Synopses & Reviews
The story of notorious manager Allen Klein, revealing new, behind-the-scenes details about some of the biggest rock bands in history Allen Klein was like no one the music industry had seen before. The hard-nosed business manager became infamous for allegedly catalyzing the Beatlesandrsquo; breakup and robbing the Rolling Stones, but the truth is both more complex and more fascinating. As the manager of the Stones and then the Beatlesandmdash;not to mention Sam Cooke, the Who, Donovan, the Kinks, and numerous other performersandmdash;he taught young soon-to-be legends how to be businessmen as well as rock stars. In so doing, Klein made millions for his clients and changed music forever. But Klein was as merciless with his clients as he was with anyone else, earning himself an outsize reputation for villainy that has gone unchallenged until now. Through unique, unprecedented access to Kleinandrsquo;s archives, veteran music journalist Fred Goodman tells the full story of how the Beatles broke up, how the Stones achieved the greatest commercial success in rock history, and how the music business became what it is today.
Review
andldquo;Fred Goodman makes this world come alive, and any fan of rock or insider tales of the music industry will be in heaven reading about this fascinating, troubling character.andrdquo;and#160;andmdash; Judd Apatow
andldquo;Writing about contracts, percentages and deals can be tedious, but Goodman makes it as exciting as reading about an artistandrsquo;s sex life. The book explodes with inside dope.andrdquo;and#160;andmdash; Jim Farber,and#160;New York Daily News
andldquo;One highly engrossing read . . .and#160;Fred Goodman is a superb writerand#160;and his account here of one of rock andrsquo;nand#160;rollandrsquo;s most polarizing figures could not be more readable.and#160;[A] triumph.andrdquo;and#160;andmdash; Yahoo! Music
andldquo;I want you to read it, so you can see how the world really works.and#160;Allen Klein reinvented the wheel.andrdquo;and#160;andmdash; Bob Lefsetzandldquo;Goodmanandrsquo;s eye-opening biography of a pivotal insider reveals the record-company machinations behind some of the biggest names from the 1960s.andrdquo;and#160;andmdash;and#160;Booklistand#160;andldquo;In this balanced, fascinating, and well-written biography, Goodman gives [Allen Klein] credit where itandrsquo;s due.andrdquo;and#160;andmdash;Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Synopsis
An account of the heyday of rock and roll through the lens of Allen Klein, the business manager, producer, and gadfly who andquot;broke up the Beatlesandquot; and showed the Rolling Stones how to become the preeminent dynasty in popular music.
Synopsis
"Fred Goodman makes this world come alive, and any fan of rock or insider tales of the music industry will be in heaven reading about this fascinating, troubling character." -- Judd Apatow, Omnivoracious "Writing about contracts, percentages, and deals can be tedious, but Goodman makes it as exciting as reading about an artist's sex life. The book explodes with inside dope." --New York Daily News
Allen Klein was like no one the music industry had seen before. Though he became infamous for allegedly causing the Beatles' breakup and robbing the Rolling Stones, the truth is both more complex and more fascinating. As the manager of the Stones and then the Beatles--not to mention Sam Cooke, Pete Townshend, Donovan, the Kinks, and numerous others--he taught young soon-to-be legends how to be businessmen as well as rock stars. While Klein made millions for his clients, he was as merciless with them as he was with anyone, earning himself an outsize reputation for villainy that has gone unchallenged until now. Through unique, unprecedented access to Klein's archives, veteran music journalist Fred Goodman tells the full story of how the Beatles broke up, how the Stones achieved the greatest commercial success in rock history, and how the music business became what it is today.
"Fred Goodman is a superb writer . . . and his account here of one of rock 'n' roll's most polarizing figures could not be more readable. The even-handed tone, the supposition that readers are moderately intelligent and sophisticated, and the rather astounding involvement Allen Klein had with pop music's largest legends--put all that together, and you've got one highly engrossing read." --Yahoo Music
"Succeed s] both as a compelling work of rock 'n' roll history and as a cautionary business primer." --Wall Street Journal
About the Author
FRED GOODMAN is a former Rolling Stone editor and the author of the books Fortuneand#39;s Fool, The Secret City, and The Mansion on the Hill, which was a New York Times Notable Book and received the Ralph J. Gleason Award for Best Music Book.