Uncommon People: The Rise and Fall of the Rock Stars 1955-1994 Paperback – 5 April 2018

This book was a real surprise. The author was born in 1950 and became an award-winning journalist covering music and popular culture. The writing is superb. This is a witty, thoughtful and carefully researched book about the era of the rock star and its inevitable passing. His observations are astute, vividly-made and expressed in a way that held my attention throughout. Of Ian Dury he says “His face would be lit from below so that he looked as threatening as Bill Sikes, his features flickering between childlike wonder and glittering malice”. It’s a delight to read for the way he expresses himself as much as for the information he imparts. In his foreword he announces that “The age of the rock star ended with the passing of physical product, the rise of automated percussion, the domination of the committee approach to hit-making, the widespread adoption of choreography and above all the advent of the mystique-destroying internet.”His knowledge of his subjects is remarkable and I learned a huge amount – much of it a surprise; all of it fascinating. After the foreword, he takes one rock star per year starting with Little Richard in 1955 and ending with Kurt Cobain in 1994. He sifts the truth from the lies – and explains the successes and failures with an often dry and acerbic humour – although there’s plenty of insight and empathy too. Each year ends with a list of its top records and there are photographs and references bringing the book to a close.

The only new year's resolution I made this year was to introduce nonfiction to my reading list for the year. It seems my preferred type of nonfiction is music related, but I can live with that.This was an interesting book, chronicling as it did, the birth of rock music as we know it, and it's death. Of course, as long as there are mediums through which to play that good old rock and roll music, then I would argue that it will never die. But I digress.Hepworth takes us through 50 years of rock, with the spotlight on one act from each year. Whilst I liked most of his choices, I confess to skipping two as I'm not a fan. (No, I'm not telling you who.)Fun, factual and well worth a read.

In this celebration of the rock star, David Hepworth takes us from 1955 to 1995, with every year revolving around one particular story. We begin, in 1955, with Little Richard recording, “Tutti Frutti,” after the lyrics have been cleaned up for airplay suitability by waitress, and aspiring songwriter, Dorothy LaBostrie. Indeed, often, it is the minor characters revolving around the main artist that are the most interesting (such as The Rolling Stones Ian Stewart) and Hepworth has a way of celebrating music, and of fans reactions to it, that show how important it really is – and why. Each year also has a playlist of ten songs, meaning this is a book to revel in and giving you an excuse to dig out those tracks you may not have listened to in a while.From John Lennon meeting Paul McCartney at Woolton Village Fete, to Jerry Lee Lewis arriving in London with his teenage bride, the brilliance of the Beatles replacing Pete Best with Ringo Starr, David Bowie retiring Ziggy Stardust, Prince re-branding himself, Bruce Springsteen recording “Born to Run,” and more, this is a delight to dip into and discover new things. For, even if you are a massive music fan, you probably won’t know all the stories in this book and, even if you do, they are so well written – full of sly humour, and stories of astounding excess of rock stars on tour, that you will be glued to the pages.At the end of this book, Hepworth concludes with the rise of the internet, the changing face of music and how it is listened to. He argues that these stories cannot happen again, just because of the intrusive nature of social media. In many ways he is right. Bands could never get away with the madness that bands got away with in the Seventies on tour. Bob Dylan could not arrive in New York in 1961 and simply invent himself a back story that would be accepted and believed. Some of the mystique has gone, but the music remains. Hepworth also urges us to see those rock stars who have survived the madness and carried on, for he believes they will not be replaced. I agree and enjoyed this wonderful celebration of the Golden Years of rock and roll through moments in various artists lives very much. I must now go back and read, “1971” by the same author, which has lingered unread on my kindle for far too long.

Some interesting material in this generally well written and well constructed book, but too much that was banal.Of course, any book of this type will have omissions, but the lack of coverage of the punk revolution was disappointing. It would have been interesting to have had the author cast his jaundiced eye over the shenanigans of 1976 and 1977 and how that changed the nature of being a rock star (even if that change was transitory).Overall though, a pleasant enough read that could have been a much better one.