Author:Martyn Hanson, Don Klees, David Starkey, John Van der Kiste
When I think of the Groundhogs, it takes make right back to the days of Split and Thank Christ For The Bomb. Led by Tony McPhee, who sadly passed in 2023, they produced a challenging brand of progressive rock, championed by the likes of John Peel, They eventually produced 13 studio albums over 4 decades and toured until 2014, but their glory days were in the late sixties and seventies. McPhee’s partner allowed the author full access to their archives to produce this in depth look at not just the band and its music, but also the solo adventures of this complex character, including his pioneering work with synthesisers. This book originally appeared in 2005 but has long been out of print, so if you mussed it at the time then now is the chance to pick up a copy and dig out those albums one more time.
Bowie’s years post Let’s Dance are ones I’m not greatly familiar with – the period from The Man Who Sold The World to Ashes to Ashes are the golden years for me. I vaguely recall on a thread years back now that someone put together a playlist of his best work over the period covered by this book, but of course I can’t find it now. This was a period for me of albums with some good tracks rather than consistently good albums, and perhaps one of following trends rather than setting them in some instances. Be that as it may, this is a really well put together book covering in great detail his work up to his death in 2016, and it’s one I very much enjoyed reading. If the latter part of his career is your thing then I’d certainly recommend taking a look at this. Perhaps it’s time for a re-evaluation of this run of albums, my personal choice being Outside – such a shame he never pursued that idea further really.
Talking Heads is another band I have a lot of time for, especially the Fear of Music, Remain in Light and Speaking in Tongues years. Always innovative, their 8 studio albums produced some enduring and groundbreaking music, perhaps captured best in the Stop Making Sense album and film – if you don’t already own a copy then you should put that right as soon as possible! This well researched book is a very engaging read, and includes plenty of comments from the band members themselves, as well as taking a deep dive into the individual songs in their canon. Very much recommended if you’re a fan of their unparalleled body of work and it motivated me to relisten to their back catalogue, which need I add still sounds as current today as it did when it first appeared.
At last, the book Afterworders have been waiting for – an in depth look at the work of Gerry Rafferty! Come on, who doesn’t like songs such as Stuck in the Middle With You, Baker Street and Night Owl, to name just a few. To be honest, I never kept up with the 8 albums he released after that golden period as he rather faded from the public eye, not helped by his reluctance to tour and his general reclusiveness. The story has a sad ending of course, as he was never able to recapture the magic of those key albums and he eventually slid into the clutches of alcohol abuse. Perhaps he’s one of those artists where the casual listener just needs a good ‘best of’ set to capture the highlights of his long career, but nevertheless this is an interesting read with lots of information on his early years before he found commercial success, and plenty of in depth background on the songs themselves of course. Time to listen to City to City again!
Length of Read:Short
Might appeal to people who enjoyed…
Both casual and hard core fans of these artists – all titles are also available as e-books too.
One thing you’ve learned
Four really engaging reads that made me want to blow the dust off some albums I’ve not listened to in quite a while.
Looks like I will have to buy the Bowie & Talking Heads.
Thank you, Bargepole