First off, this book is supposed to be a collection of "random notes for AC/DC obsessives," which a good deal of it really is. The problem is, even though this book is aimed at "AC/DC obsessives," the author is a man who merely believes that AC/DC used to be a pretty good band. He makes it very clear that he isn't a tremendous AC/DC fan, and that he has pretty much given up on the band since Back In Black was released. This wouldn't be such a big deal if he had stuck to writing articles for rock magazines, where being strongly opinionated is a good thing, but this is a book which is mostly going to be read by huge AC/DC fans such as myself. Calling much of AC/DC's work "rubbish" as Howard Johnson has in this book is not exactly the most endearing way to present his writing. If he wanted to write a book about AC/DC, he would have been better suited sticking to the Bon Scott era, because apparently everything Brian Johnson has ever sung on is total garbage, save for Back In Black. There are plenty of fans out there who believe that the time Bon Scott spent with AC/DC was the best six years of the band's existence, but to write an entire book from this viewpoint is just obnoxious when the book is to be presented to "AC/DC obsessives."

So now I've got that off my chest--on to the rest of the book. Fortunately, only about a quarter or so of the book is actually written by Johnson--the rest is either interviews with the band or fan stories. The fan stories are pretty interesting for the most part, especially the ones where fans visited key areas in AC/DC's career, such as where Bon lived during his years with the band, and the place where he sadly lost his life. Mostly the fan stories are a good read. Where the book really shines, I think, is in the band interviews. Every current member of the band has at least one fairly in-depth interview in the book, including some past members such as Dave Evans. These interviews are what make the book worth getting for the serious AC/DC fan.

However, you're likely better off going for "AC/DC: The Definitive History" if you're uninitiated or a big fan of all eras of AC/DC, not just the Bon Scott era. On the other hand, if you're a fan who believes the band was only great when Bon Scott was behind the mic, you'll probably enjoy this book. But personally, I listen to every bit of AC/DC because it's all AC/DC, and in the end that's what matters most. "AC/DC: The Definitive History" shares this viewpoint and presents the material in a much livelier, more fan-friendly fashion.

The title of this book, however, is great...and it's likely what I'd say to Howard if I confronted him on the street.

Let's face it, if you've read one AC/DC book, you've pretty much read them all. Then only difference is what year they were published. This one IS different, though.
First off, let's make it clear--this is not really a book focusing on AC/DC. This book assumes that the buyer already knows about the band, the history, the music. It doesn't mess around too much in the bio department, opting only for little sidebars about present and past members of the band.
This book is really more about the fans for the fans. Random notes, as the title says. The book goes over various fans' experiences, from internet site webmasters to people who knew the band when they were fresh faced and living in London in the '70s. The book has testimonials from fans not only about meeting the band, but about excursions made to places important in AC/DC history, like Bon's final resting place in Freemantle or old haunts in various areas of London.
All of these essays and notes are intertwined with the author's own experience listening to the band throughout the years. It's clear the author is not a manic fan of the band, but it is apparent that, even though he feels the band's best days are behind them, he still has a great respect for them and finds them entertaining still. Some people may find the author's views out of place in the book, but I think it provides a good contrast to some of the notes in the book about the more fanatical followers. It illustrates that there are many different kinds of AC/DC fans, and they're all welcome to rock along together.
Over all, this is a refreshing book. Instead of beating the same old AC/DC anecdotes into the ground, the author went out on a limb and created a book aimed at and about people who love the best band in the world. I think it works!

Bob Dylan is indeed a legend and part of the Bohemian 60's folk-rock culture. For anyone who grew up in the 60's, names like Dylan and Joan Baez were the ultimate in folk music. As most of us know, Dylan eventually made a transition from folk to rock. Through the pages of this book, you will read about his personal relationship with Joan Baez, his marriage to Sara Lownds, and a somewhat discreet marriage to one of his back-up singers, with whom he had a child. The author has completed extensive interviews with those closest to Dylan and also discussed his motorcycle accident in 1966 and heart problems encountered in 1997. Dylan has explored many paths and crossed many bridges in his lifetime, and Sounes has captured much of Dylan's successes, trials and tribulations. If there is a downside to the book, it is the focal point, itself. The author seems somewhat preoccupied with the nitty-gritty events of Dylan's "steamy personal life" as opposed to the legendary acclaim of his career. If this is the aspect of Dylan's life that grabs your attention, you will not be disappointed. There are times, however, when the book reads like a glorified tabloid magazine, only in greater detail.

"Down the Highway" will, no doubt, compete for popularity with Clinton Heylin's, "Bob Dylan: Behind the Shades". Heylin's book, on the other hand, concentrates more on the analysis of Dylan's career as opposed to the juicy little details of his romantic life. The reader will need to decide, which aspect of Dylan's life is of greater interest; personally, if you are a devote Dylan fan, I would recommend you read both books.

Punchy prose. Packed with new info. Extraordinary research job. Exhaustive source notes. Great photos. With all that going for it, this stands as the definitive Dylan biography - at least as far as regular readers are concerned. It gives the whole story, just just one part, and does so in a style that is easy and pleasurable to read. Also, Bobby D is placed in historical and cultural context - from the Grand Ole Opry thru to endorsing the Apple iMac. Forty years of history pass by like a July 4th parade - all the characters from the Beats to President Clinton to the Grateful Dead, punk music the lot. This is the first Dylan book I've read that tells me what this guy is like in his private life, and that's always been fascinating and elusive. Never a dull moment.

I have been completely wrapped up in this book for three days and the deep mood of Dylan's troubled genius stays with me. I have always appreciated his music. My opinion of the man is both better and worse as a result of reading this story. Many details of his very hidden life were illustrated here and who he is in relationship with the people around him. He would not have been an easy friend, but perhaps neither would Van Gough. The author does a delicate dance of informing the reader based on interviews, research, and personal experience. He crosses the line in a few obvious places with opinion and theory, but keeps it to a minimum. This is an amazing illustration of a superstar who has tried to keep his personal life to himself, and continue to do his job as a poet and musical performer. I was delighted to find that the story ended with Dylan on the road to the only concert I have ever seen of his, and the concert was brilliant.

Written by U.K.-based authors Howard Elson and John Brunton and published in 1981 [with a Foreword by Gene Pitney] this 159-page book covers a multitude of artists in alphabetical order from America to The Zombies, giving you a bit of information on their careers, and where they are "today."

Problem is, not only is it sadly out-of-date [a lot of the principals have since passed away - e.g. The Singing Nun], but from a North American's perspective, it dwells too much on artists virtually unheard of on this side of the Atlantic [or Pacific]. I mean, Aphrodite's Child? Jack Bruce? Jimmy Cliff? John Leyton? Alvin Stardust?

Not only do we not care "what happened to them" - most of us never even heard of them!!

When I picked up my copy in a "bargain bin" [fifteen years ago] at least some of the information was factual at that time. Why it's still available is anyone's guess.

Still, there are some decent photos inside and, at the price asked, not a bad bargain.

I was one of the people that worked with Howard DeWitt on this book project and I loaned him access to my countless Elvis pictures and photos in exchange for a copy of this book which I never received. After reading the book, there are several typing errors, not to mention the fact that Howard seems to be his own Best Critic. Save your money on this dry and boring book and spend it on a good steak. Sincerely, Rockin' Robin

I was fontunate enough over the years to see Elvis in concert 72 times from Feb. 1970 through Dec. 1976 mostly in Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe, but also Oakland and San Francisco. Over the years Elvis began to remember who I was and one night in Las Vegas as the band started to play Polk Salad Annie, Elvis walked over to me and said "Rockin' Robin" and pointed down to me as he had given me a scarf earlier that evening. Oh sweet memories, so long ago. Over the years since 1988 I have been on several talk shows such as Geraldo, Oprah Winfrey, Joan Rivers and Vicki Lawrence and have consulted on several book projects related to Elvis and the continuing efforts to TCB in his memory.