Colored by the recent break up of The Beatles, Lennon Remembers can't completely be taken at face value. Lennon himself later dismissed many of the comments he makes in the book. Still, there are many sections where Lennon comes clean about The Beatles and his own problems. While it lacks objectivity, Lennon Remembers does provide a snapshot glimpse into The Beatles and their contemporaries that other books fail to do.

There's a boatload of bitterness that colors Lennon's comments about his working relationship with Paul McCartney. Lennon would later retract many of the things he said and elaborate on why he fibbed or didn't tell the whole story. For a fuller, more complete view of The Beatles and Lennon, I'd recommend Lennon's Playboy interview published shortly before his death as well as The Beatles Anthology. Both provide a bit of fair balance missing from Jann Werner's interview. Lennon himself was initially upset when Werner published these interviews in book form as he agreed to do them provided that didn't occur.

In the "Forward" by Yoko Ono, she says, "There was no one like him and there never will be. And I miss him." If you are like me, I'm sure you will agree that these are the truest words in the book for each of us. All profits from this book go to gun control projects.

Let me describe what this book is. It contains a fully retranscribed and corrected complete text of the interview that Jann Wenner did with John Lennon and Yoko Ono in early December 1970, parts of which later appeared in Rolling Stone. Much of this material you have never read before. There are also reproductions of Lennon's handwritten notes of song lyrics from the album "John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band" that are discussed in the interview.

In the introduction to this new edition, Jann Wenner characterizes the material here as "a candid, often painful, running commentary on fresh and urgent matters . . . and a self-portrait . . . ." "[I]n 1970 the Beatles were the biggest phenomenon on earth . . . ." [This was] "the first time . . . any of the Beatles stepped outside of that protected beloved fairy tale and told the truth." John Lennon later said that he didn't really believe everything he divulged in this interview. But it sounds pretty real to me as I reread it now. This is a man in intense psychological pain, and who has been for some time.

What, then, is revealed in the book? Aside from the usual stories about drugs and sex from touring, what struck me as most interesting was that Lennon considered what the Beatles had been a fraud artistically. "We were just a band who made it very, very big -- that's all." "But as soon as we made it, the edges were knocked off." "I'm not technically very good [on guitar]." ". . . I don't like many of the Beatles records either." "The only true songs I ever wrote were 'Help!' and 'Strawberry Fields.'"

His other source of pain was the reaction that Paul McCartney and George Harrison had to Yoko Ono. "They despised her." "They insulted her and they still do." "Ringo was alright and so was Maureen [Ringo's wife then]."

The commitment to peace is described often, and without the anger, pain, and regret that show up with all the other subjects. You feel like that was the only area where he could continually be himself. The interview is laced with constant references to his need "to be real."

He expressed a lot of regrets about having been a Beatle. "If I could be a f . . . ing [offensive word shortened] fisherman, I would!" "One has to completely humiliate oneself to be what the Beatles were, and that's what I resent." The interview contains many stories about how the families of local politicians and police departments would invade their privacy in offensive ways to Lennon.

The interview also goes into the details of the Beatles' breakup, contradicting the public story originally put out by Paul McCartney.

Music fans will enjoy his candid comments about the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, and other well-known recording artists.

On the other hand, he is encouraged about the future. He describes his new album with Yoko Ono as "the best thing I've ever done." He also finds his relationship with her to be rewarding emotionally and artistically. She is open to new influences, and helps him to be also. We owe her a debt of gratitude for granting permission to release this new book. It must be painful for her now.

His hopes for the future were the most poignant part of the book:

"Do you have pictures of 'When I'm 64?'"

"No, no. I hope we're a nice old couple . . . looking at a scrapbook of madness."

After you have finished savoring this searing dialogue, I suggest that you ask yourself the kind of questions that John Lennon was asking. How real is your life? Are you doing what you think is important? How can you start doing better? If you do this, you will be honoring the best part of John Lennon's wonderful legacy to us all.

Be real and be at peace!

If you have any interest whatsoever in the life of John Lennon or his take on Beatle history, this book is a must. The read is fascinating; spat out with dizzying wit, brilliance, venom and passion by Lennon at the apex of his primal scream years. Whereas Lennon's views changed several times in his life -- and certainly softened by the time of his death -- there is nothing false from the man who would soon cry, "Gimme Some Truth". This was John's world in 1970...politics, love, then-contemporary musicians (esp. Mick and Dylan, here called Zimmerman), The Beatles, his past and his dreams of the future. When he recounts his wish for where he'll be with Yoko, "When (he's) 64" it's heartbreaking...especially since Oct. 9th, 2000 would have been his 60th birthday. Forget all the revisionism and theorizing from those whose agenda is only to sell a book. Revel in Lennon's own words. You won't want to put it down.

Yes, this was a welcomed book, with the rare photos of obscure and not-so-obscure groups, the interviews with the players, the histories of the groups, and the discographies.

But. I want more. I want better. I want authoritative. And this just ain't that. Unfortunately, given the subject matter, there aren't going to be all that many chances to get what I want unless and until I write it myself. (The last, and first, book to cover this subject matter was "Girl Groups: The Story Of A Sound" back in the mid-1980s.)

Since the publication of Clemente's book, the online girl-group community has lifted him to near-godhead status, and I've heard not a peep of criticism: when you're starving, anything's better than nothing. But I think the book has obvious problems and these should be pointed out.

Despite Clemente's good intentions and obvious love for his subject matter, his writing is mundane, repetitive and often irritating. (Is there an editor in the house??) Worse is his lack of perspective/criticism: every girl group or female singer is just fa-a-abulous, so we don't get much insight into musical quality -- just a not very well-written cheerleader's surface story of when, who and how. Very little about the output --the "what", except, of course, that it's fa-a-abulous. Later I found, through a chat-list Clemente was on, that this may have been a quid pro quo for the interviews: he revealed in one post that he wasn't really much of a fan of, or that knowledgeable about, at least one of the groups' music, that of Reparata & the Delrons, but you wouldn't know it from their section in the book. For me, this cast doubt on the honesty of the whole project.

I've found several omissions in his discographies which could easily have been rectified with a quick check of other, reliable sources. Some of the histories are incomplete: While his piece on the Angels is in-depth and informative as far as it goes, their later-60's, early-70's story is truncated (and there is a story there still waiting to be told). ...And WHO designed that ugly cover?!

It's frustrating that books on this topic are so rare that an inferior book such as this one becomes a Bible.

This is as close to a definitive book on the Girl Group genre as you are likely to find... unless John Clemente decides to write a sequel, including the groups he had to leave out due to space limitations.

He corrects many of the mistakes made in Alan Betrock's book on the same subject. This book sets the record straight. The discographies are amazing. The interviews and rare pics are terrific. Any fan would be pleased.

If I have a complaint, it's that some groups have been left out. How can you include the Go-Go's but not the Bangles? As I said, space must have been the issue. Let's hope there is a volume 2 in the works.

There have been a lot of books and videos about girl groups but all them involved large, really large, gaps of information, missing names, erroneous information and so on. John Clemente amazingly gets it all down, all correct and every little detail in. How he did it I don't know. This book is fabulous and endlessly rereadable. And you will love the rare photos.

I knew these guys and EVERYONE in the band contributed to their success. This book is a piece of John Kay self serving fantasy. When John left the band in the late 70's to persue a solo career he tried, unsuccessfully at that time, to block the other members from performing under the name Steppenwolf. Why? They worked just as hard to make the band a success. They wrote many of the hits John takes credit for in his book and they contributed just as much to Steppenwolf's sound and unique style. When performing during this period the band was every bit as good without him as they ever were with him. Only when he realized that there were fans ($$) still out there and that there was still money to be made from the Steppenwolf name did he re-associate himself with the band. Nick St. Nicolas, Goldy McJohn et-al NEVER broke the faith with their thousands of loyal fans. Just recently Nick won a long legal battle over song rights unjustly clamed by John. John Kay is, and will always remain, his own biggest fan. This book is nothing more than a monument to a monumental ego.

This is a must for die-hard Steppenwolf fans and I've been one since 1968 when my brother and I got their first album. This is an excellent book with no holds barred. John Kay and Einarsson has written a great book. There has been so much talk about the
legal battles after the bogus band appeared and wrecked the name of Steppenwolf in the eighties, but John Kay is frank and let all living past members come forward and tell their version.
Kay isn't holding things back from his personal life as well which makes it very interesting, especially when you know about his background. I've been fortunate enough to travel with the band on several tours in Germany, Denmark and Sweden and has always found John Kay and his fellow bandmenbers Michael Wilk, Ron Hurst and Danny Johnson and their crew to be nicest of
people. I only have one complaint about the book: It's too short!

i really enjoyed this book.it told me many things i never knew about john kay,like the fact that he has never ridden a motorcycle because he is legally blind...yes it is written from his perspective but his version is a very important one.this book was an easy read and it kept me interested in it through out the whole thing.as a follow up to the book i watched the vh1
behind the music about steppenwolf which confirmed most of the things in the book..in my opinion i do think john should forgive the other guys or at least come to peace with it and them .we all do a lot of dumb things in life thats why we need friends to help us get back up again.i hope the wolf continues to rock much longer!its never too late to start all over again.

This is a well written and fascinating step by step, blow by blow account of the Beatles' daily lives as well as a good general overview of the band's inception and break up. I liked the way the author gave great detail to the myth about Paul's "death" and his equally mythical "twin" who filled in for him.

Although there are a few grammatical issues, this book is sure to delight most Beatles fans with its sharp, trenchant writing style. The individualized treatment each Beatle receives makes this well worth the read.

I would give the book a thumbs up for creativity and entertainment value. The story is kind of creepy with the idea of Paul being killed and replaced but it makes for a good read. I can imagine those who see Paul as some kind of God would not like it, but that is what helps make it a great book. Political red-necks would not like it as it is true to the politics of the 60s when the group led the drug and anti-war call. I also believe the story could be true as it fits the real biography of the Beatles, its way accurate.

I have heard of the great "Paul Is Dead" rumor. After reading this book I don't believe it is a rumor anymore!!! It is pretty tight and believable in its presentation as a story of the Beatle experience (from a Beatle standpoint) and his death and replacement.

... of the autobiographical stuff in the first part of the book. John's good at telling what and how, not so good at delving into the why. Whose bright idea was it to use heroin? Why can't he muster anything warmer toward the Beatles than "I bear them no ill will"? Why did he and Yoko allow themselves to get sucked into the revolutionary peace movement when he plainly says it was at odds with his own beliefs? The few morsels we get here really make me wish he had sat down long enough to write a proper autobiography. I guess he figured he had plenty of time... or else had already said what he wanted to say in his songs.

In the later writings, certain turns of phrase and wordplay jump out amidst the (sometimes unreadable) jumble of a restless and always innovative mind. This is a man in love with language for its own sake - "making sense" is beside the point. But it's quite obvious that had he wanted to write stories that made sense in the conventional way, he would've been damn good at it.

The drawings are spare of line, but full of charm. Pretty much like the man himself.

Skywriting by word of mouth. A very interesting book filled with very unique passages of writings and prose. I have read of all of John Lennon's works, and this one stands out to me. Like his other writings (In His Own Write and A Spaniard in the Works), there is a style that incorporates wit, charm, humour, with a whole pile of puns: "He was very attached to his dog" takes a literal turn. Unlike his other writings, Skywriting is a culmination of many short stories with several resurfacing characters that can be understood, to a point. All-in-all, this is a book that is sure to provide amusement.

Anyone who enjoys Edward Lear will love Lennon's book of nonsense. He masterfully crafts the English language to suit his desires and needs, giving the reader a non-sensical trip into his before-his-time mind. Filled with classic Lennon-isms, Skywriting is a must for any fan of John's. There is something new to be seen every time you pick it up!

There have only been a few books that have really looked into the Man, the Artist and the Legend that Elton John is. The earlier book by Philip Norman on Elton John was a fairly good book, but what he did in his updated version, which came out in 2000,was updated but in such a distasteful way with only 15 pages to cover to what was a very fruitful period for Elton from 1991-1999. But this new book by Elizabeth Rosenthal has over 100 pages on the same timeframe. The book is so current that she even has a complete track listing for Elton's most recent Album Songs From The West Coast released this month. But Rosenthal unlike Norman is a true Elton Fan who has seen him numerous times and has a huge collection of Elton stuff. The book is informative yet easy to read even to non die hard fans. She talks about practically every song from every album. The many tours that Elton has done over the years are mentioned with a lot of information like what songs were in that tours set list. And if the tour featured some bad moments she isn't afraid to divulge what happened no matter how negative. Elton has had an incredible amount of success on the billboard charts and HIS SONG does an incredible job of recording that with every single and album has its full charting info. It evens mentions how a few songs should have been hits. Elton has been in numerous television programs, done countless interviews, and has had many reviews of his recorded work and live appearances. Liz has gone through that vast body of stuff and that what makes that book so informative because due to that work it makes that part of Elton come out clear to the reader. Elton's lyrics have been very interesting over the years so Rosenthal points out excerpts to many songs to give a feel of the song. I also like how she uses a fitting song lyric of that part of the book to break up sections. But what makes the book so great is that even though I know a lot about Elton John she has done so much research that the book has some details that I just did not know or that the book gives me a new perspective on something that I thought. And to top it all it has a very detailed Discography US and UK with some releases that I wasn't familiar with before. So if you are looking for a book about Elton John the best choice without a doubt in my opinion is His Song- The Musical Journey of Elton John by Elizabeth J. Rosenthal

This book has been such a great help to me in understanding Elton John's music, and understanding the man. His incredible life is very well told. You can really 'feel' the particular times he was going through throughout his life. The songs and albums are so excellently detailed that you can almost hear the music coming from the pages. Ms. Rosenthal really knows her music and surely knows Elton's music to the 't'. Also you come to know what every song is about, where there may have been mysteries about some. I am also particularly interested in the different tours Elton has been on and I just love the way she writes about these tours. There is no other Elton John book like this. After over 30 years of some of the best pop/rock music ever created, someone FINALLY came along to do justice to this music and explain it in ways we have never heard before. This book is a MUST for all Elton John fans. Both hard core fans and borderline fans. Thank you Liz!!!

Elizabeth Rosenthal's His Song: The Musical Journey of Elton John is a beautiful writing, incredibly detailed account of the music of one rock & roll's biggest icons. The book is a hefty tome that examines all of Sir Elton's songs in illuminating detail as well as other aspects of his career. The book is reverently but not fanatically so and Ms. Rosenthal heaps praise and dishes criticism where necessary and in general has written the best book on Elton John's career. If you are a fan of Elton John, then this book is an absolute must read. Even if you are not a big fan, this book is well written and worth examining.

I'm a beginner at rock climbing and reading this book for instructional purposes. While it does a good job of explaining fundamentals I have found certain sections difficult to follow - often times different moves will be referecned before the section that explains them (sometimes with a referencing page, sometimes without). I also found it poorly edited in some spots - mis-refenced pages, paragraphs seemingly in wrong order (ie. pg 62 claims there is a "taping" illustration on pg 60, it is clearly on pg 63; the last and second to last paragraphs on page 63 seem to be flip flopped).

This is undeniably one of the major "textbooks" on rock climbing, and contains a great deal of useful information. Yet it has some rather disturbing flaws. Firstly, even though I read the 1998 edition, outdated information from earlier editions had not been updated. At times I felt like I was reading a book describing rock climbing in some parallel universe: Long refers to brands and items of gear not currently in existence (what's a Salewa Antz?) and some recommended techniques (tying into a trad anchor with the rope rather than with slings or a cordelette) are very rarely, in my experience, used. The text often makes references which will prove confusing for the beginner, and would benefit from a better glossary. The 1998 edition also has some sections so full of misspellings that they appear to have been written by a quasi-literate person. In summary, everything in this book is good information, but some of it is not entirely relevant to the way climbing is done today, and some of it is presented in an unclear manner.

It does an outstanding job of covering the basics in easy to understand terms, it goes over both technique and equipment. The only thing I would like to see is a more comprehensive glossary, there are a few terms not covered.

True Buffalo Springfield aficionados will be excited that this high-quality book is available, documenting the short but spectacular career of the seminal 60's band. Although too many typos, and some awkward sentences slightly diminish the book's literary attributes, it is nonetheless a fascinating and accurate chronicle of how Stephen Stills, Neil Young, Richie Furay, Bruce Palmer and Dewey Martin came together from far-flung locations and synergized into this all-time group. The individual bios of the band members are extremely interesting, descriptions of the heady Sunset Strip club days enthralling, and accounts of group crash pads, groupies, jams and friendships with such diverse legends as Jimi Hendrix and Peter Tork absorbing. I was a slightly too-young teen to participate in the Hollywood scene or attend the nightly shows by not only Buffalo Springfield, but The Doors, The Byrds, and so many others, so I'm happy for this book whichs evokes in me the excitement, the dreams, the disappointments and the triumphs of the times. Towards the end of the book, we learn the causes of the group's breakup and get a compelling comparative description of how Stephen Stills and Neil Young exploded into large-scale success stories, while Richie Furay struggled, and Bruce Palmer and Dewey Martin foundered. A great book for readers seeking inside knowledge of the times and places of this great band from the magical 60's music period.

This is an outstanding book on what I still feel(after 33 years)is the best band ever. The one aspect that I appreciated about John Einarson's approach,is that he refuses to draw conclusions on each Bandmate,as to who was responcible for the Band's demise.Instead,one is given everyone's take.I cannot say enough for Ritchie Furay's contribution. For one who was literally stuck in the middle of a sometime's maelstrom,his love and respect for each one of his Bandmates shines all throughout each page.No one could have written a better account.

I can't see why the other reviewers don't rate this a 5 star. I've read all the other CSNY books and this one really has the scoop plus there is a tremendous amount of content in this long narrative. One of the things that I enjoyed most about the music of this era were the characters involved. This is the band that spawned Stephen Stills, Neil Young, CSN, CSNY, Loggins & Messina, Poco, (in a way, the Eagles). This was the best of folk rock and yet Buffalo Springfield was largely a disappointment. This band played at my high school for an after-school assembly and what I remember was that the PA system went out. This book recalls that moment. I think the real fans of this era will really enjoy this book...it should have sold more copies.

This book, which is readily found in almost all bookstores locally, is an interesting read for those interested in music. It is very useful reference in that it contains a great deal of information about major rock bands - including long out of print albums and all the tracks on them, chart placings in the UK and US, and infornation on singles released.

Basically, each artist's releases are listed in chronological order with tracks and UK and US peak chart placings (if any - note that a line in the box indicates that the album never got a domestic release in the relevant country). Each artist discussed is summarised through each album and the way in which it fared both critically and commercially. In the list of albums, band line-up changes are mentioned as they occur, though full line-ups are not given for each album to make the book still easier to understand.

The albums are rated on a scale from (*0) - only one case in the whole book - to (*10) for the best albums, but, like so much rock criticism, the ratings are inconsistent and never explained with any clarity whatsoever. This is especially true of later releases by established artists, almost all of which are panned whether there is a good reason or not for doing so.

The guide is very good in that it is very easy to read because of its layout, but, with the exception of a small number of extremely popular artists it neglects the less "rock" styles of popular music such as r and b almost entirely - and because it is British, artists receiving no interest outside the US are left undiscussed. This makes it a bit problematic for a serious study of pop music.

On the whole, a very useful reference work for the student if little more than that.

...Measuring a little over 8 inches wide by 11½ inches long, and 2 inches thick, it has 1109 pages and must weigh two pounds. Not something you want to be reading in bed and doze off. risking a broken nose.

The effort that went into its compilation can only be described as monumental, as it provides single and LP discographies on MANY [but not nearly all] of the North American artists who formed the genre known as R&R, as well as some of those who ensured its continuation in the music scene in the 1970s to 1990s.

Are there faults? Well, as with any endeavour this ambitious, it's going to be difficult to please everyone. First of all, there are some who will wish it came with some sort of Rosetta Stone to help decipher the author's rather unique method of recording various details, rather than the equally-confusing single page headed "How To Read This Book." [It CAN be done - it just takes a little practice]

Secondly, from the point of view of this collector of North American singles hits, it would have been better had the author compiled a North American edition which included only those British and European artists and groups we've at least HEARD about over here. Obviously, that would include those like Abba, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Dave Clark Five, etc., along with lesser-known but still identifiable artists such as Adam & The Ants, Madness, and Jan-Michel Jarre. They're all in the book.

But there are way too many like Aphex Twin, Apollo 440, Arab Strap, Syd Barrett, Basement Jaxx, Lloyd Cole, dEUS, Fluke, Goldie, Roy Harper, Inspiral Carpets, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Kula Shaker, etc., etc., that precious few on this side of the Atlantic know, let alone collect.

And while literally hundreds of such artists are included -and, I'm sure, are of great benefit to U.K. and European collectors - there are also far too many North American greats omitted. Among these are the likes of Bobby Darin, Gene Pitney, Brenda Lee [all three in the R&R Hall Of Fame in Cleveland], Connie Francis [who SHOULD be], Ivory Joe Hunter, Pat Boone [YES, Pat Boone in spite of the opinions of Rolling Stone and others], Chubby Checker, The Fleetwoods, The Drifters, The Coasters, The Four Seasons - etc., etc. For that reason alone I had to deduct one star.

Thirdly, there are also annoying little errors, such as appears in the Buddy Holly portion. According to the details listed, with the exception of the first two single releases by Decca in 1956, all other North American releases were on Decca's Coral subsidiary.

In actual fact, Decca muddied the waters back then by alternatingly releasing one single on their Brunswick subsidiary as by The Crickets and another on Coral as by Buddy Holly & The Crickets - sometimes literally within days of one another [e.g., Peggy Sue by Buddy Holly & The Crickets on Coral which made its debut on the North American charts on November 11, 1957, and Oh, Boy by The Crickets which debuted on November 25!] No mention is made of this questionable practice in the blurb above the discography which, to my way of thinking, was one of the reasons Buddy didn't have more Top 40 North American hits than the eight credited to him.

With these limitations would I recommend the book to a North American music fan? In one word - yes. As one reviewer points out, the trivia alone is almost worth the price. However, if your memory is of the North American artists be warned that there are MANY of them missing and that JUST as many are included that will be completely unknown to you.

This is an amazing work - a telephone book of people you might actually want to call, a lost gnostic text to a doomed civilization's pizza delivery places, a total compendium of where all the effort spent in conquering the world went after the fall of the British Empire. God love them, these British folks are serious about that Rock and Roll music!

As for the work itself, it's thorough, fair, and fun to browse through in any time or place. I can become lost for hours, and find myself jonesing for some of the groups Strong knows but about which I've never heard. Some things are a trifle annoying, like which bands are labelled Psychedelic and which are not, but to hell with it; stand back and let the man do his work. I slaver for the second edition of the Pschedelic Discography. When Stong says Great, he means it. The Great Pyramids, the Great War, Great Coats, and Alexander the Great come to mind.

Everyone should have one of these in his or her homes. Or a bottle of Xanax. I'll take the great maroon book with a glass of water before meals and bedtimes.

"Rock of Ages" is the best superhero comic book story ever written. Part 5 was so good, I needed a cigarette.

Grant Morrison's talent on the JLA is that he handles all of the characters better than anyone else. His Superman is very Superman. His Batman is extremely clever and competant. The Martian Manhunter is patient and wise, Wonder Woman is strong, and Green Lantern is a bit clueless but very capable. This is pure fun the way superhero comics are meant to be.

This book is truely the best ever, as I said in my last review. I recently re-read this book, and I was blown away by it's amazing story line, brilliant characters, and superb illustration. I don't think that words can do this excellent book credit. If you only buy one thing ever, buy toilette paper, if you buy two things buy JLA ROCK OF AGES!

Rock of Ages is, in my opinion, the best part of Morrison's highly entertaining run on the JLA. The story is brimming with cool ideas and un-restrained day-glow heroics, and the whole thing has a rediculously FUN feel to it.

It's not as good as Morrison's mind-blowingly surreal work on Doom Patrol, The Invisibles and Flex Mentallo, but few things (in any medium) are.

A thouroughly enjoyable slice of superhero madness that captures the sheer buzzing energy of the best silver-age comics without ever feeling retro, this is a must for fans of OTT superhero action!