Band Biographies

I love band biographies. My interest in a band generally starts with an album purchase, usually whatever album is recommended to me as the best starting place for that band. If I really dig the album, I’ll research a little further and buy one to two more albums. If my interest with the band is still not fully indulged, I go completest- buying up every album and single and ep I can find. A handful of bands stir up my affections past this point even still, until there is only one means of fan devotion left at my disposal: the band biography. I present here a list of 10 band biographies that I have read, with thoughts on each, roughly in order of most to least recommended.

1) Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground 1981-1991 by Michael Azerrad

This one is actually a super biography covering 13 different bands in 13 chapters. Initially purchased to indulge my infatuation with Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., and the Minute Men, it also served as a primer for bands that I later came to love such as the Meat Puppets and Fugazi, as well as providing some fascinating reading on bands that I don’t think I’ll ever learn to love such as the Butthole Surfers, Big Black, and Beat Happening. Although the book reads as 13 short biographies, it also holds together as a loosely cohesive story of underground music in the 1980s. The writing is not great, and at times is actually a bit painful, but the content is worth the suffering.

2) Last Gang in Town: The Story and Myth of the Clash by Marcus Gray

As implied in the title, this biography is mostly uninterested in perpetuating mythical estimations of the Clash’s awesomeness, and instead seeks to tell their actual story, independent of legend. It’s comprehensive and massive and thoroughly satisfying to the devoted Clash enthusiast.

3) The Smiths – The Complete Story by Mick Middles

This was probably the first band biography I read (we’re talking high school here), and as such served as an introduction for me to the band subculture- something I was to learn much more about in my near, rocking future. Unlike the aforementioned Clash biography, this one doesn’t mind fanning the flames of Smiths worship, or at least it did nothing to slow my accelerating adulation of all things Smiths at the time. I don’t know if I could stomach this now.

4) Unforgettable Fire : The Story of U2 by Eamon Dunphy

Essential reading for U2 fans, especially those like myself who consider the early years to be U2’s best and who might find themselves riveted by details of the Boy and October albums- details, in other words, that 95% of modern U2 fans would have no interest in.

5) U2: At the End of the World by Bill Flanagan

A de facto sequel to the aforementioned Unforgettable Fire, Bill Flanagan picks up where Eamon Dunphy left off, and delves into personal dynamics within the band that provide intriguing insight into the direction of post-Joshua Tree U2. This one was slightly less rewarding for me since my love for U2 wanes with the albums covered here, but Flanagan’s writing makes up the difference.

6) Behind the Scenes on the Pegasus Carousel with the Legendary Rock Group Love by Michael Stuart-Ware

Love’s story as told by it’s second drummer, Michael Stuart-Ware, will mostly only interest dedicated Love fans, but Love’s story does occasionally overlap with broader narratives, such as the story of drugs in music, the story of racial integration in rock, and the rise and fall of the Doors. But for those seeking the intimate details of Love’s story, like myself, this is the best and only (as far as I know) place to turn, which is sort of too bad. It’s not that the book is uninspired, just a little under whelming. For one, Stuart-Ware didn’t join the band until the second album, so question marks about the earliest days of the band remain. Plus, Stuart-Ware’s role as the drummer, and a replacement drummer at that, narrows his scope of Love’s story quite a bit- I would love to read the Love biography as written by Arthur Lee, or better yet Bryan MacLean (both of whom have died, so that’s not going to happen). Still, if you love Love, then this is a solid, if breezy read.

7) Morrissey & Marr: The Severed Alliance by Johnny Rogan

I don’t really remember this one that well, but I remember thinking it was probably a bit of an unnecessary expenditure of time on my part. I realized in reading this that my thirst for Smiths knowledge could in fact be satiated.

8) Stairway to Heaven: Led Zeppelin Uncensored by Richard Cole

This book was written by Led Zep’s tour manager, and it was obvious to me from the start that he had a two-part agenda in writing the book: 1) make lots of money by exposing the most stomach-turning, depraved aspects of Zeppelin’s story and 2) get his own name included in Led Zeppelin’s story as much as possible. I read an interview with Jimmy Page some time after reading this book where he basically said that everything in the book is untrue. All the same, it kept me reading.

9) No Compromise: The Life Story of Keith Green by David Hazard, Melody Green

I don’t know if this one should count or not, because my decision to read this book was in no way born from a love of Kieth Green’s music (which is not to say that I hate his music, just that it does not inspire me to pursue further, as described in the first paragraph). I read this because someone told me it was inspiring and a great story, and he was basically right. I was surprised to find out though how musically relevant K.G. was in his time- at one point in the book, it described how a recently converted Bob Dylan was in the studio while K.G. was recording and said something to the effect of ‘yeah, that’s the sound I want to start going for.’ It’s humorous to think about, but it actually makes sense when you listen to Dylan’s music from that time.

10) Eight Miles High: Folk-Rock’s Flight from Haight-Ashbury to Woodstock by Richie Unterberger

I bought this book because I wanted to read a biography about the Byrds, and this was the closest thing I could find. Turns out, for every page about the Byrds, you’ve got to read 5 others about the Mamas and Papas or Jefferson Airplane or Buffalo Springfield. That wouldn’t be so bad (I like all of those bands to various degrees) but the aim of the book is way too academic and technical, focusing on the subtle distinctions of folk, country, folk-rock, country-rock, folk-country, etc. I lost interest less than half way through.

Other bands/artists that I would most like to read biographies on at the moment:
The Kinks
James Brown
Black Sabbath
Wire

What band biographies have you all read? Which do you recommend?

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