Minstrels, Poets and Vagabonds: A History of Rock Music in Glasgow [Paperback]

Minstrels, Poets and Vagabonds: A History of Rock Music in Glasgow is more than just an exhaustively researched document of the rock scene in Glasgow during the last five decades. Unlike most books about the rock-music scene, this one is written from the inside. Other books I've read about the history of rock, blues or metal were written by journalists and music historians; as a result, they were informative but impersonal. Robert Fields's book, however, has none of the detached literary objectivity favoured by journalists and historians; rather, it is an intensely personal account of the music and personalities that have shaped Scottish rock music, told by a man who is an active (and legendary) part of the rock-music scene in Scotland. Robert has been a musician, rock DJ, band manager, promoter, tour organiser, club owner and all-round entrepreneur for decades. Throughout his chequered career (his ups and downs make a rollercoaster seem flat by comparison), our man Fields has retained an indomitable entrepreneurial spirit, fuelled by his ongoing and unashamed love affair with the phenomenon that is rock music. As well as providing the reader with a very thorough education on the rock scene in Glasgow, 'Minstrels, Poets and Vagabonds' documents the irrepressible drive of one man - through change, loss, joy and sorrow - who truly understands that a rocking world is a better world. Robert Fields has suffered career blows that would have crushed an individual with less self-belief, but each time he has responded in the same way: got back up, dusted himself down and - after a brief period of soul-searching - come back bigger and stronger than before. The Dunkirk spirit is strong in this one!

From the age of ten, I have been immersed in rock and heavy metal. My music collection is vast, spanning thousands of CDs, vinyl albums and cassettes. I've been going to gigs since the halcyon days of the Apollo in Glasgow. It is rare, therefore, that I learn much from a book on rock, as I've been soaking up its culture since I was barely out of nappies. 'Minstrels, Poets and Vagabonds' was an exception: because the book delves back into the rock scene that was happening in Glasgow - the city of my birth - in the decade before my birth, it proved to be a veritable education on the iconic figures who blazed a musical trail for their successors to follow. The book is accompanied by a weblink which allows the reader to listen to many (over a hundred) of the seminal tracks by artists mentioned in the book; this feature alone is worth several times the jacket price of the book. Well done, Mr Fields. I raise my glass (OK, it's a pint mug full of coffee, but let's not get bogged down with semantics) to you. Thank you for the education. You introduced me to Robin Trower's Bridge of Sighs album, which features the unique voice of Paisley's James Dewar; for that, I owe you a debt of gratitude.

As previously mentioned, 'Minstrels, Poets and Vagabonds' is a thoroughly researched piece of work, comprehensive in its scope. I have only two (extremely minor) criticisms. The book fails to mention one of my favourite Scottish bands: Baby Chaos. Perhaps Baby Chaos were omitted because they hailed from Ayrshire, a few miles outside Glasgow. They were a staple of Glasgow's mid-1990s gig scene, though, which perhaps should have merited their inclusion in the book. The Baby Chaos album Love Your Self Abuse is a classic slice of high-octane Scottish rock. My brother from another mother, the musical genius Pete Drummie (on whom one of the characters in the Metallic Dreams novel was based) gets a mention in Robert's book - by virtue of his time playing alto sax with metal funksters Dr Pop - but his surname is listed as 'Drummy'. These are pedantic points, though, and minor ones at that. The level of detail (not to mention weird surnames) in the book is such that it would have been nigh impossible to get everything correct to the letter. The bottom line - 'Minstrels, Poets and Vagabonds' is educational, interesting and often very, very funny. Many of Mr Fields's stories had me laughing out loud; tales of faux pas and gaffes abound throughout the narrative, so much so that by the end of the book, the reader feels that he actually knows Robert Fields...and finds him a thoroughly likeable chap.

Great to reminese over the old days, some of the content written about bands of the 60's & 70's recalled differently. It's fantastic that this has been written about, and does jog the memory in many places. A great read.

I bought this book after hearing that one of my friends is mentioned in it. Camillo Morlotti helped form the band GUN and there's a tip of the cap to him and his band in there. The rest of the book is a very interesting and compelling look at the Glasgow music scene, from the author's point of view, remembering the bands who never made it big (but, perhaps, should have) and the ones who were lucky/hard working enough to make it on to some commercial success. I would highly recommend this book to rock and roll historians all over the World and to absolutely anyone who has even the smallest interest in live music.