I've read numerous books on John Lennon and this ranks among the worst. It is just another cash-in rip-off in the line of Albert Goldman, Fred Seaman etc. Green wants to convince the reader he had a very close relationship with Lennon, could see inside his head, and pretends to remember their discussions accurately, word by word. He depicts Lennon and Ono as completely unbalanced, insecure, restless, child-like characters who never knew what they really wanted. And of course, the tarot-card reader Green was always there to give wise, fatherly advice so that those two poor creatures wouldn't have messed up their lives completely. If you really want to understand Lennon to the extent it is possible, I suggest you read Anthony Elliott's excellent psychological analysis "The Mourning of John Lennon".

Green's book is a little different from the others trying to "cash" in on Lennon. His account is a benign one that doesn't offer up startling negative images for the public to gulp down. It really reads as if he's just trying to relate his "memories" of John- memories which do not really say anything new- everything here Lennon has hinted at or said in interviews before his death. Also, Green admits it's a definitive portrait, that John could have acted totally different away from him. his biggest problem is that he uses extensive conversations in quotes that anyone knows he could not possibly have remembered, but even there, he says he doesn't say it's verbatim, he's just recreating an "essence" - so as long as you put all of that in the forefront of your mind while you read it- it's enjoyable- Lennon seems clever, funny, compelling, and as I said, there's nothing here that John hasn't already revealed about the way he was.

I'm not quite sure why previous reviews have been so low.
I have read many Lennon bios, Goldman, Seaman, May Pang, Ray Coleman, Giuliano.
I find that this bio is quite refreshing, in that John Green seems to be a person who did not yield before the 'John and Yoko' force...he seems to have held his own, and wasn't afraid to face up to them. It seems that Yoko was almost 'beholden' to Green, and that he was a person she (and John) would not try to beat down with her (their) relentless quirks. This is a clear and cleverly written account of John's last five or so years. There are intriguing accounts of Yoko's obsession with a South American witch (ending, in this book, with a kinda hysterical discussion of Yoko's wondering if she was signing a pact with the Devil, only to beg Green to sign his own name, to which he later replied, 'My name, Yoko? no, I signed YOUR name!').
Another account that stands out is John's visit to a 'new-age' (in 21st century terms, remember this was the early 70s) store, in search of proper ceremonial objects for his and Yoko's renewal of their wedding vows. John's sarcastic response to the store's solemn owners made me laugh out loud. I think Green did a very good job of showing Lennon's various sides...from the witty, sarcastic (public-loving) John, to the emotionally crippled, loner, stay-in-bed til I wither, side. The most revealing aspect of the book (and this can be confirmed by May Pang's book 'Loving John') is that Green kept trying to get John to really take responsibility for his life...he kept telling him that he could really do something, make music, be alive, if only he'd take responsibility for it. And, alas, it seems that John chose to wallow in paranoia and nothingness for too long...
all we have left is the legacy he left us when he started back to work in the early 80's...
all in all, this book is a definite must-read for Lennon fans who truly want to know what went on during the post 'Lost-Weekend' (a myth in itself, see May Pang's book) period.

Based on the fact that JS has a new book in which he dogs rock stars over 50, etc., I don't think anyone should read his .

Strausbaugh does a remarkable job of exmaining the fine line between popular culture, celebrity and religion meet in America.

The other customer review said this was a book worth reading???? There is no text inside this 15 page book. There are a few of Jerry's illustrations, however it is definitely not worth purchasing. I was frustrated because I bought it as a biography and it is a picture book.

this book seems like it will be a very cool and interesting book to read. in my opinion this would be a good book for any dead head out there. if your a garcia fan you should really think about reading this book and learn a little more about the great legend Garcia himself.

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.

Unfortunately, many so-called "rock journalists" are nothing more than sociology majors who let their devotion to an artists or group cloud their vision of unbiased criticism. In this case, we get a bit of that from the contributing writers as well as a bias toward progressive "rock," which is in most cases nothing more than classical music composer wannabees who don't want to miss out on the fabled rock lifestyle. Perhaps "Understanding Irrevalent Prog Rock" would have been a better title. And why would anyone analyze a four-minute song in 20 pages? Does any true rock song need more than a couple of paragraphs? This ain't Mahler, y'know!

This is a great book for anyone who has always suspected that there is more to rock music than just 3 chords, tough-guy posturing, and stories of wild lifestyles. As a working musician for over 20 years, I've seen first-hand how much skill goes into making even the simplest-sounding records. I especially liked the chapters on Yes and the Beach Boys. Let's have more of this kind of writing!!

John Swenson's book tells the story of how rock great Bill Haley rose to fame, and fell from same, in the time it takes to heat a TV dinner. Haley and his Comets could have been rich for life, but excessive spending, gross mismanagement, and a failure to anticipate yearly fiscal requests by the IRS led to reduced or nonexistent profits. After receiving no paychecks for an early-1960s Mexican tour, the Comets understandably shot off into the night, leaving Haley Comet-less, though saxophonist Rudy Pompilli eventually returned, remaining with his friend for many years until dying from lung cancer. Haley died shortly after from excessive drinking--or was it a brain tumor? The book does not make this very clear.

At any rate, in spite of the sad details of Haley's life and career, "The Daddy of Rock and Roll" is an entertaining and rich account, though this reader would have appreciated more punctuation--or, in some instances, any at all (are commas an endangered species?). And the book's musical analyses are the norm for rock journalism, i.e. totally inaccurate. "Rock Around the Clock" is simplicity itself--a twelve-bar blues preceded by an eight-bar verse, yet the blow-by-blow description given here is wrong in nearly every detail. And the notion that Haley pioneered something completely original is hard to accept in the light of so many pre-Haley rhythm and blues sides in the same mode by Hal Singer, Big Jay McNeely, The Johnson Brothers, and many more.

This book has good songs, but personally I would say it would be better for lower intermediate piano players.The easy piano listing would make you think it was easy to play. There are a lot of flat and minor chords and fast changes in most of the songs. One very good thing about it is large print. Very easy to see.

Ankerberg and Weldon's book on rock did do a great service: they pointed out that many of the musicians died early deaths (they finished writing the book on the very day David Ruffin of the Temptations died of a drug overdose!), they pointed out that rock music is often blasphemous (ex. the opening of the Doors' song, "The Soft Parade."), and that many of the supposedly "safe" rockers (ex. New Kids on the Block) have led unholy lives. However, Ankerberg and Weldon failed to understand that rock music is a LIFESTYLE and a mere musical form. To assume that there really is "safe" rock music is at best NAIVE. However, it is a good STARTING book for anyone wishing to understand the dangers of rock.

Interesting and humorous biography of John Cougar Mellencamp's early years. Nice photos.

There are a few items that are gems in here, but most of it is boring because all the interviewer asked about were John and Yoko's solo work! Ugh. I like some of their solo work, but I'm a Beatles fan. It was John who volunteered the Beatles bits in this interview, and I was hoping the interviewer would encourage him to expand on that. But he'd then ask, "So, when you and Yoko were in the bag in Vienna...." Frustrating. I probably would have given this book two stars, but there is added poignancy here, because John was murdered only hours after he gave it. And he is so enthusiastic about so much in this interview, it adds to the tragedy that a person with so much enthusiasm, with so much creativity left to explore, couldn't live to fulfill it (more than he did already). His loss...and ours....