As of this writing, "The Visual Documentary," written about legendary British band the Smiths, is tragically out of print. What a castastrophe! I loved reading about Morrissey's semi-pitiful longing for attention, Johnny Marr's guitar influences and the incessant arguments between the band's two visionaries. Author Johnny Rogan is not well-liked by lead singer Morrissey, but Rogan uses that angst to further illustrate his wonderfully poignant portrait of the band. The Smiths and their fans are well-served by this amazing paperback. Read it soon, if you can ever find it!

O livro foi muito bem escrito e produzido com muito bom gosto, fazendo com que qualquer fã dos caras, ficassem super preso ao livro, bem vou indo ... pegar umas ondas na prainha !! VALEU BROTHERS. Jonh Jr.

I loved this book and when I say "loved", I mean LOVED! This book was my first true love affair and a very immoral one, I might add. One can almost experience The Smiths era through the portal of this book and what an era it was. Morrissey is a gorgeous genious. Johnny Marr is simply a wizard. Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce's stories move along well and add to simply marvelous group. Johnny Rogan has done his homework and even though Morrissey insists that he is insane, Mr. Rogan succeeds. I recommend this book to anyone with passion and intelligence. I mean, is there anything otherwise?

While this book is very well researched and provides a wealth of backround information and detail on all of the key players in the Smiths, it ultimately fails to provide any real insight into the inner workings of the band. The lack of interviews with Morrissey and those closest to Morrissey ensure that the book presents at best an incomplete picture of the story of the Smiths.

Another flaw is that Rogan never really seems to get a feel for his subject. Despite all his research, you never get the sense that he understands what the Smiths were really about and what made them truly special.

Despite these problems, I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for some insight into the backround of the group, the photo section alone makes this book well worth the purchase.

In Morrissey and Marr, The Severed Alliance, Johnny Rogan gives Smiths fans a wonderful look inside the most influential band of the 80's with a great feel for the subject and many pictures. As a rabid Smiths fan (although not a fan until fully 7 years after the breakup), I was both facinated and saddened by the events which conspired to tear apart the beloved band from Manchester. After turning the English music press on its ear for just a few short years, The Smiths still hold the attention of fans around the world. This book gives you the background that helps explain how Morrissey and Marr could write some of the greatest pop songs ever, and how they could lose the whole thing. What's even worse is that it never had to end. Johnny Rogan writes this book from the perspective of the journalist looking for the truth, the novelist providing entertainment, and most importantly, the Smiths Fan who feels the loss. Read it, if you love The Smiths, or even if you just love the history of pop music. The latest edition of the book includes a forward and epilogue and also an invaluable Discography complete with concert tape listings and known "bootleg" recordings. ~Max Silva: Houston, Texas 199

I love Morrissey and The Smiths, so this book could be written [bad] and I would still like it. But fortunately Rogan is a gifted writer who loves the subject matter even more than I do!

You'll learn way more than you ever wanted to know about the band and the split between Johnny Marr and Steve Morrissey from this at times obsessively accurate and detailed account. I was struck by how weird Morrissey really is. His odd antics in print and life are not an act. He really is an odd duck. But isn't that why we love him so much? He speaks for all of us when he whines, moans, and sighs about life's missed opportunities, unrequited loves, and the mystery of personal identity.

Included are dozens of photos of everyone involved in the whole saga. It is a really great read! Enjoy!

"It's so easy to laugh. It's so easy to hate. It takes guts to be gentle and kind...I know it's over, and it never really began. But in my heart it was so real."

It's a shame that a book with so much information about the Byrds, should be so bold facedly biased in favor of the original five. Granted, they wrote great songs in collaboration. Their harmonies were beautiful. Many of their most famous covers are staggering largely due to McGuinn's guitar and voice - the core of the Byrds sound. But, more than any other higher echilon group, the Byrds were best known as interpreters who could assimilate almost any kind of tune and make it their own. The latter day Byrds are terribly misused by Rogan's rather sophomoric cheerleading. The virtuosity of Clarence White (Hendrix and Page favorite) and that of the latter day Byrds as a live act are the words of Roger McGuinn, himself. These facts are brushed over in a rather shabby and insulting way. Their albums were the works of master interpreters thanks to Roger and Clarence, multi instrumentalist Gene Parsons and Skip Battin. This is also almost ignored. The most horrendous aspect of the book is omission -while there are obits for Clark and Clarke, there is none for Clarence White or Gram Parsons. If you can find Andrew Weiner or Bud Scoppa's books on the Byrds, save yourself a fortune on a misguided fantasy, not history of the group.

I agree with the other reviewers of this book, in that it's thorough, well written, and covers everything a Byrdsmaniac could want to know. Unfortunately, my opinion of 'Timeless Flight' has changed somewhat after reading an interview with David Crosby (on the Byrdwatcher Web site) in which the fromer Byrd calls many of Mr. Rogan's facts into question. Chris Hillman has also voiced his disaproval of Rogan's work, and the potential buyer should keep this in mind before buying/while reading.

Johnny Rogan's "The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited: The Sequel" is really a third edition of his 10 year-old "Timeless Flight", but expanded to cover practically every release, re-release, death and newsworthy event concerning the former members of The Byrds in the ensuing years. It is exhaustive in its scope and can safely be called complete, at least until all of the original members are dead. Everything a Byrds fanatic or pop musicologist might want to know is covered in loving detail. The extensive interviews, many conducted first-hand by Rogan himself, are relevatory. His knowledge of the musical scene and social milieu of the 1960s California rock scene frames his biography effectively, adding a context in which this group's considerable achievements can be evaluated. There are many wonderful photographs of the group members, in glorious black and white, from every stage in their careers . Also, Rogan has included a thorough discography (including bootlegs and solo ventures), videography and a sessionography from 1965 to 1972. This isn't a biography about The Byrds and their nine year history, but a document of the lives and careers of the former members. In effect, it is the most comprehensive look at a rock group probably ever produced. Rogan's clinical eye for detail informs every aspect of his writing; I don't doubt the authenticity of his assertions or research. But, his actual writing style, though certainly lively, tends to gush at times, letting sentiment sway critical judgement. Sometimes, however, for an objective critic, he reveals too much of himself and his biases. Much of the time, though, his criticism is on the mark, especially if you are already familiar with the group's canon. I highly recommend this book and hope that Rogan lives to update it again in ten years. God knows that this underrated musical group deserves wider exposure in a world where a manufactured image holds more clout than talent or integrity.

As an avid reader of anything about Neil Young, I would rate this near the top of the heap, but that is relatively faint praise. Rogan writes and is edited better than Einarson (The Canadian Years) and David Downing (Dreamer of Pictures)and is less pretentious than Paul Williams (Love To Burn) but in the end,I probably enjoyed those books more. However, because I read those books first that may be partly due to the fact that necessarily this book covers the same ground.

Unfortunately, no one has yet written the definitive book on Neil so we have to make do with what is out there.

This book covers all of Neil's commercially releasesd music from Buffalo Springfield through Mirror Ball. Nothing earth shattering here and the book focuses entirely on the music and is NOT a biography but it is a nice little book.

It is not so much something to sit down and read as it is a reference guide. It would be a great reference guide for someone who is still looking to complete a Neil Young collection. Every song Neil released in that period (1966-1995)is listed and briefly reviewed. The book is organized chronologically by date of album (CD) release and has an index which makes it handy.

A compact book detailing Neil's career song by song. Very complete and thorough review. Rogan is a good writer and knowledgable about Neil Young and his famous cohorts. This is a fine companion to your Neil Young CD collection.

Compared with other books in this series, this is on par. Sometimes, you get the feeling that the author does not even like Lennon's music all that much. This book does the job but that's about it.

Both of the Rogan books on CSN are full of half-truths, poorly researched descriptions, and lots of misinformation. David Crosby, according to a number of online comments, is definitely NOT a fan of Rogan. Forget this and Rogan's other book and get the real story in Dave Zimmer's book, Crosby Still and Nash, the Biography, or from Crosby's excellent autobiography.

The format of this book is more like a diary than any actual analysis of their music and impact. Focuses a bit overmuch on the trials and troubles of David Crosby. A bit sad that the group was viable for no more than a couple of years and to watch their talents deteriorate as the years went on. Rogan's Complete Guide was a lot better in terms of summing up their careers.

If you're into CSN(Y) this is a cool book. It's got lots of good pictures, nice anecdotes, and a lot of information about tour dates and the like. Of course, if your're not really so much of a fan, it won't do that much for you!