Customer Reviews

20th Century Rock & Roll-Glam (20th Century Rock and Roll)

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(2)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

I didn't expect much from this book after seeing it's cheesy cover but I was pleasantly surprised. This book is a very enjoyable magazine-style list and description of 40 of the top Glam bands, from the major names like Bowie and Bolan to lesser lights like Milk'N'Cookies and Jobriath. Each entry includes about 4-6 pages of a brief history of the band as well as a useful discography. Also included are a few visuals for each entry and a center spread of 8 color pages devoted to album covers. The reason this book warrants 4 stars is Dave Thompson's extensive knowledge of these bands and his writing style. He obviously understands the intricacies in Glam and the Glam sound (or a lack there of) and this comes across clearly in his writing leading to a much more enjoyable read then what you would get on, say, Wikipedia. If you are a fan of music magazines, especially Record Collector, this is for you.

My only issue with this book is the horrible cover and that many of the album images reflect either later releases by the band or cheap Greatest Hits packages as opposed to early singles and promo shots. A few exceptions do exist. My guess is this was all that was available to Dave at the time. Pity, with a good graphic designer behind this project, this could have been a GREAT coffee table book. Maybe on print run 2...

A good brief look at the various glam bands with interesting details about the artists. The list of singles (including B sides) is a bonus. Well worth getting a copy of this book.