Rating: 
Summary: A "must" for all Michael Bloomfield fans!
Review: If you love blues music and Michael Bloomfield's creations in particular you won't want to be without Jan Mark Wolkin & Bill Keenom superb biography -- the first in-depth oral history to probe Bloomfield's life and times. Michael Bloomfield includes a cd of unreleased tracks and provides an inside look based on interviews with family, friends and colleagues.
Rating:
Summary: A Must Have Piece of Music History
Review: If you love Mike Bloomfield, if you love American Music and if you love the blues, don't miss this book. I loaned it to a friend who read it and promptly bought his own copy. The bonus CD of rare tracks alone should put this in your collection. Great anecdotes and narrative from Mike and a host of musical dignitaries,friends and family. A great story about a legendary guitarist and the blues.
Rating: 
Summary: If you love Mike Bloomfield...
Review: If you loved Mike Bloomfield in the 60's, you'll probably feel as I did, that you need this book. It's much more comprehensive than Ed Ward's "Rise and Fall of an American Guitar hero" as regards Michael's childhood and teenage years in the suburbs of Chicago, and his forays into the blues world of Chicago's South Side. The story is narrated by Michael's family, friends and bandmates. It gives you a sense of Michael the person, but seems a bit disjointed at times , as the narration jumps back and forth between voices. The tone is a bit reverential, with none of the humor that Bloomfield would have insisted on, had he been here. The more lurid aspects of the story are somewhat played down, though various people address "the issue" from their points of view. Though there is more of the story of Michael the person, "If You Love These Blues" is less visually interesting than the Ward book (currently out of print). The small photos are scattered through the book, and there are no glossy photos, other than the riveting cover shot. In fairness, the pictures are rare (some are family photos). But there are too many photos of Bloomfield's friends, relative to the number of pictures of the books subject. The gist of the book? It's the age-old tale of the tortured artist. The image, especially that of the tortured blues guitarist is a powerful 20th century archetype, and if you relate to that, or if you are a fan of Michael Bloomfield the musician, you'll enjoy this. There is also a cd included, though I would rather listen to the recent "Don't Say That I Ain't Your Man" for musical references to the earlier periods of Bloomfield's recording career covered in the book. Bottom line? Enjoyable, a good introduction to one of the giants of American pop music in the 60's.
Rating:
Summary: Fitting tribute to an American guitar hero
Review: My first exposure to the music of Mike Bloomfield came with the release of the "Live Adventures" album. In the quarter-century that has passed since then, it has amazed me how many people have never come to appreciate the pure musicianship that characterized most of Bloomfield's life. This book puts what I came to know about Bloomfield into clear perspective, but will serve as a fitting introduction to Mike's music to those who never had the pleasure of hearing him when he was still with us. Contrary to the musicians of today who seem to stoop to most anything for money, Bloomfield did it for the love of the music. This book provides an insight into the growth of a virtuoso guitarist, from the rough and tumble days in Chicago, through the blues revival of the sixties and seventies, only to document the loneliness and pain which characterized Bloomfield's decline and untimely death. The reader is exposed to Bloomfield the man and the musician, with a lively review of his successes and accomplishments and a sometimes almost embarrassing view of his faults. The CD enclosed with the book clearly demonstrates Michael's legacy to American music and confirms that he was, indeed, a bluesman the likes of which will not be seen again soon.
Rating:
Summary: Fitting tribute to an American guitar hero
Review: My first exposure to the music of Mike Bloomfield came with the release of the "Live Adventures" album. In the quarter-century that has passed since then, it has amazed me how many people have never come to appreciate the pure musicianship that characterized most of Bloomfield's life. This book puts what I came to know about Bloomfield into clear perspective, but will serve as a fitting introduction to Mike's music to those who never had the pleasure of hearing him when he was still with us. Contrary to the musicians of today who seem to stoop to most anything for money, Bloomfield did it for the love of the music. This book provides an insight into the growth of a virtuoso guitarist, from the rough and tumble days in Chicago, through the blues revival of the sixties and seventies, only to document the loneliness and pain which characterized Bloomfield's decline and untimely death. The reader is exposed to Bloomfield the man and the musician, with a lively review of his successes and accomplishments and a sometimes almost embarrassing view of his faults. The CD enclosed with the book clearly demonstrates Michael's legacy to American music and confirms that he was, indeed, a bluesman the likes of which will not be seen again soon.
Rating:
Summary: An easy-to-read enjoyable book.
Review: The book is one that can be read in a single week-end. For it's price, it's cheap entertainment. It certainly provides a lot of insight into Bloomfield's life as well as the people around him. (I wish it had a better ending ... you know what I mean.)The CD itself is worth the price of the book if you're a Bloomfield fan. The last song, "Please Call Susie", goes on and on with a lot of noodling, but it's a great example of how MB uses the flated fifth in his music.
Rating:
Summary: Listen To This Book
Review: The cadence of this book moves at a tempo similar to Michael Bloomfield's life and music. Sometimes the words fly so fast they take away your breath; in other parts, every syllable inflicts white-hot pain in your soul. A floating, oral history biography isn't a new literary device, but it's certain the most excellent approach for someone so multidimensional as Bloomfield. Even the most hardcore fan will discover dozens of new stories in this book. To the newly initiated, the book explains a vital period of blues history. I surrendered to the book's spell, which is every bit as delicious and intricate as a prolonged Bloomfield solo on a good Saturday night. The bonus rarities CD is worth the price of admission alone, so how can you miss on this purchase?
Rating: 
Summary: Great behind the scenes look at a lost era
Review: The first Paul Butterfield Blues Band album (and John Mayall's Hard Road) turned me onto the blues. This book provides many very personal recollections of the happenings and experiences of the involved people. While the book is about Michael Bloomfield, the wider picture is more interesting, particularly the details about the PBBB. The first 2/3rds of the book are absolutely fascinating. Once Michael moved onto less productive and less 'important' times, the book loses its impact. I look forward to another book about Paul Butterfield as well.
Rating:
Summary: Good book on the life of Mike
Review: When I received this book as a gift, I looked at the jacket information and thought, "Bummer; written by Bloomfield groupies; this'll be a loser." I finally picked it up to read months later and was pleasantly surprised. The two primary authors traveled the country, interviewed the first-hand sources, and tied this biography up in a nice big bow. Having grown up in Chicago and its suburbs, being about the same age as Mike would be, and being somewhat of a Chicago/Delta blues fan, I can confirm some of this, and the rest sounds right, based on second- and third-hand information I already had. There's some about the music, there's some about life on the road, there's some about working with Big Names, but this is about Mike's life and is a fitting memorial. The CD inside the back cover of my copy is incidental. Nice job, guys.
Rating:
Summary: Good book on the life of Mike
Review: When I received this book as a gift, I looked at the jacket information and thought, "Bummer; written by Bloomfield groupies; this'll be a loser." I finally picked it up to read months later and was pleasantly surprised. The two primary authors traveled the country, interviewed the first-hand sources, and tied this biography up in a nice big bow. Having grown up in Chicago and its suburbs, being about the same age as Mike would be, and being somewhat of a Chicago/Delta blues fan, I can confirm some of this, and the rest sounds right, based on second- and third-hand information I already had. There's some about the music, there's some about life on the road, there's some about working with Big Names, but this is about Mike's life and is a fitting memorial. The CD inside the back cover of my copy is incidental. Nice job, guys.
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