Rating: 
Summary: What a great read...again and again
Review: I must have read this book 4 or 5 times now and it's gotten to the point where I just leave it lying around the house, occasionally opening it to any page and reading from that point on. It's a cleverly written, hysterically funny account of Al's music biz shenanigans covering his entire career, a good 40 years. The bulk of the book deals with the first 15 years, up to 1972. Not just one story, more like several anecdotes strung together about name after familiar music artist name and what brought him together with these people, who ultimately come off as not too different from you or me from a human standpoint. The portions discussing crashing the fateful Bob Dylan session where they recorded "Like a Rolling Stone" is worth the price of the book alone. This is hands down my favorite rock and roll based book, regardless of writer or particular subject. It helps if you don't mind "hippie lingo" (and that's a pretty loose term; I didn't consider the lingo unusual until someone else picked up the book after me and mentioned it), but safe to say if you're a rock musician, you'll probably love it. I imagine anyone playing in a Boston band probably would love it.
Rating: 
Summary: what is cleveland waiting for ?
Review: kooper's career as told in this book takes the reader everywhere in the rock world as it evolved in the late '50's& into the '60's& 70's he was there making,creating & finding the music of the times. kooper the artist,innovator,personality is on full view and i enjoyed the ride.until al kooper is inducted in the rock & roll hall of fame it remains hollow & illegitimate as each year passes and more phonies & plagerizers enter.
Rating:
Summary: The "Forrest Gump" of rock-and-roll, but its all true!
Review: Much more than the creator of The Blues Project; Blood,Sweat and Tears; and Super Session, the thread that is Al Kooper runs through most of the major events of rock-and-roll over the past thirty-plus years. "Backstage Passes..." is the chronicle of those times from the man who lived them (and survived them). Kooper's touch with a tune transfers well to the page, making for an insightful, humorous read. As a 20-year Kooper fan, I found mountains of "Gee, I didn't know..." material. Like: I didn't know about the Jonie Mitchell story. Didn't know how Stephen Stills wound up on Super Session, didn't appreciate the changing of the guard at B,S&T.The world finally get an answer to the question: What do Judy Collins, Stephen King, B.B. King, Gary Lewis, Stevie Wonder, Rick Nelson, Jimmy Carter, Randy Travis, and George Harrison all have in common? My advice: order "Backstage Passes...", and Kooper's 2-CD set "Soul of A Man" (both available from Amazon.com). Slide both discs in, crack this mutha of a book, and let Al take you for a rollercoaster-of-a-ride through the soul of rock. You'll love it...more than you'll ever know!
Rating:
Summary: This is the REAL THING!
Review: No matter what you think of Al Kooper's music (I happen to think he's a genius), you will want to read his honest account of the music business. He pulls no punches, names names, and tells the real stories about the people that shaped and nurtured rock and roll music. He's got his heroes and his foes, but they all make for a terrific insider's story. If you want to know what life was like at the birth of a musical genre, you owe it to yourself to read this book. Plus, he tells his story with his wry sense of humor. There are some very funny stories and some very sad ones. Buy it. You won't regret it.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: The anecdotes of the Dylan sessions are worth the price of the book. But Kooper shows that ya gotta take chances. Sometimes he hits, sometimes he misses; but it's always funny. As Al says,"Forget what you heard, I was there."
Rating:
Summary: Very detailed, informative and funny!
Review: The details he writes about making music with All The Great Ones are fascinating. I had to listen to my old records again, now hearing them in a new way. His writing style is fluent and good English, spiced with dry humour. Being his age, takes my breath away reading how incredibly much he has done! There must be more than 24 hours in his day!
Rating:
Summary: what is cleveland waiting for ?
Review: This book is most definitely a mixed bag. The parts regarding the Lynyrd Skynyrd and Bob Dylan sessions are quite captivating. The brutal honesty really shines through in those sections. However, the solo career and Super Session material is quite boring as those parts really portray Mr. Kooper as just another studio musician. There is a point where it all sounds the same, this was the guitar player, and that was the drummer and we made this kind of music and smoked this type of weed and had these hassles. What impact did these alleged Super Sessions have on the music industry? I'll tell you what, absolutely very little if not nothing. In addition, Mr. Kooper's style does not fully tune you into his world. He assumes that you know what he is talking about without gramatically introducing you to how he got affiliated with a particular group. Also the changes are not connected too well. Many interesting stories but this could definitely have gone alot deeper in spots.
Rating: 
Summary: Hit and Miss
Review: This book is most definitely a mixed bag. The parts regarding the Lynyrd Skynyrd and Bob Dylan sessions are quite captivating. The brutal honesty really shines through in those sections. However, the solo career and Super Session material is quite boring as those parts really portray Mr. Kooper as just another studio musician. There is a point where it all sounds the same, this was the guitar player, and that was the drummer and we made this kind of music and smoked this type of weed and had these hassles. What impact did these alleged Super Sessions have on the music industry? I'll tell you what, absolutely very little if not nothing. In addition, Mr. Kooper's style does not fully tune you into his world. He assumes that you know what he is talking about without gramatically introducing you to how he got affiliated with a particular group. Also the changes are not connected too well. Many interesting stories but this could definitely have gone alot deeper in spots.
Rating:
Summary: Just a Great Book!
Review: This is a terrific book by a great artist! I have been a fan of Al's since the late 60's-I must have listened to Super Session over a hundred times. This book is very funny, revealing, and candid. Al pulls no punches and tells it like he saw it. Always at the right place at the right time-or as he said it he had to be at every right place, every time! Whether it was sittin' in with Bob Dylan when Al was not even supposed to be in the studio or discovering Lynyrd Skynyrd; Al was there and made it happen. A great book about Al, the record business, and gives great insight into some of the key musical events/artists of our times. Thanks Al for all the great music and for this book that gives us all a glimpse into your eclectic, amazing career.
Rating:
Summary: I can't keep from cryin'
Review: This is an insider's view of the music biz written in a conversational style. At times Kooper is insightful while at other times quite humerous. As one who is of Kooper's generation I found that "I can't keep from cryin" tears of laughter when reading this book.
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