Customer Reviews

All the Rage: A Riotous Romp Through Rock & Roll History

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I really hated for this one to end, but I raced through it anyway. In most of the photos Mac is smiling or laughing. That's exactly the tone of his writing, too. You'll laugh and smile too as he takes you along on a fast-paced tour through British rock history. Thanks for writing this, Mac, and Best of British (and American) to you!

All The Rage was GREAT FUN!!! A story of one the ORIGINAL MODS! A member of the seminal Mod band The Small Faces ( as well as The Faces: the band's sound ripped off by the Black Crowes) "Mac " McLagan is a funny and poignant writer. Why read All The Rage? What relevance and interest does this autobiography hold? Well, MOD is the ONLY authentic, non "corporate", GRASS roots YOUTH culture dynamic going today. The book chronicles the life of one of its EARLIEST participants and shows how Mod , with its roots heavily rooted in US Blues and Soul morphed into Heavy Rock ( such as Led Zeppelin, Humble Pie and McLagan's Faces) while other elements branched into Disco /funk of Rod Stewarts ( Do You Think I'm Sexy? era) and the murky combo of BOTH genres in the "Some Girls" heyday of The Rolling Stones. "Mac " was there for ALL of it and shares the details of what went on BEHIND the SCENES. Any student of youth culture and pop music will find the book invaluable as well as a LOT OF FUN!The stories of musical triumphs and debacles are sad, poignant and most of all well written.

This book is one of the greatest biographys of the rock era. Ian tell his story of how real people survive in this crazy time of sex, drugs, and R&R! Fans of the time, along with Hammond and other keyboard players, will love this book!

Have to admit: I've been a fan of Mac's work ever since the Small Faces released Shalalalalee. Nevertheless, fan of the music does not imply fan of his writing. So I started the book with caution, like I start every 'music' book: is it a brilliant trip that whisks me away on the journey, or is it a cheap ripoff of the fans who cannot stay away?

Rest assured: this book is a) very well written, very entertaining, very funny, and b) never spirals down (like so many other similar works) into Oh they did this to me, I never got recognized for that, etc.

Anyone who knows Mac will confirm: reading this book is like listening to the man talk: one anecdote pours into the other during a very human and often hilarious conversation, always delivered with that unmistakenly British great sense of humor.

Cheers Mac, you've given me many hours of reading pleasure, on top of what I already owe you for playing on much of the soundtrack of my life.

Especially recommended for fellow musicians!

Someone wrote: ALL THE RAGE is little more than a litany of boozy gigs, plane trips, dull hangovers, and bad business deals.

Duh! A true book about the rock life! And a cautionary tale, too, for any musician. Great job, Mac!

Mac has tons of great stories about his 40 years as a rock musician. The best thing I can say about this book, it made me get all my Small Faces and Faces CDs out,I ordered three of his Bump Band CDs, and even ordered Bob Dylan's "Real Live" album (on which Mac is bandmember), and re-watched for the umpteenth time, The Rolling Stones video of '82 tour. Had to play Paul Westerberg's "Silver Naked Ladies" to hear Mac's killer piano. I even dreamed about doing cocaine while reading this book. And then I read again.

I LOVED THIS BOOK. IT'S FUNNY, SAD AND INFORMATIVE. DEFINATELY AN INTERESTING LOOK INTO ONE'S ROCK 'N' ROLL EXPERIENCE. GOD BLESS YA "MAC" FOR SHARING YOUR STORY.

I was dissapointed in this book, written by the keyboard player for one of my favorite bands, the Faces. Like virtually every other book I've ever read by or about a rocker (small 'r', not Rocker, with a big "r', which a good Mod would still take as an insult, I'm sure), ALL THE RAGE is little more than a litany of boozy gigs, plane trips, dull hangovers, and bad business deals.

Wonder if he would sit and read a similar story about my life as a dope smoking, beer drinking, coke snorting, rock and roll fan? Somehow I doubt it. Perhaps if he didn't indulge as much as he did, he would have been able to write a better book. With stories I could trust to be true. He made me laugh a couple times, so I gave it a star for each of those laughs. If he sticks to what he's good at, and that would be rocking and rolling on the keyboards, he will become a legend. But no more writing books Ian. Please.

I sure hope the author feels good about himself