ROUGH MIX

Rating:
Summary: +1/2 -- Fascinating subject in need of a stronger co-writer
Review: It's difficult to blame Bowen for the hodge-podge nature of this book - after all, he was busy living this life, rather than thinking about and analyzing it. And with a personality as strong as his, it's difficult to lay too much blame at the feet of co-writer Jerome, either. The result of their collaboration is an interesting set of anecdotes that sketch Bowen's character (you get the sense that the writing voice is largely accurate), with occasional flashes of insight, but very little real depth.

Bowen's life in music has been an unusually rich one. Having started out as an early rock 'n' roll musician (with Buddy Knox and the Rhythm Orchids), progressing through a career in the music industry that included reviving the careers of Dean Martin (Bowen produced "Everybody Loves Somebody") and Frank Sinatra (Bowen produced "Strangers in the Night"), and a string of successful engagements as a record company executive in Nashville, Bowen's path crossed that of numerous fascinating characters. There's an interesting story about each, but they often fail to reveal much about the acquaintance, Bowen or their relationship.

Bowen's post-Reprise years led him through early work with soon-to-be luminaries Don Henley and Glen Frey, but the book has surprisingly little to say about their music. His tenure at MGM provides an interesting anecdote about drop-shipping around the label's regular distribution system, but fails to discuss why. Again, interesting stories, but not particularly revealing.

The book really doesn't take off until Bowen arrives in Nashville. Here there are interesting insights on Bowen's studio work, his view on musicians (including an enlightening discussion of stage versus studio players), his effort to drive Nashville to digital recording, and his philosophy about constructing an album as a 40-minute performance.

Bowen concludes with a nicely detailed view of Garth Brooks' rise to 400-pound-gorilla status. While there are certainly other sides to the story, Bowen's rings with a lot of truth - most especially his description of how Brooks' contract demands crippled Capitol/Liberty as a label.

This is a good read, but given Bowen's life, it should have been a great read.

Rating:
Summary: Not great lit., but a wealth of well-told music biz tales
Review: Usually when you read an "autobiography" of a Nashville musician, you just know the co-author really wrote it and let the star put his or her name at the top. This book sounds just like Bowen would sound if he were chatting with you over coffee. It's filled with great insider trivia about everyone from Little Richard to Sinatra to Garth Brooks (and, yes, that's steam coming out from under Garth's big hat). The word "unapologetic" in the title should be taken literally. Bowen gives us the often-outrageous, sometimes-ugly, unvarnished truth about himself and about the star's who've crossed his path