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The Eurovision Song Contest: The Official History
 
 
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The Eurovision Song Contest: The Official History (Paperback)

by John Kennedy O'Connor (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 192 pages
  • Publisher: Carlton Books Ltd (3 April 2006)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1844422402
  • ISBN-13: 978-1844422401
  • Product Dimensions: 27.6 x 21.6 x 1.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 261,934 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Product Description
The fun and the feuds, the high points, the dismal lows, the scandals, the most outrageous outfits, the innovators and the copy cats, this glorious book captures the singular flavour of Eurovision, charting its journey from the first competition in 1956 - just seven entrants, broadcast from a tiny venue in Switzerland with a studio audience of 200 - to the international extravaganza watched by 300 million viewers that it has become today. It's a completely unique event in modern pop music, with its own agenda entirely, that has spawned almost as many anti-heroes as it has stars. Updated to include Eurovision's 50th birthday in 2005, and illustrated throughout with colour and black and white photos, and rare memorabilia including artwork for singles, this book is a nostalgic and resplendent celebration of an at times eccentric competition that is adored by hundreds of millions around the world.

About the Author
John Kennedy O' Connor has been a fan of Eurovision ever since he can remember. He has every single sleeve for every Eurovision entry, and is passionate about the show. He is an Englishman living in San Francisco and this is his first book.
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Customer Reviews

21 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (21 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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61 of 63 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Reference book for Eurovision., 12 May 2005
This review is from: Eurovision Song Contest: 50th Anniversary - The Official History (Hardcover)
The writer of this particular book certainly knows his stuff. That's the first impression that I got from reading this work. The facts are well presented and it highlights what happened in each Eurovision Song Contest, except possibly 1956, it was a little bit vague in that area. However, considering the whole contest that year was mysterious to say the least, nobody knew how the voting system worked because it was done in secret, I can forgive him.

What could have been useful is a table on how each country voted in each year. That is made up for however by the facts and figures at the back of the book, including a top ten of all four voting systems given in percentage form. I found that a very helpful guide in many ways. It also gives a list of all the countries that have participated in Eurovision's entries, again a useful reference.

The book layout is colourful and presented in the right way. It can be used either as a reference book or as a casual read. As a celebration of Fifty years of Eurovision, I cannot fault it. It's a must have for all fans of the contest

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58 of 60 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A must for all ESC fans!, 12 May 2005
This review is from: Eurovision Song Contest: 50th Anniversary - The Official History (Hardcover)
A great book with excellent pictures. A definate must for all Eurovision fans. However, I can only give it 4 stars as there are a lot of editorial mistakes in it. For example, on the 1989 scoreboard, the UK is referred to as "Unite Kingdom". Similar mistakes include writing what should be "20" as "2" - very confusing. The author is also unsure whether he is using British English or American English, and uses both, which I suspect has occurred through translation. Finally I was amused by black text over a very dark picture of Lulu so you can hardly read it! Other than that - this book is a smashing read!
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55 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Boom Bang-a-Brilliant!, 9 Mar 2005
This review is from: Eurovision Song Contest: 50th Anniversary - The Official History (Hardcover)
One of TV's greatest phenomenon's and longest running show's, The Eurovision Song Contest reaches it's 50th edition in 2005 and (ironically for a BBC show) Carlton Books are publishing this remarkable book to mark the occasion, in conjunction with the European Broadcasting Union.

Author John Kennedy O'Connor has wonderfully captured the spirit of this annual tele-visual kitsch fest in a lavishly illustrated book spanning the entire history of this much maligned show that started as a one off event in a small Swiss theatre in 1956, with just seven competing nations, and is now a two-day event featuring upwards of forty countries, some from well beyond Europe's borders.

Covering all the highs and lows of the competition and including intriguing and little-known backstage gossip and anecdotes, O'Connor's style is wonderfully entertaining and provides a genuinely interesting and slightly ironic tribute to the contest and the stars and songs that have featured in it over the years. The book is divided into two distinct sections. The monochrome era of the show from 1956-1967 is covered in double page chapters; whereas the colour broadcasts from 1968 all get four pages each. The entries and results for every year are included alongside numerous and very rare colour and black and white photographs of the artists as well as artwork for all the winning singles, together with their international chart history. Most fun of all, O'Connor has compiled a fascinating "Eurofacts" section that covers all of the trivial statistics that fans crave and that intrigue the general viewers. If you want to know what colour scheme is best to wear if you want to win - you'll find it here! Most people know which nation won the most contests, but which country finished 16th most frequently? Which nation is best at choosing the winner, or worst for that matter? Who conducted the most number of entries and for the most number of nations? It's all here and a lot more.

I really enjoyed the style and wit of this author. He has successfully managed to produce an in depth look at the contest without taking it all too seriously and yet write a genuinely enthusiastic and fascinating history of the competition that everyone loves to hate. His flair with words is wonderful and makes for a very entertaining read. Here's to another 50 years of fun!

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The story is more interesting than the music
I've never cared for the Eurovision song contest. A few good songs - even a few great songs - have emerged from it, but the vast majority of Eurovision songs are of a questionable... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Peter Durward Harris

5.0 out of 5 stars Love Eurovision? You'll love this!
Any Eurovision fan will treasure this 200 page trip down memory lane. John Kennedy O'Connor's labour of love is packed with voting tables, photos, statistics and a year-by-year... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Vauxhall1964

5.0 out of 5 stars Updated & Expanded
I bought the two earlier editions of this book, but I wasn't sure I was going to get this new version, as the 2nd hadn't really added anything much, other than the 2005 chapter... Read more
Published on 28 Mar 2007 by Big Boris

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!
I've been into Eurovision for as long as I can remember and always wondered why there wasn't a definitve guide and history published before. Read more
Published on 26 Mar 2007 by Sandy Price

5.0 out of 5 stars All the fun of the fair!
Although I'm not much into Eurovision as a rule - I watch it every year though - I'm a huge fan of Sandie Shaw, Lulu, Clodagh Rodgers (and other Britgirls) so I wanted to have... Read more
Published on 26 Mar 2007 by Chrissie Janes

5.0 out of 5 stars All the fun of the fair!
Although I'm not much into Eurovision as a rule - I watch it every year though - I'm a huge fan of Sandie Shaw, Lulu, Clodagh Rodgers (and other Britgirls) so I wanted to have... Read more
Published on 15 Mar 2007 by Chrissie Janes

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!
I've been into Eurovision for as long as I can remember and always wondered why there wasn't a definitve guide and history published before. Read more
Published on 14 Mar 2007 by Sandy Price

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow! Great book on Eurovision!
I am relatively new to the world of the Eurovision Song Contest. Although it's been running on an annual basis for over five decades, I only saw it for the first time three years... Read more
Published on 14 Mar 2007 by Frankie Durr

1.0 out of 5 stars a modest effort
i agree completely with the view of mr. Herzog , is a quite modest effort from a person that seems having only viewed the contest on tape and from an anglosaxon point of view only... Read more
Published on 12 Mar 2007 by S. marco

5.0 out of 5 stars I can't wait!
I really can't wait for this book. I've only been in to Eurovision for a decade, but I just love it and can't get enough of it. Read more
Published on 17 Feb 2007 by Frankie Durr

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