Don Henley and David Marsh have collaborated on one of the most thought provoking environmental essays since the lengendary Henry David Thoreau. Don Henley has been at the forground of environmental issues for many years. Growing up in a small Texas town, Don has been heavily influenced by nature and the natural beauty that surrounds us. This is paticularly evident to anyone who has ever heard any of (Mr.Henley's/ The Eagle's)music. Many of Don's songs include images or scenes of nature. In "Heaven Is Under Our Feet", Don assembled some of today's prominent figures to give their analysis of the growing environmental issues that plague us today; and our children tomorrow. Hopefully by using "high profile" figures, more people will become aware of the problems that surround us in our everyday environment. The main message that I received from the book was that many people live in a state of apathy. People don't care what goes on around them as long as they get theirs. We need to change this way of thinking. We need to start thinking globally, instead of thinkig locally. The greatest resource we have is our children. The best gift we can give our children is a chance. A chance to experience nature as it was created. "HEAVEN IS UNDER OUR FEET AND ABOVE OUR HEADS"

Charles Rapp

By following the fate of one song Marsh gives us an excellent feel for how culture operates at a middle scale, somewhere between the micro-scale of individual performances and listenings and the macroscale of decades-long changes in musical styles. If you're interested in "memetics" but tired of empty bloviation about mind viruses and such, read this book and follow one musical meme on its tour of the memesphere.

Okay--truth be told, I bought this book as a joke. This book is no joke. Dave Marsh, an excellent writer, put together a real page-turner. (...)

Half way through this book I knew more about this rock song then I had ever wanted to know and then it kicked in to the history of Paul Revere and the Raiders. I keep on and she what other obscure trivia is to be revealed.

Although I vaguely noted the news stories when this band of idiots went on the road in 1993, I only ran across this book by chance three days ago. I read it in less than two. Although the whole idea of authors forming a rock band and doing a tour sounds pretty stupid and self-indulgent, the results were not only good for them, but surprisingly moving and inspiring for anyone who might read this book. I'm sure I enjoyed it no less than the two previous reviewers, but I'm a tough grader, so I gave it four stars.

I always knew Stephen King and Dave Barry were regular guys I would just love to meet and have a beer with, but what a shock to find out about the lovely, funny, human sides of Amy Tan, Barbara Kingsolver, Al Kooper (the musical director of this motley crew), Dave Marsh (rock critic and editor) and others!

I laughed 'til I cried over Barry's chapter. Everyone has his or her funny moments, but the chapters by Tan, Kingsolver, and Marsh are refreshingly touching and vulnerable, too.

Best quotes:

--King calls himself "a kind of Norman Rockwell version of Freddy Krueger"

--Kooper: "The mere fact that you're reading this right now is a testimony to the selfishness of twenty-three bored people."

--Roy Blount, Jr.: being on stage in a rock and roll band is "like being inside a forest fire that you're helping, however modestly, to spread"

--music critic Joel Selvin: "Most people seem to think critics are as useful as tits on a priest."

--Barry: "Our groupie budget is kinda low, so we're not getting top quality -- at times, they get a little angry at us and throw their walkers at us and stuff like that."

--Barry again: "...you can imagine how excited I was when I discovered Buddy Holly. Here was a guy who had glasses at least as flagrant as mine; a guy who did NOT look like a teen heartthrob, but more like the president of the Audiovisual Club, the kid who always ran the projector for educational films with titles like _The Story of Meat_."

--Tabitha King: "Greil Marcus informed me Southerners think the (...) they call coffee is coffee."

--Kingsolver: "...we all knew no amount of rehearsal could ever make us into a first-rate, or even cut-rate, or irate, or reprobate, rock and roll band."

There are tons of photos, black and white AND color (the ones of Tan in her black leather, chains, and whip for "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" and of Marsh in a white prom dress, spattered with ketchup and armed with a plastic knife to attack Stephen King during his showstopping rendition of "Teen Angel" are priceless), all shot by Tabitha King.

The book ends on a weak note: Ms. King is neither the writer nor the humorist that the others are, and Michael Dorris's fable-like reverie just kind of makes you go "huh?"

I'm kicking myself repeatedly for not buying the Rock Bottom Remainders video I saw in a cheapo rack at a Fred Meyer supermarket in Coos Bay, Oregon some years ago....

When Stephen King, Dave Barry, Amy Tan, Barbara Kingsolver, Dave Marsh and other famous authors formed an ad hoc rock band for a booksellers' convention, everyone--including them--saw it as a one-time lark. Their motto: "We play music as well as Metallica writes novels." But energized by the experience, and the fantasies and camaraderie it sparked, they decided to mount an East-Coast tour as The Rock-Bottom Remainders. In this book, each writer/musician? relates a chapter of the adventure from his or her own perspective. A lot of it is hilarious: most of Dave Barry's and Roy Blount, Jr.'s, contributions, for instance, as well as--surprise--much of Amy Tan's. But the book is also reflective, revealing, and at times surprisingly moving. This is a book for fans of any of the authors represented, for those curious about intersections of American pop culture, and for anyone who has ever dreamed of breaking out of the mold

Dave Barry, Kingsolver, Marsh and Stephen King and the rest. If you like books this one is for you

It was great to have the band members themselves give their view of things, but there's little that couldn't be summed up in a couple of pages. Instead you get countless variations on a few themes: John Fogerty loves the blues, CCR worked hard with John in control, John is a vindictive jerk.

It would have been nice to have heard from a broader range of people: childhood friends, early fans, etc.

if you love Creedence you'll love this book ,do yourslf a favour and read this book about your most favourite band . however not enough photos and they should have been in color .

I've enjoyed reading this book many times. I've like the fact that they talk about some of the good times.

Yeah, this book has a list of songs. But the book isn't about the list. It's about the music. More importantly, it's about the author's opinion's of the music. Dave Marsh is the greatest rock critic who ever lived. He truly loves rock music. And he is an extremely talented writer. He is very well able to communicate his feelings about music to the reader.

Dave doesn't just describe the songs. He also describes his own personal feelings for the songs - why it is that he feels the way that he does about the songs. Every one of these songs means something special to him, and each for a different reason. He also explains that the ordering of the songs is not really that important. The song that he picked for #1 isn't necessarily his all time favorite. In fact he doesn't really have an all time favorite.

Dave hates Reaganism. I mean, he really, really hates Reaganism. And he seems to have this habit of projecting his feelings about this subject on to other people. I mean, who would ever have guessed that the Police's "Every Breath You Take" is a criticism of the Reagan administration? (Dave, if you really believe in free speech, then please consider voting Libertarian! The Democrats in political office are just as much in favor of government censorship as the Republicans. The PMRC, the V-chip, censorship of the internet, etc.)

When I read a lot of the stuff in this book, I often end up saying to myself, "Yeah! That's exactly how I feel." Such as when Dave comments that it's somewhat odd that today's critics of modern music's lyrical content want to return to a more "innocent" era like the 1950s, when, in reality, Little Richard's music from that period was among the crudest, most sexually explicit to ever be recorded. I also agree with Dave that "She Loves You" is one of the Beatles' best songs. Yes, their music did grow more complex as the years went on. But it never got better. I also agree with him that "Love Child" by the Supremes is the best example in rock music of hope, optimism, and upward mobility within the lower class black community.

Dave has a true admiration, love, and respect for the major role that blacks have played in the history of rock music. Although I'm not going to go through the book and count, I would guess that approximately half of all the songs in this book are performed by black artists. And that makes a lot of sense.

Dave explains why he chose to make a list of songs, and not albums. But still, by looking at the songs, one can see a glimpse of what some of Dave's favorite albums might be. For example, the list includes 4 songs from the Pretenders' album "Learning to Crawl." I think that that may be the most songs from any non-compilation album, but I'm not sure. As far as compilations are concerned, Dave seems to be a big fan of Sly and the Family Stone's "Greatest Hits" album, the Motown boxed set "Hitsville U.S.A.," and any of the many Otis Redding compilations. Dave has great taste!

I don't always agree with Dave's opinions. For example, he likes Elvis Presley's version of "Hound Dog" better than Big Mama Thornton's, whereas I prefer Thornton's version. Even so, I still very much enjoyed reading what he wrote on this topic. Even though I don't agree with Dave's opinion, I still give him credit for having the opinion that he has. Besides, taste in music is just that, an opinion. Dave has such an enthusiasm and love of music, and he is so good at expressing his opinions, that even when I don't agree with him, I still love reading what he writes.

Buy this book! If you treasure the development of pop and rock music back to it's roots, you need to read this. Even though the selection is, naturally, American orientated, the British input to music development is there. You don't have to agree with the choices - but there lies the interest and the arguments - these are Dave Marsh's opinions, however he is very informed, and has lived in the best era for music. Even if your favourite song isn't there (mine happens to be), it should make review why you like the music that you like.

Dave Marsh makes the reader wish for an old hi-fi and an armful of "45's. The writing takes the reader back to sometimes wonderful, sometimes painful (sometimes wonderfully painful) memories that are all a part of the music we listened to growing up. The intensity comes as much from remembering what was going on when a particular song was on the radio as it does from the memory of the songs themselves.

Buy two, and send one to a good friend from back in the day. You will spend many happy hours arguing about whether "You've Lost That Lovin Feelin" evokes more memories that "Stay in My Corner"; and why "MacArthur's Park" made the list, but "Hey Jude" did not (or was that vice versa?)

Dave Marsh may be THE most pompous writer to ever cover popular music, and he is completely blind to his own prejudices. He is incapable of defending his analysis, but rather hands out his opinions with an air that utterly dismisses any thought that they might be anything short of proven fact.

In Springsteen, Marsh has a subject on which he is absolutely incapable of objectivity. According to Marsh, Springsteen has never written, much less recorded, a weak song. Marsh's attempt to assign profound meaning to mediocrities such as "Drive All Night" and "The Price You Pay" would be funny if not offered with such smug seriousness.

That said, the book offers much good early biographical information, even if it is very one-sided. However, an artist like Springsteen deserves the attention of a writer willing to be objective about the subject.

June 10, 2002

In 'Born To Run', biographer Dave Marsh successfully
immerses the reader in the origin and background of
both Bruce Springteen and the Jersey Shore of the
sixties and seventies. Some might chafe at the
occasionally purple prose (and praise), but Marsh's
tendency (not always forgivable) towards hyperbole
and emotionalism is indicative of the genuinely
live-or-die-with-Rock-And-Roll mandate by which its
subjects once lived their lives.

Particularly strong is the first half of the book,
wherein Marsh effectively paints New Jersey's
familial sixties Rock And Roll scene, the sort of
rebellious regional musical brewing pot that has
reinvented itself repeatedly across the continent
in any number of regions over the last thirty years.
The difference here is that Bruce's was the first
generation of working class youths to grow up in the
shadow of Elvis, and the Beatles, and Motown, and
rock's first great era. To these kids, Rock And Roll
was more than just something interesting to listen to
on your phonograph before supper. It was a revelation,
almost a religion.

Once the scene shifts to the late seventies and the
music industry, Marsh's take on things skews further.
His deification of Springsteen seems to be based on
little more than Bruce's having managed to not grow
a pot belly, "sell out", beat up his girlfriend, or
get busted for drugs. (Although, admittedly, that
does put the man in rare company for the times.)

The companion book to this effort, 'Glory Days', isn't
too interesting, but 'Born To Run', whether or not you
dig Bruce's music, packs a potent punch. As a glimpse
into an age of innocence and passion, it's inspiring
and re-readable . . .

. . . and it'll make you want to start a band and hit
the road.

From his early days as an anonymous cover band guitarist on the Jersey Shore in the 60's, to this tag as the 2nd coming of Bob Dylan, to his triumph on the covers of Time and Newsweek, to his protracted legal battles with his manager, to finally balancing commercial success and artistic integrity on the 1980 double LP 'The River', "Born to Run" covers Bruce Springsteen's career from the 70's as he emerged as one of rock's brightest stars.

Dave Marsh portrays Springsteen as nothing short of a rock god - a visionary whose singular focus on his music carried him to the top of the rock heirarchy, who cared way more about personal and artistic integrity than he ever did about making a buck, whose whose songwriting talent was so great he never wrote a bad song, and whose worst act (other than taking too long to make his albums)was to pull an Axl Rose and dive into the audience to stop a photographer (an ex-girlfriend no less) from taking unauthorized pics at a No Nukes concert.

Aside from Marsh's penchant for placing the Boss on a pedastal, there are alot of intersting facts, tidbits, stories and analysis of the music that make it an enjoyable if not quite easy read. If you are a fan or even interested in the Boss, this is an essential read.

All i have to say about this book is it was very boring.

It is a very short "quote" book, mostly consisting of statements from Bill Ward (The Drummer). Although interesting to read, the book lacked any other real veiwpoints from others that have been in the band. It would have been great to have a more balanced account from all the members of the band. Especially Ozzy osbourne & Tony Iommi. There are only a few quotes from these two, & lets face it, these guys are the ones who could have given us deeper insight into the wild ways of Black Sabbath in their Heyday! Overall, not bad.

Most band biographies are inaccurate and poorly done. This is usually because an author will quote somebody, then insert some of his own thoughts, and continue with another quote, giving the illusion that the band shares all the author's ideas. But "Black Sabbath : An Oral History (For the Record)" consists of all direct quotes, ordered by subject chonologically. Maybe not everybody is going to like this style, but after hearing SO many crazy Black Sabbath rumors over the years (like why was Ozzy fired, why did Glenn Hughes drop out of the 7th Star tour, what's this song about, why didn't the such-and-such reunion work out) I'm glad to finally hear the real deal, right from the horse's mouth. Also, Mike Stark (who conducted the interviews) writes an excellent introduction about the music of Black Sabbath. His praisingly creative descriptions of Ozzy Osbourne ("the banshee") and Ronnie James Dio ("The Sorcerer") were so dead-on!

There are many quotes from Bill Ward, which I was very pleased to see. With all the personal conflicts or collaborations that have gone on between Tony, Ozzy, Geezer, and Ronnie, I always wanted to hear what Bill's point of view was in all of this. It was also very refreshing to hear Ozzy and Ronnie complement each other.

The book covers the entire Black Sabbath history, from their beginnings on the streets of Birmingham, through all their 25 years worth of albums and line-ups, and finally to the Ozzfest reunions in 1997. I own the first edition, and the only glaring typo I noticed was "Ray Gillen" being replaced by "Ian Gillan" everywhere. I mentioned it to Mike, and he knew about it, was frustrated about it, but told me that he was hoping to get it fixed in the next edition.

Anyway, if you're a Black Sabbath fan, here's where to get the truth of those crazy stories once and for all. And some excellent anecdotes that I've never heard in any other interviews too.

While I can't say anything personal about David Marsh, this is a great book for the first half, until it hits on the mid-1970's. Then Marsh focuses less and less on the music. Tommy is covered a bit too much, but it is what the Who will be remembered for. The only problem I really had with the book was Marsh's total dislike of Face Dances and It's Hard. While these aren't the best Who albums, they are far from the embarrassment Marsh makes them out to be. Overall, a good introduction to the Who.

Dave Marsh can be an arrogant, snotty,and belligerent writer. Which is fitting as The Who often shared the same faults. Marsh does everything he possibly can to don the cloak of The Who and write as though he was one of them.

I agree with other reviewers in criticising the book's overall veracity. But that really is a small matter as "Before I Get Old" frequently is as entertaining as the group it documents.

Pete Townsend certainly is one of the few geniuses Rock music has produced. "Before I Get Old" certainly works extremely hard at presenting Townsend as Rock's All Father, a mantel Townsend himself worked very hard to develop. As a result, Townsend often comes off a real prententious jerk. But God, what great music he and his band mates produced out of their many disputes.

Marsh works hard at praising the contributions of Daltrey, Entwhistle and of course the incomparable Moon the Loon in producing some of the finest music Rock could ever hope to produce (boy, that was an arrogant statement- see the book rubs off. Marsh also never loses the fact that he is first and foremost a rabid fan. Maybe that is the book's biggest weakness, maybe it is the book's biggest strength. Marsh builds the case that The Who were the greatest Rock and Roll group of all time. An opinion I share (The Beatles are in a class all by them selves). He also makes the case that The Who really died with Keith Moon.

"Before I Get Old" is not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it will do until we get the definitive work. As is, this is a blast to read.

It seems to me that if you pick up a rock bio and expect to get something even close to the reality of what really went on, you are setting yourself up for a hard fall.

Dave Marsh does a really good job, however, at summing up the Who's career and belting out the facts with nice writing and concise direction. You're given behind the scenes looks at a lot of infighting, songs, albums, lives and careers and it all gels rather well together.

Marsh definitely has his opinions and is not hesitant in letting loose with them. I say good. Rock journalism is not the place for objectivity, just as rock n' roll is the essential forum to spill out everything you ever thought about everything. He has his biases and likes and it's nice to see because from that you understand that you are reading a Who fan's bio of the band. A much more well-informed fan than most, but basically, a fan.

The downside is also an upside. The downside being that almost all the quotes and personal asides in the book are taken from other interviews or films or whatnot, but that's also an upside. You get a collage view of the Who from their early days of snotty-punk-rock and their later days of fried-out elegance.

Pound for pound, in my book, the Who were the best band to come from the whole British invasion. And this book is as good a companion piece to the music as you're apt to find. Either it's this or waiting for their respective autobiographies....

Then you really won't know who to trust.

What can you say about a guide that doesn't give 5 Stars to Wire, The Replacements, Husker Du, The Pixies, New Order, Joy Division, David Bowie, or The Smiths. But they love Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, Bob Seger, and Jackson Browne. The book also blindly gives 5 Stars to the most popular artists, even on albums that overlap each other with the same songs. So if you followed RS advice, you would have several albums with very similar programming from the same artists.

This book has been very informative to me, but I've found some mistakes which makes me not sure if I should trust a lot of things from this book. I'm sure most of it is true, but still a book like this shouldn't have mistakes. One mistake being for Triumvirat saying that they were from Finland when they're really from Germany. Another mistake is under the discography for Spirit. It says the album, 12 Dreams Of Dr. Sardonicus, was released in 1967 when it was really released in 1971. I also do not agree with a lot of reviews in this book. I mean how could they give EVERY Black Sabbath album the same rating which was 1 star? This book also doesn't have complete discographies if the album wasn't released in the US which is annoying. It's also missing a lot of great bands such as Amon Düül II who deserve to be in the book.

I did enjoy the pictures from the first guide, but the unacceptable Rush bashing on the part of the 1979 reviewer annoys me tremendously. In any event, John Swenson does an excellent job of righting the wrong that Alan Niester once perpetuated. Other than that, I am not particularly fond of the denigration of Yes, esp. with respect to TALES FROM TOPOGRAPHIC OCEANS, however this book was very informative and I enjoyed it overall. IMHO, the only record guide that is comparable to this 1983 version is the ALL MUSIC GUIDE TO ROCK. As far as I am concerned, the 1992 guide was a waste of paper.