Boy on Fire
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Prime members: New to Audible?Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Boy on Fire
Buy for $17.99
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
James O'Connell
-
By:
-
Mark Mordue
About this listen
The best-selling, award-winning, and critically acclaimed biography of the young Nick Cave by award-winning writer Mark Mordue.
Shortlisted for the ABIA Biography Book of the Year 2021
A deeply beautiful, profound, and poetic biography of the formative years of the dark prince of Australian rock 'n' roll, Boy on Fire is Nick Cave's creation story. This is a portrait of the artist as, first, a boy, and then a young man. It charts his family, friends, influences, milieu, and, most of all, his music, revealing how Nick Cave shaped himself into the extraordinary artist he has become.
As well as a powerfully compelling biography of a singular, uncompromising artist, Boy on Fire is a fascinating social and cultural biography, a vivid and evocative rendering of the people, time and places that went into the making of Nick Cave - from the fast-running dark river and ghost gums of Wangaratta and the punk scene that hit staid 1970s Melbourne like an atom bomb, right through to the torn wallpaper, sticky carpet and manic energy of nights at St Kilda's Crystal Ballroom.
Boy on Fire is a stunning biographical achievement.
PRAISE FOR BOY ON FIRE:
"Mordue's exploration of Cave's protean and dynamic artistic universe, and the boy at its heart - malanderer, badlander and fabulator - is rich, sensitive, rollicking and, yes, tender." (The Australian)
"Boy On Fire is a beautiful book, evocative and sensual, yet with an even-handed and at times critical treatment of its subject." (Sydney Review of Books)
"All the relevant voices have their say, creating a wonderfully alive picture of this tumultuous time in modern Australian music ... on the page they glint with vitality and humour ... written with mercurial flair." (Books+Publishing)
©2020 Mark Mordue (P)2020 HarperCollins PublishersListeners also enjoyed...
-
Faith, Hope and Carnage
- By: Nick Cave, Seán O'Hagan
- Narrated by: Nick Cave, Seán O'Hagan
- Length: 8 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 271
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 229
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 227
Faith, Hope and Carnage is a book about Nick Cave’s inner life. Created from more than forty hours of intimate conversations with Seán O’Hagan, it is a profoundly thoughtful exploration, in Cave’s own words, of what really drives his life and creativity. The book examines questions of faith, art, music, freedom, grief, and love. It draws candidly on Cave’s life, from his early childhood to the present day, his loves, his work ethic, and his dramatic transformation in recent years.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Enlightening
- By S. R. on 11-14-22
By: Nick Cave, and others
-
Some New Kind of Kick
- A Memoir
- By: Kid Congo Powers, Chris Campion - contributor
- Narrated by: Kid Congo Powers, Raphael Corkhill
- Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 76
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 68
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 69
Kid Congo Powers has been described as a “legendary guitarist and paragon of cool” with “the greatest resume ever of anyone in rock music." That unique imprint on rock history stems from being a member of not one but three beloved, groundbreaking, and influential groups—Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, the Cramps, and last but not least, The Gun Club, the wildly inventive punk-blues band he co-founded. Some New Kind of Kick begins as an intimate coming-of-age tale.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Beautifully told story of an amazing life
- By Patricia J Thompson on 05-29-23
By: Kid Congo Powers, and others
-
The Sick Bag Song
- By: Nick Cave
- Narrated by: Nick Cave
- Length: 1 hr and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 104
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 98
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 98
The Sick Bag Song chronicles Cave's journey with his band, the Bad Seeds, on a 22-day North American tour. Inspired by John Berryman's 'ream Songs, it is an epic exploration of inspiration, creativity, loss, love and death. The book blends poetry, lyrics, memories, musings, flights of fancy and journal entries. The Sick Bag Song began life scribbled onto airline sick bags acquired during the internal flights taken by Cave during the tour.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Author's and their work
- By Granthum on 09-10-17
By: Nick Cave
-
Cinema Speculation
- By: Quentin Tarantino
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini, Quentin Tarantino
- Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,257
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,072
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,063
In addition to being among the most celebrated of contemporary filmmakers, Quentin Tarantino is possibly the most joyously infectious movie lover alive. For years he has touted in interviews his eventual turn to writing books about films. Now, with Cinema Speculation, the time has come, and the results are everything his passionate fans—and all movie lovers—could have hoped for. Organized around key American films from the 1970s, all of which he first saw as a young moviegoer at the time, this book is as intellectually rigorous and insightful as it is rollicking and entertaining.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A letdown I didn't see coming.
- By polycow on 11-03-22
-
My Effin' Life
- By: Geddy Lee
- Narrated by: Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Cliff Burnstein
- Length: 16 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 1,842
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,665
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 1,665
Geddy Lee is one of rock and roll's most respected bassists. For nearly five decades, his playing and work as co-writer, vocalist and keyboardist has been an essential part of the success story of Canadian progressive rock trio Rush. Here for the first time is his account of life inside and outside the band.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Lee's Narration Will Captivate You.
- By Nanooka on 11-14-23
By: Geddy Lee
-
Under the Big Black Sun
- A Personal History of L.A. Punk
- By: John Doe, Tom Desavia
- Narrated by: Exene Cervenka, Henry Rollins, full cast
- Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 921
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 827
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 823
Under the Big Black Sun explores the nascent Los Angeles punk rock movement and its evolution to hardcore punk as it's never been told before. Authors John Doe and Tom DeSavia have woven together an enthralling story of the legendary West Coast scene from 1977 to 1982 by enlisting the voices of people who were there. The book shares chapter-length tales from the authors along with personal essays from famous (and infamous) players in the scene.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A love song to the early punk days in LA.
- By Brenda on 07-09-16
By: John Doe, and others
-
Faith, Hope and Carnage
- By: Nick Cave, Seán O'Hagan
- Narrated by: Nick Cave, Seán O'Hagan
- Length: 8 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 271
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 229
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 227
Faith, Hope and Carnage is a book about Nick Cave’s inner life. Created from more than forty hours of intimate conversations with Seán O’Hagan, it is a profoundly thoughtful exploration, in Cave’s own words, of what really drives his life and creativity. The book examines questions of faith, art, music, freedom, grief, and love. It draws candidly on Cave’s life, from his early childhood to the present day, his loves, his work ethic, and his dramatic transformation in recent years.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Enlightening
- By S. R. on 11-14-22
By: Nick Cave, and others
-
Some New Kind of Kick
- A Memoir
- By: Kid Congo Powers, Chris Campion - contributor
- Narrated by: Kid Congo Powers, Raphael Corkhill
- Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 76
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 68
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 69
Kid Congo Powers has been described as a “legendary guitarist and paragon of cool” with “the greatest resume ever of anyone in rock music." That unique imprint on rock history stems from being a member of not one but three beloved, groundbreaking, and influential groups—Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, the Cramps, and last but not least, The Gun Club, the wildly inventive punk-blues band he co-founded. Some New Kind of Kick begins as an intimate coming-of-age tale.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Beautifully told story of an amazing life
- By Patricia J Thompson on 05-29-23
By: Kid Congo Powers, and others
-
The Sick Bag Song
- By: Nick Cave
- Narrated by: Nick Cave
- Length: 1 hr and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 104
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 98
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 98
The Sick Bag Song chronicles Cave's journey with his band, the Bad Seeds, on a 22-day North American tour. Inspired by John Berryman's 'ream Songs, it is an epic exploration of inspiration, creativity, loss, love and death. The book blends poetry, lyrics, memories, musings, flights of fancy and journal entries. The Sick Bag Song began life scribbled onto airline sick bags acquired during the internal flights taken by Cave during the tour.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Author's and their work
- By Granthum on 09-10-17
By: Nick Cave
-
Cinema Speculation
- By: Quentin Tarantino
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini, Quentin Tarantino
- Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,257
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,072
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,063
In addition to being among the most celebrated of contemporary filmmakers, Quentin Tarantino is possibly the most joyously infectious movie lover alive. For years he has touted in interviews his eventual turn to writing books about films. Now, with Cinema Speculation, the time has come, and the results are everything his passionate fans—and all movie lovers—could have hoped for. Organized around key American films from the 1970s, all of which he first saw as a young moviegoer at the time, this book is as intellectually rigorous and insightful as it is rollicking and entertaining.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A letdown I didn't see coming.
- By polycow on 11-03-22
-
My Effin' Life
- By: Geddy Lee
- Narrated by: Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Cliff Burnstein
- Length: 16 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 1,842
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,665
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 1,665
Geddy Lee is one of rock and roll's most respected bassists. For nearly five decades, his playing and work as co-writer, vocalist and keyboardist has been an essential part of the success story of Canadian progressive rock trio Rush. Here for the first time is his account of life inside and outside the band.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Lee's Narration Will Captivate You.
- By Nanooka on 11-14-23
By: Geddy Lee
-
Under the Big Black Sun
- A Personal History of L.A. Punk
- By: John Doe, Tom Desavia
- Narrated by: Exene Cervenka, Henry Rollins, full cast
- Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 921
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 827
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 823
Under the Big Black Sun explores the nascent Los Angeles punk rock movement and its evolution to hardcore punk as it's never been told before. Authors John Doe and Tom DeSavia have woven together an enthralling story of the legendary West Coast scene from 1977 to 1982 by enlisting the voices of people who were there. The book shares chapter-length tales from the authors along with personal essays from famous (and infamous) players in the scene.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A love song to the early punk days in LA.
- By Brenda on 07-09-16
By: John Doe, and others
-
Surrender
- 40 Songs, One Story
- By: Bono
- Narrated by: Bono
- Length: 20 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 4,860
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 4,420
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 4,404
As one of the music world’s most iconic artists and the cofounder of the organizations ONE and (RED), Bono’s career has been written about extensively. But in Surrender, it’s Bono who picks up the pen, writing for the first time about his remarkable life and those he has shared it with. In his unique voice, Bono takes us from his early days growing up in Dublin, including the sudden loss of his mother when he was fourteen, to U2’s unlikely journey to become one of the world’s most influential rock bands, to his more than twenty years of activism.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Fantastic!
- By Josh on 11-04-22
By: Bono
-
Art Sex Music
- By: Cosey Fanni Tutti
- Narrated by: Gabrielle Baker
- Length: 18 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 39
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 35
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 36
Art Sex Music is the autobiography of a musician who, as a founding member of the avant-garde group Throbbing Gristle and electronic pioneers Chris & Cosey, has consistently challenged the boundaries of music over the past four decades. It is the account of an artist who, as part of COUM Transmissions, represented Britain at the IXth Biennale de Paris, whose Prostitution show at the ICA in 1976 caused the Conservative MP Nicholas Fairbairn to declare her, COUM and Throbbing Gristle "Wreckers of Civilisation".
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Emotional, honest, raw, fascinating
- By Nick Patnaude on 06-29-19
-
It Never Ends
- A Memoir with Nice Memories!
- By: Tom Scharpling
- Narrated by: Tom Scharpling
- Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 535
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 471
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 470
Tom Scharpling is good at being funny, which is a miracle, considering what he’s survived. Like hitting a deer and narrowly escaping with his life on the night of the 2016 election. But that’s nothing compared to the struggles he had earlier in his life. It Never Ends is his memoir of a life writing comedy amidst a lifelong struggle with mental illness, a story he has never told before. It’s the heartbreaking account of his intense coming-of-age, and the lengths he’s undertaken to pull away from the brink of self-destruction.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Tom reveals himself -sort of?!?
- By Tinamarie Panyard on 07-15-21
By: Tom Scharpling
-
Goth
- A History
- By: Lol Tolhurst
- Narrated by: Lol Tolhurst, Budgie
- Length: 7 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 59
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 54
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 54
GOTH is an entertaining and engaging historical memoir, and a journey through Goth music and culture, exploring creative giants like The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Bauhaus, Joy Division, and many more great bands that offered a place of refuge for the misfits of the ‘80s and ever since. Written by Lol Tolhurst, co-founder of The Cure, this book offers a riveting retrospective of the genre’s iconic movers and shakers, infused with stories from Tolhurst’s personal trove of memories.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Lol’s life experiences and literary skills come together for this exquisite perspective on the subject
- By Marshall K. on 11-08-24
By: Lol Tolhurst
-
World Within a Song
- Music That Changed My Life and Life That Changed My Music
- By: Jeff Tweedy
- Narrated by: Jeff Tweedy
- Length: 4 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 99
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 90
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 89
What makes us fall in love with a song? What makes us want to write our own songs? Do songs help? Do songs help us live better lives? And do the lives we live help us write better songs? After two New York Times bestsellers that cemented and expanded his legacy as one of America’s best-loved performers and songwriters, Let’s Go (So We Can Get Back) and How to Write One Song, Jeff Tweedy is back with another disarming, beautiful, and inspirational book about why we listen to music, why we love songs, and how music can connect us to each other and to ourselves.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Jeff Tweedy’s Plain Spoken, Direct, Funny, Touching, Vulnerable, & Honest Meditation on Music is Perfection
- By A Picky Reviewer on 02-10-24
By: Jeff Tweedy
-
A Dream About Lightning Bugs
- A Life of Music and Cheap Lessons
- By: Ben Folds
- Narrated by: Ben Folds
- Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 818
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 748
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 745
Ben Folds is a celebrated American singer-songwriter, beloved for songs such as "Brick", "You Don’t Know Me", "Rockin’ the Suburbs", and "The Luckiest", and is the former frontman of the alternative rock band Ben Folds Five. But Folds will be the first to tell you he’s an unconventional icon, more normcore than hardcore. Now, in his first book, Folds looks back at his life so far in a charming and wise chronicle of his artistic coming of age, infused with the wry observations of a natural storyteller.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
I wanted to like this more than I did.
- By R on 10-02-19
By: Ben Folds
-
Face It
- A Memoir
- By: Debbie Harry
- Narrated by: Debbie Harry, Chris Stein, Clem Burke, and others
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 944
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 824
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 823
Musician, actor, activist, and the iconic face of New York City cool, Debbie Harry is the front woman of Blondie, a band that forged a new sound that brought together the worlds of rock, punk, disco, reggae, and hip-hop to create some of the most beloved pop songs of all time. As a muse, she collaborated with some of the boldest artists of the past four decades. The scope of Debbie Harry’s impact on our culture has been matched only by her reticence to reveal her rich inner life - until now.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Disappointed
- By Jessica Eastman on 12-23-19
By: Debbie Harry
-
Verse, Chorus, Monster!
- By: Graham Coxon
- Narrated by: Graham Coxon
- Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 28
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 28
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 28
Among the noise and clamour of the Britpop era, Blur co-founder Graham Coxon managed to carve out a niche to become one of the most innovative and respected guitarists of his generation—but it wasn't always easy. Graham grew up as an Army kid, moving frequently in his early years from West Germany to Derbyshire and Winchester before settling in Colchester, Essex. A shy child, he had a thing for eating soil and drawing intense visions; his anxiety was tempered by painting and a growing love of music. These twin passions grew into obsessions.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Left Feeling Why?
- By marie on 01-09-23
By: Graham Coxon
-
Total F*cking Godhead
- The Biography of Chris Cornell
- By: Corbin Reiff
- Narrated by: Michael Butler Murray
- Length: 12 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 651
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 567
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 564
Total F*cking Godhead is the complete story of the complex and enigmatic artist, Chris Cornell. It's the riveting account of a blue collar, high-school dropout emerging from Seattle, Washington, to become one of the greatest singer-songwriters and voices of his generation. With input from people who knew and worked with him - together with Cornell's own words - the book recounts in great detail the rise of his immortal band Soundgarden as they emerged from the 1980s post-punk underground to dominate popular culture in the '90s alongside other Seattle bands like Pearl Jam.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
UltraMegaJustOK
- By Matt S. Lewis on 07-31-20
By: Corbin Reiff
-
Perfect Sound Whatever
- By: James Acaster
- Narrated by: James Acaster
- Length: 6 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 319
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 282
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 280
James Acaster wakes up heartbroken and alone in New York, his relationship over, a day of disastrous meetings leading him to wonder if comedy is really what he wants to be doing anymore. A constant comfort in James' life has been music, but he's not listened to anything new for a very long time. Idly browsing 'best of the year' lists, it dawns on him that 2016 may have been a grim year for a lot of reasons, but that it seemed to be an iconic year for music. And so begins a life-changing musical odyssey, as James finds himself desperately seeking solace in the music of 2016....
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
BEST BOOK ABOUT 2016 IN 2019
- By sophie on 08-29-19
By: James Acaster
-
They Don't Need to Understand
- Stories of Hope, Fear, Family, Life, and Never Giving In
- By: Andy Biersack, Ryan J. Downey - with
- Narrated by: Andy Biersack
- Length: 5 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 326
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 300
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 298
Before he was the charismatic singer of Black Veil Brides and an accomplished solo artist under the Andy Black moniker, he was Andrew Dennis Biersack, an imaginative and creative kid in Cincinnati, Ohio, struggling with anxiety, fear, loneliness, and the impossible task of fitting in. With his trademark charm, clever wit, and insightful analysis, Biersack tells the story of his childhood and adolescence and the discovery of the artistic passions that would shape his life.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A backstory I didn’t know I needed.
- By Reading with FeFe on 02-24-22
By: Andy Biersack, and others
-
The Dreamer
- An Autobiography
- By: Cliff Richard
- Narrated by: Cliff Richard
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 31
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 27
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 28
Achieving a hit in every decade since the 1950s, Cliff Richard stands alone in pop history. Coming of age in 1950s London, he began his music career at Soho's legendary 2i's Cafe, and now he's approaching his 80th birthday with record sales of over 250 million and counting. Cliff looks back on his humble upbringing and how he went on to fulfil his wildest dreams by becoming a pop star and even a film star. He talks about finding Christianity, reflects on the ups and downs of life in the public eye and reveals how the false allegations against him changed his life forever.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Cliff reading to me
- By Christine Gibson on 11-25-20
By: Cliff Richard
Related to this topic
-
Down the Highway
- The Life of Bob Dylan
- By: Howard Sounes
- Narrated by: Peter Markinker
- Length: 20 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 301
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 264
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 263
Down the Highway is an essential biography for Bob Dylan fans and all music enthusiasts, delivering the full, fascinating story of the life and work of this great artist. Author Howard Sounes interviewed more than 250 key people in Dylan’s circle, and gained access to previously unseen documents, to create a fresh and compelling book that takes the reader on a journey from Dylan’s childhood in a Minnesota mining town, through his rise to fame in the 1960s, to his current status as the senior figure in popular music.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
I'm a little late to the party
- By BrassHat on 06-05-17
By: Howard Sounes
-
Elton John
- The Biography
- By: David Buckley
- Narrated by: Simon Shepherd
- Length: 16 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 53
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 50
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 50
Elton John is as much loved for his outrageous personality and witty outspokenness as for his music. Such shamelessness and sheer silliness rivals anything uttered by punk rockers, yet it is so typically Elton: honest and intemperate. Tragedy and heartbreak have played a large part in his life. Behind the parties, the hedonism, the lavish stage costumes, and silly glasses lies a more somber story. Between disputes with managers, legal wranglings, public breakups, and divorce, John has been faced with serious health problems and drug addictions.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Trite!
- By michael mckone on 08-04-22
By: David Buckley
-
The Ballad of Bob Dylan
- A Portrait
- By: Daniel Mark Epstein
- Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
- Length: 15 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 52
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 47
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 46
The Ballad of Bob Dylan is a vivid, full-bodied portrait of one of the most influential artists of the 20th-century - a man widely regarded as the most important lyricist America has ever produced. Acclaimed poet and biographer Daniel Mark Epstein frames Dylan against the backdrop of four seminal concerts - all of which he attended. Beautifully written, The Ballad of Bob Dylan is a unique, eye-opening portrait of an artist who has transformed generations and continues to inspire and surprise today.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent book, excellent narration
- By L chandler on 12-22-11
-
Brian Jones
- The Making of the Rolling Stones
- By: Paul Trynka
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
- Length: 12 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 82
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 76
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 76
Brian Jones is a forensic, thrilling account of Jones' life, which for the first time details his pioneering achievements and messy unraveling. With more than 120 new interviews, Trynka offers countless new revelations and sets straight the tall tales that have long marred Jones' legacy. His story is a gripping battle between creativity and ambition, between self-sabotage and betrayal. It's all here: the girlfriends, the drugs, and some of the greatest music of all time.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great story, exceptionally well narrated
- By M. Graham on 11-17-15
By: Paul Trynka
-
Your Song Changed My Life
- From Jimmy Page to St. Vincent, Smokey Robinson to Hozier, Thirty-Five Beloved Artists on Their Journey and the Music That Inspired It
- By: Bob Boilen
- Narrated by: Bob Boilen
- Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 59
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 54
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 53
From the beloved host and creator of NPR's All Songs Considered and Tiny Desk Concerts comes an essential oral history of modern music, told in the voices of iconic and up-and-coming musicians, including Dave Grohl, Jimmy Page, Michael Stipe, Carrie Brownstein, Smokey Robinson, and Jeff Tweedy, among others - published in association with NPR Music.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Cool if you know all interviewed artists
- By Farfield on 12-05-16
By: Bob Boilen
-
My Life in Dire Straits
- The Inside Story of One of the Biggest Bands in Rock History
- By: John Illsley
- Narrated by: John Illsley
- Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 50
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 42
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 42
One of the most successful music acts of all time, Dire Straits filled stadiums around the world. Their albums sold hundreds of millions of copies and their music - classics like “Sultans of Swing”, “Romeo and Juliet", “Money for Nothing”, and “Brothers in Arms” - is still played on every continent today. There was, quite simply, no bigger band on the planet throughout the '80s. In this powerful and entertaining memoir, founding member John Illsley gives the inside track on the most successful rock band of their time.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Big fan of the band.
- By Curtis Carpenter on 11-15-24
By: John Illsley
-
Down the Highway
- The Life of Bob Dylan
- By: Howard Sounes
- Narrated by: Peter Markinker
- Length: 20 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 301
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 264
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 263
Down the Highway is an essential biography for Bob Dylan fans and all music enthusiasts, delivering the full, fascinating story of the life and work of this great artist. Author Howard Sounes interviewed more than 250 key people in Dylan’s circle, and gained access to previously unseen documents, to create a fresh and compelling book that takes the reader on a journey from Dylan’s childhood in a Minnesota mining town, through his rise to fame in the 1960s, to his current status as the senior figure in popular music.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
I'm a little late to the party
- By BrassHat on 06-05-17
By: Howard Sounes
-
Elton John
- The Biography
- By: David Buckley
- Narrated by: Simon Shepherd
- Length: 16 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 53
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 50
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 50
Elton John is as much loved for his outrageous personality and witty outspokenness as for his music. Such shamelessness and sheer silliness rivals anything uttered by punk rockers, yet it is so typically Elton: honest and intemperate. Tragedy and heartbreak have played a large part in his life. Behind the parties, the hedonism, the lavish stage costumes, and silly glasses lies a more somber story. Between disputes with managers, legal wranglings, public breakups, and divorce, John has been faced with serious health problems and drug addictions.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Trite!
- By michael mckone on 08-04-22
By: David Buckley
-
The Ballad of Bob Dylan
- A Portrait
- By: Daniel Mark Epstein
- Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
- Length: 15 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 52
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 47
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 46
The Ballad of Bob Dylan is a vivid, full-bodied portrait of one of the most influential artists of the 20th-century - a man widely regarded as the most important lyricist America has ever produced. Acclaimed poet and biographer Daniel Mark Epstein frames Dylan against the backdrop of four seminal concerts - all of which he attended. Beautifully written, The Ballad of Bob Dylan is a unique, eye-opening portrait of an artist who has transformed generations and continues to inspire and surprise today.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent book, excellent narration
- By L chandler on 12-22-11
-
Brian Jones
- The Making of the Rolling Stones
- By: Paul Trynka
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
- Length: 12 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 82
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 76
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 76
Brian Jones is a forensic, thrilling account of Jones' life, which for the first time details his pioneering achievements and messy unraveling. With more than 120 new interviews, Trynka offers countless new revelations and sets straight the tall tales that have long marred Jones' legacy. His story is a gripping battle between creativity and ambition, between self-sabotage and betrayal. It's all here: the girlfriends, the drugs, and some of the greatest music of all time.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great story, exceptionally well narrated
- By M. Graham on 11-17-15
By: Paul Trynka
-
Your Song Changed My Life
- From Jimmy Page to St. Vincent, Smokey Robinson to Hozier, Thirty-Five Beloved Artists on Their Journey and the Music That Inspired It
- By: Bob Boilen
- Narrated by: Bob Boilen
- Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 59
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 54
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 53
From the beloved host and creator of NPR's All Songs Considered and Tiny Desk Concerts comes an essential oral history of modern music, told in the voices of iconic and up-and-coming musicians, including Dave Grohl, Jimmy Page, Michael Stipe, Carrie Brownstein, Smokey Robinson, and Jeff Tweedy, among others - published in association with NPR Music.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Cool if you know all interviewed artists
- By Farfield on 12-05-16
By: Bob Boilen
-
My Life in Dire Straits
- The Inside Story of One of the Biggest Bands in Rock History
- By: John Illsley
- Narrated by: John Illsley
- Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 50
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 42
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 42
One of the most successful music acts of all time, Dire Straits filled stadiums around the world. Their albums sold hundreds of millions of copies and their music - classics like “Sultans of Swing”, “Romeo and Juliet", “Money for Nothing”, and “Brothers in Arms” - is still played on every continent today. There was, quite simply, no bigger band on the planet throughout the '80s. In this powerful and entertaining memoir, founding member John Illsley gives the inside track on the most successful rock band of their time.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Big fan of the band.
- By Curtis Carpenter on 11-15-24
By: John Illsley
-
Uncommon People
- The Rise and Fall of The Rock Stars
- By: David Hepworth
- Narrated by: Matthew Lloyd Davies
- Length: 10 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 57
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 51
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 51
The age of the rock star, like the age of the cowboy, has passed. Like the cowboy, the idea of the rock star lives on in our imaginations. What did we see in them? Swagger. Recklessness. Sexual charisma. Damn-the-torpedoes self-belief. A certain way of carrying themselves. Good hair. Interesting shoes. Talent we wished we had. What did we want of them? To be larger than life but also like us. To live out their songs. To stay young forever. No wonder many didn't stay the course.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
INSIGHTFULL!
- By CLAUDIA R KENNEDY on 02-18-18
By: David Hepworth
-
Cool Town
- How Athens, Georgia, Launched Alternative Music and Changed American Culture
- By: Grace Elizabeth Hale
- Narrated by: Emily Cauldwell
- Length: 13 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 68
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 57
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 56
In 1979, the self-titled debut album by the B-52s burst onto the Billboard charts, capturing the imagination of fans and music critics worldwide. The fact that the group had formed in the sleepy southern college town of Athens, Georgia, only increased the fascination. Soon, more Athens bands followed the B-52s into the vanguard of the new American music that would come to be known as "alternative", including R.E.M., who catapulted over the course of the 1980s to the top of the musical mainstream.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
I feel like I was there when it happened
- By Joseph Suciu on 01-11-23
-
Iggy Pop
- Open Up and Bleed
- By: Paul Trynka
- Narrated by: William Dufris
- Length: 14 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 107
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 73
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 71
Iggy Pop's legendary career has been tumultuous, reaching great heights with mega-hits and then hitting rock-bottom lows in jail and mental institutions. Along the way, he's become a cult-rock hero, an inspiration for dozens of other famous rockers, and has had a pretty good time of it, too. But the image of Iggy Pop versus the man behind that image, James Newell Osterberg, Jr., is surprisingly contradictory.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Banal and Boring
- By Michael on 12-03-08
By: Paul Trynka
-
Torment Saint
- The Life of Elliott Smith
- By: William Todd Schultz
- Narrated by: Travis Young
- Length: 13 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 57
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 52
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 52
Elliott Smith was one of the most gifted songwriters of the 90s, adored by fans for his subtly melancholic words and melodies. The sadness had its sources in life. There was trauma from an early age, years of drug abuse, and a chronic sense of disconnection that sometimes seemed self-engineered. Smith died violently in LA in 2003, under what some believe to be questionable circumstances, of stab wounds to the chest. By this time fame had found him, and record-buyers who shared the listening experience felt he spoke directly to them from beyond: astute, damaged, lovelorn, fighting, until he could fight no more.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Almost interesting, often overwrought, poorly read
- By PerpetualGeorge on 01-27-14
-
Catch a Wave
- The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson
- By: Peter Ames Carlin
- Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
- Length: 14 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 209
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 190
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 188
In Catch a Wave, Peter Ames Carlin pulls back the curtain on Brian Wilson, one of popular music's most revered luminaries, as well as its biggest mystery. Drawing on hundreds of interviews and never-before heard studio recordings, Carlin follows the Beach Boys from their earliest days through Brian's deepening emotional problems to his triumphant re-emergence with the release of Smile, the legendarily unreleased album he had originally shelved.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Not great
- By J. Barker on 08-08-16
-
The Never-Ending Present
- The Story of Gord Downie and the Tragically Hip
- By: Michael Barclay
- Narrated by: George Stroumboulopoulos
- Length: 17 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 55
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 45
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 44
From our talent-rich neighbor to the north comes this biography of one of the most successful Canadian rock bands, The Tragically Hip, which announced a year-long tour after sharing the news of lead singer Gord Downie’s inoperable cancer. Now available to US listeners, The Never-Ending Present details what led up to the memorable night when music fans all over the world watched Downie’s heroic final performance.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Hometown Heroes
- By Tommy Garou on 12-13-18
By: Michael Barclay
-
Rainbow in the Dark
- The Autobiography
- By: Ronnie James Dio, Mick Wall - contributor, Wendy Dio - contributor
- Narrated by: Daniel Thomas May
- Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 458
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 409
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 407
Prior to his tragic death in 2010, Ronnie James Dio had been writing his autobiography, looking back on the remarkable life that led him from his hometown in upstate New York to the biggest stages in the world, including the arena that represented the pinnacle of success to him - Madison Square Garden, where this book begins and ends.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Horns up!
- By Big Daddy on 02-10-22
By: Ronnie James Dio, and others
-
Paul McCartney
- A Life
- By: Peter Ames Carlin
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 13 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 204
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 137
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 139
The best-selling author of the definitive biography of former Beach Boy Brian Wilson offers new insight into the life and music of Paul McCartney, one of the world's most popular and influential musicians. Informed by new, exclusive interviews with friends, bandmates, and collaborators, the book describes McCartney's many triumphs as well as his failures, from the Beatles era through his decade with Wings and his subsequent solo career.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Great...But
- By Diego on 05-02-10
-
Keith Richards
- The Unauthorised Biography
- By: Victor Bockris
- Narrated by: Adrian Mulraney
- Length: 20 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 45
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 42
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 41
In 1992, Victor Bockris' celebrated biography was the first to recognize Richards' pivotal role in the legend of the Rolling Stones. Now that book on rock's most incredible survivor has been expanded. Here are the true facts behind Richards' battles with his demons: the women, the drugs and the love-hate relationship with Jagger. His struggle with heroin and his status as the rock star most likely to die in the 1970s. His scarcely believable rebirth as a family man in the 1980s. Illuminated with revealing quotes and thoughtful insights into the man behind the band that goes on forever.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
doesn't comapre to LIFE
- By A. Garofalo on 02-20-14
By: Victor Bockris
-
Small Town Talk
- Bob Dylan, The Band, Van Morrison, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and Friends in the Wild Years of Woodstock
- By: Barney Hoskyns
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
- Length: 13 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 59
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 51
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 49
When musicians in the New York folk scene of the 1960s grew tired of city life, they decided to "get it together in the country". They headed for Woodstock - not to the site of the infamous music festival of 1969 but to the Catskills, to Bearsville, to Woodstock proper. Counterculture revolutionaries like Janis Joplin, Richie Havens, and Paul Butterfield got "back to the land", turning the once sleepy hollow into a funky Shangri-La.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Captured the era - too many mistakes
- By Frank Canino on 04-17-16
By: Barney Hoskyns
-
Never a Dull Moment
- 1971 - the Year That Rock Exploded
- By: David Hepworth
- Narrated by: David Hepworth
- Length: 11 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 215
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 202
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 199
On New Year's Eve, 1970, Paul McCartney told his lawyers to issue the writ at the High Court in London, effectively ending The Beatles. You might say this was the last day of the pop era. The following day, which was a Friday, was 1971. You might say this was the first day of the rock era. And within the remaining 364 days of this monumental year, the world would hear Don McLean's "American Pie", The Rolling Stones' "Brown Sugar", The Who's "Baba O'Riley", Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven", and more.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A blast from the past
- By Amazon Customer on 07-30-16
By: David Hepworth
-
Who I Am
- By: Pete Townshend
- Narrated by: Pete Townshend
- Length: 17 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,151
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,031
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,021
From the voice of a generation: the most highly anticipated autobiography of the year, and the story of a man who wanted The Who to be called The Hair; wanted to be a sculptor, a journalist, a dancer and a graphic designer; became a musician, composer, librettist, fiction writer, literary editor, sailor; drank too much and nearly died; detached from his body in an airplane, on LSD, and nearly died; planned to write his memoir when he was 21; and published this book at 67.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Glad To Meet You
- By Mel on 10-12-12
By: Pete Townshend