Rock & Roll's Most Wanted: The Top 10 Book of Lame Lyrics, Egregious Egos, and Other Oddities

by Stuart Shea

Who knew…that the original name of The Rolling Stones was The Brian Jones Blues Band, or that some members of ABBA couldn’t speak English and had to learn their songs phonetically? No rock fan will be left singing “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction” after reading this! Twenty-five lists reveal those groups with the oddest names, haircuts, hit songs, and even deaths as well as insider’s gossip on such things as the most outrageous demands made by divas and bands.

Genres: Nonfiction, Music, Reference

304 pages, Hardcover

First published May 31, 2002

About the author

Pop culture historian Robert Rodriguez has written or contributed to nine books. His newest, Fab Four FAQ 2.0: The Beatles' Solo Years 1970-1980 will be published in March 2010. His most recent, Fab Four FAQ, has been published to critical and fan acclaim. Be sure to check out the new website www.fabfourfaq2.com."

Reviews

[Irisis Miranda Wolfe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting parts.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok. Quick read. It is what it is...a rock, top 10 list book.

[Theresa F. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Because of the wording of the book's title, with its references to 'lame lyrics' and 'other oddities', I expected the work to have a quirky, fun tone. Instead, the writing style struck me as being more matter-of-fact and a little dry. And although some of the behind-the-scenes stories shared in this book were interesting on a factual level, I can't help thinking that they could have been made more compelling with a different approach. The book just didn't grab me. Also, the majority of the topics chosen for the 'top 10' lists in this book seemed to me like the type of run-of-the-mill trivia used to win Quizzo matches and settle bar bets (or start bar arguments, in the case of the list of candidates for the title 'The Fifth Beatle'). While I did think that some of the lists dealt with more unique subjects, as a whole I was disappointed with the collection. (I was also a bit miffed that the author, when discussing the 2001 remake of Lady Marmalade, labeled P!nk, by association, as an 'inconsequential small-time pop diva'. Granted, my copy of the book was published in 2002, when P!nk's best work to date was still ahead of her.)
Did I like it? No.
Would I reread it? No.
Would I recommend it? There are a lot of people in the world who would probably enjoy the book a lot more than I did. I'm just too picky.

[Todd · Rating 2 out of 5]

Here is a decent book with some great info. But it takes a real dedicated music fan to even know alot of the "groups" or "artists" that the author brings up. This is one of those books that would be a great bathroom read.

[Gregg Martinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a book for reading in episodes. If I were course, I'd suggest it to sit by your toilet. Its nothing amazing, but it is fun.

[Angel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice little book of music trivia. Makes good reading when you just want to read a little bit here and there.

[Steve Wolcott · Rating 3 out of 5]

An older book (published 2002) it covers my growing up years in rock 'n roll music so that hooked me. But it's basically a series of Top 10 lists about sometimes eclectic parts of the music industry.

[Rich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great trivia book- full of facts and easy to read

[Sansan Gilbreath · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. Pretty dull