Dusty: The Classic Biography Revised and Updated

I have almost finished reading this book on Dusty , one of many that I have read . I like the journalist Lucy O'Brien as she has a nice writing style and has researched her subject very well.

Loved reading about one of my early heroines.But,given her catastrophic patterns of self-sabotage,It would have been better to hear more about her unhealthy private life.As a later bio apparently does.

This is a book originally published in 2007 (?) and has been updated and revised. Thank you Lucie O'Brien for your dedication and loyalty to our greatest female pop artist.

Dusty is one of our greatest female artists of all time and this book does justice to her. The author has clearly researched her life and has made this book such an enjoyable read. So glad that it has been updated from the original because that shows the Genuity of the author who is a fan. This book is a must for any fans of Dusty

Excellent biography of the ever delightful and much missed Dusty.

Bought this for my Dad for his birthday. He loves it and has read it cover to cover. Lots of pictures to look at and an interesting read!

Just so interesting. Brilliant.

A very good read for the general public. But if you want to know more about her work than her non-studio life, seek other sources. She was her own record producer during the 1960s but there's barely a mention of the sessions, the musicians, or her choices. For instance, it took me about 40 years to find out who she had play that marvellous sax break on "The Look of Love" - even Burt Bacharach didn't know. But it was Ronnie Scott! She obviously chose her TV series guests, like Jose Feliciano, but these backstories aren't in the package. A compassionate, page-turning life story here, but if you're primarily taking her recorded work seriously, the book won't be of help.

This biography was fantastic.Through a great deal of research and interviews with friends and collaborators, much information is revealed about the times and culture in which Dusty Springfield created her music.The insight into this ‘ahead of her time’ singer/musician is eye opening. I have always loved Ms Springfield’s music, though, after reading this biography I am a FAN. She was definitely much more than just a singer from the 1960s ... by far.Dusty Springfield has been known for her struggles throughout the years, and, this biography, (written with an underlying respect), is so much more than a book of gossip. It shows a complete, creative, gifted and at times flawed human being.I thank Lucy O’Brien for writing this much needed biography of one of the ‘Greats’.

Brilliant. A million times better than Vicki Wickham and Penny Valentine's shoddy and pathetic work, which should be avoided at all costs. Excellent detail on her early years with the Springfields, for example, totally lacking in the other book. Highly recommended for Dusty fans..

This biography of Dusty was different from others I have read. Lucy O'Brien's take on Dusty came from contact with the person herself, since Lucy O'Brien knew Mary O'Brien and based the information in the text on some first hand knowledge of the person. No one knew Dusty intimately. She did not reveal much about herself to any person, but Lucy O'Brien was able to glean glimpses of Dusty that divulge traits of this individual who was always so enigmatic. Because I find Dusty Springfield to be a fascinating person, I very much appreciated Lucy O'Brien's knowledge of Dusty and her ability to write clearly and simply so that the reader is able to comprehend and unearth new facts about Dusty not revealed in other biographies concerning her life.

Interesting book!

I read 'Dancing with Demons' first; and while I'm sure it has its flaws, I got a better 'feel' for the 'real' Dusty in it. This book is focused on the music of this amazing, yet flawed person, and leaves much to be desired regarding her personal background; or revealing a better understanding of what might have' 'driven' this complicated woman. Had I not read the other book first, this one would not have given me the type of insight into Dusty that I was hoping for.. If you want to track her musical career, and just scratch the surface of the woman; then I'd say this one might be worth a read. It left me wanting more. I say this knowing that only Dusty, herself, knew the real story. Her voice IMHO was, and is, the very best! A beautiful, complicated, STRONG woman. She is missed.