To enjoy the album, you really have to like the original versions of these songs, because all the tracks on here are about twice as long – variously called extended, special, or dance mix, as well as 12″ versions. I like some of these better than the originals, for example ‘Planet Earth (Night Version)’ by Duran Duran and ‘Happy Birthday (Dance Mix)’ by Altered Images. Obviously there are fewer tracks on the album than usual because only 11 or 12 can fit on each disc. I don’t listen to disc 3 as much as the others (there are a generous 4 CDs), not because it’s bad, just that the music style is more r’n’b and groove, when I prefer the synth pop which dominates the other discs. There are more in this series of 12″ mixes for other years, but I’m not likely to get any more unless nearly all of the songs appeal. I’d recommend this one if you love early 80s music and want different versions of those classic songs!

I had my eye on this book for a while, ever since I caught up with Linkin Park’s back catalogue after being impressed with their comeback album From Zero. The book was written in late 2023, I think, so it didn’t go that far. Although the majority of information and quotes in the book can be found elsewhere, if you trawl through a lot of articles, videos etc, it’s well put-together into a cohesive look at the band’s origins, rise to fame, chart success and influence. What I thought was most valuable, however, was the author’s twin perspectives of music critic and fan. His descriptions of the music are very effective and he provides valuable context on topics such as rock styles, chart trends, changes in music consumption and mental health representation in music. With his other hat on (perhaps an LP baseball cap?) he is around the same age as me and was a young teen when Hybrid Theory came out. He critiques the music of Linkin Park and the band members’ side projects in a way that you know he’s a fan.

The book has a particular focus on the band’s early career; halfway through, we’ve only reached the second album, Meteora. I would have liked more space given to the later albums too, more descriptions of the shows, and more about the band members other than Mike and Chester (to be fair, as the vocalists and biggest personalities they were always going to have more attention). The author discusses a handful of songs in more detail, which are most significant in LP’s career. However, I liked that he put his personal views in there too. He wants justice for A Thousand Suns, the nuclear-themed electronic album which is bold and genius but not critically appreciated enough at the time. He thinks the video for ‘One Step Closer’ is embarrassingly silly, but doesn’t he realise it’s iconic, floating monks and all? He considers that Out of Ashes, the album from Chester’s band Dead by Sunrise, wasn’t as successful as it deserved to be, overshadowed by the LP single ‘New Divide’ (it’s a great song, but he’s right, the sound is too safe). He also makes fair assessments on One More Light, the band’s last album (at the time he was writing), with its change in direction from heavy rock, to expertly-crafted radio-friendly pop which baffled both fans and critics. The last few chapters of the book are devoted to the memorial concert, tributes and the legacy of the band. There is a small section of black and white photos.

There are a few oddities about the book. In one chapter, Brad plays the trumpet at school, but in the next, it was the trombone! There are some ‘interludes’ taken from interviews with other musicians but mostly I don’t think they add much. Further appraisal of the music videos, in which Mr Hahn had a major role, would have been welcome. The tone of the book is possibly a little too professional, or sanitised, I’m not sure how to describe it. The strong focus on chart performance and quotes from serious interviews about the music-making process don’t leave much room for anecdotes which would bring more colour to the narrative. However, these are minor criticisms and I thought it was a very well-written read which, although preaching to the converted, emphasises the talent and influence of Linkin Park in the context of the 2000s, music trends and popular culture.

‘In the End,’ this book was definitely worth reading. It’s ‘Crawling’ on to my list of top reads this year. I may have ‘Lost’ the plot somewhat on this review, so I’m saying ‘Good Goodbye’.

Published by Hachette, 2024.

I thought the narrative was most effective when each chapter focused on a particular band, but other chapters mentioned a lot of them and almost became a list of who played where, when and for what fee. I would have preferred one chapter per band so the influence of playing to students could be more easily traced. It’s chronological, going from jazz, to rock’n’roll, prog rock and a little of punk and new wave at the end. The bands included The Who, Dire Straits, Wings, Elton John, Suzi Quatro and Pink Floyd. The observation that the state basically enabled many rock bands’ careers was food for thought, because students got free tuition and grants. The era was also charmingly naive in some respects, with rugby students serving as security, students sitting cross-legged to watch some of the bands, and fire regulations often ignored. I expect the book will appeal most to people who were there at the time, but it’s also worth reading for a unique cultural history.

Thank you to the publisher Mudlark at HarperCollins for the review copy via NetGalley. The book is out today.

I was wary of reading the book, when it appeared in my recommendations. I knew it was going to be dark and heavy, despite some lighter anecdotes and a much-needed sense of humour. It includes graphic descriptions of drug use, plus references to self-harm and a lot of emotional distress. However, I’m glad I read it because it gives an informed perspective on the psychology of addiction and an understanding of bipolar disorder. Importantly, it does not glamorise the rock star lifestyle with its easy access to substances and is remarkably respectful to Scott despite everything. I can’t find much about what Mary is doing these days but I hope she continues to be well. A cynical reader might say that without the name Weiland attached to the book, it could be any tragic tale of addiction and mental illness. Not to trivialise it, but there are so many, and not all are about rock stars. True, the main reason anyone would read it is for their interest in Scott; but I really admired her determination to have a separate identity, to get sober and be there for her kids. There is a section of photographs, not always flattering, which show the reality of Mary’s life. It may not be the best-written memoir I’ve ever read, but it’s one of the most compelling and honest, and I’d definitely recommend it, if you can cope with reading about the themes discussed in this review.

Published by HarperCollins, 2009.

Some of the best tracks on here, in my opinion, are: ‘At the Banks of the River’ by Metal Voices, ‘Living by Numbers’ by New Musik (I already have this on 7″), ‘Star Control’ B-side Mix by Dollar, ‘Technofascist’ by Fashion, ‘Strange Pursuit’ by Devo, ‘Mirror Mirror’ by Jude, ‘Japan’ 12″ by Landscape, ‘Technopop’ by The Buggles, ‘Mirror of Infinity’ by Moebius and ‘Forever Tonight’ by Hammer. A few songs on the album can be found on other Cherry Red compilations. There are some real curiosities also, such the first version of ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’ by Bruce Woolley and the Camera Club (I like this one better!) and weirdly good covers of ‘Rock Around the Clock’ by Telex and ‘All You Need is Love’ by Instant Automatons.

This album is fun, futuristic and fascinating; you can hear elements of punk, disco and prog rock. Some of the songs are more like rock with added synthesiser while others sound purely electronic. Considering that the music was produced well over 40 years ago, most of it sounds really good today. If you love vintage synth pop, add this to your collection.

The book details the early days of Mal, before following his career with the GPO and as bouncer for the Cavern Club. He became a huge fan of the Beatles and was to be indispensable to them after he quit his day job. He even contributed to the music and he had a famous bag which contained anything a Beatle could possibly need. In the days of crazy Beatlemania when they still performed live, it was Mal who had to clean the sticky messes of jelly babies – thrown by the fans after George once remarked he liked them – off the equipment. He went on holidays with the Beatles, partied with them and helped their solo careers. Out of all the candidates for ‘fifth Beatle’, he would have a strong claim, based on the details in this book.

The contrast in Mal’s character, which this book presents, is that everyone said how friendly and helpful he was, yet when it came to his wife and children, he often kept his distance and escaped to the US – and to other women – whenever he had the chance. The Beatles were his number one priority and whenever any of them wanted something, he would run to them. I didn’t really want to reach the end of the book, because I knew of the tragedy which approached. However, I appreciate that Mal’s story has now been told, with much consideration for his family, so that all Beatles fans can discover his vital contributions to the band’s legacy.

Published by Mudlark, 2023.

However, the band has never been about one person. Originally named Xero, they would likely have not been as successful without Chester’s star quality, but they all have a significant role in the music, particularly the multi-talented Mike Shinoda, who produced this album. It was co-produced by Colin Brittain (the drummer who replaces Rob Bourdon, who left) and guitarist Brad Delson, while I’m sure that Joe Hahn and Phoenix had a lot to contribute too. That brings us to new vocalist Emily Armstrong. She has a powerful rock-star voice and a lot of energy, which really suits the songs. Her screaming is not as full-on and the melodic parts not as soft as Chester was able to do, but most songs are reminiscent of early Linkin Park which should please the old-school fans, as well as bring in new fans. If, like me, you loved Hybrid Theory and Meteora, but the band had fallen off your music radar by the time Minutes to Midnight was released, you should definitely check out From Zero. I think it will also encourage people to explore the back catalogue and realise that like all good bands, Linkin Park developed their style and experimented. Moreover, we apparently have a Y2K revival going on; popular bands from the early 2000s are back in the spotlight and even ‘nu-metal’, once scoffed at by the press and music snobs, has been reappraised. Linkin Park, though, were different from anyone else. Their concept wasn’t completely new, but their commercial appeal was, and moreover no ‘parental advisory’ sticker was required (that changed later!) so it was easier for younger fans to get their hands on the music. The band also had a strong presence on the web, at the same time that more people were getting online.

My favourite track on From Zero is ‘The Emptiness Machine’, which has the genius idea of the first verse sung by Mike, before introducing Emily for the next. It’s the first proper song on there, so this is impactful. Other favourites include ‘Overflow’, which has an interesting trip-hop style and reverb, and ‘Over Each Other’, a rock ballad which showcases Emily’s brilliant voice. At first, I wasn’t keen on ‘Casualty,’ which is one for the scream-fans, but it’s grown on me. ‘Heavy is the Crown’ is another good one, reminiscent of Meteora track ‘Faint’, while ‘Two Faced’ has tones of Hybrid Theory‘s ‘One Step Closer’. I would have liked a little more variation in the styles, but I think it was a canny move to release an album with similarities to earlier songs, to maximise the interest in the rebirth of the band. I hope the next album will push the boundaries further, but this one has, I’m sure, made a lot of fans happy.

The writing style in Deborah’s book is quite straightforward and not very poetic, but the value is in her portrayal of Ian’s character and their relationship, while trying to find some explanation of his actions. Details about the band, for example, are to be found from other sources, but for the domestic side of things, and details which only Deborah could know, this is why the book is important and has a large influence on the film. Some details are necessarily cut and conflated, such as a variety of locations where they lived and worked. They had a dog, Candy, which is not in the film. The book includes Ian’s early years, before Ian and Deborah met.

In the book, Deborah describes how controlling Ian was, from early in their relationship. A photograph of their wedding day shows Deborah in a very high-necked dress, because she wasn’t allowed to wear anything that might cause other men to look at her. Ian’s treatment of her was toned down for the film, as were his violent outbursts and his idolisation of his musical heroes who died young. On this last subject, the film seems to suggest that his severe epilepsy was the main factor (as well as being caught between his relationships with Deborah, and Annik) for deciding to take his life, as it shows him having a severe fit on his last night. There is also some difference about what happened in the morning when Deborah came back to the house. In the book, she had to look carefully at Ian to check if he was alive, and when she went out she couldn’t even speak, as she tried to get the neighbours to help. The film has her going into the house, screaming and coming straight out.

Annik, a Belgian journalist and music promoter whom Deborah claims had an affair with Ian, is given a more sympathetic portrayal in the film. For example, in the book she couldn’t deal with his illness but in film she is shown being caring after he has a fit.

Most impressive in the film is Sam Riley, in the role of Ian, mirroring his energetic performances, of which a small number were filmed. Samantha Morton is very good in the role of Deborah and we can feel her conflicted emotions, especially when they have a child, Natalie, and Deborah needs to do what is best for them both. It’s quite a bleak and intense film which I think complements the book.

Image: IMPAwards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13449089

Stuart Maconie brings his journalism / radio / TV experience, a humorous northern outlook and some strong opinions to bring us yet another new perspective on the best music group of all time. It’s very current, referring to John & Paul by Ian Leslie (published the same year) and a variety of podcasts, YouTube videos and social media posts, as well as documentaries, interviews and photos. It’s not fully referenced, unlike some other books about the Beatles. Occasionally the writing didn’t quite make sense to me and it also needed more thorough proofreading. I wouldn’t say it’s one of the best books on the subject but it was an enjoyable read, full of trivia, what-ifs, and thoughtful observations. If you’ve never read a book about the Beatles before, or if you don’t know a lot about their history, don’t start with this one, because it assumes you know it already.

Published by HarperNorth, 2025.

Related book reviews: One Two Three Four by Craig Brown, Beatles ’66 by Steve Turner, The Lost Album of The Beatles by Daniel Rachel.

The book narrates the story of the author’s life and career, from meeting his first manager aged 16, becoming a pop sensation and touring with the Spice Girls, to moving to the US, and his descent into alcoholism and addiction as his music and TV career foundered. All the while, he was hiding his sexuality from the media and most of the people he knew. Young male singers had to pretend to be straight, as they were marketed to girls and it was a different media landscape (remember Stephen Gately’s forced outing to the press?). I am sure that any readers who are interested in the crazy world of 90s pop, or in memoirs of alcoholism, or both, will find this a compelling read.

Thank you to the publisher Blink for the review copy. The book was published in July 2025.