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Thread: Musician Biographies

  1. #1
    Member DoubleDrummer's Avatar
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    Musician Biographies

    I just returned from vacation wherein I read two prog-drummer auto-bios:

    Nick Mason and Bill Bruford.....................

    Both are entertaining but very different -- and recommended.

    Two points/opinions I previously had not realized:

    Before Dark Side, the Floyd rode a wave of British band popularity; not specifically any work they released themselves, but a result of the general wave of the British invasion;

    When asked why he would resign from a great band that was just beginning their peak, Bruford replied that he had three reasons:
    He opined that CLOSE TO THE EDGE would be the best YES album ever and thought he would go out on top -- he said his thoughts were confirmed as soon as he heard TALES.
    He wanted to play a neo-jazz-rock style and the closest group at the time was King Crimson.
    He was fed up with Chris Squire's habitual tardiness and felt it was the ultimate insult to constantly keep his band-mates waiting.

  2. #2
    Member Zeuhlmate's Avatar
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    Read - Dear Boy: The Life of Keith Moon by Tony Fletcher !

  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by DoubleDrummer View Post
    He wanted to play a neo-jazz-rock style and the closest group at the time was King Crimson.
    Or, as it was, the "closest group that would offer Bruford a gig at the time" was KC. Unlike what's been suggested later on, artists of the day weren't exactly lining up to have Bill B. drum for them.
    "Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
    "[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM

  4. #4
    Well, of course CTTE is Yes's best album...

    Worth reading is Pete Townshend's Who I Am.
    Cobra handling and cocaine use are a bad mix.

  5. #5
    I enjoyed the Bruford book very much. It was a nice mix of details about the bands and people he has worked with but a lot of good detail on the music, his approach, the creative process. I have not read Mason's book yet, I think I will. I did enjoy a book called Comfortably Numb: The Inside Story of Pink Floyd. Lot's of interesting detail about Syd in the early days, his departure and activity in the time immediately after leaving the band. Details on the issues with Water and Wright, Waters and Gilmour etc.
    I did read Dear Boy as well - very interesting and sad story. What a waste. Speaking of drummers, I enjoyed Stewart Copeland's book quite a bit. Another drummer book I really enjoyed was Danny Seraphine's (Chicago) book, which discusses the loss of Terry Kath, Seraphine's efforts to contribute to the music as they entered the eighties and started using drum machines and focusing on ballads, and his ouster from Chicago.

    By the way, my favorite book on bands is not an autobiography but I will mention Here There & Everywhere - written by the great Geoff Emerick. It has a lot of emphasis on how the Beatles made the records, the techniques they used to get the bass sound on PaperBack Writer, that sort of thing. Lots of things I didn't know about who played guitar on what tune etc, very interesting stuff for musicians or fans of musicians. There is a little bit that covers the infighting and relationships within the band, but it's written from a perspective of how those things impacted the making of the records, as opposed to just being gossip.

    The Chris Welch book on Yes was very good. I wish he would update it to cover all that happened behind the scenes since his original book left off (sometime around The Ladder era if memory serves). Wakeman's books are good in the sense that they are amusing and tell some great stories, but he really does not dig as deeply into the making of the music as I would like, it's all just a lot of funny stories about life on the road etc.
    Last edited by floyd umma gumma; 11-19-2018 at 10:24 AM.

  6. #6
    Just read and wrote a review of a book about the Dutch prog-rock band Taurus, written by one of it's former drummers.

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    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    Did Bruford have any explanation as to why Squire was habitually tardy? I remember Eddie Jobson complaining about Squire riding around in limos and I guess just acting like a star or something, so maybe it's related. Also, some people are just habitually tardy, as we've all seen in our lives. Just wondering is Squire off doing lines, sleeping late, or what.

  8. #8
    I have been reading some musician/band bios this year as well. The Phil Collins and Mike Rurherford autobios, the Rober Wyatt bio Different Every Time, and am currently reading All Gates Open, the new book on Can. Enjoyed/am enjoying them all.

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    Quote Originally Posted by DoubleDrummer View Post
    I just returned from vacation wherein I read two prog-drummer auto-bios:

    Nick Mason and Bill Bruford.....................

    Both are entertaining but very different -- and recommended.

    Two points/opinions I previously had not realized:

    Before Dark Side, the Floyd rode a wave of British band popularity; not specifically any work they released themselves, but a result of the general wave of the British invasion;

    When asked why he would resign from a great band that was just beginning their peak, Bruford replied that he had three reasons:
    He opined that CLOSE TO THE EDGE would be the best YES album ever and thought he would go out on top -- he said his thoughts were confirmed as soon as he heard TALES.
    He wanted to play a neo-jazz-rock style and the closest group at the time was King Crimson.
    He was fed up with Chris Squire's habitual tardiness and felt it was the ultimate insult to constantly keep his band-mates waiting.
    I have read both books and enjoyed them a lot. If you are looking for other drummer autobiographies you might try:

    Phil Collins - Not Dead Yet
    Kenny Arinoff - Sex Drum And Rock N Roll
    Carmine Appice - Stick It
    Bobby Rock - The Boy Is Gonna Rock

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    Quote Originally Posted by Sturgeon's Lawyer View Post
    Well, of course CTTE is Yes's best album...

    Worth reading is Pete Townshend's Who I Am.
    Agree, Townshend's book is excellent. I just purchased both Roger Daltry's new one and Kenny Jones book, but have not had the chance to read them yet.

  11. #11
    Jim Morrison -- No One Here Gets Out Alive. Written in 1980, it's still a highly entertaining and engrossing read. That Jim was a nut.
    "And your little sister's immaculate virginity wings away on the bony shoulders of a young horse named George who stole surreptitiously into her geography revision."

    Occasional musical musings on https://darkelffile.blogspot.com/

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    Quote Originally Posted by The Dark Elf View Post
    Jim Morrison -- No One Here Gets Out Alive. Written in 1980, it's still a highly entertaining and engrossing read. That Jim was a nut.
    Another good one, although it has been years since I read it. Jerry Hopkins wrote the original manuscript mainly based on conversations / interviews he had with Morrison. At some point Danny Sugerman also got involved and there has always been some controversy over whether some of what Sugerman added was true or not. Either way though, it is still a cool book.

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by SteveSly View Post
    Agree, Townshend's book is excellent. I just purchased both Roger Daltry's new one and Kenny Jones book, but have not had the chance to read them yet.
    I've seen a few interviews with Roger on Youtube talking about his new book.. it sounds like it will be great..

  14. #14
    Member Ten Thumbs's Avatar
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    Neil Peart's Ghost Rider was an interesting read. I've liked Rumours of Glory by Bruce Cockburn and am currently reading Primus - Over the Electric Grapevine.
    I remember tomorrow

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ten Thumbs View Post
    Neil Peart's Ghost Rider was an interesting read. I've liked Rumours of Glory by Bruce Cockburn and am currently reading Primus - Over the Electric Grapevine.
    I have read all of Peart's books and enjoyed them, although they are more travel logs than biographies.

  16. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by The Dark Elf View Post
    Jim Morrison -- No One Here Gets Out Alive. Written in 1980, it's still a highly entertaining and engrossing read. That Jim was a nut.
    A classic, although Dannu Sugarman was apparently full of shit. In more than one way.
    "Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
    "[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM

  17. #17
    Member DoubleDrummer's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Zeuhlmate View Post
    Read - Dear Boy: The Life of Keith Moon by Tony Fletcher !
    I've read one of the Fletcher books regarding Moon -- must have been the other.

    Quote Originally Posted by Sturgeon's Lawyer View Post
    Well, of course CTTE is Yes's best album...
    With 20/20 hindsight, we all know.
    Bruford quit a highly successful prog band at age 24 in the search of something he needed.

    Quote Originally Posted by JKL2000 View Post
    Did Bruford have any explanation as to why Squire was habitually tardy? Also, some people are just habitually tardy, as we've all seen in our lives.
    Apparently, CS is just one of those guys on a different clock. It was not unusual to find him in the bath reading a book at the time rehearsal is scheduled to begin.

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