On Track – Rush 1973 – 1982 / Sparks 1969 – 1979 / Phil Ochs

Author:Richard James, Chris Sutton, Opher Goodwin

I think most Rush fans would agree that the period covered by this book is peak Rush, particularly with the run of album from 2112 through to Moving Pictures. The band got off to an uncertain start with their first few records before finally finding their feet with the epic records of the late seventies and early eighties. From 1982’s Signals set they rather changed their approach, ditching the long prog pieces in favour of shorter songs more friendly to the ear of the casual listener, a trend that had actually begun in the preceding couple of albums. As usual, the book takes a song by song look at each album, producing some insightful analysis along the way. A second volume is promised covering the later years of their career, a period for me of albums with great songs rather than great albums, with the notable exception of their swan song Clockwork Angels. A good worthwhile read for fans of the band.

Sparks are a band I followed for a couple of albums after This Town Ain’t Big Enough appeared like a breath of fresh air in the charts. By the time I picked up on them, they were already well into their career, which of course is still ongoing today. It seems to be a trend at the moment for bands to release box sets based on specific tears such as T Rex’s 1973 and Thin Lizzy’s 1976, and Sparks are joining in with the upcoming 1974, covering Kimono and its follow up Propaganda, together with all the associated recordings. This is a well researched and put together book with some lively opinions and lots of contributions from the band’s many collaborators, and gives an impressively in depth look at their most commercially successful period.

I have to confess I know little about the work of Phil Ochs other than a vague familiarity with the name. At one time considered a rival to Dylan, his protest songs in the sixties touched on topics such as the Vietnam War, civil rights and social injustice, before he ultimately took his own life in 1976. If you want a concise but fact packed history of the man and his music and the causes close to his heart then this is just the book for you.

Length of Read:Short

Might appeal to people who enjoyed…

Fans of these artists.

One thing you’ve learned

One of the Geishas on the cover of Kimono My House provided the Japanese vocals on Bowie’s It’s No Game.

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