Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
Gene Clark (The True One), 14 April 2005
By A Customer
Thoughtfully written and presented in a friendly manner; this volume gives insight to the life and music of the late, enigmatic Gene Clark. Einarson has compiled his work from interviews of the family, friends and musicians who knew Clark best and woven them together to tell the long overdue story. It has been authorised by the Clark Est. and illustrated with rare black and white photos chronicling his life. Gene Clark was the golden voiced bard of a generation - this book deserves a place in the homes of all music fans and as an introduction for those who have yet to discover the genius, who was so much more than Mr Tambourine Man...
|
|
|
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
Revealing and heartbreaking - Gene Clark, 12 April 2005
You will not read a more heartbreaking book this year. The story of the Byrds' Gene Clark celebrates his unique talents as a singer and songwriter while revealing the emotional/chemical imbalances and addictions which somehow conspired to eventually destroy him. Only 46 when he died, Clark left behind a wonderful and varied body of music. This book has been meticulously researched and written with care and honesty. You feel immense pity for Clark, anger and grief at how he never could quite hold himself together yet also feel sheer admiration for how he always managed to produce beautiful songs and sing with such soul and skill. A sad but gripping story of a troubled but wildly gifted musician and writer. And it makes you want to hear the music. God bless Gene.
|
|
|
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
A word for the general reader, 10 Oct 2007
A while ago I found a section of my local library that I had been unaware of: Rock Biography. Over the years I've read and enjoyed many books in this genre (the most interesting perhaps being Sting's [[ASIN:0743231848 Broken Music]]). Taken in a concentrated dose, however, there is a certain gloomy sameness about many of them.
The current opus is a case in point. I see that other reviewers rate it highly; and from an objective stand-point I have no reason to disagree. But although Gene Clark wrote some of my favourite songs, I found this book even more depressing than Hank Bordowitz's [[ASIN:0825671574 Bad Moon Rising]].
It would certainly be rash to judge anyone on the basis of a single biography that may be biased, incomplete or simply incompetent (although I notice that this one has the endorsement of his estate -- which presumably includes his family).
And obviously no one can be blamed either for having bipolar disorder (if indeed this was the case) or for fear of flying. Nor can I even say with these reservations, that of the parade of egocentric drink- and drug-sodden oafs filing past me on the printed page over the past few weeks, Gene Clark appears to be the most selfish: the competition is much too stiff for that. As depicted here, though, he would certainly seem to be a contender.
He was one of thirteen children raised by hardworking parents just above the poverty line. After he became successful, they heard nothing from him for months. I searched this book for some evidence of any generous act on his part. The best I could find was the gift of a television to his mother and father (p.76 -- possibly so that they could watch him in colour, although the book doesn't actually say so). I could have missed something, of course, and if you think this might be the case, you should read the book and judge for yourself. I'd love to learn that this is a false impression.
I found incomprehensible the author's repeated insistence that the Byrds' roots were in Folk Music; but this could be simply culture gap due to the fact that in the States, "folk musician" seems not to refer simply to someone who sings traditional songs of unknown authorship (such as Martin Carthy), but to anyone who plays an acoustic guitar.
Mr. Einarson's research looked painstaking and thorough. His prose style seemed to me no better than serviceable, but this may be unfair. It could be that no writer can make a good story of this sad Rake's Progress from athletic and talented teenager via pugnacious drunk to 46-year-old corpse lying in a pool of vomit.
The fours stars reflects how well I think Mr. Einarson has done with the material he had to work with. In terms of general interest alone, I'd give the book two.
Summary
=======
If you're a major Byrds or Gene Clark fan, this is probably essential reading. If your interest is only cursory, though, I'd advise you to give it a miss -- unless you're a masochist.
|
|
|
|
(2)
£5.49
(10)
£6.99
See all Product Description
(3 customer reviews)
(
