Book Review: Christopher Hjort - Strange Brew

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Book Review: Christopher Hjort - Strange Brew
Rev. Keith A. Gordon
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The Bottom Line

An exhaustive study of the British blues-rock era circa 1965 to 1970, rock historian Christopher Hjort provides the reader with an encyclopedic day-by-day account of performances, recording sessions, and other ephemera of artists like Eric Clapton & Cream, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, and many others with Strange Brew.
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Pros

* Profusely illustrated with band photos, record covers and show bills.
* Diary-style lay-out provides blow-by-blow account of British blues.

Cons

* Information overload – may not interest casual fan.
* A color photo section insert would have been even better!

Description

* Over-sized 8.5" x 10.5" perfect-bound book
* Thick 352-page diary of British blues music
* Printed on durable thick, glossy paper stock

Guide Review - Book Review: Christopher Hjort - Strange Brew

Strange Brew, penned by rock music historian Christopher Hjort, presents a comprehensive overview of the five years that defined and launched the British blues boom, putting much of the era in context. Presented diary-style, Strange Brew provides a day-by-day, blow-by-blow account of live band performances, recording sessions, album releases, and other historical occurrences in England's blues-rock bands.

Strange Brew centers on influential guitarists Eric Clapton, Peter Green, and Mick Taylor, beginning with Clapton's departure from the Yardbirds in 1965, and touching upon bands like Blind Faith, Derek & the Dominoes, the Rolling Stones, and others along the way. Hjort uses a variety of sources - including old magazine articles, artist interviews, and even fan club info - to reconstruct a timeline of the persons and places that fueled the growing scene.

In his research for the book, Hjort uncovered a wealth of new information, and with his deep, informed documentation, the author has righted several misconceptions and created a solid historical record for future study. Appendixes include indexes of concert locations and radio and TV appearances, as well as a lengthy index of people, places, and recordings named in the book. For gear geeks, Hjort also provides a section on the instruments and equipment used by the musicians.

More than a mere encyclopedia, however, Strange Brew provides the reader with a sense of time and place. Comments from musicians are presented with memories of gigs and recordings, and dozens of photographs of bands, show bills, and record covers are presented, along with sidebars providing information on recordings with track listings.

Strange Brew is the final word on the original British blues era, delivering both academic detail and plenty of entertainment value.