New Band Biography - Pre-order

Just noticed this on Amazon. It's a longish lead-in for a pre-order, so plenty of time to put it on your wish list.

Product Description
When Elbow won the Mercury Prize in 2008 for their fourth studio album - "The Seldom Seen Kid" - the accolade followed a 17 year long career marked by four classic albums and a cult following that cast them in the role of Manchester's best kept music secret. Elbow started out at a time when great songs and evocative lyrics were not generally recognised. Their music transcended genre, age and image, eventually finding it's own distinctive global audience as Guy Garvey evolved into one of the most brilliant and intriguing lyricists of recent times. This book charts Elbow's long journey from humble roots through modest success to international recognition. It features interviews with the band and those close to them to form the most complete band history to date.

About the Author
Mick Middles has written about rock music for Sounds and the Manchester Evening News and is the author of several biographies including the critically acclaimed Torn Apart: The Life of Ian Curtis, also published by Omnibus Press as well as books on The Smiths, Oasis, The Stone Roses, Simply Red, Lisa Stansfield and the history of Factory Records.

Yes, I'll be getting my mitts on that, thanks for the tip MrsW!
But dang! I have to wait until September for it???

mrswoman wrote:

Just noticed this on Amazon. It's a longish lead-in for a pre-order,
Product Description
It features interviews with the band and those close to them to form the most complete band history to date.

Ha! well spotted, do you think Mick Middles has finished wtiting it yet?

Has anyone read any of his other music biographies?
Any good?
He's got on the band wagon at the right time to make a good sell on this.


We had better get our skates on with our elbow history through the eyes of their fans, mrswoman!

lucky with disease wrote:

mrswoman wrote:

Just noticed this on Amazon. It's a longish lead-in for a pre-order, so plenty of time to put it on your wish list.

Product Description
It features interviews with the band and those close to them to form the most complete band history to date.

Ha! well spotted, do you think Mick Middles has finished wtiting it yet?

Has anyone read any of his other music biographies?
Any good?

We had better get our skates on with our elbow history through the eyes of their fans, mrswoman!

Jones, I know; it's ages!

Heh LWD, it did cross my mind about completion. I've never seen something up for pre-order so faroff. As for his other stuff, there's a review of his Factory biog here: Ummm...
Slaving over a hot keyboard right now - inbetween 'research' of course...

Sorry I've not been around, I'm over to you soon
I have more time later tomorrow.

Maybe he is still busy with ] this one

[/url][/reviews on The Fall

and more

No worries me dear! I'm just catching up on a few bits. Catch you when you have a min.

Ooh thanks for the tip-off MrsW; look forward to that one. LWD and MrsW, sounds like you're cooking up something interesting...

Jones wrote:

..But dang! I have to wait until September for it???

Just in time for the Christmas market (and quite possibly the proposed launch of the new album?).

I have the biog he did of The Smiths, not read it for years though. I seem to remember Morrissey saying none of it was true, but then he always did say that about almost everything ever written about them. We shall just have to see I suppose.

Thanks for the tip mrswoman! Hope it's decent, as bios of musicians are sometimes a bit lame (collections of press clippings and interviews with random people, like the gent who runs a cornershop where Pete came in and bought an Orange Tango once). If the "interviews with the band" that are promised turn out to be actual interviews done specifically for this book, it'll be a nice resource of fresh info and insights, but if it's old quotes being rehashed, I'd be quite disappointed.

I just dipped into the Look Insidefor the Mark E Smith book, who he was a pal of so its about him as much as about the Fall. I hope he doesn't write in the same style for the Elbow one. I don't think I would have the patience to read all the flannel and his superior tone.

I'l see what the reviews for the Smiths one are like, Nellie and if there is a 'look inside' for that

If publishing in the UK is anything like publishing in the US, the writing was probably finished last September. It takes several months to get it edited, laid out, printed, and shipped to the warehouse, and then another few months of marketing with advance copies before the book is released from the warehouse to retailers.

I'm going to wait to hear if it's any good before plunking down a big chunk of change on this — not cheap for those of us in the states!

An Elbow-Biography? Wow! At last! Hope it won't take to long until it's released...

Just pre ordered it. Well- we all need something to look forward to!

Tell us what you think of it when you get it, please Emma

Of course I will!

oh i want.

Looks interesting. My gold standard for band bios are my Split Enz and Crowded House books.

But what I'd really like to see is a DVD documentary - I remember Guy saying in an interview once (around the time of LOTFWI think) that the Soup Collective had been following and filming Elbow from the start and if I remember right, they'd even filmed the first Elbow gig. Maybe there'll be a South Bank Show feature some day.

that would be cool. would not surprise if we got something like that soon, maybe with the new album now when they are all famous.

edit: it would be cool if its well and the band is portrayed right

Bright Grey wrote:

Looks interesting. My gold standard for band bios are my Split Enz and Crowded House books.

Which books are those, Bright Grey? I love the Finns and wonder if I'd be able to track those down as I'd be quite keen to read them.

I wonder how the band feel about this. I would hate for them to be exploited.

I'm always very wary about "The Unofficial" biography... Because surely, all the information in it is in the public domain. TBH, i read Autobiographies for the voice of the author, if i wanted to find out the history of the person, i could look them up on Wiki.
My favorite autobiography is Margrave of the Marsh!
Salmon of Doubt - Not strictly an autobiography, more a collected works, but so steeped in Adams it is a glory to behold!

thank you mrswoman

Torn Apart is a great read especially if you are a Joy Division nut like myself. Hope this book is good but so long to wait!

A bit delayed, but hey: Just had an email from Amazon, saying my pre-ordered copy will arrive by 9th October.