Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
love + poise on, 11 Oct 2003
Think you're a hardcore Suede fan? Think twice. Drop any facts, myths, or rumours you believed about Suede. You haven't heard anything until you read this book. I've been an obsessive fan for 7 years now; been running a hundreds-paged Suede fansite for 5 years; been breathing their tunes every minute of my life; yet this book still took me by surprise. On every single page there's at least 1 fact you never know about. On the end of every chapter you're forced to stop and think, "Oh, it all makes sense now...". And, after finished reading the whole book, you'll never be the same fan you were, ever again.After digesting the first chapter, you might start questioning your so called Suede knowledge. Do we really know as much as we thought we did? Apparently not. As you progress through the heavily info-packed and hilariously witty pages, you'll feel as if a veil was lifted from your eyes - this is Suede, in your face, revealed with such intimacy that you could almost say that you've been there all along. The thing is, the author is a long-time Suede insider who *really* has been there all along. He's been a hardcore fan since 1993, been working for the band since 1995, and been born with a natural gift to be witty and charming with no effort. If he hadn't written the book, then no one else could. In a nutshell, Love & Poison covers the wild & insane history of Suede brilliantly. An interesting reading for you popstar wannabes and music lovers out there. And, definitely a must have for fans. Forget about merchandises or other Suede books for a while; this is the *first* priority Suede related item you should get,... after their music.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sex, Drugs, Rock'n'Roll, and then some...., 24 Aug 2004
Out of all the big bands of the 1990s (Blur, Oasis, Pulp, Manics, Radiohead), it was Suede who truly paved the way for great British guitar music again. And, in keeping with this notion, their story turns out to be the most interesting.Anything they tried to cover up in interviews is swiftly bared. Here, band confidante David Barnett is the man with the job of the baring. Rather than adopting the gushing approach that music fans can easily do so, he is fiercely critical of the band's lowest moments, and he should know - he was there. This is not only a book for fans and obsessives but also anyone with a passing interest in music. Some of the stories are painful to read, be it for emotional or cringe-inducing reasons, but Barnett does not hold back, and the band are happy to comply with his warts'n'all approach. Anyone expecting the Butler fall-out (Bernard does not appear, having explained his side of the story to John Harris in the excellent 'Last Party')or the Frischmann/Albarn episode to be the most vital and/or shocking parts of the book will be unpleasantly surprised by the truth behind 'Head Music'. This is the well-told story of a band who always seemed to defy belief at the best of times. As a taster, it might be worth mentioning 'sharpened knives', 'hifi shops' and 'dodgy shellsuit bottoms.' Now go and find out more!
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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
love and poison, 14 Nov 2003
i've been a suede fan since hearing animal nitrate all those years ago on mtv.i couldn't quite believe what i was seeing. was it a boy? was it a girl? that voice.i knew they were something special.so i was looking forward to reading this and it doesn't disapoint.through the early (troubled) days with bernard butler to the massive success of coming up and the sad failure of a new morning no stone is left unturned.this is an honest book and the band (particalrly brett) talk candidly about their hedonistic life style and battle with heroin. and of course the fights with bernard butler.no suede fan should miss this fascinating and sometimes very funny story.it's sad while writing this that suede have now called it a day but makes me realise what a dull place the music scene of the 90's would have been without them.
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