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richardwells's review against another edition
4.0
I don't generally read rock&roll biographies, or memoirs. The exceptions being books by or about Paul Simon (high class pop,) Leonard Cohen (unclassifiable,) Bob Dylan (the champ,) and the Band (a whole new take on rock and roll.) So, Robbie Robertson's memoir was a must.
Fifty pages in, my limit if a book doesn't click, I was wondering when we'd really get down to what I was interested in, i.e., Bob Dylan and the Band, and a little tired of the Hawks (their original name) laying waste to the countryside backing up Ronnie Hawkins. The stories were amusing - to a point. And then, Robbie was asked to sit in on Blonde on Blonde and - I'd like to say the rest is history, because it is. The memoir takes us through the 16 years of the Band being the Band, and for a fan, it's fascinating reading. The boys were terrific musicians who fell for all the excesses of stardom. Some to the point of dissolution and later death, and the unit to its conclusion with The Last Waltz. Along the way they supported Dylan through his going electric travails, sat out his motorcycle injuries, moved into Big Pink, moved through the Basement Tapes, and then broke the mold of R&R with Music from Big Pink, The Band, and a few albums following. We end up with the making of The Last Waltz - concert, record, and movie.
Robbie remembers a lot, soft pedals the rough spots - and there were many, provides a little insight into the craft, and writes a fairly personal history.
If you like the music, I think you'll like the book.
Fifty pages in, my limit if a book doesn't click, I was wondering when we'd really get down to what I was interested in, i.e., Bob Dylan and the Band, and a little tired of the Hawks (their original name) laying waste to the countryside backing up Ronnie Hawkins. The stories were amusing - to a point. And then, Robbie was asked to sit in on Blonde on Blonde and - I'd like to say the rest is history, because it is. The memoir takes us through the 16 years of the Band being the Band, and for a fan, it's fascinating reading. The boys were terrific musicians who fell for all the excesses of stardom. Some to the point of dissolution and later death, and the unit to its conclusion with The Last Waltz. Along the way they supported Dylan through his going electric travails, sat out his motorcycle injuries, moved into Big Pink, moved through the Basement Tapes, and then broke the mold of R&R with Music from Big Pink, The Band, and a few albums following. We end up with the making of The Last Waltz - concert, record, and movie.
Robbie remembers a lot, soft pedals the rough spots - and there were many, provides a little insight into the craft, and writes a fairly personal history.
If you like the music, I think you'll like the book.
psteve's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book a a lot more than I thought I would. I kind of expected Robbie to include a lot of myth making (as he did in the interview segments of The Last Waltz) and maybe more name-dropping; I also thought he would be getting even with some of the things that other Band members, notably Helm, said about him over the years.
I was wrong. Robertson's prose is lean and descriptive, and he's good at capturing characterizations. His characterizations of Band members are warm and seem, from listening to them over the decades, accurate as to their talents and shortcomings. He doesn't try to counter some charges as the others, or not explicitly, but presents the story as he sees it without arguing.
In the end, it's an engaging book. Oftentimes funny, and he doesn't shy away from his own problems (notably, drugs, though not as bad as some of his Bandmates, and womanizing). I very much enjoyed his descriptions of how the Band worked in its early days. His characterization of Body Dylan was interesting, mostly because Bob was more of a bandmate and collaborator to him than a hero figure.
Towards the end, before The Last Waltz, the book feels a bit name-droopy, he talks about his friendships (and sometimes affairs) with such as Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon, David Geffen, Martin Scorsese, Jimi Hendrix, etc. etc. It feels a bit tiresome at the time, but on the other hand, this is Robbie Robertson, and if you had the likes of Michaelango Antioni visiting you, wouldn't you make sure to mention that in your memoirs? And also, his characterizations of many of these people are fascinating.
Finally, it's interesting and likely that he ends the book after The Last Waltz. His life became a lot less, what, groundbreaking after that. It seems this may have been a late decision, as many things he mentions, notably his wife's nascent drinking problem, are left unfinished.
All in all, a good book. Not up to the heights of the recent Springsteen, but if you care about The Band, a must read.
I was wrong. Robertson's prose is lean and descriptive, and he's good at capturing characterizations. His characterizations of Band members are warm and seem, from listening to them over the decades, accurate as to their talents and shortcomings. He doesn't try to counter some charges as the others, or not explicitly, but presents the story as he sees it without arguing.
In the end, it's an engaging book. Oftentimes funny, and he doesn't shy away from his own problems (notably, drugs, though not as bad as some of his Bandmates, and womanizing). I very much enjoyed his descriptions of how the Band worked in its early days. His characterization of Body Dylan was interesting, mostly because Bob was more of a bandmate and collaborator to him than a hero figure.
Towards the end, before The Last Waltz, the book feels a bit name-droopy, he talks about his friendships (and sometimes affairs) with such as Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon, David Geffen, Martin Scorsese, Jimi Hendrix, etc. etc. It feels a bit tiresome at the time, but on the other hand, this is Robbie Robertson, and if you had the likes of Michaelango Antioni visiting you, wouldn't you make sure to mention that in your memoirs? And also, his characterizations of many of these people are fascinating.
Finally, it's interesting and likely that he ends the book after The Last Waltz. His life became a lot less, what, groundbreaking after that. It seems this may have been a late decision, as many things he mentions, notably his wife's nascent drinking problem, are left unfinished.
All in all, a good book. Not up to the heights of the recent Springsteen, but if you care about The Band, a must read.
lindsayb's review
3.0
Boy...I got to the end of this thinking, "I don't think I really wanted to know that much about Robbie Robertson." There were entertaining parts (like the whole mafia family thing), and I did (mostly) get what I came for in learning more about the creative process within The Band, a group whose output makes me highly nostalgic, which is why I'm bumping this to 3 stars...though not without feeling highly suspect about it all. It's a memoir, so to say that it felt one-sided is perhaps moot, but it definitely felt a bit too self-aggrandizing, especially in light of what other band members had reported over the years. It was also silly of me to not remember, going into this, how anything connected to Bob Dylan is just one big Boys' Club, and it really wore me down to hear Robertson talk about women. That's great he has a photographic memory, but I don't really need to hear about all the special women he bagged while on tour with The Hawks. It's rock'n'roll; I get it...I know it's happening regardless of what you say. But to reveal as much as he did also lets on to the misogyny and abuse going on. He couldn't even talk about women artists as peers--in nearly every instance, he talks about their appearance before their talent. It really bummed me out.
So...I guess I got a lot from this memoir, but it wasn't quite what I was expecting, and it wasn't flattering.
So...I guess I got a lot from this memoir, but it wasn't quite what I was expecting, and it wasn't flattering.
jooniperd's review against another edition
4.0
caveat: i am a giant 'band' fan and also played his solo debut robbie robertson (1987) on repeat through most of 87/88 (and which has a track called testimony on it). which is to say, i was a bit stupid-excited for this book.
robertson is a storyteller as a songwriter, and that transfers well to his memoir. there wasn't a huge amount of new information for me in testimony, yet it was still very enjoyable and engaging. while, of course, this is only robertson's perspective on the years spanning his time with ronnie hawkins, the hawks, and the band (this memoir really only covers this specific era, with a bit of robertson's early life starting things off), it feels sensitive and respectful towards the other players, even when robertson is writing about the harder times they endured personally, and professionally. (and it's telling what was left out, given the ink that has previously been spilled in the media over animosities.) i hope that is the case, anyway... the sensitivity. i love all of the guys in the band. there is no 'favourite beatle' for me -- though if forced (forced) to choose, hello rick danko! robertson somehow manages to convey both a focused yet zen personality, which i am not sure if i am totally buying into. (heh! sorry.) but it sure does help with the flow of the story.
a couple of 'yeah.... but?' moments cropped up for me during the read, where i was left with the feeling of wanting more: a) robertson references photographs and photo shoots quite a bit, yet the 2 sections containing images - though wonderful to see - felt sparse. i would have loved a bit more photographic support, though recognize that rights may have been tricky to negotiate/acquire. b) some things i thought he might write about just weren't covered. one example, you know how in the last waltz interviews with the guys are interspersed with the musical performances? i would have really dug reading about that aspect of the production. but these are pretty minor quibbles on my part.
overall, i keep thinking this book is a lovely reflection on a pretty extraordinary time in the music world. also, #GoCanada
robertson is a storyteller as a songwriter, and that transfers well to his memoir. there wasn't a huge amount of new information for me in testimony, yet it was still very enjoyable and engaging. while, of course, this is only robertson's perspective on the years spanning his time with ronnie hawkins, the hawks, and the band (this memoir really only covers this specific era, with a bit of robertson's early life starting things off), it feels sensitive and respectful towards the other players, even when robertson is writing about the harder times they endured personally, and professionally. (and it's telling what was left out, given the ink that has previously been spilled in the media over animosities.) i hope that is the case, anyway... the sensitivity. i love all of the guys in the band. there is no 'favourite beatle' for me -- though if forced (forced) to choose, hello rick danko! robertson somehow manages to convey both a focused yet zen personality, which i am not sure if i am totally buying into. (heh! sorry.) but it sure does help with the flow of the story.
a couple of 'yeah.... but?' moments cropped up for me during the read, where i was left with the feeling of wanting more: a) robertson references photographs and photo shoots quite a bit, yet the 2 sections containing images - though wonderful to see - felt sparse. i would have loved a bit more photographic support, though recognize that rights may have been tricky to negotiate/acquire. b) some things i thought he might write about just weren't covered. one example, you know how in the last waltz interviews with the guys are interspersed with the musical performances? i would have really dug reading about that aspect of the production. but these are pretty minor quibbles on my part.
overall, i keep thinking this book is a lovely reflection on a pretty extraordinary time in the music world. also, #GoCanada
amina's review against another edition
4.0
This isn’t the most introspective memoir but it sort of makes up for that with the amount of stories packed into it, featuring what feels like almost every significant musician of the 60s and 70s.
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