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41 reviews for:
Mad World: An Oral History of New Wave Artists and Songs That Defined the 1980s
Moby, Nick Rhodes, Jonathan Bernstein, Lori Majewski
3.78 AVERAGE
41 reviews for:
Mad World: An Oral History of New Wave Artists and Songs That Defined the 1980s
Moby, Nick Rhodes, Jonathan Bernstein, Lori Majewski
3.78 AVERAGE
Glossy and diverting. Pretty and entertaining. But ultimately relatively light on substance.
Compulsively readable. The interviews are truly interesting and none of them is long enough to make you want to throw the musician through the window. Many have a wry sense of humor about themselves and their careers, and others take themselve VERY SERIOUSLY. I read about bands I had forgotten about (Yaz - they were good) bands that are straight up classic (Joy Division) and bands I wish I'd forgotten (Kajagoogoo) So fun, isn't going to change the world but a good time (especially the catch up parts of the interview.)
This was a fun, very light read. I've been feeling my age lately, and with that comes feelings of nostalgia. Being of an age in the late seventies and early eighties, I've strong feelings for many of the songs and artists profiles in this book. Reading this was a fun walk down memory lane. And, I'm always interested in the stories of the musicians I admire, and this did have a number of those sorts of fun stories. No revelations here, and you won't likely learn much new, but a quick, fun read nonetheless.
Plus, it's always fun to look at cute folks in eyeliner and flash clothes, and this book does have some of those pics - like the Duran boys on the cover.
Plus, it's always fun to look at cute folks in eyeliner and flash clothes, and this book does have some of those pics - like the Duran boys on the cover.
A thoroughly entertaining book that will have you going back through the best music of the 1980s. Sure, there are some quibbles - a bias toward the UK, artists that didn't get covered (Wham? Culture Club? The Cars?), and a focus more on the "oral history" (read: interviews with the band members, who tend to ramble on about nothing sometimes). And that's a shame, considering that the editors/authors are superb writers whose introductions make up the best part of the book. I would have loved to have heard more of their rants and observations.
The book gives the reader an overview of an important song of each artist, gives closure by summing up what happened to the band (Surprise! Most had a reunion tour!) and even provides small playlists of songs with similar themes.
If you're a big fan of New Wave and 80s music, this is one of the few books I've found that covers almost the entire genre and gives you a glimpse into the making of some of the decade's most influential singles.
The book gives the reader an overview of an important song of each artist, gives closure by summing up what happened to the band (Surprise! Most had a reunion tour!) and even provides small playlists of songs with similar themes.
If you're a big fan of New Wave and 80s music, this is one of the few books I've found that covers almost the entire genre and gives you a glimpse into the making of some of the decade's most influential singles.
A fun breakdown of some of the bigger hits of the 80's new wave era, including newer interviews with the musicians behind them. I did skip a couple of the songs because I never liked them or the bands, but I was a fan of *most* of them. Some fun tidbits:
- Thomas Dolby (SCIENCE!) was a hired musician to work on Foreigner's "4" album. That haunting intro to "Waiting For a Girl Like You"? That was all Thomas Dolby. This gig helped fund him being able to make his own album, and I am very grateful for that.
- The Psychedelic Furs single "Love My Way" was produced by Todd Rundgren. He suggested they use backup singers Flo and Eddie on the track, who often sang harmony for T. Rex and Marc Bolan.
- Flock of Seagulls (who get way too much shit even though they were a solid band), were named for [b:Jonathan Livingston Seagull|71728|Jonathan Livingston Seagull|Richard Bach|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1432222358s/71728.jpg|1743336], a book that lead singer Mike Score was reading at the time.
- "I Melt With You" is about nukes! Well, more specifically, a couple making love as the bomb is dropping. (For me, this will always be Julie and Randy's song.)
- Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark got their name from a list of song titles that were never actually written (the singer admits to writing a song by first coming up with the title). Just below this on the list was "Margaret Thatcher's Afterbirth".
- Tears for Fears thought themselves much more amazing and relevant than they actually were (and still do?).
A fun read about a very memorable era for music.
- Thomas Dolby (SCIENCE!) was a hired musician to work on Foreigner's "4" album. That haunting intro to "Waiting For a Girl Like You"? That was all Thomas Dolby. This gig helped fund him being able to make his own album, and I am very grateful for that.
- The Psychedelic Furs single "Love My Way" was produced by Todd Rundgren. He suggested they use backup singers Flo and Eddie on the track, who often sang harmony for T. Rex and Marc Bolan.
- Flock of Seagulls (who get way too much shit even though they were a solid band), were named for [b:Jonathan Livingston Seagull|71728|Jonathan Livingston Seagull|Richard Bach|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1432222358s/71728.jpg|1743336], a book that lead singer Mike Score was reading at the time.
- "I Melt With You" is about nukes! Well, more specifically, a couple making love as the bomb is dropping. (For me, this will always be Julie and Randy's song.)
- Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark got their name from a list of song titles that were never actually written (the singer admits to writing a song by first coming up with the title). Just below this on the list was "Margaret Thatcher's Afterbirth".
- Tears for Fears thought themselves much more amazing and relevant than they actually were (and still do?).
A fun read about a very memorable era for music.
Surprisingly, I didn't like it. The authors basically liked every one-hit-wonder and thought any artist with lasting appeal was a hack. The one redeeming quality of the book was its music mix recommendations. Otherwise, it wasn't very informative or wouldn't even make sense in a lot of cases unless you were so intimate with the scene at the time (very hard to do unless you lived in Britain at the time).
Plucked this off the library shelf thinking I might dip in here and there, read a story, look at a few photos. But I ended up reading it cover-to-cover and really enjoyed it. Both a trip down memory lane but also revelatory - learned lots I didn't know.
informative
reflective
Any book that features pictures of John Taylor in the 80s is worth reading (well, at least looking at). This is my music, these are my artists, and a bitchy, petty bunch some of them are. A mindless (and I mean that in the nicest way possible) read for some much needed distraction at a terrible time.
I am giving it four stars for the entertaining "oral history" by the artists themselves. First rate stuff. The intros by the authors were stupid and made me dislike them.
Speaking of dislike, everyone hates Bono, and much like the farmer and the cowman, Barney and Hooky will never be friends.
But Howard Jones just fucking loves everyone, so there is that.
Speaking of dislike, everyone hates Bono, and much like the farmer and the cowman, Barney and Hooky will never be friends.
But Howard Jones just fucking loves everyone, so there is that.