review snips

Excerpts from recent reviews
THE YARDBIRDS Number One in Mojo book chart, December 2002 (not the Christmas Number I had in mind, but it‘ll do)
“The definitive treatment...” (Get Rhythm, July 2002) "Most impressive...it’s probably the only book on the group you’ll ever need...” - (Record Collector, September 2002) “Beautifully written and splendidly illustrated, this is an essential read for anyone remotely interested in the music of the ‘60s” - (Uncut, November 2002)
*NINE TIMES TWO: The Last Show On Earth*
"A powerfully-felt tribute” (Folk London, June-July)“Alan Clayson comes up trumps on a dark, doom-laden Lord Sutch tribute, ‘The Last Show On Earth’” (Record Collector, June 2002) “Pete Atkin, Leon Rosselson and Robb Johnson do betray stylistic similarities, but Alan Clayson’s dissonant electric tribute to Screamin’ [sic] Lord Sutch (Monster Raving Loony as tragic hero) is a different business altogether” (Folk Roots, July 2002) “A bleak, way-out experience...moments of sheer hell...” Zabadak, October 2002
*THE MOONLIGHT SKATER*
“Beginning with the kind of violin that might scare a Pogues-dreading listener away, “The Moonlight Skater” quickly develops into a lolling beauty which is at once festive, longing and just, well, nice. You don’t necessarily need to know that the B-side, “The Last Show On Earth” was produced by Wreckless Eric and was written about the death of Alan’s friend, Lord Sutch. Then, with the faint trace of a whistle, the main attraction is all over, and you’ll want to hear Clayson’s almost dulcet mediaeval tones all over again.” (Record Collector, December 2002)
*EDGARD VARESE* ‘Clayson’s eccentric Journalese skitters about the composer’s life with a recklessness that would make the more academically inclined white with fear (but) it conveys the breathless excitement you feel when first discovering a great record, book or film" - Dan Fox, www.frieze.co.uk “A racy, fanciful account. Clayson’s evident enthusiasm for the music (if not the man) and his completely unpretentious style makes this an enjoyable study. In addition, he has a sense of humour as morbid as his subject's.” Literary Review, May 2003 "A breezy, journalistic style which Varese hiimself, In his iconoclastic way, might have preferred to, the more solemn, well-rounded phraseology of academic’ prose. Admirers of Varese from the classical end of the market might well be curious to see how a writer from a different background tackles their hero. In the end, however, I suspect that it is readers who are interested in Alan Clayson himself, as a musician of many parts, who will get the most out of this book" Gramophone, February 2003
JOHN LENNON “Clayson usually brings enthusiastic, authoritative insight and a refreshingly salty attitude to his beat-pop reminiscences. His labyrinthine prose and simmering resentment at the indulgent mediocrity of some who make it ‘big’ make for a lively read. However, his Lennon reads like he was under pressure to complete the set, taking every opportunity he can to re-route at some length into topics he’s really interested in. With the McCartney yet to come, this may already be one Beatle biog too far” Mojo, June 2003
Paul McCartney "Perhaps it's because Clayson isn't much of a fan that he's written such a well-balanced and dispassionate account. The chapter on the early years is excellent, while his Beatles story is recounted with surprising originality. McCartney's post-Beatles career is every bit as interesting. "We never see a man. We only see his art," Clayson concludes towards the end. Actually, he's done a pretty fine job illuminating both". (Uncut, October 2003)
*Brian Jones* "A gnarly story told with colour and zip...Clayson imagining his way inside Jones's head...his portrayal of the screaming claustrophobia of post-war petit bourgeois mores is both heartfelt and utterly hilarious" (MOJO, May 2004); "An entertaining and even-handed portrait that will make you damned glad you didn't grow up in 1950s Cheltenham" (Q, May 2004).
*Charlie Watts* "The first biography of the drummer is a compelling mix of extremely readable narrative and secondary interviews" - Record Collector (October 2004)
*Woman: The Incredible Life Of Yoko Ono* "Groaning with padding and speculative material...For me, Ono's defiant "Yes, I'm A Witch" off her 1997 A Story album hovers like a caution, that and the proofing and editorial errors, over this tale" (sic) - some bloke called Ken Hunt in Record Collector (December 2004) "A balanced critique of her considerable contribution to the realm of the avant-garde...deliciously waspish observations...almost certainly the first serious discussion to appear" (Uncut, October 2004)
Keith Richards "Myths are debunked, fact separated from fiction, and, through Clayson's exhaustive research and tracking down of interviewees, "Keith Richards" manages to roll over some unturned Stones" - (Record Collector, June 2005).
*CAPTAIN BEEFHEART* An Independent Critical Analysis (Sexy lntellectual/Chrome Dreams, UK; all regions DVD) "....the placement of Alan Clayson behind the pulpit of an old English church is perhaps inspired choice, effectively casting him as some slightly mad vicar banished to a small country parish. (Ugly Things Issue 24)
*SUNSET ON A LEGEND* "Demonstrates the Argonauts' ability to tackle every musical genre in the sonic firmament. It is hard to imagine another band employing this kind of theatricality and musical range. Clayson and the Argonauts were one of rock's most glorious and enjoyable follies, and somewhere there is a parallel univerrse where they are bigger than The Beatles. (Steve Lake, Rock 'N' Reel)
*THE ROLLING STONES ALBUM FILE & COMPLETE DISCOGRAPHY* Is "Gimmie Shelter" really 'more interesting for subtleties like scraping guiro and wraith-like flutters of harmonica beneath a guitar solo that sounds like Chuck Berry tormented by monsters'? Perhaps not, but it's conceits like this that make Clayson's book enjoyable." (Record Collector)
*THE ROLLING STONES: THE ORIGIN OF THE SPECIES* "Clayson's writing is mesmerising, and he litters the book with anecdotes that are a joy to read (Classic Rock) "Fresh and rather funny twist on the well-trod story. It's a fascinating, entertaining read. His detailed, humorous style (likening Eric Easton and Andrew Oldham to Colonel Hall and Sergeant Bilko, for example) propels it atop the ever-growing pile of Stones tomes." (Record Collector)