Tony Visconti: Bolan, Bowie and the Brooklyn Boy
I know it's not exactly hot off the press, but this is an excellent guide to what happened in the early 70s and why music is disappearing down the toilet at present. Visconti traces his life from growing up in the poor Italian part of Brooklyn, through to his life as a jobbing musician and his eventual fame as one of the most sought after producers of the 70s.
There is a lot here that will shock you too. How Bolan managed to make any albums from 'The Slider' onwards is a miracle, as he was so coked up and trying to act like a god to a gradually dwindling band who he treated like dirt. The musicians of the 80s were technically quite bad, often he wanted to grab their instruments from them in the studio and play the parts themselves. Altered Images were among the worst and OMD couldn't even programme a drum machine. The Thin lizzy live album 'Live and Dangerous' was only 55% live, with much of it overdubbed in the studio � including ALL of Phil Lynott's bass and vocals. There are surprising heroes too. Adam Ant was a joy to work with even though his career was in decline, as was Hugh Cornwell of The Stranglers.
The nicest surprise is how well he writes of David Bowie. A great singer, writer and friend. Bowie was teachable and experimental in the studio, and often wrote lyrics after the music was written. 'Fashion' was originally called 'Jamaica' and 'Heroes' started of seven minutes long with no vocal ideas at all.
The saddest part is the drug side. Visconti went through a terrible period on heroin before he moved to London and Cocaine haunted him throughout the 70s. It's something he warns young musicians to keep away from.
But less of this. Get the book and read it yourself. Then form a band and publish yourself through MySpace.
There is a lot here that will shock you too. How Bolan managed to make any albums from 'The Slider' onwards is a miracle, as he was so coked up and trying to act like a god to a gradually dwindling band who he treated like dirt. The musicians of the 80s were technically quite bad, often he wanted to grab their instruments from them in the studio and play the parts themselves. Altered Images were among the worst and OMD couldn't even programme a drum machine. The Thin lizzy live album 'Live and Dangerous' was only 55% live, with much of it overdubbed in the studio � including ALL of Phil Lynott's bass and vocals. There are surprising heroes too. Adam Ant was a joy to work with even though his career was in decline, as was Hugh Cornwell of The Stranglers.
The nicest surprise is how well he writes of David Bowie. A great singer, writer and friend. Bowie was teachable and experimental in the studio, and often wrote lyrics after the music was written. 'Fashion' was originally called 'Jamaica' and 'Heroes' started of seven minutes long with no vocal ideas at all.
The saddest part is the drug side. Visconti went through a terrible period on heroin before he moved to London and Cocaine haunted him throughout the 70s. It's something he warns young musicians to keep away from.
But less of this. Get the book and read it yourself. Then form a band and publish yourself through MySpace.