Al Stewart: True Life Adventures of a Folk Troubadour (Hardcover)

~ Neville Judd (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This authorized biography of the Scottish folk hero behind U.S. Top Ten hit "Year of The Cat," is a vivid insider’s account of the pivotal ’60s London coffee house scene that kickstarted the careers of a host of folkies including Paul Simon—with whom Al shared a flat in 1965—as well as the wry memoir of a ’60s folk star’s tribulations as he becomes a chart-topping star in the U.S. in the ’70s. Highly limited hardcover edition!

About the Author

Neville Judd is a freelance writer who is also involved with Al Stewart's fan club. He previously contributed to biographies and articles on David Bowie.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 342 pages
• Publisher: Helter Skelter Publishing (September 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1900924366
• ISBN-13: 978-1900924368
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,280,826 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worthwhile "True Life Adventures", September 1, 2003

By A Customer

Neville Judd's Al Stewart: The True Life Adventures of a Folk-Rock Troubadour is, above all, a fun read. It is clear from page one that Judd is passionate about music and about singer-songwriter Al Stewart ("Year of the Cat," "Time Passages," "Roads to Moscow"). That passion pleasantly carries the reader through 312 densely packed pages of amusing anecdotes, free-flowing factoids, and the occasional surprise from the life story of the only artist from the '60s British folk-roots scene to score two LPs in the US Top Thirty. Judd enjoyed close access to Stewart and many of his contemporaries, colleagues, friends, and family members: The resulting book is an interweaving of snippets from interviews, writings from Stewart's own journals, and the author's own enthusiastic, largely comma-free prose. The whole offers a breezy, if sometimes repetitive, and detailed look at Stewart's life from birth through the present day, although the lion's share of attention is given to his public-school years and his hardscrabble bedsit days as a rising player in London's folk scene. Judd also shines more light on the dark side of the starmaker machinery of the record business--it's fascinating to see how the rock-and-roll dream turned nightmarish through the differing perspectives of Stewart (who, to Judd's credit, does not get kid-gloves treatment), former manager Luke O'Reilly, and various bandmates. Here's hoping that the much-deserved resurgence of Al Stewart will bring about a sequel--this book, sadly, offers very little about the mature Stewart, who is its most compelling character. But for the richly portrayed Soho scene and the glimpses into the past of a truly gifted and woefully underrated and underappreciated artist, Al Stewart: The True Life Adventures of a Folk-Rock Troubadour is enjoyable reading for any music lover. It's a must-read for serious Stewart fans and devotees of British folk-rock.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It helps to understand the concept of "irony"...., August 30, 2003

By	G. M. Arnold "Geoff, that is" (Palo Alto, CA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

The disappointed reviewer from Vermont clearly fails to appreciate subtle ideas, like irony. Al's bio by his old friend Neville is an all too accurate account of the "true life adventures" of a talented musician trying to make his way in the music business. What the reviewer describes as "false advertising" is simply the way things are. Get used to it.
As to the balance of material: I for one am far more interested in the question "How did you break into the business and become a success?" than "What's it like when a dream becomes a career?" And as a contemporary of Al's, I'm still fascinated by "the haze of highs and lows and blues" that was the late 60s in England. I'm glad Neville concentrated on that.
Is it a perfect book? Of course not: Neville is not a polished writer, the production quality is so-so, and there are numerous omissions and lacunae. But never mind. Those who think Al Stewart is a jazz musician, or a photographer, or a management consultant or an England wicketkeeper need not buy this. Fans of Al and his music will enjoy this account of Al's life and will take pleasure in discovering the origins of some of their favorite songs. So a solid three stars, plus one more for nostalgic delight.

0 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Simply Inaccurate, August 17, 2009

By	Deborah (USA) - See all my reviews

I was there during the last of the years focused on in this book and it didn't quite happen like that. Al's version and my version seem to be a bit, well, different, let's put it that way. I couldn't bring myself to read the entire book after first thumbing through the parts I lived too and seeing how creative they were. What was so disappointing was hearing that Al had never grown up really. He doesn't seem capable of expressing any remorse for his past cruelties. I guess you'll have to read about it in my book when it comes out. :D (Think Phil Spector.)