How was one man present at so many pivotal points of the birth of modern rock? An insight into Joe Boyd's career, and London's music scene in the late 60s.
When Muddy Waters came to London at the start of the '60s, a kid from Boston called Joe Boyd was his tour manager; when Dylan went electric at the Newport Festival, Joe Boyd was plugging in his guitar; when the summer of love got going, Joe Boyd was running the coolest club in London, the UFO; when a bunch of club regulars called Pink Floyd recorded their first single, Joe Boyd was the producer; when a young songwriter named Nick Drake wanted to give his demo tape to someone, he chose Joe Boyd.
More than any previous '60s music autobiography, Joe Boyd's White Bicycles offers the real story of what it was like to be there at the time. His greatest coup is bringing to life the famously elusive figure of Nick Drake - the first time he's been written about by anyone who knew him well. As well as the '60s heavy-hitters, this book also offers wonderfully vivid portraits of a whole host of other musicians: everyone from the great jazzman Coleman Hawkins to the folk diva Sandy Denny, Lonnie Johnson to Eric Clapton, The Incredible String Band to Fairport Convention.
About the Author
Record and film producer Joe Boyd was born in Boston in 1942 and graduated from Harvard in 1964. He went on to produce Pink Floyd, Nick Drake, Fairport Convention, REM and many others. He produced the documentary 'Jimi Hendrix' and the film 'Scandal'. In 1980 he started Hannibal Records and ran it for 20 years. Boyd lives in London where he writes for the Guardian and Independent. His next book is about World Music.
Industry Reviews
Gloriously entertaining ... even those unfamiliar with back catalogues and B-sides will be intrigued by Boyd's ability to dish the dirt * Observer *
The simple brilliance of White Bicycles is that its author never overstates his own importance or exaggerates his failings, and still ends up telling an irresistible tale. * The New York Times *
From Dylan to Pink Floyd, Boyd was there and luckily for us, he can remember it all * Daily Express *
An excellent memoir * Sunday Express *
[Boyd] was at the heart of the action ... But there's much to interest non-music fans as well * Mail on Sunday *
Drake's suicide provides the memoir with its most poignant episode, but there are plenty of colourful anecdotes * Sunday Telegraph *
A brisk, wised-up and highly entertaining consideration of a crucial musical epoch's many facets. * Kirkus *
One of the most entertaining and insightful rock 'n' roll books I've read -- Noel Mengel * Courier Mail, Brisbane Australia *
Whenever anything musically noteworthy occurred in the 60s, Joe Boyd was probably nearby ... White Bicycles bursts with rollicking anecdotes, eyewitness accounts and canny observations about politics and youth ... Boyd guides us through the decade with keen ears and restless intellectual curiosity * Pitchfork *
Brilliant and inspiring ... one of the finest music books ever -- Mike Scott, The Waterboys
