Here Today... Gone To Hell!

It's out now, and I've just finished reading it.

Despite a few factual inaccuracies, I would say it's one of the best GN'R biographies I've read so far. It also has the advantage of exhaustivity since it covers everything from the early days to the making of Chinese Democracy and the latest tour. Of course you don't learn much if you've followed the band for a while, but it shouldn't come as a surprise to regulars of this message board  ;)
I would say it's relatively biased in favour of Axl, for a change. At least the author delved into a pretty deep analysis of his personality, and made a good job out of it IMO.

The book also features :
- a full tour calendar
- a discography (not exhaustive)
- a selection of bootlegs
- a list of other GN'R-related books
- a list of fan websites (damn, no HTGTH  :rant: )
- charts placings for the US
- pictures of the band, concert flyers, bootleg covers and a few collectibles.

Speaking of collectibles, I advise you not to trust what this guy says about quoted values on the market. The few prices he mentions are totally insane !!! For example, he lists a promo flexi from 1987 as being worth ?1,000 !! Unless it's a printing error, he's gotta be nuts, the value of this item is nowhere near that price !  :o

And since I'm picky, I have one last complaint : spelling, and punctuation ! For God's sake, has this guy ever heard of comas? I'm not saying there's none, but not nearly enough, and it makes the reading rather bizarre and unpleasant in some places.

But overall, judging on pure content, I think it's worth a read. For those who doubted of the quality of this book or those who want to learn more about the band, I suggest you to have a look at it  ;)

Excellent! Thanx for the review.

I've ordered it on Amazon.com but I'm still waiting for the book... :(

Are there any exclusive pics of the current band members? I would like to see professional shots of the last tour...

You made me interested in buying this book  ;) Until this moment I thought it's crap, because many of this board members were telling that about the company that put out the book

Nope, no exclusive pics unfortunately. Actually, there's nothing exclusive in it, so people who know the band by heart and are not collectors might not be interested in it.  It's just a good summary of GN'R's history  :)

Merchi :D

where did you get this book?? Amazon says its still not published??

I bought it from amazon.co.uk . They had it earlier because it's a british book.

They must have ordered only a small batch of copies because now when I go to Amazon UK it says "available in 3 to 5 weeks"...damn! I guess I'll have to wait.

I'm used to it! ;D

Yeah, I saw that too. I was lucky to get it last Monday, but I had preordered it so maybe it made a difference.

Pandora, what is said about CD, new band members and the 2002 tour? Anything new to us?
Thanks in advance. : ok:

Thanx for the review.

We will always have ebay if people don't feel like waiting.

I might buy it, just for the hell of it. I own a shit load of GNR books, one more is not going to hurt - especially since it has info and comments on the recent  tour and making of CD - actually this leads me to the following question, does the author have an opinion on why the 2002 tour was aborted?

No, he doesn't really have an explanation for it, he just mentions the facts, which might be a good thing since nobody really knows what happened.

Concerning the making of CD, the author mainly took quotes from different participants, like Tommy, Brian May or Moby. But they're not new, we've already read them in articles.

I think its prob all still in litigation for lawsuits..  hes prob still got lawsuits against either him or Guns n Roses from Clear Channel, Philly, Vancouver,  and prob who ever lost money from the cancelled dates....  fucking lawsuits.

thats a helpfull review, im gonna buy it just to catch up on thing si didnt know coz i dont really have the time to find out everytrhin that goes on.

Someday, someone's going to write a tell-all book about what's happened with Axl/Gn'R in the last few years.  Some crew person, or former band member, or something.  It's inevitable.  I just don't know what's taking them so long.  

Confidentiality agreements and legal documents can only go so far in the internet world...i'm really surprised no one has come out and said anything about the 2002 tour or what Axl's been up to.  There still has to be people in the studio with the band, and lots of people on the tour, certainly a couple of them would have something interesting to say.  It's only a matter of time, I suppose.

i got the book about 4 weeks ago and its a gem...its really good stuff...ive just spent the past 3 hours reading it listening to randomly selected tracks from UYI 1, UYI 2 and Contraband...its been a great evening...try it

Thankx, I?ll nuy it (if I can) to see if what you say is true :yes:


Baby Slash//

Does anyone know if anyone in Australia stocks this book? I dont want to order it and pay shipping from the US  :no:

I bought it. I read it I gave it away.

Most of the facts are correct, but the guy seems to constantly try and analyze Axl and he's never met him. Yes, give a personal opinion on the man, but he built up several pretty stupid theorys (the guy knows dick about psychology), and then passed them off as fact. Outside that, the general writing was pretty subpar and uncompelling.

For a gn'r fan it's got nothing you don't already know; and for a non gn'r fan it would be too crap to bother finishing.

This is a link to the amazon.co.uk page of the new GN'R book.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1842402463/qid=1086970675/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_11_1/026-0934255-3644421

If it's been posted b4 then please forgive me.  I just liked reading it, especially where he rips into the press!  Q magazine has no place to criticise, you should see the drivel on their tv channel!!

I finished the book last night and have been left totally underwhelmed.

Tons of factual inaccuracies, no real insight on anything, uncited sources and endless psychoanalysis (some wildly unfair and most unfounded) on Axl by the author.  

Virtually nothing on the new band, it's dynamics how it came to be etc.

The entire book lacks any kind of point of view, it's a collection of scattered tidbits and author speculations at best.

It's basically a regurgitation of some real events and alleged happenings surrounding the band over the years.

In my opinion, this book isn't worth it unless you have absolutely zero knowledge of the band or you're a diehard collector.

It's just not very good. :no:

I can say in all honesty the best part of the book for me was the back cover.  Axl's always liked cool bands...
 

Was wondering if any of you folks have checked out the book The Band that time forgot.  I have been a rabid GNR fan since I was in the 4th grade (1986).  Ive pretty much read every published piece of literature about this band as well as learning new shit about the band from coming on this fine site.

Just wondering if there is any historical insight ( axl and izzy during chilhood, izzy's departure, axl in recent "reclusion" years) that i dont already know.  i am basically a GNR historian , so I dont want to waste my time.  Or is it worth revisisiting the old news?

Let me know what you know...

--
Gkza, NYC

Hey guys, nice board! I like it, it is the same basically. I think it is better though with the better statistical things.

I got that Biography today, I've browsed it well, I'm only into the first 16 pages or so. Does anyone else have this book?

I think it will be a nice thing to have for anyone. I noticed that they didn't include the 2002 U.S. tour they did. THey have the leeds festival and then it just sums up the November 7 - December 7th dates. I didn't like that.

It does have some kickass pictures in the book though, if anyone wants me to scan them and send them to Jarmo I will.

It sucks it is a "Unauthorized" Bio.

TR

Check out this quote by Slash... it just makes you think about how things were in Guns N' Roses.

"Axl's whole visionary style, as far as his input in Guns N' Roses is competely different from mine. I just like to play guitar, write a good riff, go out there and play as opposed to presenting an image."

Just it was Axl and then Gn'R like VH1 said. People like to dispute this stuff, there it is from Slash's mouth.

I'll post more quote if you guys want me to later on when I read this thing.

I don?t like the title..."The band that time forgot"? I really don?t think time forgot this band, I truly believe, and I guess I speak for basically every fan, that this band is timeless.

I agree I hear GnR on the radio all the time I don't think they are the band time forgot. I was thinking about picking it up, but I don't need another rehash of the same information I want new information.

I always figured by 'The band that time forgot' they were referring to how long it took the band to grow up, almost like 'Time' turned a blind eye while they were being the lunatics that they were.

I finished the book a few days ago. Not impressed at all.

Seems like it's been thrown together from reading articles (many of them are available on this site).

The author had also listed all the shows GN'R played (maybe he got the info from gnrontour.com since at least one of the pics he used was from there), some bootlegs, a discography and some links to various GN'R sites.

Wouldn't recommend it to anybody, there are better GN'R books out there.



/jarmo

I've just read the complete unauthorised biography of guns n' roses called 'the band that time forgot' - thought it was good on the whole, it's just good to see other people haven't forgotten about them and are still writing books about them. : ok:

anyone else read it? what are you're comments?

I read it earlier this year and I like it as well. 

Paul Stenning, the author is a cool guy too.  His email address is in the book.   Drop him a line and tell him you liked his book.   : ok:

I still agree with what I said about the book in my above post.

I guess it's an ok book if you're a GN'R "newbie" and it's also recently published so you get some stories that other (older) books are missing.

But I still think some parts of the book look more like a web page than an actual book.


I guess it works while we wait for the "definitive" GN'R biography. Something as good as Walk This Way, The Dirt, Come As You Are....




/jarmo

Below is my review of this book which I posted on amazon.co.uk:

I saw this book just last week sitting at a bargain price and picked it up, having never really seen a "true" GNR biography before.

I'm quite a big fan of the band, but everything I know about their history etc. has been pieced together from various interviews/articles over the years, so I was excited to finally see a conglomerated attempt to document the band's history.

In essence there is nothing wrong with the intention of this book, and it may indeed prove to be a very good and informative read for a casual GNR fan. For the more "experienced" fan, the book just does not do the band justice.

My personal opinion of it is that it focuses way too much on Axl Rose, and his traumatic childhood. It comes across in a way that the author is almost trying to psycho-analyse every GNR lyric, and every quote, and relate them to Axl's personal problems.

Of course the task of writing a well-balanced GNR biography is never going to be easy given Rose's somewhat reclusive nature, I just think that there is more relevant information out there that could have gone into this book other than the chapters full of psycho-babble that at times make you question what book it is you are actually reading. There is as much star quality, and just as many interviews and anecdotes from the other original band members (Slash, Duff and Izzy in particular) aside from Axl Rose, which makes this book feel rather lop-sided.

Another qualm that has already been mentioned is the sloppy amount of spelling and grammatical errors that are present. Various quotes and pieces of information are sometimes repeated from one chapter to the next, giving the impression that each chapter was written by a different person, after which they simply threw them all together in this final, somewhat random order.

The above complaint aside, this might have been better if it was under the guise of an Axl Rose biography, but as a biography of the life and times of the GNR we all know and love, it falls some distance short I'm afraid.

Interestingly, the author posted a comment on amazon in response to the number of negative reviews concerning his work... it makes quite interesting reading!

Anyway, I strand by my review above, I had a real struggle finishing this book; the attempted psycho-analysis of Axl is just uneducated and uninteresting. I want to read a rock n' roll band biography, not a psychology textbook.

fucking garbage, this book says nothing .

i mean really nothing enough with the psychoanylising the mans a cereal box therapist.

Shite. :rant:

It was given to me at christmas and I read it yesterday, was wondering what you thought of it?? I also read the one by danny sugerman and over the top gnr story about ten years ago..

I have my opinions from the book and I know he never talked to axl, but he did have so many quotes.. I really liked the way he broke down the songs from the illusion era...

So before I get into my feeling towards the book I wanted to know what others thought and how legit the book is.. I aks because I knew axl was out there, but this book puts a entire new spin on being out there..

I got the book a while ago.  I do think it's pretty good, although I could do without some of the psycho-analysis the author does on Axl!!  It gets a bit ridiculous, I mean he's never met the bloke.  Other than that, the format's good and there are loads of interesting quotes and stories.  It's worth getting if you don't have any GNR books definately.  It's probably also the only one with anything regarding the new lineup.

Nice gig-listing and discography at the back as well.  I was shocked when I read they'd played Bristol  :hihi:

Yeah the duide does analyze everything axl says and tries to figure him out.. I have to say he's no different then alot of us on the net ,we all argue with what we feel we know by basing things on what has happened.. I did like his one illusion album list..

Just to let you know Paul Stenning's reiussed version of 'GUNS N' ROSES: THE BAND THAT TIME FORGOT', gets an absolute slating in Classic Rock this month (1/10).

Geoff Barton calls the updated chapter on Velvet Revolver story 'a cut and paste job', and isn't amused by Paul Stenning's whinge at not being able to interview Axl and comparing him to Wacko Jacko. Finally says 'As Stenning complains in his foreword: 'It can be difficult writing an unauthorised book.' We're sure it can. Let alone mastering the English Language'

 :hihi:
refreshing to hear some fair comment about GN'R.
Geoff Barton seems unbiased and sane. A sign of a good trend in rock critics?

Thanks Scabbie! : ok:

I actually just bought The Band That Time Forgot, the revised version, and I did notice a few grammatical errors in just the first few pages, but who cares?  I just wanted to read a GN'R bio, and it's pretty good so far.  Who cares about the VR stuff.

Did Barton happen to point out that Stenning literally stole almost all of his material from other writers and didn't credit at least half of them?? Its old news he tried to put across as his own -- and did it badly.? Don't know about the revised version, but he couldn't even get the name of Axl's family members right, which is pretty pathetic considering the names were correct in the sources he lifted the info from.? ?Some deep research job.

Even in this thread, comments that people liked, like Slash's quote about "Axl's whole visionary style..."? was lifted directly from Rolling Stone.? Did he interview anybody at all himself?? The only thing he can call his own is his analysis stuff, and people here on the board have done that just as well.? ?

I hate seeing this guy getting credit.

The book sucked.