Rating: 
Summary: Complete and a must have, but left a sour taste
Review: Although I found "Over the Top: The True Story of Guns N Roses" the most complete history, and probably most insightful that I have ever read, I had some problems with the book that left a sour taste in my mouth by the end. First off, somewhere in the middle of the book, Putterford is discussing the declining "style" of the concerts during the Illusions tour, he refers to W. Axl Rose as pulling a Donny & Marie by singing a duet with "female singer, Shannon Hoon" on Don't Cry. His complete disregard for who Hoon really is astounded me and made me be suspicious of his credibility. Also, I cannot stand it when music journalists criticize the Illusion albums. Most fans know that Appetite was the defining album for GN'R, no one disputes that, but journalists rarely give credit where credit is due. The Illusion albums showed a band that no longer lived off of Sunset Strip, I don't think anyone expected them to sing about drugs and alcohol forever, they're in the thirties. In my opinion, the Illusion albums were musically better than Appetite could ever be. Also Putterford's book seems to give a lot of new information, but all it really does is take all the rumors and press releases over the last decade and link them together. He criticizes the band for being in it for the money, but then you have to wonder....what's his purpose in writing this book?
Rating:
Summary: Complete and a must have, but left a sour taste
Review: Although I found "Over the Top: The True Story of Guns N Roses" the most complete history, and probably most insightful that I have ever read, I had some problems with the book that left a sour taste in my mouth by the end. First off, somewhere in the middle of the book, Putterford is discussing the declining "style" of the concerts during the Illusions tour, he refers to W. Axl Rose as pulling a Donny & Marie by singing a duet with "female singer, Shannon Hoon" on Don't Cry. His complete disregard for who Hoon really is astounded me and made me be suspicious of his credibility. Also, I cannot stand it when music journalists criticize the Illusion albums. Most fans know that Appetite was the defining album for GN'R, no one disputes that, but journalists rarely give credit where credit is due. The Illusion albums showed a band that no longer lived off of Sunset Strip, I don't think anyone expected them to sing about drugs and alcohol forever, they're in the thirties. In my opinion, the Illusion albums were musically better than Appetite could ever be. Also Putterford's book seems to give a lot of new information, but all it really does is take all the rumors and press releases over the last decade and link them together. He criticizes the band for being in it for the money, but then you have to wonder....what's his purpose in writing this book?
Rating: 
Summary: Great GNR book
Review: Excellent book, very nice pictures too, fun to read. One of the best about Guns n' Roses. If you're a fan, don't hesitate!
Rating:
Summary: The damned truth is hard to swallow, great book...
Review: Its really unconfortable for a fan to read this book, it tells you everything you don't want to know as a GNR worshiper. It's the damned truth, all the prima dona stuff from Axl, and his personal feelings, make you see Axl as a human being, and lower him from his demi-god state. Its a great book, I recomend it to GNR fans who CARE ABOUT THE TRUTH...
Rating:
Summary: Only the good die young
Review: Mark Putterford is an very accurate writer. He won't disappoint the Guns n' Roses fan who seek for information about the once called "most dangerous band in the world".Guns n' Roses became famous for the music, but also for the destroyed hotel rooms, the overdoses, the raw lyrics, and the chemical substance abuse that each and every member has gone through on the rock n' roll road. It's all in the pages of "Over The Top - The True History of Guns n' Roses. In a very detailed book, Putterford manages to tell how the once small Hollywood "glam-metal" band became the biggest - and for some the best - band in the world. But he doesn't forget to tell the whole story, the true story, and also explain why a great band became a hoax. He goes deep on his research, and find a lot of information not available anywhere else. There are only two major problems in "Over the Top...": the lack of fresh words from Axl, Slash and Duff and the small number of photos. But there's a lot of new information, given by Izzy and early Guns n' Roses collaborator Chris Weber, that MTV and Rolling Stone have never dreamed about. The effort that Putterford put to write the book paid off. Maybe you could say that only a handful of guys could write a better piece about Guns n' Roses: the band itself.
Rating:
Summary: a fun read
Review: this book is good for fans who don't know much about the band trying to pick up information on them. Since i didn't tune into the band until 5 years or so after their last tour i found it very helpful. it is pretty good and interesting reading if you are really that interested in the band.
Rating:
Summary: a fun read
Review: this book is good for fans who don't know much about the band trying to pick up information on them. Since i didn't tune into the band until 5 years or so after their last tour i found it very helpful. it is pretty good and interesting reading if you are really that interested in the band.
Rating:
Summary: A rockin' book for a rockin' band.
Review: This book is very well done, it covers the band from it's very beginning to 1993. Gives in-depth reviews of some concerts as well as personal looks into the lives of the band members. Very comprehensive.
Rating:
Summary: Inside look at mayhem, great music, and narcisism
Review: This book provided a good overview with corroboration about the beginnings, rise, and recent status (1993) about Guns N' Roses. The author takes us to Axl Rose, whose megalomania and power-trips wreaked havoc to almost all of the people he dealt with professionally and personally. He fired roadies on a whim, and severely beat up fans, while his thug cronies restrained them, in several instances. Rose would start a show up to 3 hours late for the fans who paid their hard earned money to hear the music from the band they loved. I have seen GnR a couple of times, all over the world. I have always loved their music. It is the music that matters, but the stories on how the frontman perceived the world made me believe that some of GnR were just scumbags who got lucky. There is recent knews of Duff, Stradlin, Sorum and Saul gigging together, while Axl still owns the rights to the GnR name. Hopefully Guns will get together with some material from most of the original songwriters...If they can stand to put up with Roses' Histrionics and personality disorders. This was a good read, and well worth it, not just for the GnR fan but the modern rock fan in general....Come and get me Axl!!
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty damn good
Review: This book tells everything that I've always wanted to know about GN'R. I finally got slash's real name! But I'm telling you, this book is for real. Some of the truth about Axl is hard to take, cause I've always thought highly of him. Although the truth sometimes hurts, I reccomend this book highly to any true fan of GnR. If you love the Guns like I do, then you'll love this book!
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