The Rhino Records Story: The Revenge of the Music Nerds

by Harold Bronson

In the 1970s in the backroom of a record store, Harold Bronson and Richard Foos were making history-and so, Rhino Records was born. Harold Bronson's The Rhino Records Story tells the tale of how a little record shop became a multimillion dollar corporation.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

416 pages, Hardcover

First published October 16, 2013

Reviews

[Dale Stonehouse · Rating 3 out of 5]

This account of independent media production and sales is a bit dry in places and Bronson makes note of every social misstep he encountered along the way, but for music insiders it's OK. My interest was primarily in the chapters on the Turtles and Monkees and to a lesser extent Tommy James' involvement with Morris Levy and the sad saga of the Knack. For those who thought studio musicians backed all the 60s groups, this makes clear the Turtles were not among them. Details of contracts made, broken or failed is confirmation that the big media conglomerates deserve a miserable death.

[Barry Hammond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harold Bronson was the co-founder, with Richard Foos, of Rhino Records, a label which mostly re-issued high quality albums of great 60's bands like Herman's Hermits, The Yardbirds, The Zombies, Tommy James and The Shondells, and The Monkees, but also branched out into home video, books, and film production, with titles like Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas and a film about Frankie Lymon. In this memoir, Bronson recounts his best music and film industry stories as well as their early days as record store owners. Among the tales are the true stories of The Knack and the girl My Sharona was based on, The Turtles, L.A. characters like Wild Man Fischer, Mike Chapman, The Doors, Kim Fowley, and Rodney Bingenheimer and many others, great bands that never made it big, the personalities at Atlantic, Warners, and Capital Records and the horrors of Hollywood. An extremely entertaining and informative read. BH.

[Steve Peifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you were a college DJ like I was and loved music, you can't help but like this book. The writing, especially at the beginning, assumes every paragraph must house a complete story and tag line. It is safe to say that no editor was injured in the making of this book. But if you love Rhino Records, you will enjoy this book.

[Trebor · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are interested in the back story of a hit record and the legal maneuvers that must be performed then this is a book you will enjoy and learn much. The memory of this author is amazing and the multitude of names he throws out there are many. It is easy to see how so many music artists are taken advantage of because of their naivete to the business end of this cutthroat industry. The afterlife of a hit was the bread and butter of Rhino records and this is an excellent history by one of the founders. It kept my interest pretty much throughout the tale.

[Rob Paczkowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a Rhino fan way back when they started their catalogs. Wish I still had them. But to know this story is a music lovers dream. It is so densely packed with information, the head spins. But to see how lucky for a music lover of odd and weird stuff like myself to have this company bring back stuff I never thought i would ever find is amazing in itself. I’m a big Monkees fan and without Rhino, I would not have the music I have now that to this day gives me joy almost every day.

[Terry Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating behind the scenes account of the formation and growth of one of my favorite record labels, Rhino Records. Chapters on the Monkees, the Turtles, Tommy James and the Shondells and the Knack offer up tales on the post-histories of the bands and how Rhino assisted in reinvigorating their respective careers (and record sales). I enjoyed the book, but found a few things off-putting: 1. Rhino co-founder and author Harold Bronson jumps back and forth in his timeline, which becomes confusing at times and 2. Bronson has an sizable ego and doesn't bother keeping it in check when referring to his own opinions on celebrity encounters, his business acumen, and how much smarter he was than the vast majority of others in music (and video). While he probably is as clever as he believes, Bronson's continual pointing out of same gets old. Still, his creation of Rhino is a landmark achievement for major reissues and releases of a wealth of music. My person Rhino favorites were the offbeat and the obscure, such as the songs collected from the films in The Golden Turkey Awards and the first video releases of episodes of Get A Life and MST3K.

[Seth Arnopole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one felt a bit incomplete somehow, as if large chunks of the story had gone missing. Nevertheless, it tells an important story about a valuable part of the music industry: the reissue business. There is also plenty in here about life in a record store during the boom time of the business, the frustration of trying to get films produced (no one involved in making Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas comes out looking good), and the fun of making novelty records. I found the chapters devoted to individual acts like the Turtles, the Monkees, and the Knack to be of particular interest.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the Rhino records story, as the subtitle suggests Harold Bronson is a total music nerd. He and business partner Richard Foos brought their love for the music to start their record store and then their record label. The book is an honest and informative account of the two friends long tenure in the music business. It also exposes the dishonesty and opportunism in this world. This book is essential reading for fans of music and anybody who'd like to know about the business of music.

[Dan Lalande · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rhinos, Turtles and Monkees - oh my! Like the LP discount bins from which their wonky empire evolved, Rhino Records co-founder Harold Bronson offers a largely unorganized mishmash of genres: rags-to-riches story, celebrity tell-all, and Baby Boomer biography, both fun and frustrating to comb through. The prize finds are the exposés of the has-beens the label made hip (remember The Knack?) through blood, sweat and re-issues. A Kiss-and-K-Tell!