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       #Post#: 177--------------------------------------------------
       Highway To Hell - The Life And Times of AC/DC Legend Bon Scott -
        Clinton Walker
       By: Chip Date: July 21, 2011, 9:01 pm
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       [CENTER]Highway To Hell - The Life And Times of AC/DC Legend Bon
       Scott (2001)
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       I knew better than to test fate one too many times by diving
       into another Music Biography written by someone other than a
       member of the band. Here it falls on the shoulders of Clinton
       Walker. I knew about the book from a while back, but knew
       nothing of the author. Having just finished with this book, I am
       going to tell you what I think happened before the book was
       written and why it ended up the way it did after the fact
       without even bothering to research the origins of Highway To
       Hell. Anyone that reads this review and wants correct me, feel
       free to do so, as I have no intention of doing any research on
       this book or the author as I have already wasted enough of my
       time on this book as is.
       But my take here (and this is pure speculation on my part, so
       don't get your panties in a bunch) about how the book came to be
       is that originally Clinton wanted to do a biography of AC/DC.
       When both Malcolm and Angus Young and the rest of the band
       refused to participate in putting the book together, Clinton was
       left with no other option but to turn it into a bio of Bon Scott
       instead.
       So, with AC/DC no longer supporting this book, a good chunk of
       the book is now out the window, which means that he will have to
       really stretch Bon's back story to fill in the missing pages
       that otherwise would have been reserved for AC/DC. How else to
       explain the first 120 pages of the book? All of it flesh's out
       Bon's two bands prior to joining the powerhouse that is AC/DC?
       Both bands that Bon was a part of before joining served no
       purpose other to fatten the book that without it would have been
       a mere 200 pages total. Certainly this would look bad if this is
       all you could get out of something as big as AC/DC as your sole
       reason to buy the book.
       I learned nothing about Bon in these 120 pages other than that
       he was really lonely and liked to drink a lot. Um, that's
       basically all we get from the author for the entire book. With
       the amount of people he interviewed, along with Bon's parents, I
       am STILL left in the dark about who and what made Bon tick as
       person and a singer. Something's not right when I can't learn
       anything other than that he likes to drink because he was always
       lonely. I knew that before reading the book.
       This book for all it's hype about being "revered" and
       "acclaimed" is nothing but hogwash to me. If the majority of
       people out there accept this as the definitive AC/DC, Bon Scott
       story, then they have a lower expectation of what makes a good
       music biography. Even the section devoted to the landmark albums
       of Highway To Hell and Back In Black (along with pretty much the
       entire back catalog) is short on behind the scene stuff that
       went into making those albums. Even the Tours they went on
       really go no further than where they played and who they opened
       up for. The only "dirt" to be found was the short mention of the
       band getting into a fight with Geezer Butler. But nothing more
       is mentioned other than AC/DC was kicked off that Tour after the
       fact.
       The only revelation that was news to me was that there was
       serious discussion of the band sacking Bon Scott and then later
       looking to send Brian Johnson packing. I've never heard this
       before till now.
       Toward the tail end of the book, the author paints both Young
       Brothers as being paranoid dictators and goes a step further in
       tearing down AC/DC as a band without Bon Scott leading the
       charge. That to me sounds like sour grapes on Clinton's part
       because a few certain people decided not to get involved with
       writing the book.
       Stay away from this book. I can not recommend this book to
       anyone.
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