Enjoyable, 25 Nov 2008
I enjoyed this book but I agree with some people that there could have been far more substance to it. As Girls Aloud have said though there is alot that had to be left out due to their younger fans. It is an enjoyable read though and it is interesting to see that we think of them as being very manufactured yet this book describes how they were pretty much left to find their own way without much help and guidance.

boooooring!, 23 Nov 2008
This book was never going to be a propper autobiography as even sarah harding has admited they couldnt put any risky stuff in here because it's aimed mainly at kids, so its basically like girls alouds music it looks ok on the outside but if you dig any deeper theres not much there.
be fair there are five of the girls and this book is 256 pages long while their sworn enemy and more successful singer charlotte church's book is 368 pages long and packed with funny stories with nothing held back.
girls aloud seem to think theyre the best girlband ever but they need to realise they've sold like 4,000,000 albums what about the spice gorls, all saints or the sugababes?
i'd rather read a book by any of them as i think it would be way more interesting then this "book".

poor book by a poor band, 06 Nov 2008
These girls seem to think they are bigger than All Saints, Spice Girls and Destiny's Chil when infact they aren't as big as many of them. Girls Aloud have no success outside the UK. But I'll admit, some of their songs from their Tangled Up era was rather mature sounding and catchy and I did take a liking to it. So it really made feel like a huge hypocrite. I've become a lot more open minded with Music.
I go by this saying:-
"If you hear something you like, don't analyse it. Just dance to it"

Girls Aloud aren't really anything to be taken seriously. They are just very, incredibly lucky, guilty pleasures.


Worth the buy, 22 Oct 2008
This book is worth the buy and is brilliant for any girls aloud fans. It gives the inside to all memebers of the band and each girls views on different topics. Go and buy it.

A wonderful book from five wonderful girls, 06 Oct 2008
Barcode: 9780593061220

Girls Aloud are really quite beyond anything else. As a band, over the past six years they have caused a nation to fall in love with them, to cherish them and their inspired pop songs. They are impossibly beautiful, role models to countless young people, media darlings that have the tabloids and celeb mags hanging on their every move, they are fantastic singers who have treated us to some of the best pop songs of the 21st century, but most of all - they are Girls Aloud, and that is why we love them.

And now, in the book that all us fans have been waiting ages for, Cheryl, Nadine, Nicola, Sarah and Kimberley invite us to sit back and listen to just what it's like to be Girls Aloud. For those who have seen the Girls' brilliant DVD's Off The Record, Style and TV series Passions you will already have a taste of what to expect here. One thing I have always admired the Girls greatly for is their straight talking attitude, they have this down-to-earth charm and feistiness to them that truly sets them apart. And it is this that we see here in Dreams That Glitter.

The book takes a roughly chronological approach and starts off with the Girls' lives leading up to the band's beginnings on Popstars - The Rivals. The viewpoint alternates between each of the Girls, each offering their individual outlooks and own experiences at each stage of their career. It is fascinating to see them looking back now, with hindsight, on many of the things that must have just swept them up in a hurricane in the beginning. There are also individual sections scattered throughout with Q&A's for each of the Girls and such like.

In essence, this isn't so much an autobiography, but a series of insightful anecdotes, told by the Girls as they might tell a friend over an evening meal. In the past six years the Girls have been through a lot and this book shows very much how they have become very different, yet fundamentally still the same, from the people they set out as. They have learnt lessons in life, and as they started out so young, these lessons were all the more powerful, and it is heart-warming to see them working through these various aspects of their lives, whether they be for good or for bad. As the Girls repeatedly say, they wouldn't change any of it for the world - what will be will be and all that.

They are very humble about their success too, Cheryl in particular being very embarrassed by the stratospheric levels of fame and public awareness surrounding her now. There is an extremely touching paragraph in the book's introduction where the Girls say:

"We've been on the most amazing journey together and achieved so much more than we ever dreamed possible. We still have moments when we can't quite believe just how far we've come, that this extraordinary life really is ours. We'd love our story to inspire you to have faith in your dreams, whatever they might be, and to go for them, no matter what."

And you can't get a much more positive message than that. But it's true. Through these last six years, as the Girls themselves have grown up and matured, their fans have done so with them, it's a mutual experience, and I like to think that we all go through the same and that some of what's in this book will inspire people as from reading it, I think they say some truly insightful things about fame, the world around them, and life in general.

Girls Aloud have one of the most devoted fanbases around - they have after all helped the Girls to achieve that wonderful chart record of 18 consecutive top ten singles - and it is to these fans that this book is dedicated. Looking at the Girls today, we see a band that has serious publications like the Guardian writing six page articles about them, a band that NME applaud and give rave reviews to their albums.

In terms of the book itself, there are loads of lovely pictures in there of the Girls looking glam and having fun (plus one fascinating pic of the elusive Brian Higgins and Mirana Cooper - two of the masterminds making up the Girls' songwriters/producers Xenomania). The book itself is gorgeous too, very high quality with glossy, colourful pages and actual glitter on the cover.

I think it was around the time of Call The Shots that Girls Aloud finally transcended from being just a `great pop group' to something quite special indeed, something almost heroic, something almost magical. I've heard them described as `national treasures', the `saviours of pop' and thus this book makes a fitting tribute to a year which has really shown us the very essence of what Girls Aloud mean. Really, this book is for the fans, although I'm sure more casual readers will find plenty to enjoy here too - well worth reading.

Enjoyable, 25 Nov 2008
I enjoyed this book but I agree with some people that there could have been far more substance to it. As Girls Aloud have said though there is alot that had to be left out due to their younger fans. It is an enjoyable read though and it is interesting to see that we think of them as being very manufactured yet this book describes how they were pretty much left to find their own way without much help and guidance.

boooooring!, 23 Nov 2008
This book was never going to be a propper autobiography as even sarah harding has admited they couldnt put any risky stuff in here because it's aimed mainly at kids, so its basically like girls alouds music it looks ok on the outside but if you dig any deeper theres not much there.
be fair there are five of the girls and this book is 256 pages long while their sworn enemy and more successful singer charlotte church's book is 368 pages long and packed with funny stories with nothing held back.
girls aloud seem to think theyre the best girlband ever but they need to realise they've sold like 4,000,000 albums what about the spice gorls, all saints or the sugababes?
i'd rather read a book by any of them as i think it would be way more interesting then this "book".

poor book by a poor band, 06 Nov 2008
These girls seem to think they are bigger than All Saints, Spice Girls and Destiny's Chil when infact they aren't as big as many of them. Girls Aloud have no success outside the UK. But I'll admit, some of their songs from their Tangled Up era was rather mature sounding and catchy and I did take a liking to it. So it really made feel like a huge hypocrite. I've become a lot more open minded with Music.
I go by this saying:-
"If you hear something you like, don't analyse it. Just dance to it"

Girls Aloud aren't really anything to be taken seriously. They are just very, incredibly lucky, guilty pleasures.


Worth the buy, 22 Oct 2008
This book is worth the buy and is brilliant for any girls aloud fans. It gives the inside to all memebers of the band and each girls views on different topics. Go and buy it.

A wonderful book from five wonderful girls, 06 Oct 2008
Barcode: 9780593061220

Girls Aloud are really quite beyond anything else. As a band, over the past six years they have caused a nation to fall in love with them, to cherish them and their inspired pop songs. They are impossibly beautiful, role models to countless young people, media darlings that have the tabloids and celeb mags hanging on their every move, they are fantastic singers who have treated us to some of the best pop songs of the 21st century, but most of all - they are Girls Aloud, and that is why we love them.

And now, in the book that all us fans have been waiting ages for, Cheryl, Nadine, Nicola, Sarah and Kimberley invite us to sit back and listen to just what it's like to be Girls Aloud. For those who have seen the Girls' brilliant DVD's Off The Record, Style and TV series Passions you will already have a taste of what to expect here. One thing I have always admired the Girls greatly for is their straight talking attitude, they have this down-to-earth charm and feistiness to them that truly sets them apart. And it is this that we see here in Dreams That Glitter.

The book takes a roughly chronological approach and starts off with the Girls' lives leading up to the band's beginnings on Popstars - The Rivals. The viewpoint alternates between each of the Girls, each offering their individual outlooks and own experiences at each stage of their career. It is fascinating to see them looking back now, with hindsight, on many of the things that must have just swept them up in a hurricane in the beginning. There are also individual sections scattered throughout with Q&A's for each of the Girls and such like.

In essence, this isn't so much an autobiography, but a series of insightful anecdotes, told by the Girls as they might tell a friend over an evening meal. In the past six years the Girls have been through a lot and this book shows very much how they have become very different, yet fundamentally still the same, from the people they set out as. They have learnt lessons in life, and as they started out so young, these lessons were all the more powerful, and it is heart-warming to see them working through these various aspects of their lives, whether they be for good or for bad. As the Girls repeatedly say, they wouldn't change any of it for the world - what will be will be and all that.

They are very humble about their success too, Cheryl in particular being very embarrassed by the stratospheric levels of fame and public awareness surrounding her now. There is an extremely touching paragraph in the book's introduction where the Girls say:

"We've been on the most amazing journey together and achieved so much more than we ever dreamed possible. We still have moments when we can't quite believe just how far we've come, that this extraordinary life really is ours. We'd love our story to inspire you to have faith in your dreams, whatever they might be, and to go for them, no matter what."

And you can't get a much more positive message than that. But it's true. Through these last six years, as the Girls themselves have grown up and matured, their fans have done so with them, it's a mutual experience, and I like to think that we all go through the same and that some of what's in this book will inspire people as from reading it, I think they say some truly insightful things about fame, the world around them, and life in general.

Girls Aloud have one of the most devoted fanbases around - they have after all helped the Girls to achieve that wonderful chart record of 18 consecutive top ten singles - and it is to these fans that this book is dedicated. Looking at the Girls today, we see a band that has serious publications like the Guardian writing six page articles about them, a band that NME applaud and give rave reviews to their albums.

In terms of the book itself, there are loads of lovely pictures in there of the Girls looking glam and having fun (plus one fascinating pic of the elusive Brian Higgins and Mirana Cooper - two of the masterminds making up the Girls' songwriters/producers Xenomania). The book itself is gorgeous too, very high quality with glossy, colourful pages and actual glitter on the cover.

I think it was around the time of Call The Shots that Girls Aloud finally transcended from being just a `great pop group' to something quite special indeed, something almost heroic, something almost magical. I've heard them described as `national treasures', the `saviours of pop' and thus this book makes a fitting tribute to a year which has really shown us the very essence of what Girls Aloud mean. Really, this book is for the fans, although I'm sure more casual readers will find plenty to enjoy here too - well worth reading.

A Must for Cliff Fans, 22 Nov 2008
The Peter Pan of pop continues to enthrall audiences of all ages and this book, whilst clearly a must for Cliff fans, provides an insight into the way he ticks. Too much has been written about him in the past that has left questions unanswered. This book which is written with frankness and a helping hand from Penny Junor provides a good read about the life of a fascinating and caring individual. Instead of being written in a conventional biographical format, it dedicates chapters to specific stages or items in his life. However instead of producing a jarring account of his life, the chapters flow well into each other and provide a good and interesting look into the life of one of the most successful men the pop world has ever seen.

Is that all there is?, 03 Nov 2008
After reading this autobiography there is no doubt that the author is a nice man. The trouble is he sounds too good to be true. Cliff's number one fan appears to be Cliff himself. I don't feel that I now know the man any better than I did before reading his book. Yes I know he loves his family, his career, his fans, tennis and his faith. He distrusts the press and is prone to justify their attacks by pointing out that irrespective of what they might say he has proven them all wrong by his continued success and box office receipts. That's a little like saying McDonalds fast food is good for the very same reasons. He appears to have lived a charmed life, and I'm glad for him. Were we all to be as lucky would be nice however sadly it makes for bland reading. But for the early death of his father Cliff appears to have had no "darkness" in his life whatsoever, no demons, no dramas in his personal relationships, no regrets of any consequence, no real anger, except possibly towards today's commercial radio, especially BBC Radio 1 ! One might conclude that he is the ultimate success story: Happy and contented, wealthy, loved by all those close to him, numerous fans and is a much respected household name around a good part of the world. I don't think that it was intentional by him but his self satisfaction comes across as a little too smug for my liking. His fans of course will lap up every page, and good for them but for the objective reader seeking any real insight into the man I fear they like me they will end up disappointed. In the words of the Peggy Lee song: "Is that all there is?" may prove to be the books lasting legacy.

Sorry Cliff - Not impressed, 20 Oct 2008
Much as I have always liked and admired Cliff, I'm afraid this is a poor biography. The main gripe I have is that it is not well written. Cliff's collaboration with Penny Junor has, unfortunately, not worked.
The book jumps about in time annoyingly. One minute we are in 1964, then in 1990 etc. I think it would have been much better chronologically. Lots of the information and views in the book are very interesting but I felt that Cliff has used the book to knock some of the radio stations for not playing his songs and also to trumpet christianity. Obviously it's his book and he can use it as a platform to have a moan, but frankly, I was bored before the half way mark. I battled on through the book, but the second half was much the same.
Nice try Cliff and Penny, but it didn't work for me this time.

Christman, 19 Oct 2008
Must be Christmas . The most overated singer in the world has another book out. Cant wait for the album as well, my wheelie bin is empty

Wow! A-w-e-s-o-m-e Book, 07 Oct 2008
Wow. Amazing book! I am still recovering from this book which cliff has written from the bottom of his heart. Thank you cliff for giving us an insight into your personality. For fans, it is a 'must' read, as we get to know so many intimate details like what he has for breakfast, his fears, his love and above all his frank approach to life and controversies which surround him. He not only clears the dust but also confirms what all his fans already know about him...that he is such a humble person, inspite of having millions of fans worldwide, especially here in India. My only regret was there were no contact details about his fan clubs nor an address we could write to, which could have been included in this super book.

Enjoyable, 25 Nov 2008
I enjoyed this book but I agree with some people that there could have been far more substance to it. As Girls Aloud have said though there is alot that had to be left out due to their younger fans. It is an enjoyable read though and it is interesting to see that we think of them as being very manufactured yet this book describes how they were pretty much left to find their own way without much help and guidance.

boooooring!, 23 Nov 2008
This book was never going to be a propper autobiography as even sarah harding has admited they couldnt put any risky stuff in here because it's aimed mainly at kids, so its basically like girls alouds music it looks ok on the outside but if you dig any deeper theres not much there.
be fair there are five of the girls and this book is 256 pages long while their sworn enemy and more successful singer charlotte church's book is 368 pages long and packed with funny stories with nothing held back.
girls aloud seem to think theyre the best girlband ever but they need to realise they've sold like 4,000,000 albums what about the spice gorls, all saints or the sugababes?
i'd rather read a book by any of them as i think it would be way more interesting then this "book".

poor book by a poor band, 06 Nov 2008
These girls seem to think they are bigger than All Saints, Spice Girls and Destiny's Chil when infact they aren't as big as many of them. Girls Aloud have no success outside the UK. But I'll admit, some of their songs from their Tangled Up era was rather mature sounding and catchy and I did take a liking to it. So it really made feel like a huge hypocrite. I've become a lot more open minded with Music.
I go by this saying:-
"If you hear something you like, don't analyse it. Just dance to it"

Girls Aloud aren't really anything to be taken seriously. They are just very, incredibly lucky, guilty pleasures.


Worth the buy, 22 Oct 2008
This book is worth the buy and is brilliant for any girls aloud fans. It gives the inside to all memebers of the band and each girls views on different topics. Go and buy it.

A wonderful book from five wonderful girls, 06 Oct 2008
Barcode: 9780593061220

Girls Aloud are really quite beyond anything else. As a band, over the past six years they have caused a nation to fall in love with them, to cherish them and their inspired pop songs. They are impossibly beautiful, role models to countless young people, media darlings that have the tabloids and celeb mags hanging on their every move, they are fantastic singers who have treated us to some of the best pop songs of the 21st century, but most of all - they are Girls Aloud, and that is why we love them.

And now, in the book that all us fans have been waiting ages for, Cheryl, Nadine, Nicola, Sarah and Kimberley invite us to sit back and listen to just what it's like to be Girls Aloud. For those who have seen the Girls' brilliant DVD's Off The Record, Style and TV series Passions you will already have a taste of what to expect here. One thing I have always admired the Girls greatly for is their straight talking attitude, they have this down-to-earth charm and feistiness to them that truly sets them apart. And it is this that we see here in Dreams That Glitter.

The book takes a roughly chronological approach and starts off with the Girls' lives leading up to the band's beginnings on Popstars - The Rivals. The viewpoint alternates between each of the Girls, each offering their individual outlooks and own experiences at each stage of their career. It is fascinating to see them looking back now, with hindsight, on many of the things that must have just swept them up in a hurricane in the beginning. There are also individual sections scattered throughout with Q&A's for each of the Girls and such like.

In essence, this isn't so much an autobiography, but a series of insightful anecdotes, told by the Girls as they might tell a friend over an evening meal. In the past six years the Girls have been through a lot and this book shows very much how they have become very different, yet fundamentally still the same, from the people they set out as. They have learnt lessons in life, and as they started out so young, these lessons were all the more powerful, and it is heart-warming to see them working through these various aspects of their lives, whether they be for good or for bad. As the Girls repeatedly say, they wouldn't change any of it for the world - what will be will be and all that.

They are very humble about their success too, Cheryl in particular being very embarrassed by the stratospheric levels of fame and public awareness surrounding her now. There is an extremely touching paragraph in the book's introduction where the Girls say:

"We've been on the most amazing journey together and achieved so much more than we ever dreamed possible. We still have moments when we can't quite believe just how far we've come, that this extraordinary life really is ours. We'd love our story to inspire you to have faith in your dreams, whatever they might be, and to go for them, no matter what."

And you can't get a much more positive message than that. But it's true. Through these last six years, as the Girls themselves have grown up and matured, their fans have done so with them, it's a mutual experience, and I like to think that we all go through the same and that some of what's in this book will inspire people as from reading it, I think they say some truly insightful things about fame, the world around them, and life in general.

Girls Aloud have one of the most devoted fanbases around - they have after all helped the Girls to achieve that wonderful chart record of 18 consecutive top ten singles - and it is to these fans that this book is dedicated. Looking at the Girls today, we see a band that has serious publications like the Guardian writing six page articles about them, a band that NME applaud and give rave reviews to their albums.

In terms of the book itself, there are loads of lovely pictures in there of the Girls looking glam and having fun (plus one fascinating pic of the elusive Brian Higgins and Mirana Cooper - two of the masterminds making up the Girls' songwriters/producers Xenomania). The book itself is gorgeous too, very high quality with glossy, colourful pages and actual glitter on the cover.

I think it was around the time of Call The Shots that Girls Aloud finally transcended from being just a `great pop group' to something quite special indeed, something almost heroic, something almost magical. I've heard them described as `national treasures', the `saviours of pop' and thus this book makes a fitting tribute to a year which has really shown us the very essence of what Girls Aloud mean. Really, this book is for the fans, although I'm sure more casual readers will find plenty to enjoy here too - well worth reading.

A Must for Cliff Fans, 22 Nov 2008
The Peter Pan of pop continues to enthrall audiences of all ages and this book, whilst clearly a must for Cliff fans, provides an insight into the way he ticks. Too much has been written about him in the past that has left questions unanswered. This book which is written with frankness and a helping hand from Penny Junor provides a good read about the life of a fascinating and caring individual. Instead of being written in a conventional biographical format, it dedicates chapters to specific stages or items in his life. However instead of producing a jarring account of his life, the chapters flow well into each other and provide a good and interesting look into the life of one of the most successful men the pop world has ever seen.

Is that all there is?, 03 Nov 2008
After reading this autobiography there is no doubt that the author is a nice man. The trouble is he sounds too good to be true. Cliff's number one fan appears to be Cliff himself. I don't feel that I now know the man any better than I did before reading his book. Yes I know he loves his family, his career, his fans, tennis and his faith. He distrusts the press and is prone to justify their attacks by pointing out that irrespective of what they might say he has proven them all wrong by his continued success and box office receipts. That's a little like saying McDonalds fast food is good for the very same reasons. He appears to have lived a charmed life, and I'm glad for him. Were we all to be as lucky would be nice however sadly it makes for bland reading. But for the early death of his father Cliff appears to have had no "darkness" in his life whatsoever, no demons, no dramas in his personal relationships, no regrets of any consequence, no real anger, except possibly towards today's commercial radio, especially BBC Radio 1 ! One might conclude that he is the ultimate success story: Happy and contented, wealthy, loved by all those close to him, numerous fans and is a much respected household name around a good part of the world. I don't think that it was intentional by him but his self satisfaction comes across as a little too smug for my liking. His fans of course will lap up every page, and good for them but for the objective reader seeking any real insight into the man I fear they like me they will end up disappointed. In the words of the Peggy Lee song: "Is that all there is?" may prove to be the books lasting legacy.

Sorry Cliff - Not impressed, 20 Oct 2008
Much as I have always liked and admired Cliff, I'm afraid this is a poor biography. The main gripe I have is that it is not well written. Cliff's collaboration with Penny Junor has, unfortunately, not worked.
The book jumps about in time annoyingly. One minute we are in 1964, then in 1990 etc. I think it would have been much better chronologically. Lots of the information and views in the book are very interesting but I felt that Cliff has used the book to knock some of the radio stations for not playing his songs and also to trumpet christianity. Obviously it's his book and he can use it as a platform to have a moan, but frankly, I was bored before the half way mark. I battled on through the book, but the second half was much the same.
Nice try Cliff and Penny, but it didn't work for me this time.

Christman, 19 Oct 2008
Must be Christmas . The most overated singer in the world has another book out. Cant wait for the album as well, my wheelie bin is empty

Wow! A-w-e-s-o-m-e Book, 07 Oct 2008
Wow. Amazing book! I am still recovering from this book which cliff has written from the bottom of his heart. Thank you cliff for giving us an insight into your personality. For fans, it is a 'must' read, as we get to know so many intimate details like what he has for breakfast, his fears, his love and above all his frank approach to life and controversies which surround him. He not only clears the dust but also confirms what all his fans already know about him...that he is such a humble person, inspite of having millions of fans worldwide, especially here in India. My only regret was there were no contact details about his fan clubs nor an address we could write to, which could have been included in this super book.

Utterly brilliant, 29 Nov 2008
I only started reading this because I bought it for my husband for Xmas but once I started I couldn't put it down. I used to read music books when I was younger but stopped when I realised they were nearly always fan books. This isn't like that. It's obvious Mick Wall knows his stuff and has spoken to everyone including the band but he doesn't pull any punches. I don't know if the band will like it but they should because it's not only a great book about them but just a great book anyway. Utterly brilliant.

fantastic book !!!!!, 21 Nov 2008
this is an essential read for any fan of led zeppelin. very well researched and beautifully written.
by far the definitive biography on the band so far and very hard to beat i'd guess.

p.s why has the antipodean pillock who has given this book a good review given only one star ?. i repeat, pillock.

A Whole Lotta Reading, 21 Nov 2008
Through the author's close association with Led Zeppelin, particularly Jimmy Page, the larger than life Svengali Peter Grant and to a lesser extent Robert Plant, the book documents each chapter of the bands rise and subsequent fall through a combination of interviews and recollections, flashbacks to the tin pan alley days of the 1960's when the band were striking out as session musicians (Page & Jones), unknown regional band members (Plant & Bonham) and apprentice to well known 60's pop producer and manager, Mickie Most. What separates Wall's work from other biographies of major rock figures and luminaries of the 60's and 70's is the meticulous research, range of interview subjects, some of which remained close to the band over their history and just the right amount of detail allocated to each chapter.
As a huge follower of the music scene over the period covered and one who walked out at Earls Court for a quite beer (Nick Hornby was amongst the other escapees) in the mid 70's when Page ... or was it Bonham? ... embarked on another lengthy solo, I got quickly sucked into the life and times of a band that deservedly knocked the Stones from their mantle in the 1970's and left a highly enjoyable story to tell from an author well in the know.
When Giants Walked The Earth should also not be ignored by Zeppelin fans that may have read earlier and lesser works such as Hammer Of The Gods.

Monumental achievement, 18 Nov 2008
After having only the sleazy and now outdated Hammer of the Gods to put up with all these years, it's amazing to finally have the sort of serious, brilliantly written book on Zeppelin the band and their fans deserve. I never thought I'd live to see the day but here it is at last. Mick Wall is famous enough already as a great rock writer but this has to be the best thing he's ever done or ever likely to do. Zeppelin of course are simply the greatest rock band ever. What a combination the two make. The book pulls no punches, but at the same time goes right to the heart of the matter, telling you everything - everything - you've ever wanted to know about the band, the people in it, the music they made and the times they helped shape. Wall seems to have spoken to them all and come away with the truth at last. I literally could not put it down. There have been some great books over the years about groups like the Stones and the Beatles but this tops them all. Seriously. If Jimmy Page and Robert Plant have any sense they should go down on their bended knees and thank Wall. They may not come out of it always smelling of roses but at least he's done them the favour of burying Hammer of the Gods forever. Compared to that, When Giants Walked The Earth is the bible.

Enjoyable, 25 Nov 2008
I enjoyed this book but I agree with some people that there could have been far more substance to it. As Girls Aloud have said though there is alot that had to be left out due to their younger fans. It is an enjoyable read though and it is interesting to see that we think of them as being very manufactured yet this book describes how they were pretty much left to find their own way without much help and guidance.

boooooring!, 23 Nov 2008
This book was never going to be a propper autobiography as even sarah harding has admited they couldnt put any risky stuff in here because it's aimed mainly at kids, so its basically like girls alouds music it looks ok on the outside but if you dig any deeper theres not much there.
be fair there are five of the girls and this book is 256 pages long while their sworn enemy and more successful singer charlotte church's book is 368 pages long and packed with funny stories with nothing held back.
girls aloud seem to think theyre the best girlband ever but they need to realise they've sold like 4,000,000 albums what about the spice gorls, all saints or the sugababes?
i'd rather read a book by any of them as i think it would be way more interesting then this "book".

poor book by a poor band, 06 Nov 2008
These girls seem to think they are bigger than All Saints, Spice Girls and Destiny's Chil when infact they aren't as big as many of them. Girls Aloud have no success outside the UK. But I'll admit, some of their songs from their Tangled Up era was rather mature sounding and catchy and I did take a liking to it. So it really made feel like a huge hypocrite. I've become a lot more open minded with Music.
I go by this saying:-
"If you hear something you like, don't analyse it. Just dance to it"

Girls Aloud aren't really anything to be taken seriously. They are just very, incredibly lucky, guilty pleasures.


Worth the buy, 22 Oct 2008
This book is worth the buy and is brilliant for any girls aloud fans. It gives the inside to all memebers of the band and each girls views on different topics. Go and buy it.

A wonderful book from five wonderful girls, 06 Oct 2008
Barcode: 9780593061220

Girls Aloud are really quite beyond anything else. As a band, over the past six years they have caused a nation to fall in love with them, to cherish them and their inspired pop songs. They are impossibly beautiful, role models to countless young people, media darlings that have the tabloids and celeb mags hanging on their every move, they are fantastic singers who have treated us to some of the best pop songs of the 21st century, but most of all - they are Girls Aloud, and that is why we love them.

And now, in the book that all us fans have been waiting ages for, Cheryl, Nadine, Nicola, Sarah and Kimberley invite us to sit back and listen to just what it's like to be Girls Aloud. For those who have seen the Girls' brilliant DVD's Off The Record, Style and TV series Passions you will already have a taste of what to expect here. One thing I have always admired the Girls greatly for is their straight talking attitude, they have this down-to-earth charm and feistiness to them that truly sets them apart. And it is this that we see here in Dreams That Glitter.

The book takes a roughly chronological approach and starts off with the Girls' lives leading up to the band's beginnings on Popstars - The Rivals. The viewpoint alternates between each of the Girls, each offering their individual outlooks and own experiences at each stage of their career. It is fascinating to see them looking back now, with hindsight, on many of the things that must have just swept them up in a hurricane in the beginning. There are also individual sections scattered throughout with Q&A's for each of the Girls and such like.

In essence, this isn't so much an autobiography, but a series of insightful anecdotes, told by the Girls as they might tell a friend over an evening meal. In the past six years the Girls have been through a lot and this book shows very much how they have become very different, yet fundamentally still the same, from the people they set out as. They have learnt lessons in life, and as they started out so young, these lessons were all the more powerful, and it is heart-warming to see them working through these various aspects of their lives, whether they be for good or for bad. As the Girls repeatedly say, they wouldn't change any of it for the world - what will be will be and all that.

They are very humble about their success too, Cheryl in particular being very embarrassed by the stratospheric levels of fame and public awareness surrounding her now. There is an extremely touching paragraph in the book's introduction where the Girls say:

"We've been on the most amazing journey together and achieved so much more than we ever dreamed possible. We still have moments when we can't quite believe just how far we've come, that this extraordinary life really is ours. We'd love our story to inspire you to have faith in your dreams, whatever they might be, and to go for them, no matter what."

And you can't get a much more positive message than that. But it's true. Through these last six years, as the Girls themselves have grown up and matured, their fans have done so with them, it's a mutual experience, and I like to think that we all go through the same and that some of what's in this book will inspire people as from reading it, I think they say some truly insightful things about fame, the world around them, and life in general.

Girls Aloud have one of the most devoted fanbases around - they have after all helped the Girls to achieve that wonderful chart record of 18 consecutive top ten singles - and it is to these fans that this book is dedicated. Looking at the Girls today, we see a band that has serious publications like the Guardian writing six page articles about them, a band that NME applaud and give rave reviews to their albums.

In terms of the book itself, there are loads of lovely pictures in there of the Girls looking glam and having fun (plus one fascinating pic of the elusive Brian Higgins and Mirana Cooper - two of the masterminds making up the Girls' songwriters/producers Xenomania). The book itself is gorgeous too, very high quality with glossy, colourful pages and actual glitter on the cover.

I think it was around the time of Call The Shots that Girls Aloud finally transcended from being just a `great pop group' to something quite special indeed, something almost heroic, something almost magical. I've heard them described as `national treasures', the `saviours of pop' and thus this book makes a fitting tribute to a year which has really shown us the very essence of what Girls Aloud mean. Really, this book is for the fans, although I'm sure more casual readers will find plenty to enjoy here too - well worth reading.

A Must for Cliff Fans, 22 Nov 2008
The Peter Pan of pop continues to enthrall audiences of all ages and this book, whilst clearly a must for Cliff fans, provides an insight into the way he ticks. Too much has been written about him in the past that has left questions unanswered. This book which is written with frankness and a helping hand from Penny Junor provides a good read about the life of a fascinating and caring individual. Instead of being written in a conventional biographical format, it dedicates chapters to specific stages or items in his life. However instead of producing a jarring account of his life, the chapters flow well into each other and provide a good and interesting look into the life of one of the most successful men the pop world has ever seen.

Is that all there is?, 03 Nov 2008
After reading this autobiography there is no doubt that the author is a nice man. The trouble is he sounds too good to be true. Cliff's number one fan appears to be Cliff himself. I don't feel that I now know the man any better than I did before reading his book. Yes I know he loves his family, his career, his fans, tennis and his faith. He distrusts the press and is prone to justify their attacks by pointing out that irrespective of what they might say he has proven them all wrong by his continued success and box office receipts. That's a little like saying McDonalds fast food is good for the very same reasons. He appears to have lived a charmed life, and I'm glad for him. Were we all to be as lucky would be nice however sadly it makes for bland reading. But for the early death of his father Cliff appears to have had no "darkness" in his life whatsoever, no demons, no dramas in his personal relationships, no regrets of any consequence, no real anger, except possibly towards today's commercial radio, especially BBC Radio 1 ! One might conclude that he is the ultimate success story: Happy and contented, wealthy, loved by all those close to him, numerous fans and is a much respected household name around a good part of the world. I don't think that it was intentional by him but his self satisfaction comes across as a little too smug for my liking. His fans of course will lap up every page, and good for them but for the objective reader seeking any real insight into the man I fear they like me they will end up disappointed. In the words of the Peggy Lee song: "Is that all there is?" may prove to be the books lasting legacy.

Sorry Cliff - Not impressed, 20 Oct 2008
Much as I have always liked and admired Cliff, I'm afraid this is a poor biography. The main gripe I have is that it is not well written. Cliff's collaboration with Penny Junor has, unfortunately, not worked.
The book jumps about in time annoyingly. One minute we are in 1964, then in 1990 etc. I think it would have been much better chronologically. Lots of the information and views in the book are very interesting but I felt that Cliff has used the book to knock some of the radio stations for not playing his songs and also to trumpet christianity. Obviously it's his book and he can use it as a platform to have a moan, but frankly, I was bored before the half way mark. I battled on through the book, but the second half was much the same.
Nice try Cliff and Penny, but it didn't work for me this time.

Christman, 19 Oct 2008
Must be Christmas . The most overated singer in the world has another book out. Cant wait for the album as well, my wheelie bin is empty

Wow! A-w-e-s-o-m-e Book, 07 Oct 2008
Wow. Amazing book! I am still recovering from this book which cliff has written from the bottom of his heart. Thank you cliff for giving us an insight into your personality. For fans, it is a 'must' read, as we get to know so many intimate details like what he has for breakfast, his fears, his love and above all his frank approach to life and controversies which surround him. He not only clears the dust but also confirms what all his fans already know about him...that he is such a humble person, inspite of having millions of fans worldwide, especially here in India. My only regret was there were no contact details about his fan clubs nor an address we could write to, which could have been included in this super book.

Utterly brilliant, 29 Nov 2008
I only started reading this because I bought it for my husband for Xmas but once I started I couldn't put it down. I used to read music books when I was younger but stopped when I realised they were nearly always fan books. This isn't like that. It's obvious Mick Wall knows his stuff and has spoken to everyone including the band but he doesn't pull any punches. I don't know if the band will like it but they should because it's not only a great book about them but just a great book anyway. Utterly brilliant.

fantastic book !!!!!, 21 Nov 2008
this is an essential read for any fan of led zeppelin. very well researched and beautifully written.
by far the definitive biography on the band so far and very hard to beat i'd guess.

p.s why has the antipodean pillock who has given this book a good review given only one star ?. i repeat, pillock.

A Whole Lotta Reading, 21 Nov 2008
Through the author's close association with Led Zeppelin, particularly Jimmy Page, the larger than life Svengali Peter Grant and to a lesser extent Robert Plant, the book documents each chapter of the bands rise and subsequent fall through a combination of interviews and recollections, flashbacks to the tin pan alley days of the 1960's when the band were striking out as session musicians (Page & Jones), unknown regional band members (Plant & Bonham) and apprentice to well known 60's pop producer and manager, Mickie Most. What separates Wall's work from other biographies of major rock figures and luminaries of the 60's and 70's is the meticulous research, range of interview subjects, some of which remained close to the band over their history and just the right amount of detail allocated to each chapter.
As a huge follower of the music scene over the period covered and one who walked out at Earls Court for a quite beer (Nick Hornby was amongst the other escapees) in the mid 70's when Page ... or was it Bonham? ... embarked on another lengthy solo, I got quickly sucked into the life and times of a band that deservedly knocked the Stones from their mantle in the 1970's and left a highly enjoyable story to tell from an author well in the know.
When Giants Walked The Earth should also not be ignored by Zeppelin fans that may have read earlier and lesser works such as Hammer Of The Gods.

Monumental achievement, 18 Nov 2008
After having only the sleazy and now outdated Hammer of the Gods to put up with all these years, it's amazing to finally have the sort of serious, brilliantly written book on Zeppelin the band and their fans deserve. I never thought I'd live to see the day but here it is at last. Mick Wall is famous enough already as a great rock writer but this has to be the best thing he's ever done or ever likely to do. Zeppelin of course are simply the greatest rock band ever. What a combination the two make. The book pulls no punches, but at the same time goes right to the heart of the matter, telling you everything - everything - you've ever wanted to know about the band, the people in it, the music they made and the times they helped shape. Wall seems to have spoken to them all and come away with the truth at last. I literally could not put it down. There have been some great books over the years about groups like the Stones and the Beatles but this tops them all. Seriously. If Jimmy Page and Robert Plant have any sense they should go down on their bended knees and thank Wall. They may not come out of it always smelling of roses but at least he's done them the favour of burying Hammer of the Gods forever. Compared to that, When Giants Walked The Earth is the bible.

Definitive and a great read, 30 Nov 2008
I have not read any other book about John Lennon so i cannot comment on the claims of "hackery" and my views are therefore only based on my reading of this book alone. And what a book. A brilliant read, very interesting details about his early life but also the book weaves the genesis of various songs and albums into the various stages of Lennon's life. I agree that the Yoko Ono years are slightly less interesting, however the final chapter, where Sean discusses some of his memories of John is really moving, sensitive and perceptive. Superb. A bout of flu has helped me devour the book in 4 days! I couldn't put it down. Wonderful.

BEATLES JOHN LENNON, 09 Nov 2008
Well I have just read what has been the most interesting book on John Lennon's life. I have a few books on the Beatles and John Lennon for me this was a wonderful time capsule of this life. I loved the letters that Aunt Mimi received from a fan at the time of the Beatles success which Mimi seemed happy to correspond with. She even tells her of the pending move to the South Coast, sharing all this with someone she never met. Ok, it was interesting for me to learn about John's grandparents and also that Julia gave birth to four children. It was also an eyeopener for me to learn about John's father Freddie and that he did try to keep in touch with John. The story did not end there for both of them because John did buy him a house and they kept in touch.
My only complaint is that the hardback version is heavy to hold up for a nightime read !! Joking aside - a publication well written and one I shall use as a reference to the life of John Lennon.


Haunting, 21 Oct 2008
In The Word magazine (October issue), Philip Norman suggested, in passing, that his latest book was intended to be a biography of Lennon to set alongside similar volumes devoted to Churchill, Ghandi and Hitler: - an antidote to the flimsy paperback pop-biog formula, and a reflection of the musician's huge place in 20th Century culture. The sheer size of the book (853 pp, not the 448 in Amazon's product details) testifies to this hubristic ambition, and, at over 1/3 million words, the result is a true epic, `half-as-long-again' as the Great American Novel, "Moby-Dick" (213,000 wds)...

Does the size of the book make it an equal to Kershaw's `Hitler', or Jenkins' `Churchill? No. But the lucid quality of the writing does. This book is by far the most literary volume ever written about the phenomenon of late 20th Century pop music, to rank alongside Peter Guralnick's `Elvis' tomes, and Greil Marcus's various studies. A skilled novelist and playwright, Norman shows his hand in the opening lines, neatly sidestepping biographical convention with a novelistic slight-of-hand which telescopes 100 years of history into a bewildering instant. From there, the opening chapter goes on for 18 pages, painting the scene of Lennon's boyhood with a poignancy and skill recalling the lives that make up Joyce's `Dubliners'.

To pick at such a book with eyes for nothing but `new tidbits' of information, and to reject it as such, seems faintly like passing on Broch's `The Death of Virgil', or Bergmann's `Fanny and Alexander', while complaining that they lack any new gossip. A new `fact' (the attraction to McCartney, say, or the identity of the girl in `Norwegian Wood') may be interesting, but it might just as soon appear on an internet blog. This book extends past these, on the other hand, into a subtle beast, resounding with the voices of those who knew Lennon, through Norman's voluminous interviews, and through correspondence (both his own, and some freshly discovered - such as the revealing letters from Mimi to Jane Wirgman).

The whole, it must be said, is certainly the best book by Philip Norman, catapulting him from the Beatles expert who wrote `Shout!,' and from his own novels and plays, into the poet chronicler of the 20th Century's `favourite pop icon'. More importantly, it is also the best book about John Lennon, easily eclipsing the risible Goldman, and surpassing the over-tired Coleman. In its 850 pages, we are offered a grand story that ranges from 1855 to 1980, of an Alice in Wonderland haunted childhood, through to an artistic re-awakening in the stormy waters of the Bermuda Triangle. Only Norman has the eye to see this for what it is: the Great (English) Novel, an epic story that he steers accordingly, drawing out all of the haunting and surprising parallels between three generations of the Lennon family (Alfred, John and Julian), and the distant calling of Yoko Ono (`ocean child') matching Lennon with the tale of her own prophetic ancestors (just check out p. 762)...

Right up to the hideous abruptness of its closing chapters, Norman's story is a rich and unforgettable one, horrible, inevitable, and full of grace. The book ultimately surpasses the intentions with which he supposedly began it: this is not a work to shadow Kershaw, or Jenkins. It begins with the faint shade of James Joyce (a favourite of Lennon's), travels through the prismatic ages of cinema and psychedelia, and ends up with the tragic surrealism of a room full of cats. A masterpiece.

Hackery, 20 Oct 2008
I was expecting great things of this book given that Norman had access to Yoko but this is really a compilation of all that's already been written about Lennon with no credits, footnotes or bibliography referring to the authors whose shoulders he stands upon. What's worse, he doesn't even seem to have read some of the best of the recent books. He overlooks Lennon's brief conversion to Christianity covered by Steve Turner's The Gospel According to the Beatles, Geoffrey Giuliano's Lennon in America, Frederic Seaman's Living on Borrowed Time and Robert Rosen's Nowhere Man. Turner did extensive coverage on how the 'more popular than Jesus' crisis broke but Norman just repeats the story without any reference to Turner's discoveries. He disses Albert Goldman's earlier biography (well he would, wouldn't he) but at least Goldman came up with a lot of new material - material which Norman has absorbed. What's actually new in this book could fill a couple of pages. Most of what's truly original is merely incidental, such as Mimi's postcard comments about John's hair. But even without sensational new material Norman could have achieved something if he'd striven to give a perspective on Lennon, if he'd taken the available material and made sense of it for us. But he just presents the findings documentary style and in the end we're left with the old received wisdom - boy damaged by death of his mother becomes rebel, sells rebellion, becomes wealthy and famous, dies. Surely there must be more to it than that? What about the childhood visions he discussed with Playboy (unmentioned by Norman)? What about his attraaction to the spiritual and his conflicted relationship with Christianity? He plays down the power that Yoko exerted over his life and the post Beatle years come over as a crashing bore. But why did a man whose vision helped shape the popular culture of the sixties become such an empty vessel in the seventies. Norman does not ask.

A serviceable biography, 14 Oct 2008
I'm not working just now and like one of the other reviewers I read it in three days. I really enjoyed it. I was 12 when Love Me Do came out and my sister and I bought all their albums on the day of release for several years.

I was also around in London in the late sixties so enjoyed reading the detail about that period.

There are several things about this book which really impressed me however. One is the carefully built up and three dimensional portrait of Lennon's childhood, particularly the portraits of his parents and aunt Mimi. They really come alive for me. So does the picture of Lennon as a 'Just William' character. Clearly for almost his whole life he was a relentless rebel, a continual thorn in the flesh to anyone in authority. I found the stuff about his interest in art and writing really interesting too, going back to his art school days and earlier.

The stuff on Hamburg is great too - that was a hard school, and made them as a band. There is of course a lot of detail on all the Beatles and the changing personnel and friendships. Many readers may be more familiar with this than I as I had never read a book about the Beatles before, but it is really good to get the lowdown on Stu Sutcliffe for example.

The nature of the Lennon McCartney relationship, the friendship with Jagger all add to the mix.

I was less interested in the Yoko Ono years as her work doesn't interest me but the book does bring out how Lennon's personality found his life in New York a new vehicle to express himself in a more explicitly radical way.

The section on the breakup with the Beatles seems to have as much to do with Paul's relationship with Linda as with John's with Yoko but armed with this support they both adopted different financial gurus and that was what really did it.

The is a comprehensive and disciplined book. It doesn't answer every question but for me really brought those years back.

Enjoyable, 25 Nov 2008
I enjoyed this book but I agree with some people that there could have been far more substance to it. As Girls Aloud have said though there is alot that had to be left out due to their younger fans. It is an enjoyable read though and it is interesting to see that we think of them as being very manufactured yet this book describes how they were pretty much left to find their own way without much help and guidance.

boooooring!, 23 Nov 2008
This book was never going to be a propper autobiography as even sarah harding has admited they couldnt put any risky stuff in here because it's aimed mainly at kids, so its basically like girls alouds music it looks ok on the outside but if you dig any deeper theres not much there.
be fair there are five of the girls and this book is 256 pages long while their sworn enemy and more successful singer charlotte church's book is 368 pages long and packed with funny stories with nothing held back.
girls aloud seem to think theyre the best girlband ever but they need to realise they've sold like 4,000,000 albums what about the spice gorls, all saints or the sugababes?
i'd rather read a book by any of them as i think it would be way more interesting then this "book".

poor book by a poor band, 06 Nov 2008
These girls seem to think they are bigger than All Saints, Spice Girls and Destiny's Chil when infact they aren't as big as many of them. Girls Aloud have no success outside the UK. But I'll admit, some of their songs from their Tangled Up era was rather mature sounding and catchy and I did take a liking to it. So it really made feel like a huge hypocrite. I've become a lot more open minded with Music.
I go by this saying:-
"If you hear something you like, don't analyse it. Just dance to it"

Girls Aloud aren't really anything to be taken seriously. They are just very, incredibly lucky, guilty pleasures.


Worth the buy, 22 Oct 2008
This book is worth the buy and is brilliant for any girls aloud fans. It gives the inside to all memebers of the band and each girls views on different topics. Go and buy it.

A wonderful book from five wonderful girls, 06 Oct 2008
Barcode: 9780593061220

Girls Aloud are really quite beyond anything else. As a band, over the past six years they have caused a nation to fall in love with them, to cherish them and their inspired pop songs. They are impossibly beautiful, role models to countless young people, media darlings that have the tabloids and celeb mags hanging on their every move, they are fantastic singers who have treated us to some of the best pop songs of the 21st century, but most of all - they are Girls Aloud, and that is why we love them.

And now, in the book that all us fans have been waiting ages for, Cheryl, Nadine, Nicola, Sarah and Kimberley invite us to sit back and listen to just what it's like to be Girls Aloud. For those who have seen the Girls' brilliant DVD's Off The Record, Style and TV series Passions you will already have a taste of what to expect here. One thing I have always admired the Girls greatly for is their straight talking attitude, they have this down-to-earth charm and feistiness to them that truly sets them apart. And it is this that we see here in Dreams That Glitter.

The book takes a roughly chronological approach and starts off with the Girls' lives leading up to the band's beginnings on Popstars - The Rivals. The viewpoint alternates between each of the Girls, each offering their individual outlooks and own experiences at each stage of their career. It is fascinating to see them looking back now, with hindsight, on many of the things that must have just swept them up in a hurricane in the beginning. There are also individual sections scattered throughout with Q&A's for each of the Girls and such like.

In essence, this isn't so much an autobiography, but a series of insightful anecdotes, told by the Girls as they might tell a friend over an evening meal. In the past six years the Girls have been through a lot and this book shows very much how they have become very different, yet fundamentally still the same, from the people they set out as. They have learnt lessons in life, and as they started out so young, these lessons were all the more powerful, and it is heart-warming to see them working through these various aspects of their lives, whether they be for good or for bad. As the Girls repeatedly say, they wouldn't change any of it for the world - what will be will be and all that.

They are very humble about their success too, Cheryl in particular being very embarrassed by the stratospheric levels of fame and public awareness surrounding her now. There is an extremely touching paragraph in the book's introduction where the Girls say:

"We've been on the most amazing journey together and achieved so much more than we ever dreamed possible. We still have moments when we can't quite believe just how far we've come, that this extraordinary life really is ours. We'd love our story to inspire you to have faith in your dreams, whatever they might be, and to go for them, no matter what."

And you can't get a much more positive message than that. But it's true. Through these last six years, as the Girls themselves have grown up and matured, their fans have done so with them, it's a mutual experience, and I like to think that we all go through the same and that some of what's in this book will inspire people as from reading it, I think they say some truly insightful things about fame, the world around them, and life in general.

Girls Aloud have one of the most devoted fanbases around - they have after all helped the Girls to achieve that wonderful chart record of 18 consecutive top ten singles - and it is to these fans that this book is dedicated. Looking at the Girls today, we see a band that has serious publications like the Guardian writing six page articles about them, a band that NME applaud and give rave reviews to their albums.

In terms of the book itself, there are loads of lovely pictures in there of the Girls looking glam and having fun (plus one fascinating pic of the elusive Brian Higgins and Mirana Cooper - two of the masterminds making up the Girls' songwriters/producers Xenomania). The book itself is gorgeous too, very high quality with glossy, colourful pages and actual glitter on the cover.

I think it was around the time of Call The Shots that Girls Aloud finally transcended from being just a `great pop group' to something quite special indeed, something almost heroic, something almost magical. I've heard them described as `national treasures', the `saviours of pop' and thus this book makes a fitting tribute to a year which has really shown us the very essence of what Girls Aloud mean. Really, this book is for the fans, although I'm sure more casual readers will find plenty to enjoy here too - well worth reading.

A Must for Cliff Fans, 22 Nov 2008
The Peter Pan of pop continues to enthrall audiences of all ages and this book, whilst clearly a must for Cliff fans, provides an insight into the way he ticks. Too much has been written about him in the past that has left questions unanswered. This book which is written with frankness and a helping hand from Penny Junor provides a good read about the life of a fascinating and caring individual. Instead of being written in a conventional biographical format, it dedicates chapters to specific stages or items in his life. However instead of producing a jarring account of his life, the chapters flow well into each other and provide a good and interesting look into the life of one of the most successful men the pop world has ever seen.

Is that all there is?, 03 Nov 2008
After reading this autobiography there is no doubt that the author is a nice man. The trouble is he sounds too good to be true. Cliff's number one fan appears to be Cliff himself. I don't feel that I now know the man any better than I did before reading his book. Yes I know he loves his family, his career, his fans, tennis and his faith. He distrusts the press and is prone to justify their attacks by pointing out that irrespective of what they might say he has proven them all wrong by his continued success and box office receipts. That's a little like saying McDonalds fast food is good for the very same reasons. He appears to have lived a charmed life, and I'm glad for him. Were we all to be as lucky would be nice however sadly it makes for bland reading. But for the early death of his father Cliff appears to have had no "darkness" in his life whatsoever, no demons, no dramas in his personal relationships, no regrets of any consequence, no real anger, except possibly towards today's commercial radio, especially BBC Radio 1 ! One might conclude that he is the ultimate success story: Happy and contented, wealthy, loved by all those close to him, numerous fans and is a much respected household name around a good part of the world. I don't think that it was intentional by him but his self satisfaction comes across as a little too smug for my liking. His fans of course will lap up every page, and good for them but for the objective reader seeking any real insight into the man I fear they like me they will end up disappointed. In the words of the Peggy Lee song: "Is that all there is?" may prove to be the books lasting legacy.

Sorry Cliff - Not impressed, 20 Oct 2008
Much as I have always liked and admired Cliff, I'm afraid this is a poor biography. The main gripe I have is that it is not well written. Cliff's collaboration with Penny Junor has, unfortunately, not worked.
The book jumps about in time annoyingly. One minute we are in 1964, then in 1990 etc. I think it would have been much better chronologically. Lots of the information and views in the book are very interesting but I felt that Cliff has used the book to knock some of the radio stations for not playing his songs and also to trumpet christianity. Obviously it's his book and he can use it as a platform to have a moan, but frankly, I was bored before the half way mark. I battled on through the book, but the second half was much the same.
Nice try Cliff and Penny, but it didn't work for me this time.

Christman, 19 Oct 2008
Must be Christmas . The most overated singer in the world has another book out. Cant wait for the album as well, my wheelie bin is empty

Wow! A-w-e-s-o-m-e Book, 07 Oct 2008
Wow. Amazing book! I am still recovering from this book which cliff has written from the bottom of his heart. Thank you cliff for giving us an insight into your personality. For fans, it is a 'must' read, as we get to know so many intimate details like what he has for breakfast, his fears, his love and above all his frank approach to life and controversies which surround him. He not only clears the dust but also confirms what all his fans already know about him...that he is such a humble person, inspite of having millions of fans worldwide, especially here in India. My only regret was there were no contact details about his fan clubs nor an address we could write to, which could have been included in this super book.

Utterly brilliant, 29 Nov 2008
I only started reading this because I bought it for my husband for Xmas but once I started I couldn't put it down. I used to read music books when I was younger but stopped when I realised they were nearly always fan books. This isn't like that. It's obvious Mick Wall knows his stuff and has spoken to everyone including the band but he doesn't pull any punches. I don't know if the band will like it but they should because it's not only a great book about them but just a great book anyway. Utterly brilliant.

fantastic book !!!!!, 21 Nov 2008
this is an essential read for any fan of led zeppelin. very well researched and beautifully written.
by far the definitive biography on the band so far and very hard to beat i'd guess.

p.s why has the antipodean pillock who has given this book a good review given only one star ?. i repeat, pillock.

A Whole Lotta Reading, 21 Nov 2008
Through the author's close association with Led Zeppelin, particularly Jimmy Page, the larger than life Svengali Peter Grant and to a lesser extent Robert Plant, the book documents each chapter of the bands rise and subsequent fall through a combination of interviews and recollections, flashbacks to the tin pan alley days of the 1960's when the band were striking out as session musicians (Page & Jones), unknown regional band members (Plant & Bonham) and apprentice to well known 60's pop producer and manager, Mickie Most. What separates Wall's work from other biographies of major rock figures and luminaries of the 60's and 70's is the meticulous research, range of interview subjects, some of which remained close to the band over their history and just the right amount of detail allocated to each chapter.
As a huge follower of the music scene over the period covered and one who walked out at Earls Court for a quite beer (Nick Hornby was amongst the other escapees) in the mid 70's when Page ... or was it Bonham? ... embarked on another lengthy solo, I got quickly sucked into the life and times of a band that deservedly knocked the Stones from their mantle in the 1970's and left a highly enjoyable story to tell from an author well in the know.
When Giants Walked The Earth should also not be ignored by Zeppelin fans that may have read earlier and lesser works such as Hammer Of The Gods.

Monumental achievement, 18 Nov 2008
After having only the sleazy and now outdated Hammer of the Gods to put up with all these years, it's amazing to finally have the sort of serious, brilliantly written book on Zeppelin the band and their fans deserve. I never thought I'd live to see the day but here it is at last. Mick Wall is famous enough already as a great rock writer but this has to be the best thing he's ever done or ever likely to do. Zeppelin of course are simply the greatest rock band ever. What a combination the two make. The book pulls no punches, but at the same time goes right to the heart of the matter, telling you everything - everything - you've ever wanted to know about the band, the people in it, the music they made and the times they helped shape. Wall seems to have spoken to them all and come away with the truth at last. I literally could not put it down. There have been some great books over the years about groups like the Stones and the Beatles but this tops them all. Seriously. If Jimmy Page and Robert Plant have any sense they should go down on their bended knees and thank Wall. They may not come out of it always smelling of roses but at least he's done them the favour of burying Hammer of the Gods forever. Compared to that, When Giants Walked The Earth is the bible.

Definitive and a great read, 30 Nov 2008
I have not read any other book about John Lennon so i cannot comment on the claims of "hackery" and my views are therefore only based on my reading of this book alone. And what a book. A brilliant read, very interesting details about his early life but also the book weaves the genesis of various songs and albums into the various stages of Lennon's life. I agree that the Yoko Ono years are slightly less interesting, however the final chapter, where Sean discusses some of his memories of John is really moving, sensitive and perceptive. Superb. A bout of flu has helped me devour the book in 4 days! I couldn't put it down. Wonderful.

BEATLES JOHN LENNON, 09 Nov 2008
Well I have just read what has been the most interesting book on John Lennon's life. I have a few books on the Beatles and John Lennon for me this was a wonderful time capsule of this life. I loved the letters that Aunt Mimi received from a fan at the time of the Beatles success which Mimi seemed happy to correspond with. She even tells her of the pending move to the South Coast, sharing all this with someone she never met. Ok, it was interesting for me to learn about John's grandparents and also that Julia gave birth to four children. It was also an eyeopener for me to learn about John's father Freddie and that he did try to keep in touch with John. The story did not end there for both of them because John did buy him a house and they kept in touch.
My only complaint is that the hardback version is heavy to hold up for a nightime read !! Joking aside - a publication well written and one I shall use as a reference to the life of John Lennon.


Haunting, 21 Oct 2008
In The Word magazine (October issue), Philip Norman suggested, in passing, that his latest book was intended to be a biography of Lennon to set alongside similar volumes devoted to Churchill, Ghandi and Hitler: - an antidote to the flimsy paperback pop-biog formula, and a reflection of the musician's huge place in 20th Century culture. The sheer size of the book (853 pp, not the 448 in Amazon's product details) testifies to this hubristic ambition, and, at over 1/3 million words, the result is a true epic, `half-as-long-again' as the Great American Novel, "Moby-Dick" (213,000 wds)...

Does the size of the book make it an equal to Kershaw's `Hitler', or Jenkins' `Churchill? No. But the lucid quality of the writing does. This book is by far the most literary volume ever written about the phenomenon of late 20th Century pop music, to rank alongside Peter Guralnick's `Elvis' tomes, and Greil Marcus's various studies. A skilled novelist and playwright, Norman shows his hand in the opening lines, neatly sidestepping biographical convention with a novelistic slight-of-hand which telescopes 100 years of history into a bewildering instant. From there, the opening chapter goes on for 18 pages, painting the scene of Lennon's boyhood with a poignancy and skill recalling the lives that make up Joyce's `Dubliners'.

To pick at such a book with eyes for nothing but `new tidbits' of information, and to reject it as such, seems faintly like passing on Broch's `The Death of Virgil', or Bergmann's `Fanny and Alexander', while complaining that they lack any new gossip. A new `fact' (the attraction to McCartney, say, or the identity of the girl in `Norwegian Wood') may be interesting, but it might just as soon appear on an internet blog. This book extends past these, on the other hand, into a subtle beast, resounding with the voices of those who knew Lennon, through Norman's voluminous interviews, and through correspondence (both his own, and some freshly discovered - such as the revealing letters from Mimi to Jane Wirgman).

The whole, it must be said, is certainly the best book by Philip Norman, catapulting him from the Beatles expert who wrote `Shout!,' and from his own novels and plays, into the poet chronicler of the 20th Century's `favourite pop icon'. More importantly, it is also the best book about John Lennon, easily eclipsing the risible Goldman, and surpassing the over-tired Coleman. In its 850 pages, we are offered a grand story that ranges from 1855 to 1980, of an Alice in Wonderland haunted childhood, through to an artistic re-awakening in the stormy waters of the Bermuda Triangle. Only Norman has the eye to see this for what it is: the Great (English) Novel, an epic story that he steers accordingly, drawing out all of the haunting and surprising parallels between three generations of the Lennon family (Alfred, John and Julian), and the distant calling of Yoko Ono (`ocean child') matching Lennon with the tale of her own prophetic ancestors (just check out p. 762)...

Right up to the hideous abruptness of its closing chapters, Norman's story is a rich and unforgettable one, horrible, inevitable, and full of grace. The book ultimately surpasses the intentions with which he supposedly began it: this is not a work to shadow Kershaw, or Jenkins. It begins with the faint shade of James Joyce (a favourite of Lennon's), travels through the prismatic ages of cinema and psychedelia, and ends up with the tragic surrealism of a room full of cats. A masterpiece.

Hackery, 20 Oct 2008
I was expecting great things of this book given that Norman had access to Yoko but this is really a compilation of all that's already been written about Lennon with no credits, footnotes or bibliography referring to the authors whose shoulders he stands upon. What's worse, he doesn't even seem to have read some of the best of the recent books. He overlooks Lennon's brief conversion to Christianity covered by Steve Turner's The Gospel According to the Beatles, Geoffrey Giuliano's Lennon in America, Frederic Seaman's Living on Borrowed Time and Robert Rosen's Nowhere Man. Turner did extensive coverage on how the 'more popular than Jesus' crisis broke but Norman just repeats the story without any reference to Turner's discoveries. He disses Albert Goldman's earlier biography (well he would, wouldn't he) but at least Goldman came up with a lot of new material - material which Norman has absorbed. What's actually new in this book could fill a couple of pages. Most of what's truly original is merely incidental, such as Mimi's postcard comments about John's hair. But even without sensational new material Norman could have achieved something if he'd striven to give a perspective on Lennon, if he'd taken the available material and made sense of it for us. But he just presents the findings documentary style and in the end we're left with the old received wisdom - boy damaged by death of his mother becomes rebel, sells rebellion, becomes wealthy and famous, dies. Surely there must be more to it than that? What about the childhood visions he discussed with Playboy (unmentioned by Norman)? What about his attraaction to the spiritual and his conflicted relationship with Christianity? He plays down the power that Yoko exerted over his life and the post Beatle years come over as a crashing bore. But why did a man whose vision helped shape the popular culture of the sixties become such an empty vessel in the seventies. Norman does not ask.

A serviceable biography, 14 Oct 2008
I'm not working just now and like one of the other reviewers I read it in three days. I really enjoyed it. I was 12 when Love Me Do came out and my sister and I bought all their albums on the day of release for several years.

I was also around in London in the late sixties so enjoyed reading the detail about that period.

There are several things about this book which really impressed me however. One is the carefully built up and three dimensional portrait of Lennon's childhood, particularly the portraits of his parents and aunt Mimi. They really come alive for me. So does the picture of Lennon as a 'Just William' character. Clearly for almost his whole life he was a relentless rebel, a continual thorn in the flesh to anyone in authority. I found the stuff about his interest in art and writing really interesting too, going back to his art school days and earlier.

The stuff on Hamburg is great too - that was a hard school, and made them as a band. There is of course a lot of detail on all the Beatles and the changing personnel and friendships. Many readers may be more familiar with this than I as I had never read a book about the Beatles before, but it is really good to get the lowdown on Stu Sutcliffe for example.

The nature of the Lennon McCartney relationship, the friendship with Jagger all add to the mix.

I was less interested in the Yoko Ono years as her work doesn't interest me but the book does bring out how Lennon's personality found his life in New York a new vehicle to express himself in a more explicitly radical way.

The section on the breakup with the Beatles seems to have as much to do with Paul's relationship with Linda as with John's with Yoko but armed with this support they both adopted different financial gurus and that was what really did it.

The is a comprehensive and disciplined book. It doesn't answer every question but for me really brought those years back.

Coffee table Clash, 06 Oct 2008
If you were ever looking for a coffee table story of The Clash look no more. The stories and many of the photographs will be familiar to Clash fans but the book is none the worse for that.

The book is beautifully produced for the price, I think even at non Amazon prices the book would be a bargain.

A little naughty to say that this is an autobiography created by all four band members seeing as Joe has not been around for some time, however it is a book that any Clash/punk aficionado will love.

A MUST FOR ALL CLASH FANS, 29 Sep 2008
Most of the photos in the book i have seen before ie Bob Gruen/Pennie Smith etc but it's great to have a good quality ones all in one book there are some black and white previously unseen ones.
The book also has some adverts/pic sleeves/album covers bits from the two clash songbooks,music paper front covers and articles, gig posters,postcards sent to family members while on tour etc,etc.
Its a beutiful coffee table type book and THE CLASH themselves are credited as authors as embodied in this compilation work. All interviews are by Mal Peachey

Best 15 quid i have spent in a long long time

Groovy Times Have Come To Pass, 28 Sep 2008
The second you see the dayglo pink cover..you know you are in for something a bit special. This is about the same size as the "Punk" hardback that came out a few years ago. In some ways layout is similar..but it's 100% clash!
For the photospotters...there are some well known pictures gathered here...but a lot of cracking b/w and colour shots I've never seen before.There are also record sleeves and posters, singles adverts lovingly reproduced. I haven't had time to read all the way through yet..but I'm like a kid on Christmas day with this!
There are also some pages from the first Clash Songbooks- biogs and the like.
The book works through in chronological order 1976 -1983 with a mix of pictures text, tour dates, albums etc...Joe,Mick, Paul and Topper all have their say..
It's the "Must Have Toy...(well book) for Christmas" as my son keeps reminding me..how am I expected to wait two months!

Enjoyable, 25 Nov 2008
I enjoyed this book but I agree with some people that there could have been far more substance to it. As Girls Aloud have said though there is alot that had to be left out due to their younger fans. It is an enjoyable read though and it is interesting to see that we think of them as being very manufactured yet this book describes how they were pretty much left to find their own way without much help and guidance.

boooooring!, 23 Nov 2008
This book was never going to be a propper autobiography as even sarah harding has admited they couldnt put any risky stuff in here because it's aimed mainly at kids, so its basically like girls alouds music it looks ok on the outside but if you dig any deeper theres not much there.
be fair there are five of the girls and this book is 256 pages long while their sworn enemy and more successful singer charlotte church's book is 368 pages long and packed with funny stories with nothing held back.
girls aloud seem to think theyre the best girlband ever but they need to realise they've sold like 4,000,000 albums what about the spice gorls, all saints or the sugababes?
i'd rather read a book by any of them as i think it would be way more interesting then this "book".

poor book by a poor band, 06 Nov 2008
These girls seem to think they are bigger than All Saints, Spice Girls and Destiny's Chil when infact they aren't as big as many of them. Girls Aloud have no success outside the UK. But I'll admit, some of their songs from their Tangled Up era was rather mature sounding and catchy and I did take a liking to it. So it really made feel like a huge hypocrite. I've become a lot more open minded with Music.
I go by this saying:-
"If you hear something you like, don't analyse it. Just dance to it"

Girls Aloud aren't really anything to be taken seriously. They are just very, incredibly lucky, guilty pleasures.


Worth the buy, 22 Oct 2008
This book is worth the buy and is brilliant for any girls aloud fans. It gives the inside to all memebers of the band and each girls views on different topics. Go and buy it.

A wonderful book from five wonderful girls, 06 Oct 2008
Barcode: 9780593061220

Girls Aloud are really quite beyond anything else. As a band, over the past six years they have caused a nation to fall in love with them, to cherish them and their inspired pop songs. They are impossibly beautiful, role models to countless young people, media darlings that have the tabloids and celeb mags hanging on their every move, they are fantastic singers who have treated us to some of the best pop songs of the 21st century, but most of all - they are Girls Aloud, and that is why we love them.

And now, in the book that all us fans have been waiting ages for, Cheryl, Nadine, Nicola, Sarah and Kimberley invite us to sit back and listen to just what it's like to be Girls Aloud. For those who have seen the Girls' brilliant DVD's Off The Record, Style and TV series Passions you will already have a taste of what to expect here. One thing I have always admired the Girls greatly for is their straight talking attitude, they have this down-to-earth charm and feistiness to them that truly sets them apart. And it is this that we see here in Dreams That Glitter.

The book takes a roughly chronological approach and starts off with the Girls' lives leading up to the band's beginnings on Popstars - The Rivals. The viewpoint alternates between each of the Girls, each offering their individual outlooks and own experiences at each stage of their career. It is fascinating to see them looking back now, with hindsight, on many of the things that must have just swept them up in a hurricane in the beginning. There are also individual sections scattered throughout with Q&A's for each of the Girls and such like.

In essence, this isn't so much an autobiography, but a series of insightful anecdotes, told by the Girls as they might tell a friend over an evening meal. In the past six years the Girls have been through a lot and this book shows very much how they have become very different, yet fundamentally still the same, from the people they set out as. They have learnt lessons in life, and as they started out so young, these lessons were all the more powerful, and it is heart-warming to see them working through these various aspects of their lives, whether they be for good or for bad. As the Girls repeatedly say, they wouldn't change any of it for the world - what will be will be and all that.

They are very humble about their success too, Cheryl in particular being very embarrassed by the stratospheric levels of fame and public awareness surrounding her now. There is an extremely touching paragraph in the book's introduction where the Girls say:

"We've been on the most amazing journey together and achieved so much more than we ever dreamed possible. We still have moments when we can't quite believe just how far we've come, that this extraordinary life really is ours. We'd love our story to inspire you to have faith in your dreams, whatever they might be, and to go for them, no matter what."

And you can't get a much more positive message than that. But it's true. Through these last six years, as the Girls themselves have grown up and matured, their fans have done so with them, it's a mutual experience, and I like to think that we all go through the same and that some of what's in this book will inspire people as from reading it, I think they say some truly insightful things about fame, the world around them, and life in general.

Girls Aloud have one of the most devoted fanbases around - they have after all helped the Girls to achieve that wonderful chart record of 18 consecutive top ten singles - and it is to these fans that this book is dedicated. Looking at the Girls today, we see a band that has serious publications like the Guardian writing six page articles about them, a band that NME applaud and give rave reviews to their albums.

In terms of the book itself, there are loads of lovely pictures in there of the Girls looking glam and having fun (plus one fascinating pic of the elusive Brian Higgins and Mirana Cooper - two of the masterminds making up the Girls' songwriters/producers Xenomania). The book itself is gorgeous too, very high quality with glossy, colourful pages and actual glitter on the cover.

I think it was around the time of Call The Shots that Girls Aloud finally transcended from being just a `great pop group' to something quite special indeed, something almost heroic, something almost magical. I've heard them described as `national treasures', the `saviours of pop' and thus this book makes a fitting tribute to a year which has really shown us the very essence of what Girls Aloud mean. Really, this book is for the fans, although I'm sure more casual readers will find plenty to enjoy here too - well worth reading.

A Must for Cliff Fans, 22 Nov 2008
The Peter Pan of pop continues to enthrall audiences of all ages and this book, whilst clearly a must for Cliff fans, provides an insight into the way he ticks. Too much has been written about him in the past that has left questions unanswered. This book which is written with frankness and a helping hand from Penny Junor provides a good read about the life of a fascinating and caring individual. Instead of being written in a conventional biographical format, it dedicates chapters to specific stages or items in his life. However instead of producing a jarring account of his life, the chapters flow well into each other and provide a good and interesting look into the life of one of the most successful men the pop world has ever seen.

Is that all there is?, 03 Nov 2008
After reading this autobiography there is no doubt that the author is a nice man. The trouble is he sounds too good to be true. Cliff's number one fan appears to be Cliff himself. I don't feel that I now know the man any better than I did before reading his book. Yes I know he loves his family, his career, his fans, tennis and his faith. He distrusts the press and is prone to justify their attacks by pointing out that irrespective of what they might say he has proven them all wrong by his continued success and box office receipts. That's a little like saying McDonalds fast food is good for the very same reasons. He appears to have lived a charmed life, and I'm glad for him. Were we all to be as lucky would be nice however sadly it makes for bland reading. But for the early death of his father Cliff appears to have had no "darkness" in his life whatsoever, no demons, no dramas in his personal relationships, no regrets of any consequence, no real anger, except possibly towards today's commercial radio, especially BBC Radio 1 ! One might conclude that he is the ultimate success story: Happy and contented, wealthy, loved by all those close to him, numerous fans and is a much respected household name around a good part of the world. I don't think that it was intentional by him but his self satisfaction comes across as a little too smug for my liking. His fans of course will lap up every page, and good for them but for the objective reader seeking any real insight into the man I fear they like me they will end up disappointed. In the words of the Peggy Lee song: "Is that all there is?" may prove to be the books lasting legacy.

Sorry Cliff - Not impressed, 20 Oct 2008
Much as I have always liked and admired Cliff, I'm afraid this is a poor biography. The main gripe I have is that it is not well written. Cliff's collaboration with Penny Junor has, unfortunately, not worked.
The book jumps about in time annoyingly. One minute we are in 1964, then in 1990 etc. I think it would have been much better chronologically. Lots of the information and views in the book are very interesting but I felt that Cliff has used the book to knock some of the radio stations for not playing his songs and also to trumpet christianity. Obviously it's his book and he can use it as a platform to have a moan, but frankly, I was bored before the half way mark. I battled on through the book, but the second half was much the same.
Nice try Cliff and Penny, but it didn't work for me this time.

Christman, 19 Oct 2008
Must be Christmas . The most overated singer in the world has another book out. Cant wait for the album as well, my wheelie bin is empty

Wow! A-w-e-s-o-m-e Book, 07 Oct 2008
Wow. Amazing book! I am still recovering from this book which cliff has written from the bottom of his heart. Thank you cliff for giving us an insight into your personality. For fans, it is a 'must' read, as we get to know so many intimate details like what he has for breakfast, his fears, his love and above all his frank approach to life and controversies which surround him. He not only clears the dust but also confirms what all his fans already know about him...that he is such a humble person, inspite of having millions of fans worldwide, especially here in India. My only regret was there were no contact details about his fan clubs nor an address we could write to, which could have been included in this super book.

Utterly brilliant, 29 Nov 2008
I only started reading this because I bought it for my husband for Xmas but once I started I couldn't put it down. I used to read music books when I was younger but stopped when I realised they were nearly always fan books. This isn't like that. It's obvious Mick Wall knows his stuff and has spoken to everyone including the band but he doesn't pull any punches. I don't know if the band will like it but they should because it's not only a great book about them but just a great book anyway. Utterly brilliant.

fantastic book !!!!!, 21 Nov 2008
this is an essential read for any fan of led zeppelin. very well researched and beautifully written.
by far the definitive biography on the band so far and very hard to beat i'd guess.

p.s why has the antipodean pillock who has given this book a good review given only one star ?. i repeat, pillock.

A Whole Lotta Reading, 21 Nov 2008
Through the author's close association with Led Zeppelin, particularly Jimmy Page, the larger than life Svengali Peter Grant and to a lesser extent Robert Plant, the book documents each chapter of the bands rise and subsequent fall through a combination of interviews and recollections, flashbacks to the tin pan alley days of the 1960's when the band were striking out as session musicians (Page & Jones), unknown regional band members (Plant & Bonham) and apprentice to well kn