Tales From Beyond The Tap

by Randy Bachman

 


Randy Bachman’s Vinyl Tap Stories shared some of the best material from Randy’s hit
CBC Radio show, Vinyl Tap. Here, in Tales from Beyond the Tap, Randy tells more
great stories from a life in rock—all of the fun, hardships, and adventure that haven’t
been featured on the radio show. This is Randy Bachman, unplugged!
Tales from Beyond the Tap gives rock fans a VIP tour of an extraordinary life in music.
Randy has met, and even performed with, almost every musician you can think of, but
who are the artists he wishes he had met? The answers may surprise you. What is Randy’s
creative process for writing a hit song, and what is it like working with some of those
famous musicians? When you’ve played thousands of gigs over a fifty-year career, from

church basements to Madison Square Garden, most of them become a blur—but there
are some favourite venues. And life on the road is not as glamorous as most people imagine.
Randy shares what he’s experienced, from station wagons and six-to-a-room motels
to custom coaches, jets, and luxury suites. On the road, Randy has seen the Canadianmusic scene develop from the beginning, and his thoughts on its evolution will makeyou appreciate the music even more. Tales from Beyond the Tap offers a rare and exclusiveglimpse behind the man, the music, and the popular CBC radio show.

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction

336 pages, Hardcover

First published March 11, 2014

Reviews

[Barry Hammond · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another enjoyable read from Randy Bachman. His first volume was stories inspired by his radio show, Vinyl Tap. This volume contains all the stories that fall outside the themes of his show but are things people still ask him about so it was interesting. Lots of tales of the music business and the personalities he's met over the years, guitar lore, and rock lore. Very entertaining. Would read anything else he wrote. - BH.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perhaps the most illuminating of Randy's books. The chapters are set up in a question format, based on those by listeners on his CBC Radio show Vinyl Tap. Randy goes into detail about the juicy topics, i.e. his on-and-off feud with legendary Guess Who lead singer Burton Cummings, how his departure from Bachman-Turner Overdrive and his divorce created upheaval, and just how many guitars and amps does this man have? (I saw one of his old guitars is in the lobby of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, which he mentions in the book; now to get The Guess Who and BTO in there where they belong).

Entertaining and readable for the fans. Bachman is a real musicologist, although his ego here causes him to diminish his bandmates' abilities; Fred Turner is basically dismissed as a glorified sideman, and contrary to his own version of history, The Guess Who were still successful after he was dumped from the band. Randy goes on at length about financial considerations; readers of his previous books will be familiar with this. Otherwise I would have given this five stars.

Yet Randy Bachman comes at you honestly, in his own voice. He's a true legend of Canadian rock and with his books and radio show he is giving back. Still working, although those Gibsons are getting too heavy for a man over 70. "Rock Is My Life And This Is My Song".

[Lisa Brandt · Rating 4 out of 5]

As one of probably many radio hosts/emcees that Burton Cummings was mean to back in the day, I was not surprised to read that Cummings was - and perhaps still is - a real a**hole. He was so rude and condescending to me, it brought me to tears. I can only imagine how Randy Bachman feels after partnering with Cummings for so long only to be screwed over by him financially.

I would have given Tales from Beyond the Tap five stars except for a couple of chapters about guitars that I simply had to skip through. If you're a guitarist, I'm sure you'll love them. Otherwise, Randy's stories about his life and career are no-holds-barred and insightful. If you've ever wanted to know what it's like to make it as a musician, this is a book for you. He spares no details, from how much money they made to what was disastrous and how he feels about a band currently touring the US as The Guess Who. I'm an occasional listener to his CBC radio show but I was weaned on BTO and loved seeing Bachman-Turner perform live a couple of years ago. This book is engaging and illuminating...except for the guitar stuff!

[Alfred Keep · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book at a local used book store. I thought great, Randy Bachman's biography. I don't think I have heard of the radio show " Vinyl Tap". I still found the good pretty good. I would not rate it a 4, but it is better then. 3. I would give it. 3.5. I would like to read Burton Cummings side of this controversy to get the full picture.

[Geoffrey Kelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a big fan of Randy Bachman’s radio show. He is both thoughtful and informative, and uses his long experience in the music industry to share insights with his listeners. You will find some of the same gems reading “ Tales from Beyond the Tap”. The format is quite simple: Bachman takes some of the questions most often posed by his listeners and proceeds to answer them. We learn about the early music scene in Winnipeg, the start of his career, the success of both The a Guess Who and then Bachman-Turner Overdrive. We are amazed by Bachman’s ability to collect guitars, many many guitars. My problem with the book is the frequent passages of self-evaluation, where we are reminded repeatedly how great a songwriter he is; the shortcomings of others that led to the breakup of his bands and the rupture of friendships; we are even led to believe that had The Guess Who not broken up, they would have rivalled and maybe surpassed The Beatles. Obviously Randy Bachman has his tales to tell, but a dash of humility and honest introspection would have made this a better book.

[Brian Blondahl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to give this book a three star. On the one hand it revealed and or confirmed so many stories about the bands I knew from seeing the Guess who at Crescentwood Community Club and my Grade 10 Freshman dance at Vincent Massey. There was a lot of insight into the inner workings of the touring bands. It was very interesting to find out some of the stories. However it revealed a very conceited, ego driven musician. He is nowhere near as popular or important to the music scene as he thinks he is. Yes both The Guess Who and BTO had a good run and were on the top of the rock pile for a very short period. He still thinks his music is relevant. He stated that if BTO or The Guess Who had stayed together , they would have been as great as the Beatles. How vain and narcissistic can you get. Sorry Randy another BTO album ( AKA Bachman - Turner) does nothing for me and just rehashes the old stuff with different words. I'd like Jim Kale's Las Vegas version of the Guess Who just as well.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not as good as the first "Tap" book but still ton's of awesome stories.BTO rules.

[To Read Pile Too Big · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting stuff. If you really like guitars and know more about making music, it was probably better.

[Mike Barat · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book just had to much gobbledygook. Unlike Randy Bachman's first book The Vinyl Tap this book had to much babbling about guitars A VS guitar B and why some studios are better than others. He's musician I get it, you can't except him not to talk about that, however it was over the top I thought and a little out of control in that respect. There were some compelling and interesting stories in this book, for example when Randy Bachman left The Guess Who Canadian music studios black balled him, which was a very Canadian thing to do at the time. And there was the time when Randy Bachman had to fire his own brother because of his extreme drug use. The only reason I'm giving this book three stars instead of two stars is because Randy Bachman's stories about how much of a jerk Burton Cummings was seemed to have been confirmed by someone on Goodreads who has interviewed Burton Cumming.

[Mary-Jo Petsche · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book because I really like the Vinyl Tap series on CBC radio. The show has that intimate feeling like you're just hanging with Randy and listening to his stories. The book is very similar, however I did gloss over a few chapters that seemed to go on and on about Randy. My two favourite chapters were "Guitars" and "Gadgets and Gizmos", which are geared towards musicians. Randy is very proud to be Canadian and repeats this sentiment throughout the book. If you're a fan of The Guess Who and/or BTO you will enjoy most of this book. If not...leave it on the shelf.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy, interesting, and entertaining read. In this book Randy answers questions often posed to him as host of Vinyl Tap. Being a long time Guess Who fan made this book all the more interesting. It would be fantastic if Randy & Burton Cummings could resolve their issues and reunite for some new music and a tour. I have seen the Guess Who in their early years, again on their reunion tour, and Bachman-Cummings twice. Reading about some of those days, and the stories behind the strained relationship is interesting, of course it would be nice to hear Cummings' side of the story as well.

[G · Rating 4 out of 5]

very interesting stories ... biographical ... Bachman is transparent which is a huge plus. his rants about legal woes are unbecoming though. enjoyable read.