- Paperback: 192 pages
- Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers (May 26 1988)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0006175066
- ISBN-13: 978-0006175063
- Product Dimensions: 17.2 x 11 x 1.6 cm
- Shipping Weight: 118 g
- Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Grammy-winning cut-and-paste recording artist of "Loser" fame Beck (aka Bek David Campbell) has blessed the music press with some of the most hilarious and articulate pull quotes in recent pop history. Take, for instance, this nugget that closes Jovanovic's preface: "All you've seen so far is `This is a test,' not the actual broadcast. Prime time has not come on yet. I've got a million ideas." It's a sound bite that Jovanovic, a rock writer based in England, should have taken to heart before embarking on this first full-length biography of the alternative musician. Although undeniably talented, painstakingly hardworking and, like Bob Dylan, remarkably self-educated in American folk and blues, at 30, Beck seems just too young to merit a biography. Thus far, he's only released four, albeit inventive, major-label albums: Mellow Gold (1994), Odelay (1996), Mutations (1998) and Midnite Vultures (1999). Jovanovic dedicates a chapter to each, blandly recounting the trials and tribulations of recording processes, band lineups and live performances, with the occasional biographical aside (e.g., Beck's maternal grandfather is the late Fluxus artist Al Hansen). Exactly how Beck taps his schizophrenic muse remains a mystery. A noticeably stiff writer, Jovanovic is unable to synthesize the plethora of magazine, radio and TV interviews upon which he relies so heavily into his own narrative. Like many biographies on precocious musicians (e.g., Mac Randall's Exit Music: The Radiohead Story), this is a labor of love that doesn't transcend basement-tape enthusiasm. 8 pages b&w photos, discography, gigography, index. (Apr.)Forecast: Although Beck has myriad and sundry fans, they may not be motivated to buy this book until late fall when Beck is due to release a new album.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.From Library Journal
British rock journalist Jovanovic here attempts to trace the roots of Beck Hansen's innovative musical approach. While he spends a good deal of time exploring Beck's romantic bicoastal struggle to reach acclaim, he neglects more insightful information about Beck's prolific and wildly eclectic recording career, which began with the single "Loser" in 1993. For instance, rather than shedding light on the production and release of Beck's critically lauded 1996 album, Odelay, he furnishes set lists from the artist's early club dates. All in all, this first full-length biography of the Grammy Award winner simply does not flesh out the wealth of information it presents. Libraries should instead consider Beck & Al Hansen: Playing with Matches (Smart Art Pr., 1998), which offers a window into the personal and professional relationship between Beck and his late Fluxus artist grandfather, who greatly influenced the younger Hansen's pastiche style. Not recommended. Caroline Dadas, Univ. of Illinois, Urbana
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most helpful customer reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
Boring,
By A Customer
This review is from: Beck! (Paperback)
I'm a pretty big Beck fan, but this book rambled on and on. The author put in so much detail about people I slightly cared about, that I skimmed a lot of the material. It felt like a magazine article that had been padded up to make a book. I feel like I know very little more about Beck than when I started reading. I guess if you're into statistical information with regards to who played on what song and who directed which video (this information takes up half of the book) and what songs Beck played at each appearance, you'd like this book. As for me, I expected to learn more about Beck as a person and have more insights into his songs.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
2.0 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews) 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Being Beck Hansen,
By nadine granoff - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Beck!: On a Backwards River: The Story of Beck (Hardcover)
Poor Rob Jovanovic. Writing a celebrity bio of such a young guy must be tricky: how to tell the story without fawning, and what to say that might be worth reading a year from now. But this book is prosaic and tendentious, meandering pointlessly: the exact antithesis of Beck's songs. The book is also irrelevant, except for the most gaga of fans. Beck tells his own story captivatingly. He connects with his listeners, not always emotionally, but in some dark, smokey recess of the brain. What more can his audience expect? 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Boring,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Beck! (Paperback)
I'm a pretty big Beck fan, but this book rambled on and on. The author put in so much detail about people I slightly cared about, that I skimmed a lot of the material. It felt like a magazine article that had been padded up to make a book. I feel like I know very little more about Beck than when I started reading. I guess if you're into statistical information with regards to who played on what song and who directed which video (this information takes up half of the book) and what songs Beck played at each appearance, you'd like this book. As for me, I expected to learn more about Beck as a person and have more insights into his songs.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Seems like all filler...,
By "therevolutionwillsaveus" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Beck! (Paperback)
The first few chapters of this book were good, Jovanovic had material on Beck's childhood and how he started as a musician. Then as soon as the book gets to the part when Beck releases Mellow Gold it gets boring. I, personally do not like Jovanovic at all. He acts like he is a music buff. He says Cake copies Beck. If anyone has heard Cake, then they know they sound nothing like Beck. They're completely different and unique. He needs more information to back up claims like that. I didn't flip through the book before I got it, and the 2nd half is all boring nonsense about individual songs, videos and art. It wasn't about Beck as a person at all. A tad boring, but If your a hardcore Beck fan, then it's worth a read. |
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