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Rating: 
Summary: History of Gothic Rock
Review: I really liked this book, mainly because the writer didn't get too personally involved in his material but also because he was able to distinguish between the bands and individuals that were gothic rock and those that influenced gothic rock. Like the Damned's Dave Vanian who became a reluctant goth role model by just being himself.It is also free from todays goth/industrial rock, focusing on the roots of gothic rock. "It (the book) is an examination of what transpired when one specific tentacle of the post-punk British rock octopus stopped failing around in the wastes above its head, and burrowed instead into its blackest cave, there to contemplate...whatever." If you are at all interested in gothic rock then this book is well worth the read.
Rating:
Summary: Real good history of Gothic Rock.
Review: I've read just about every book out there dealing with the Goth scene and just about every one of them covers everything that could possibly fit under that name and then some. This one sticks to just the music and in many ways is much better that all the others. After all isn't it the music that's the primary reason we love Goth after all? Mick Mercer is the only person that's has gotten it right until this book by Dave Thompson. It was like reading about everything that I experienced growing up and discovering it all over again. These days what most kids call Goth has absolutely and utterly nothing whatsoever to do with anything Goth was the 1st 20 years it was around. How many times must I read about Korn being a Goth band? I mean give me a break! Whining, depressed, wanna-be-vampire teen suburban idiots dressed up in all black listening to Marilyn Manson and Korn calling themselves Goth has utterly destroyed the scene forever. I will have nothing to do with any of these dumb kids. I never in my entire 20+ year Goth 'career' ever met a whining depressed Goth ever, until 5 years ago. They should all be forced to read this book and listen to every album that's referred to in it. Goth is a scene that must look to its history for its present or future to have any meaning or hope. If you consider yourself a Goth I highly recommend you read this book. You'll love it. If you don't love it, go back to hanging out at the mall, because I can't imagine you really are a Goth in the 1st place.
Rating:
Summary: A "goth rock for dummies"?
Review: No, it's not that type of book and if you are searching something like that better go to some other place. It's a serious exploration of the subject, and some chapters were written in language that reminds me a scientific review. I give it 5 stars for the amount of information it contains, but the style as well as the cover of the book could be a lot better. Also, not a word have been written about the Crow thing which for me is a real loss - for example one of the best Cure gothic tracks "Burn" was off the soundtrack for the first Crow movie. Anyway for one that wants a load of info it is a good place to dig.
Rating: 
Summary: Exhuming the real goths
Review: Siouxsie, Bauhaus, the ((Southern) Death) Cult, the Cure, the Sisters of Mercy, Specimen... this book is refreshingly free from the 1990s industrial and metal bands dressed in black that somehow got mislabeled goth. And it's also refreshingly free from all the third rate, third wave bands that managed to synthesize the diverse sounds of Siouxsie, the Sisters, et al. into a recognizable genre without writing a single memorable song. Instead, you'll find a solid history of the development of goth (a pigeonhole none of its key bands really fit into anyway) through the punk era and beyond. I was surprised by a couple of omissions. I expected some kind of reference to the classic NME cover story on the "new positive punk" that brought the likes of the Southern Death Cult to my attention and the attention of many others. This early attempt at characterizing the genre merits some discussion, especially as the term "positive punk" is mentioned once or twice in passing. Siouxsie and the Banshees got rather short shrift. They're often mentioned and quoted, but I'd like to have seen them get the same degree of attention as Bauhaus, the Sisters, the Cure, and the Cult. If there's a single album that formed my idea of what gothic rock was, before I'd ever heard that term used, it was Juju. I also expected a bit more on the US death rock scene. It may be harder to find the good stuff amid the abundant dross of American death and goth rock, but that hardly means it doesn't exist. A couple of suggestions for any future editions: an index and a list of recommended listening.
Rating:
Summary: A magnificent book
Review: This book will be a Godsend for anyone wishing to research the development of Goth, remind themselves of great times, or just to discover new bands, all in a sensible linear way. The book is weighty, and text-heavy, with only a small selection of photos dotted throughout. It is aimed at those who want to devour the information, which I would imagine means anyone sensible who is, or has ever been, into Goth. He begins with a strange examination of the early days, giving special emphasis to Iggy's 'The Idiot and further clouding the pre-punk era by suggesting King Crimson gets a look in, as do the bleak visions of Doctors Of Madness, or the cartoonish drama-punk outfit, Rikki & The Last Days Of Earth. This early section covers from Punk to the early 80's, and Dave is knowledgeable enough not to regard Joy Div, Banshees, Damned, or Cure as Goth bands themselves, but artists who influenced some, and shared Gothic elements with others. He includes Ultravox and Magazine and the names of the main interesting bands of the era flicker past your eyes, but he concentrates on establishing a loose thread that connects the activities of The Banshees (who he eventually loses track of), Joy Division (but not New Order), The Cure, Bauhaus and Birthday Party. Smaller bands get slotted neatly into the historical flow, which helps to make this book so useful to so many, as we get the UK Decay, Killing Joke and Virgin Prunes, before blending the Birthday Party, Ants and Bauhaus eras, leading up to Futurama, and in the post-Blitz serenity showing how The Cure, Bauhaus, Birthday Party, Sisters, Theatre Of Hate and Bauhaus reputations became established. Section 2 starts neatly be accepting the Gothic term and tag was firmly in place, introducing Southern Death Cult and Gene Loves Jezebel, as well as dragging Nico in for some praise. Then it's the Batcave, with Specimen, Almond Sex Gang, Sex Fiend (largely ignored) and the Sisters. From that point in, other than Flesh For Lulu, he sticks with the big names. Part 3 brings in the Nephilim, trawls thorough the whole Sisters/Sisterhood/Mission period, and trots grandly on, until signing off with the reunions of the 90's and a frankly disappointing epilogue, and trivial recognition that America had/has some bands too! I would have expected much more about the development of the American scene, which he must know is much more widespread and artistically adventurous than our own (having done an Industrial book through Cleopatra). No matter, because he has pulled together the main period he obviously wanted to cover and does so superbly, creating a highly detailed, easy read full of incident, and the biggest slap on the back for Dave, who never once knowingly reveals any love for this music whatsoever, is how he affords Goth real respect. "Maybe Gothic Rock did get a little silly, a little cliched, and awfully distorted somewhere down the line. But what do you think happened to Glam, Punk and Rock 'n' Roll itself? They hardly remained pure and pristine, either. But they survived, not simply to continue resonating within the world of modern rock, but to form the physical building blocks of everything that passes for rock music today. Gothic Rock is as vital a part of that construct as any of those others." I fail to see how anybody could want to ignore this? (Oh, and he ignores the NME's 'Positive Punk' article because he probably knows the journalist never meant the piece to be taken that way, but the sub-editors concocted that themselves.)
Rating:
Summary: Excellent rock book
Review: This is one of the very few books to deal specifically with the actual sub genre of rock known as gothic rock. Like punk, goth has become a blanket term used to describe any band that remotely approaches a certain aesthetic that was once (sort of) original. Thompson's book sets the record straighter by focusing mainly on the UK and the post punk scene that was the birthing ground for what would become 'gothic' rock. The author covers the separate 'scenes' that grew up in various parts of the country (London, Leeds, etc) and how they differed and developed. When the initial thrill of punk receded, post punk rose up and developed along different lines, spinning off and inspiring genres like goth and even new wave. Much attention is given to The Cure, Southern Death Cult, The Sisters of Mercy, Bauhaus, Siouxsie, etc. A lot of ground is covered, from Joy Division (described as having a 'gothic' sound) through the wranglings between Andrew Eldritch's Sisterhood and the ex members of the Sisters, toward the Fields of the Nephilim, who tried to fill the gap left by the Sisters. Toward the end, the American scene is covered a bit, focusing on 'Death' rock with bands like Christian Death and .45 Grave, for instance. The book is well researched, well written and not particularly biased. Thomson's style is smooth and well organized. The chapters deal with specific months and years and move around from the status of one band to another. The author also touches on more recents developments since the 1980s, addressing the various artists and bands that have been characterized as 'goth'. But again, the main focus is on progenitors of the genre rather than latter day pretenders to the throne. There are also some decent pictures, but overall this is an excellent rock book, full of information for even casual fans of the genre or of the particular bands mentioned above. Well indexed, too. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent rock book
Review: This is one of the very few books to deal specifically with the actual sub genre of rock known as gothic rock. Like punk, goth has become a blanket term used to describe any band that remotely approaches a certain aesthetic that was once (sort of) original. Thompson's book sets the record straighter by focusing mainly on the UK and the post punk scene that was the birthing ground for what would become 'gothic' rock. The author covers the separate 'scenes' that grew up in various parts of the country (London, Leeds, etc) and how they differed and developed. When the initial thrill of punk receded, post punk rose up and developed along different lines, spinning off and inspiring genres like goth and even new wave. Much attention is given to The Cure, Southern Death Cult, The Sisters of Mercy, Bauhaus, Siouxsie, etc. A lot of ground is covered, from Joy Division (described as having a 'gothic' sound) through the wranglings between Andrew Eldritch's Sisterhood and the ex members of the Sisters, toward the Fields of the Nephilim, who tried to fill the gap left by the Sisters. Toward the end, the American scene is covered a bit, focusing on 'Death' rock with bands like Christian Death and .45 Grave, for instance. The book is well researched, well written and not particularly biased. Thomson's style is smooth and well organized. The chapters deal with specific months and years and move around from the status of one band to another. The author also touches on more recents developments since the 1980s, addressing the various artists and bands that have been characterized as 'goth'. But again, the main focus is on progenitors of the genre rather than latter day pretenders to the throne. There are also some decent pictures, but overall this is an excellent rock book, full of information for even casual fans of the genre or of the particular bands mentioned above. Well indexed, too. Highly recommended!
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