Sometimes 500 words written about the subject is enough. Doubt the obituary for these amazing would say enough. Makes you want to buy autobiographies on each of the stars
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Interesting obituaries, Also it is pretty easy and good read. If you interested in music artists and their bio this is good intro book.
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Presentation The Times Lives Behind the Music was supplied in a plastic sleeve within a standard delivery box along with other ordered items. First Impressions This is a hardback book which is essentially a collection of biographical obituaries of different musical artists over the past 70 odd years and going back as far as the 1950’s. There are 78 in total and they range from the superstars to some that as it states are ‘lesser known’ or in my case not known at all. At over 400 pages it is quite a collection of artists and their backgrounds. Day To Day Use I found the book to be a curious mix and a little uneven in the length of the obituaries, some very famous stars are given a lot of print but others for example Marvin Gaye, Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison get a couple of pages each when they seem to me to have a bigger story to tell, even Elvis only got three pages yet others get six pages which seems more appropriate. With that said, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading it – mostly as a night time indulgence before bed when I might read three or four of them depending on length. It does offer a glimpse of some artists who were a little out of my normal range whose lives I probably knew something about from other books. Summing Up As a collection it covers a lot of ground and my attention was largely dictated by the names I knew best, a few I didn’t know were only of marginal interest. If you are a big fan of music and wanted to know a little more about the passing of some of the greats this makes for a good read, though I think in small chunks rather than a cover to cover read.
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This is a truly fascinating book. It's well worth reading the introduction from editor Nigel Farndale where he explains how The Times' obituaries for rock and pop stars have evolved over the years. Buddy Holly didn't warrant one, Brian Jones' received 500 words; Charlie Watts’ 3,000 and how early obituaries were very polite, failing to mention any controversies or instances of wild excesses. Obviously some of the biggest stars feature - Prince, David Bowie, Freddie Mercury, George Michael etc. alongside some lesser known artists such as Genesis P-Orridge (Throbbing Gristle) and Steve Strange who, nonetheless, lived lives less ordinary. A lot of the later obituaries are much more in depth since they started publishing them online but still, James Brown who passed away in 2006 only warrants three pages whilst, ten years later, Prince receives (a deserved) eight pages. Featuring a total of 75 obituaries in a non-chronological order from the Sixties right up to Shane McGowan’s from November last year, alongside black and white photographs, this book will be of great interest to all music fans.
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When it comes to writing in-depth obituaries that delve deep beyond a persona's life, The Times have long been at or near the top of their game. And, as one of the largest reviewers of the arts, they sure have a lot of material to draw upon. This book is, as you can expect, an in-depth look at the lives behind the stardom of many famous musicians. And, it covers some of the major influential names to have died in recent times. As a famous persona, one would wish to delay ever being in such a publication by as long as possible. And, one would never really know what would be written. But, if you wanted your life to be told, you'd know The Times would do you justice (or injustice if you were a rogue). This is a great stocking-filler for your music buff friends & family members
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Great book to dip in and out of for biogs of your favourite musician.
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I read through this book and whilst I found it interesting it does only give a few pages on each star about their career start and ending and a little about their beginnings. It does, which I believe is a good thing, hang in on rumours and story's about their deaths. It just goes a two small lines at the end of the few pages stating when they died and how old and what of. I found all of the write ups quite interesting.
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Lives Behind the Music is a collection of 50 obituaries from The Times newspaper made into a single volume. It focuses on those having risen to fame in the music industry and spans the decades covering the 1950s up to the 21st century. It is a carefully selected range of obituaries demonstrating how they’ve changed over time from short more factual columns to more epic reads bringing to life the characters behind the stories. For this reason it would appeal to both those interested in the history of journalism, you can see how the style has changed over times throughout the decades, but also those with a particular interest in the music industry. The book features obituaries from icons such as Prince, Kirk Cobain and Janis Joplin. As it is a collection of obituaries it is also an easy book to pick up and read at any time. You don’t even have to read it in any particular order. It will make a nice present for someone, especially as it is available in this hardback edition. I hope you found this review helpful.
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