying to find out about what makes this great musician really "tick". Real Jack Bruce fans will buy this authorised biography anyway, and enjoy the window into this master musician's life - but, I fear they will be left none the wiser as to the thoughts of the man. As a fellow Scot, I can understand Jack's reticence but I wish he had opened up a bit more!
Al F
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I think that Harry Shapiro and Jack Bruce have worked well together on this biography and have struck a good balance where each of them can hold their head up and feel proud of the outcome.
Harry because he has obviously researched well and widely and has told the story as it pretty well must be in reality. Jack because he has had the courage to permit the author to allow us to see both good and bad about him.In other words it doesnt give the impression that it has been overly sanitized for the public's consumption!
The book was well written and quite a pleasure to read compared to a previous well intentioned but very poorly written effort released by another author about 5 years ago.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
This quality
Having enjoyed Shapiro's biographies of Graham Bond and Alexis Korner, as well as his excellent and well-informed survey of drugs and music, I have to say that the author has... Read more
Published 18 days ago by Duncan A. Heining
an astonishing musical life
I have read several biographies of Jack Bruce - and this is certain the best. It's a good honest chronicle of an astonishing musical life. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Robert Johnson
For hubby
Got this for my hubby for xmas, looks like a good read, I'm sure he's going to like it.
Have no complaints about packaging or delivery, all good!
Published 5 months ago by nosila
Excellent
...wonderful book about one of the most underrated artist of our time.I discovered Jack solo works recently and this book is an excellent, complete and and passionate compendium to... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Mimmo
Could have been better
Throughout the whole book, you never feel you know what makes Jack Bruce tick. It skims along quite nicely, never dwelling for too long on any particular episode. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Jimcp
Everything you ever wanted to know about J Bruce
I have not yet finished reading the book, but, compared with other rock biographies I have read, this is certainly one of the better ones, and is certainly an absorbing read. Read more
Published 13 months ago by mvito
3 and a Half Stars
A lot better than the half-cocked 'Jack' book, if only for at least touching on the many fascinating projects JB has run or been involved in other than Cream, Cream and Cream... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Reimer
things I like
A fascinating insight into a longtime, long lost hero. I read this in more or less one sitting, though I wanted to stay inside the story for as long as I could. Read more
Published 20 months ago by dimwits
Great musician, good book.
Jack Bruce was the first 'rock virtuoso' bassplayer and the first bass guitarist who made me and many others think "I want to do THAT! Read more
Published 21 months ago by J. MILLER
THE MAN, THE MUSICIAN... ONCE UPON IN A LIFETIME
Without doubt, the best biography ever written about a character as charismatic as JB, in every sense. Read more
Published on 29 May 2010 by CARMELO HERNANDEZ RAMOS
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