Rating: 
Summary: Stylish & Informative -- Highly Recommended
Review: Did you know that "Seasons in the Sun" was recorded by The Kingston Trio long before Terry Jacks ever got his hands on this tune? If you remember your radio cranking out classic one-hit wonders like Katrina & the Waves ("Walking on Sunshine"), The Standells ("Dirty Water"), Marc Cohn ("Walking in Memphis"), and Ace ("How Long"), you won't be able to put this book down. Brent Mann writes beautifully and his research is impeccable. Anyone who grew up listening to Top 40 music will enjoy 99 Red Balloons -- highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A Marvelous Reference Book
Review: Essentially, if you have been listening to Top 40 radio at any point since the days of Rock Around The Clock, you know (and love) at least one of the songs referenced in this book.The book is eminently readable. Each of the 101 One-Hit Wonders is given its own chapter, and you learn the history of the song/artist, with an exploration into what happened with the artist to send them into One-Hit Wonder Land. Good Job, Brent! we await the sequel!
Rating:
Summary: Great Book!
Review: I am just amazed by the tremendous research the author, Brent Mann, must have done for this book. The book is truly entertaining, and I had so much fun reading it. It will make a great Christmas gift.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book!
Review: I am just amazed by the tremendous research the author, Brent Mann, must have done for this book. The book is truly entertaining, and I had so much fun reading it. It will make a great Christmas gift.
Rating:
Summary: The Wonder of One-Hit Wonders
Review: I bought my copy of Brent Mann's "99 Red Balloons and 100 Other All-Time Great One-Hit Wonders" because I found the topic and concept of the book to be fascinating. I came across the book and started thumbing through it at the bookstore. Before I realized it, I had been reading for the better part of an hour. The book was already worn, so I bought it. What a treat! I have read each of the artist's vignettes and now consider myself an expert on one-hit wonders, courtesy of Brent Mann's exhaustive research and exceptional writing style. His prose makes the material extremely readable and enjoyable. And, perhaps most importantly, there are bound to be just about everyone's favorite one-hit wonders detailed. For me, it is Benny Mardones' "Into the Night" and Terry Jacks' "Seasons in the Sun." Kudos to Brent Mann and his very neat book. Great read, I highly recommend it. You won't be disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: Should have been a web page, not a $13 book
Review: I can't quibble with Mann's choices for great one-hit wonders, and the book is fun to flip through; it brings back some good musical memories and he does unearth an occasional interesting fact. But there are problems. First, the writing style is poor; phrases like "By the way," "Incidentally," and "Ironically" are sprinkled liberally on virtually every page. I'm guessing the publisher didn't want to spring for an editor. Second, the author's idea of research seems to have been to park himself in front of his computer and surf the web, hoping to come up with enough details to fill a book. Too often, he relies on padding (like telling us what was on the chart at the same time as the song--which gets old and repetitious really fast considering how many of these songs came from the late 80's and early 90's) instead of concentrating on the song or the artist. For example, he repeats the common claim that "99 Red Balloons" has an anti-nuclear message, but spends absolutely no time discussing the lyrics. He tells us that songs like "Life in a Northern Town" and "Tubthumping" have quirky and interesting lyrics, but they get virtually no analysis at all. Finally, and worst of all, he gives no criteria for his ranking. Clearly, it's not based on statistics like chart life or sales, since "Macerena" and "You Light Up My Life," probably the biggest one-hit songs of all time, are absent from his list. It would be nice if we had some idea of how he came up with his list. Like my review title states, this would have been a fun web page, but as a book, it is eminently disposable.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Fun Read!
Review: I just got this book, and couldn't put it down! Mr Mann has put together some of the most fascinating stories about these bands. I'd heard and loved most of these songs, so it was a sheer joy to read about. Normally you only hear about the very famous groups... not the near-famous ones! I would whole-heartedly recommend this book to anyone who loves music.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating book
Review: I recently heard a commentator on NPR compare Brent Mann to Bill Bryson, and I have to totally agree with that comparison. If you enjoyed Bryson's "Notes from a Small Island," you will love Brent Mann's "99 Red Balloons."
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating book
Review: I recently heard a commentator on NPR compare Brent Mann to Bill Bryson, and I have to totally agree with that comparison. If you enjoyed Bryson's "Notes from a Small Island," you will love Brent Mann's "99 Red Balloons."
Rating:
Summary: Smart, funny and well written
Review: I'll tell you just how good this book is: I've had two copies of "99 Red Balloons" lifted from my office cubicle over the past four months. Note to my co-workers: Buy your own copy! As I read this fascinating book, I felt like I was back in high school doing homework and listening to all my favorite songs on the radio. It's smart, funny and extremely well written. Brent Mann gives you the intriguing inside story behind classic one-hit wonders from Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs ("Stay") to Ace ("How Long") to Dexys Midnight Runners ("Come on Eileen") to Chumbawamba ("Tubthumping"). If you like music and pop culture, you will really dig "99 Red Balloons."
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