Al Stewart: True Life Adventures of a Folk Troubadour Paperback – 6 April 2006

I have been an enormous fan of Al Stewart for over thirty years and play his albums (up to 24 Carrots) on a regular basis.Judd's book is somewhat episodic and in places repetitive. That is not to say that Judd's research has been thorough, which I believe it has been. But Stewart comes across as a spoilt malcontent who never seemed too happy with his lot, even when he had achieved his desire to become a famous rock star.I never finished reading it as I became bored hearing about someone whose music I admire and whose life was much less interesting.

this was a real jounalistic trawl through the minutiae of Al's life. i was hoping for the poetry, the insight, the sublime reflection of his music. Sorry.

This is just so badly written. The sad thing is, it will probably be the only biography of Al Stewart, so it's the only one we're ever going to get. The author is an amateur, but at least he's collected the facts, and put them out there.

I was so excited when I learned that an Al Stewart biography was being published, however this was soon knocked out of me after grinding through several chapters of boring early reminisces. It appears that this is Neville Judd's first biography, and it certainly shows. Essentially, what we have here is a collection of quotes and anecdotes, pieced together in approximate chronological order. What this means is that certain events that are easy to research have an enormous amount of airtime (e.g. endless dialogue with studio musicians), with very little analysis of the subject himself, or of his less well documented episodes (e.g. it would have been great to hear about an English folkie's experiences on the LA "star circuit" from those involved). Too often the author throws up an interesting point then quickly discards any analysis of it in favour of a reprint of Al's lyrics.After reading this book, I don't feel like I know Al at all. I read this straight after finishing Charles Cross' excellent biography of Kurt Cobain and Neil Strauss' Motley Crue book (an odd selection, I know!) both of which really got you inside the minds of the subjects (which in both cases isn't necessarily healthy).So, should you buy it? For non-Al fans, this would have to be a 1 star review. However, for Al fans, I don't expect we'll see another book, so for scarcity value (and one or two entertaining sections) this probably scrapes three stars, so I'll be generous and average out two.A sadly missed opportunity.

Yes, I have just finished reading Nevil Judd's book, which I found to be a rattling good read.Unexplained, true, why AS suddenly debunked from US touring, returning to "Blighty" when he was on a mega-roll in terms of popularity and music sales. Also, could have provided a greater insight into the real Mr. Stewart.Still, a rattling good read, with great photographs and lyrics throughout.If not worth five stars, then definitely worth 4.6, which is nearer to five than it is to four.Anyone with the slightest interest in Al Stewart should enjoy this book immensely.

Very enjoyable and readable account of this brilliant and very individual musician who has carved out a unique career in the music industry. Interesting connections in his early years to the likes of Jimmy Page, Sandy Denny and other icons of the music industry make this book an interesting journey from the 60s to the 2000's. I would like to see the author revise it and bring it up to date as he has brought our 2 new albums since the book ended.If you are a fan of Al Stewart you will really enjoy this book. It provides some great insights to his life and times and the tremendous lyrics in his music.

This book is not as bad as some of the reviews suggest, and personally I had no trouble reading it straight through. It is well researched and contains a lot of interesting information that you'd struggle to find elsewhere. However, some episodes recieve disproportionately large coverage, whilst others barely get a look in. A bit of editing would have been good, since there does appear to be some repetition. I'm guessing Judd got fed up with writing it and sent it off for print before it was really ready - maybe even before he'd read it through himself!

If you are an Al Stewart fan, your library is not complete without this biography. Al Stewart is a tremendously talented musician, and those that have met him, including myself, are just delighted by his wit and friendliness. This book spans his entire life, right from his childhood days, through his commercial successes "Year of the Cat" and "Time Passages", through his later album releases, and to his latest brilliant album "Down In The Cellar" from 2000/2001. Al continues to tour extensively in the U.S. and Europe, and offers wonderful performances. This biography reveals Al's life, through all of the ups and also the downs.

Dieses Buch ist super. Wer etwas über Al Stewart wissen will, der lese es. Leider nur in Englisch, ist aber gut geschrieben. Ich bin nicht so perfekt in Englisch, doch wenn ich etwas nicht weiß, sehe ich bei Leo Org nach, das klappt wunderbar. Viel Wissenswertes über Al Stewart, sogar Hochzeitsfotos und so weiter. Und sehr ausführlich.

Molto interessante questa biografia di Al Stewart, dagli esordi al 2005, con molte foto dell'epoca. Peccato non sia mai stata tradotta in italiano, ma chi conosce un pò la lingua inglese non troverà difficoltà nella lettura.Per gli appassionati di questo grande cantautore scozzese.

As a long-time fan of Al Stewart, I had to buy this book. I bought it used, at Amazon. If you are not a fan, you will probably be bored to tears. In other words, I'd not recommend you make this book your introduction to the musician. Listen to his music, instead! For people who are fans, this is worth the read and maybe even worth the time it will take you to read it. Chock full of interesting facts and stories!