Customer Reviews

My Ever Changing Moods

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I feel that it behooves anyone with impeccable taste to seek out and listen to the essential recordings of the subject of this book. Paul Weller is a remarkable songwriter, a fine musician and an involuntary icon. Reed's product of research articulately underscores these points and also sheds light on other attributes. As an American, it's tough to find other "enlightened" individuals-however, those who have been exposed to Weller's body of work have subsequnetly become converts. In short, if you consider yourself a well-versed appreciator of excellent contemperary music and haven't heard of Paul Weller, I highly recommend that you seek out his recordings and read books like this one.

From the moment I picked this book up, I couldn't put it down again (which was hard because it's really heavy). It's packed with more detail than an encyclopedia and is an absolute must for any Weller fan. Reed's writing talents are clear and focused, his use of descriptive imagery immaculate and the research that went into this book is exemplary. Though Weller doesn't talk directly to the author, the book is incredibly well written and includes hundreds of quotes here from friends, family and the Modfather himself to enrich and complement Reed's excellent biography. There's not much more I can say except go out and buy it!

When a man in one of 'the dirtiest businesses' (copyright Ian Brown) around, manages to come out the other end of 20-odd years of it, after three sucessful incarnations, countless hit singles and albums, and still has his integrity intact, what better subject for a bio can you get.

As for the book, the author remains unobtrusive in the story telling, which helps no end (see the Stone Roses bio) in the reading.

A great (continuing) story, parts of which have been well told before (A Beat Concerto, Mr Cool's Dream), but sucessfully well told again.

I have been a fan of the enigmatic musical and lyrical creations of Paul Weller for quite some time. His second band - The Style Council - put out some great music and perhaps more significantly did so in a way that defied categorization and confused mainstream US audiences outside of the coasts.

This book is exhaustingly detailed, and looks at his career with the Jam, his Style Council days, and his solo work, with a level of inside detail not seen elsewhere. We have details about his political leanings and often misguided attempts at making political statements against Thatcher's England. The truth behind the self effacing humor that gave rise to the multitude of artsy and socially leading publicity and album shots is included, which everyone apparently took way too seriously and in the process missed the joke.

However, what are missing are the real insights from the artist himself. Of that we see very little. One is left with the continuing impression we are on the outside looking in. Aside from the smattering of quotes, the book is more a retrospective and journalistic report "on" Weller, as opposed to a book "about" Weller, or "by" him. This distinction was disappointing in that I expected it to be more autobiographical than it was.

Overall, a great oversight of his career, but for fans only. There are too few insights into the person behind the music to appeal to the average reader. While the content is exceptionally well written, researched and compiled, it will in the end likely please a narrow population of those already interested in the details.