Chances are you probably won’t see another Pink Floyd book on the shelves anytime soon because this one gets it right.
Heaps of firsthand source material and a genuine love for his subject distinguish U.K. music scribe Blake’s venture into oft-plowed rock territory.
Like virtually all the 1960s British invaders who ultimately became classic-rock radio staples, Pink Floyd has a story: personnel shifts, stylistic waffling, original leader bails in a haze of drugs, new lineup succeeds musically without compromising its sound, masterpiece album stays on Billboard chart for years, co-leaders engage in numerous hissy fits, more personnel shifts, less interesting music, original leader dies, renewed interest in band, etc. Floyd’s story isn’t as compelling as those of the Beatles, the Stones or the Kinks, but that doesn’t mean an up-to-date band biography isn’t welcome. Since Roger Waters, David Gilmour and the other members were never particularly shy with the press, there’s already plenty of decent band literature out there; ace music biographer Barry Miles released the well-executed, if scant, Pink Floyd: The Early Years less than six months ago. But Blake (Dylan: Visions, Portraits, & Back Pages, 2005, etc.) does a nice job of transforming his research into a compelling narrative. Another plus is that his attitude toward the band is respectful but not reverential, which makes for better reading than, say, Stephen Davis’s over-appreciated Stones bio/love letter Old Gods Almost Dead (2001).
Chances are you probably won’t see another Pink Floyd book on the shelves anytime soon because this one gets it right.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-1-56858-383-9
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Da Capo
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2007
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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