Most biographors who have written about Mr. Lennon ether tell you very little or they tell you too much about his private life. This book did not do that it told you about his acheivements and it also told you about his faults. When Mr. Coleman wrote this book he showed his love for the person and not the name. There have been writters who have written in envy or hate. There is not one part in this book that is written under thoes pretences. This book helps you see his human side and how giving, caring, and how loving this man was. It told you about his life from childhood right up to his death. I would not recomend this book for any one who can not stand to read a verv long time but if you really are interested in John Lennon, out of all the books I've read this would be the one I would recomend

Growing up in a Christian household, The Carpenters' music were among the few secular artists we listened to. My introduction to the Carpenters was when my parents bought their 1980 Christmas album. We played it almost to death! In fact, I remember as a teenager overdubbing harmonies with my own voice using two tape recorders, just like the Carpenters did on their albums. I was about to turn 10 years old the very month Karen Carpenter died. I could hardly believe she was gone, because the memory of her beautiful voice was so powerful. I was 15 when the ABC movie on the Carpenters came out, which let me see a glimpse of the reason for the tragic end of Karen's life.

As an adult, reading Ray Coleman's book brings back fond memories of the Carpenters and their music. It also gives disturbing insight into the sadness, the anorexia, the complex relationship with their loving yet undemonstrative parents, and the overwhelming need of both Richard and Karen to be perfect yet both desiring to be human.

I hope to see a documentary video based from this book, along with updates on Richard's life today. The Carpenters will always have my respect for being true to their talent rather than trying to fit into the "image" of everyone else. I will always enjoy their music.

I have been a huge fan of these 2 incredibly talented people since I was 7 years old (which got me a few odd looks in the playground I can tell you). I'm 19 now and the music still moves me.
This book offers not explanations, but insight into not only the Carpenters music, but the personal demons that threatened to engulf not only careers but lives.
Intriguing, inspiring and heartbreaking. Karen and Richard proved that 2 normal kids can achieve their dreams and touch people's lives.
But as they fell victim to their excessess, and Karen paid the ultimate price.
Karen's glory may have been brief, but fewer flames have shone with as much humanity and beauty.
Thankfully Richard could overcome his adversity and continue with the wonderful legacy of their music.
They truly are stars

To outsiders, it seemed as if Karen and Richard Carpenter were living a dream. And they certainly seemed to have it all - looks, wealth, fame, fans, and an abundance of talent that has gone almost unrivalled in 30 years. Critics from the era and hard rock fans dismissed them, labelling them with phrases such as "Squeaky Clean," "Too Good To Be True," "All American," and many, many others. But appearances can be deceiving.

Richard had a drug dependency (the substances he abused were legal, by the way) which almost cost him his career and could have ended his life had he not been rehabilitated, and for 7 years Karen was in the terrible psychological grip of a then unknown disease - anorexia nervosa, a disease which ravaged her emotionally as well as physically, in an identical manner to the fashion in which cancer and AIDS ravage their victims. But despite their personal troubles and turmoil, the Carpenters music remained beautiful, enriching, and touching.

With the exclusive co-operation of Richard and Agnes Carpenter and their family and friends, entertainment writer Ray Coleman describes the Carpenters adolescence, their rise to fame, their years at the top, their legendary music, their struggles and Karen's ultimate tragedy in a way that is objective, emotional, and touching, painting a sad portrait of a beautiful woman who never realised how beautiful she was, a beloved woman who never knew how much she was loved, and a famous woman who worked in a corrupt and CORRUPTING industry but never lost her down to earth morality and values, whose greatest wish was to have a family of her own, a wish that sadly, she would never obtain. But if Karen's story achieves anything, I hope it is this - that it may save the lives of other anorexia sufferers. Surely that is what Karen herself would want.

It is now 2000, 30 years after the Carpenters debuted. Their records are still being bought, their songs listened to and admired while the artists and critics who deplored them have long been forgotten. Finally, their talents are being acknowledged - Richard is praised for being the great musician that he is, a superior producer and arranger with an unparalleled ear for quality and timelessness. And Karen's voice, that haunting, gorgeous voice, is recognised as being one of God's greatest gifts to music.

Ray Coleman's biography is terrific due to its depth. It gets longs and tedious at times, but many of the details are essential to understand such a complex man as John Lennon. Coleman being a personal friend of John also gives the reader great insight, rather than reading a book by someone who has never been acquainted with him. I believe Coleman portrays Lennon warts and all. He doesn't really shy away with faults of John, and tells about how he roughly treated Cynthia and Julian, describes how he hurt many people in his young days being inconsiderate of cripples and deformed people, and tells about how he did get involved with drugs too heavily and ignored many important things going on around him. Being personaly acquainted with Lennon, Coleman also tells about the intimate, vulnerable side of John rarely revealed during his life. The book gives an accurate representation of John as it shows many sides of such a complex man. I believe this is a true must have for beatles fans and those he want to find the truth about a great man stolen from us by some maniac.

I loved this book. I all of my reading about the Beatles and John Lennon himself, this one told me the most. I had spent the last four months reading a different Lennon book, that was even smaller then this one, and I think I read "Lennon" in about two weeks. It was so much easier to read and Coleman wrote it beautifully. From the start "Lennon" was a book that I never wanted to put down. I think I even read it twice, it was so good. This book is guarenteed to make to laugh, cry, and maybe even curse when you hear about the treatment John recieved during his lifetime. From his tragic childhood, to the Beatles, to Yoko, to Sean and his awful death in 1980, you will love and maybe even understand John a little better than before. This is one of the greatest biography book ever published and ever will be published for that matter. It's a must read for any Lennon fan out there, young and old

as a big Beatles fan, i can only say that this book was the most wonderfully written one I read in a long time. John will always be with us in our thoughts, dreams, memories, and of course his MUSIC. The book revives his personal life before, during, and after his Beatle years, ending tragically on December 8th (4 days after I was born) 1980. Those great things he left with us are the reason we remember him, his fabulous art of music, and everything else about him. Ray Coleman's account is a joy for numerous fans who didn't get a chance to live in the same time period as John, and all the others who miss him miss him miss him...............

As other reviews stated, the book is very thorough and gives extremely good insight to the early stones. It especially describes the many contributions of Brian Jones which are not usually talked about or even known by many. The early history is quite fascinating. Although I do recommend the book I have a few problems with the book that greatly dimish its reading pleasure 1) It only covers from 1963 to 1969 (so we don't know what happened in the 70s and 80s) 2) Wyman constantly discusses the woman he has "had", this gets old pretty quickly 3) It is at times very dry reading, often it is just a bunch of facts listed in chronological order from his diary But overall this book is chuck-full of information that only an insider would know and can describe. This is really the basis that I recommend the book. I did read it quickly (in a few sittings) which is very rare for me.

You`ll find the band vision of a grey man who was in the right moment in the right place in 1962. We can feel sadness of the tail of a star band, but it's easy to suppose that there are some big trues in this book. It's firt example of the history never told about the Rolling Stones

This book is definitely the best book available about the Stones, and an indispensable source of information for the Rolling Stones fan. Wyman have collected memories and diaries from the very beginning of the 'Stones career, which finally, in the early nineties, got together in this wonderful book. It all begins at the moment when Bill was born in 1936, and it spans from his childhood all the way to the Hyde Park-concert given to the memory of Brian Jones, in 1969. It has a lot of details and interesting, deep, true stories about the 'Stones life and the sixties. Read about the club-gigs in the early years, the life on Edith Groove in London, the great tours in the mid-60's, the US-visits, the drug-busts in 1967, the truth about Brian, and much, much more.

If you are a Clapton fan and need 300 pages of reassurance that he is a a gifted musician, then put this book at the top of your shopping list. If, however, you are looking for an objective assessment of his life, career and impact as a musician you'll need to look elsewhere.

Clapton and Coleman were close friends and this book is essentially a 300-page french kiss, as most third-party "authorized biographies" are. It's hard to imagine a book with more postive editorializing adjectives per page (briliant, superb, amazing, stunning.)

Clapton's failed marriages are glossed over in a paragraph or so and his heroin addiction is treated like a valiant and ultimately positive "adventure." The author throws out all prentense of neutrality by the end of the first chapter.

Coleman is capable of superb work, as his definitive biography of John Lennon shows. One can only hope that someday someone will do a similar treatment of Clapton's life. This isn't it by a long stretch.

If you are in the market for a first-rate biography of a great guitarist, consider Jimi Hendrix: Electric Gypsy.

Ray Coleman was granted amazing access to Eric, his family and friends. This is the best book on the market about Eric as a person. Roberty's books are more comprehensive about his music, but the late, great Melody Maker editor Ray Coleman knew and loved Eric for many years, and has rare insight.

This book has it all from pictures to journal writings. This book tells about EC's struggles as a young boy in art school to his marriage and even about his drug habits. This book is number one in my book and always will. It is a must read.

I have been a fan of Phil's since 1980 and have gone to many concerts. His talent is beyond belief, leaving me in awe after every show. I nearly fainted when he almost touched my hand at a Great Woods concert. From this book, I wanted to learn more about Phil Collins the incredibly talented and driven individual. The book spent too much time on the struggle and strife in his life and not enough on the triumphs of a man who saw his star in the sky and never stopped, even after surpassing it. I seek to find out more about my musical hero because this book did not satisfy me. Phil, can we hear "Both Sides" of the story?

This was such a great book and I know that any Phil Collins fan would enjoy reading it as much as I did. It shows Phil as a real person, even though we all look up to him in awe because of his great artistic talents. I know that after reading this book, I still feel the same way I did about Phil. That is, if someone asked me, Dalia, if you could meet anyone, I mean anyone and just spend the evening chatting, who would it be? My answer would still be Phil Collins,of course! I write poetry and would love to make them into songs and would love Phils' advice and maybe he could give me some pointers. The one thing that suprised me though, was what his mom said about his current wife, Orianne. "I hope she doesn't change, and if she does, I hope I'm not around to pick up the pieces." Phil is a big boy and his choices in his life, were his choices, some good, some bad and maybe he just grew apart from his first wife and his second wife lived too much for him and never developed any interest outside their marriage. But Orianne and Phil, I wish you the best and hope for you two, a long life together.

After being a fan of Phil Collins for many years I was pleased to discover the biography of this highly talented man. The book delved into his personal and public life in a very thorough manner and unveiled many personal and professional qualities of Phil, from his upbringing, through his times with Genesis, the birth of his controversional solo career through to the current day. I was enthralled by the very precise way in which all aspects of his life were covered especially that of his marriages, his relationships with his wives, children,& co-workers and his dedication to his art. This book gave me great insight into what has made Phil the astute performer and person that he is today. Not all of the aspects of the biography were in Phil's favour (for example,incidences where he revealed his fiery temperament) but I credit the author for this as it allows for the reader to gain his own insight and opinion on who the real Phil Collins is as a person. This biography enlightened me on the life and times of a wonderful person who is a credit to the music industry, a dedicated man who revealed his most personal life to his fans through his art. I believe that this is a must read for any Phil Collins fan. It is not one sided, nor does it intend to influence your opinion. Read it for yourself, allow yourself the oppurtunity to learn more on this remarkable man.

This book covers the original Rolling Stones from their early beginings the way that only an insider can tell it. This is one of the few books that gives the late Brain Jones the credit he deserves regarding his vision for the group he formed and led! Much insight on the inner workings and behavior of the five young men from London who 's goal it was to sell the blues to their young English audiance and ultimately the world. What got in the way was personalities and ambitions. According to Wyman the original Rollin' Stones was a blues band headed by purist Brian Jones. Their early selections were those of Jimmy Reed, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Howlin Wolf and, the man who's song Rollin' Stone Blues they derived their name from, Muddy Waters. Although much of the book talks about Wyman's many many on the road affairs with groupies, too much in my opinion, it is a treasure chest of information about the early years and beginings of the world's greatest rock and roll band.

Thanks to the Rolling Stones' bass player Bill Wyman's neurotic habit of keeping journals and detailed records of nearly every aspect of his life, we have in this book a precious and rare opportunity to look at the formative days of the Rolling Stones. I am absolutely dumbfounded at other reviews which refer to this book as boring or concerned only with uninteresting details of mundane matters. The book is a witty, compelling and fascinating account of how a devotee of the American Blues genre named Brian Jones, plucked the title of a Muddy Waters record called "Rollin' Stone Blues", and used it as the name of the band he formed to jam on the blues for the pure pleasure of it. Only later through chance meetings, serendipity, and fate did musicians Bill Wyman, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Charlie Watts cross his path and redirect the band's musical focus towards original songwriting and pop stardom, leading to the ultimate unraveling of Brian Jones's mental stability which eventually let to his untimely death by drug-induced drowning. Contrary to bizarre assertions by other reviewers that Bill Wyman was a vindictive malcontent, and a jealous and egotistical songwriting competitor to the Jagger/Richards team, Mr. Wyman was and is a quiet, fun-loving, and happy person with a droll sense of humor. Of course the Stones had their differences, fights, spats, and arguments just like every group of people involved in long-term relationships, and these are related with honesty here. Wyman in fact uses most of this book as a vehicle to express his love and admiration for his fellow Stones and at the genius of The Glimmer Twins (Jagger and Richards). Rarely tooting his own horn as a songwriter, Wyman does at one point wryly relate the tale of how HE and not Jagger and Richards came up with the lick for one of the Stones' most compelling songs "Jumpin' Jack Flash", for which he was never given credit. The first-hand recounting of the band's sudden rise to stardom, from the dismal empty clubs in England to the world stage, is compelling reading and the stories of the groupies, the band's exact pay at every gig, the financial debacles, and eventually their monetary revival which occured after Mick Jagger met a Swiss Baron who took over the Stone's books, are all vital statements of fact, valuable lessons to musicians of today and an integral part of the story of one of the greatest bands of all time. Ray Coleman does an exemplary job of working with Wyman and turning out one of the great books of rock. Thank you Bill and Ray for this amazing record of a legendary period!

This may seem a bit odd but my two favorite Stones were always Charlie Watts & Bill Wyman. They were the rock solid rhythm foundation for the band. They never recieved the press that the others did but the band would never have flown without them, and I am a Stones fan from 1963. This book reveals Bill's life as a child growing up in England, experiencing the trials and tribulations of war torn London. Accounts of his family life and the first bands that he ever played with, not to mention the history of the Stones and his relationships with each of the members, his marriages and children and countless other issues and information, plus fantastic photos and many rare shots of the band in the early days. This is a wonderful read and not to be missed. I highly recommend this book. You will be amazed at much of the factual information.

The biography of the Beatles manager which gets to grips with the enigma that was Brian Epstein.
Ray Coleman examines Epstein's life with telling contributions from family and friends and the artistes and business associates who populated his brief life.
Epstein's childhood and adolescence are sensitively probed with Coleman playing sleuth psychologist to good effect.
Interesting observations are made with regard to Brian's family and his peers. The author builds this picture of the young Brian Epstein skilfully.
Of course, the real meat of this story begins with Epstein's own discovery of The Beatles and Coleman doesen't disappoint. Aside from his own reflections of what drove Brian to enter a sphere alien to him, he ellicits some great contributions from the stars in Brian's stable (Cilla Black and Gerry Marsden, particularly). His business partners and rivals also get a good airing and the overall picture of the man and his devotion to his stable of chart-toppers becomes clearer with each page. Indeed, the many poignant examples of Brian's sheer love of The Beatles makes what happened towards the end unbearably painful to read.
As, it seems, with anything to do with The Beatles, there is a definite change of mood from mid 1965 onwards. From here on in melancholia is the watchword. I defy any reader not to feel a huge sadness at the way Brian Epstein's personality/character became imbued with negativity and chaos. The author pulls no punches as he guides us towards the ultimate despair.

I spent more time with reading this book more than my other Beatle books. Mr. Brian Epstein is very well brought out in this book than any other. Things writen in this book will be moved as the author describes almost every detail in the book. It has alot of interesting facts: The funny experiences Brian had in the military, how Brian was an off-and-on homosexual, his mood swings, the time he screamed with the other fans during a Beatle concert, problems he were having with his boyfriend Dizz, the relationship he had with the Beatles, cute pictures of him when he was a baby, and I could go on and on. Just read the book, Beatlefans interested in the Man who made The Beatles will enjoy it.

After reading other Coleman books I expected to read something new and informative about Paul McCartney. Instead I was spoonfed a repetitive and boring story of the development of the song "Yesterday". Pass on this one - it's definitely not worth the money.

As with all of Ray Coleman's books, this one is accurate and informative, but somewhat irritating in its obvious adoration of McCartney. Still a definitive account of the history of one of the most famous songs of all time. Also, it includes a comprehensive account of how Paul McCartney lost the chance to get the rights to the Lennon/McCartney songs when he was outbid by a former collaborator, Michael Jackson. A must-read for any Beatles fan, for this information if for nothing else.