Rating: 
Summary: Hugely entertaining
Review: I love books like this. Despite the fact that many of these acts would be considered failures, they obviously mean or have meant something to someone. Not everyone in this book can be considered a true unknown, but it would take a knowledgable person indeed to have heard of a few of them. One of my favorites is a fifteen year old kid named Joe Docko. Joe's band, the Mystic Tide, is one of the bands whose songs have been included on the cd that comes inside the back cover. "Frustration" is one of the great undiscovered moments in garage rock history, and Joe Docko tossed out the original masters because he didn't think anyone would care. If that isn't a tragi-comedy I don't know what is.
Rating:
Summary: I loved this book.
Review: I loved this book!I am a 35 year old punk musician(Razorwire) from Boston.I was surprised how many of these bands/people I was familier with.I found the brief stories very interesting .The writers passion for the music is clear.I read the book in 3 days and I dont like reading much.The CD is pretty good.My tastes run harder but its clear how importantthis stuff is.Faves onthe disc Music Machine and especially The Mystic Tide cut.That song blows my mind!!!!!!I hit repeat over and over for that cut.
Rating: 
Summary: a good job
Review: mr unterberger has good taste in music. whether or not these artists are too obscure, or not obscure enough, for me, is beside the point-though i do feel that none of them are exactly household names. this is very well written, and i enjoy his new book, urban spacemen and wayfaring strangers even more, as there are fewer musicians profiled- which allows unterberger to delve even deeper into their interesting, often brilliant, and varied careers.
Rating:
Summary: Just Incredible!
Review: Shows that for every Beatles and Rolling Stones, there are many equally talented individuals you never hear about. After reading about what can go wrong to prematurely stop a career, it makes the ones like the Beatles and Stones seem all the more amazing. I kept thinking: "what if after returning from Germany, John, Paul, George and Ringo had gotten discouraged and decided to call it quits." I guess we would now be sitting around reading about them, trying to imagine what they would have sounded like and wondering how far they could have gone. I felt some sadness while reading this book, because that is excatly what seems to have happened to these musicians. Ah well... the CD (which comes with the book)--Ritchie could you part with more-- is a nice touch. I was familiar with some of the bands: Music Machine, 13th Floor Elevator and I was inspired to seek out some of thier work on CD. Would love to see part two...ever heard of Shawn Philips, a great undicovered talent, once played lead for Donovan and still has quite a loyal following or Beast, a group from Colorado..circa 1966-68, adapted jazz to rock before it was fashionable......
Rating:
Summary: A MUST READ
Review: This is an absolutely indespensible book for those of us who are really into rock and roll. The chapters on Creation, Love, Hampton Grease Band and a few others make this a necessary purchase. I do agree with some pundits who note that there are some artists included who are hardly `unknown'...and apparently there are no Canadian `unknown legends'...but those are very minor quibbles. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: great.
Review: this is great stuff, a labor of love, and it shows. a great introduction to some artists that deserve a lot more recognition - like skip spence, roky erickson, the misunderstood and the great society. while introducing me to some great music like the mystic tide and nick drake, each seperate bio was an interesting read on its own terms. these musicians were the real deal - this book should be required reading for all pearl jam fans. can't wait for the next volume.
Rating:
Summary: Cool, maign!
Review: This is the book for the rock fan that has reached a temporary dead end in his/her quest for great music. Even if you're already familiar with some of the artists profiled here, there will be new and interesting albums for you to track down. I am particularly grateful for being introduced to The United States of America. In fact, the only dissapoiontment for me was Unterberger's total dismissal of Daniel Johnston. I'm using this book as a buyers guide whether I'm at the local used record store or surfing the web. Amazon.com's got has a suprising number of these reissues in stock. All of you asking 'where's the Big Star chapter?' are answering your own question. They don't need one anymore.
Rating:
Summary: Cool, maign!
Review: This is the book for the rock fan that has reached a temporary dead end in his/her quest for great music. Even if you're already familiar with some of the artists profiled here, there will be new and interesting albums for you to track down. I am particularly grateful for being introduced to The United States of America. In fact, the only dissapoiontment for me was Unterberger's total dismissal of Daniel Johnston. I'm using this book as a buyers guide whether I'm at the local used record store or surfing the web. Amazon.com's got has a suprising number of these reissues in stock. All of you asking 'where's the Big Star chapter?' are answering your own question. They don't need one anymore.
Rating:
Summary: Time to Move from Unknown to Known!
Review: Unterberger is a critic who really does have a deep knowledge of rock history, especially in terms of little-known artists who have had an unexpected influence on others. Don't be too concerned with who exactly is in this book, because in a world where there's ten thousand unknown bands for every successful rock star, it would be impossible to cover any representative number of "unknowns" in one book. So Unterberger has written about artists that he's familiar with, and he's especially keen on those that were noticed by other open-minded musicians, and have actually influenced the course of rock history in unexpected ways. A few surprise twists are bands that famous people were in during their developmental days, most notably Marc Bolan (T. Rex) in the unheralded psychedelic band John's Children. Also featured in the book is much needed information on artists that most astute rock fans probably have heard of, but for which there is precious little information available, such as Love and Nick Drake. So while it's clearly impossible to cover everybody, Unterberger has done a real service to the artists he includes here. This book has turned me into a real fan of both Love (a tremendous band that all serious fans of rock history should be aware of), plus the intriguing Middle Eastern troupe Aisha Kandisha's Jarring Effects. I have also found myself very interested in Savage Rose, the Music Machine, and the Deviants, but I wish I could track down some of their stuff. For that reason (among others) the CD that comes with this book is a great bonus.
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