Customer Reviews

Bill Wyman's Blues Odyssey: A Journey to Music's Heart & Soul

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book falls somewhere between the in depth tomes of Paul Oliver and the "Blues for Dummies" book. It has greater depth than the "Dummies" book, covering such history as the slave trade and American Abolition movement to a greater extent than found in a casual survey. Wyman & Havers also provide a decent intro for ragtime, spirituals and jazz before they get into the meat of the subject. The book covers the usual subject matter with a little greater depth than usual. Excellent features include profiles of essential artists (including suggestions on what to purchase for great listening), recording histories of the great songs (Stack O'Lee, Rollin' and Tumblin', etc.) and a recurring map featuring blues highlights. As a blues fan and collector, I found it fascinating reading which I plan to pass on to other fans and nonfans alike.

This rich personal history of the world of blues music blends a history of the movements of blues from Africa to the US with a personal exploration of the society and places which fostered the rise of blues music. From location shots of juke joints to biographical sketches of big names in blues music, this is packed with color images which bring a far more personal touch to the subject than most.

A coffee table book, pure and simple, with thick, glossy pages full of photos, timelines, and charts. But the prose is the equivalent of a high school term paper--no flow to the paragraphs, themes jumbled and disorganized, little explication or analysis. Sure, it is an encyclopedia of facts, some of them quite interesting, but who wants to read an encyclopedia cover to cover? Apart from the inelegant ghost writing, Wyman's own asides are entirely superfluous. Compare this to Alan Lomax's "The Land Where the Blues Began".

Sure this book is like an encyclopedia, but you won't find a better guide for finding obscure blues artists that otherwise would be forgotten. Most books go into familiar territory and rehash the same old information, but Bill Wyman is a serious collector who wants to share his love of the blues. This book is loaded with enough information to get you started on your own eclectic blues collection.

No book is without faults but warts an all this is a damn fine book for anyone remotely interested in the Blues, Music or plain Bill Wyman. The most annoying thing about this book is where it is repetitive on certain passages, but then this is the way it is written.
Those are the warts,the best part of the book is its
contents of anecdotes and is crammed full of splendid photographs. I found the best/worst part of the book was its essential recordings showing classic songs/albums about individual artistes.(the worst part is that I am currently seeking an endless list of albums I do not have)
For an ageing Rolling Stone,still on the road doing what he does best Bill Wyman and Richard Havers have written an Historical Masterpiece! After all it is not an easy task writing about the origins of modern pop music with all your own prejudices and favourites and at the same time wondering wether or not you have left someone of note out in the cold!
My advice to you all is to go out and buy yourself an Historical Music Book Today! (While it is in its 1st Print!)

Nice book to introduce blues to the average folks. The organization is well done with plenty of interesting tidbits scattered throughout. Bill does a pretty good job of linking the past with present-day performers (eg. who originally recorded a song and who has done it since.) Some of the best parts are the photographs of folks like Memphis Minnie, Barbeque Bob, and Charlie Patton. Is it the most comprehensive blues book I've ever read? No, but it nicely covers the main players and is much more than a book for the coffee table. Enjoy!

I'd like to offer a counterpoint to all the glowing reviews which I have seen in the reviews section. It goes like this:

I remember when video games ruled my life. As a Nintendo owner, I badly wanted the Sega Genesis. I somehow assumed that better graphics made for better video games. Yet, has there ever been a better game than Pac-Man?

Bill Wyman's Blues Odyssey has the best graphics I've ever seen in a book. But as in video games, good graphics don't make for good books. To flip through the pages of Bill Wyman's Blues Odyssey is to be taken on a journey into the history of America, specifically black America. Beautiful photos line every page, and the design team skillfully arranges with them and toggles withe them to tell the story of the blues as words alone cannot do. Also, beautifuly rendered maps and clean layout make keep your eyes interested for every single page. Really, for visuals alone I would give this book five stars.
As a reference book, I feel that this book meets basic research standards. This book helps me learn my geekoid trivia facts like the birth-year of Charlie Patton. Also, it seems as though Wyman covers the basics of blues history, and includes all the major eras, even if he skims over everything.
Unfortunately, its when you begin reading the text that this book loses your attention. This book is a coffee table book, and as such it has been written for the widest audience possible. Nobody's offended, especially not old white men who seem to be the biggest audience of blues music today. (Ok, I'll be one of them eventually so perhaps I'm a hypocrite, but it still nags me) All too frequently, Wyman and his ghostwriter call up "to be" verbs. Also, all information is stated as facts, or polite gestures of reverence. Personally, I get bored very fast reading straightforward histories. This reminds me of the most boring junior high history classes I'd taken. This is rote, boring history.
Personally, I prefer such analytical and daring books as Robert Palmer's "Deep Blues", Leroi Jones "Blues People" and Charles Keil's "Urban Blues." In all these cases, I do not always agree with the authors, and none of these books can be considered definitive histories. Yet, their thoughtful, sensitive, if academic approach proves enlightening, and dare I sound dorky, intellectually stimulating. I have purchased many cds reading the descriptions of artists to be found in those books, and in no case did they resort to telling me which albums to buy or tell me directly that the artists they were talking about are great. They just convinced me with their lively writing that I had to learn more. I digress.
Bill Wyman's Blues Odyssey is a safe, polite book that would fail to convince those who consider the blues a dead, historical, and irelevant genre otherwise. I was once one of those people, until I read Charles Keils "Urban Blues." And I'll tell you folks there's a lot better books out there than "Blues Oddysey." I dunno if this review helps. Hope it does. Thanks.

Great book with pictures and portrayals of the great blues players throughout the ages.

Bill Wyman - of The Rolling Stones, and The Rhythm Kings - has written a major masterpiece on the mojo music of America. This is The Blues. ... There is no other music as deeply authentic and as emotionally gutsy as the blues. It is a music based on a feeling whose archetypal root is grounded in the solitary pain of the existential core of realty: LONELINESS - and the joyous TRANSCENDENCE of that loneliness. ... We all feel pain, and because of this we can all relate to the blues - the loneliness, the pain, the anger, the freedom to rebel from it, and the joy of the thrill and excitement of escaping from this loneliness. ... Only the blues, in its powerful simplicity of delivery, can sincerely convey these emotions to and from the human soul. It is these same emotions which many musicians, including Bill Wyman, have been inspired by to play the blues - and which cause us to RESONATE with the blues we hear being played by our fellow musicians. Non-musicians in touch with these same basic feelings deep in their soul feel the same way when they hear the blues being played. It's like someone is saying, with musical words: "Man, that's EXACTLY how I feel, and how it is!" ... It is THIS spirit of EMPATHY for the blues that is captured in this excellent book by Bill Wyman. ... If you have ever been moved by the blues and want to learn more about it, but don't know where to start, then start with this book! It is well written, has glorious photographs, pays true homage and respect to the musicians who created this musical artform, and contains many personal stories about Bill Wyman's musical journey through life as a blues musician as well. ... I admit: I am an ENTHUSIAST - and I am very enthused about this book because I KNOW that it will inspire ENTHUSIASM for the blues in everyone who reads it. ... BRAHVO, Bill Wyman, on a work well done! ... - The Aeolian Kid

Bill Wyman's top shelf offering is an encyclopedia of blues history - the artwork, layout, typesetting and printing makes this book a must have for any blues book collection.